Sonora: And The Eye of the Titans Read online

  Aunt May swung around to face them. “It is essential that you understand your limits. Nature is willing to let you use its hadrons, but you must do so with the utmost respect. There is a balance in nature, as there is in all life. If that balance is interrupted, nature will do all it can to regain balance so it can survive. If you are greedy with the use of hadrons, there will be consequences.” Her tone was soft, but the words were sharp and meaningful in the context of the teachings.

  Aunt May was about to start the physical part of their training when Allora interrupted. “Why was I able to produce fire? And how, since I’m not even eighteen yet?”

  Aunt May’s pause was deliberate as she debated whether or not to explain the phenomenon to the justifiably curious young Sonoran. “It requires a very rare kind of energy focalization, one which only a few Sonorans are capable of. I’ve never heard of anyone doing it at your age. Allora. There are four stages of hadron development. The first is Beson, second is Meson, third is Baryon, and the last is Fermion. Most don’t reach the last stage, but you apparently have. Those special few who do reach it have the ability to produce and manipulate certain elements in our environment. The elements, of course, are rock or earth, wind, water, and, as you found out for yourself, fire.”

  “I still don’t get it,” Allora said, staring down at her hands. “How am I at the last stage if I’ve never even been through the first one?”

  “I don’t know,” She admitted. “I’m as confused as you are about that, and your situation is unique. I’ve heard of Sonorans being able to focus hadrons at a young age but never at the fourth level. There were stories of young Sonorans with such powers, and some of these stories are supposedly recorded in ancient texts, but not much is known on the subject since most of those ancient texts were burned or lost ages ago.”

  Aunt May waved her hand, and four fighting dummies popped up from the ground. She then instructed each of the four trainees to take a position in front of a plastic fighting dummy. Then, they were instructed to begin with basic maneuvers, performing a routine of kicking and punching. Katie and Dax had a thorough knowledge of martial arts techniques, so the instructions were easier for them to execute.

  After hours of repeating basic fighting moves, Allora rubbed her sore hands, arms and legs. “How much longer do we have to do this?” she complained. “I thought we were going to practice focusing hadrons, not training for a kung fu tournament.”

  Aunt May glided over next to Allora. “Continue,” she commanded.

  For the rest of the day, it was the same basic instruction, until Aunt May ended the session and sent her would-be warriors back through the portal. As soon as Allora got home, she iced the bruises on her limbs and crashed on the couch.

  Milly came into the living room and found her daughter asleep in an awkward position, with one leg hanging off the sofa. She lifted Allora’s legs, extended them out, and covered her with a blanket. Milly then sat down and brushed the hair from her daughter’s forehead, recalling her own training so many years ago. It was a long and difficult journey, but she knew her daughter could handle it.

  * * *

  The next morning, Allora felt herself moving. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw the face of an attractive young man staring back at her.

  “Hi,” Tanner said softly.

  “Hi,” Allora responded, unsure of what else to say. She began to feel a strange sensation as she stared back at him. Realizing the feelings of the moment, her eyes darted back and forth, searching for a distraction. Awkwardly, she stretched her arms and legs, which were completely sore from the previous day. “I should, uh… probably go get ready,” Allora mumbled, pulling off her blanket. Looking down at nothing but underwear, her eyes grew wide. Quickly, she snatched the blanket, covered herself up, and escaped to the bathroom.

  Tanner made a similar embarrassed departure to the kitchen, clumsily tripping over one of the family dogs that was lying next to the fireplace.

  Katie and Dax arrived a few minutes later, and everyone gathered around the kitchen table for breakfast.

  “What’s with you, man?” Dax asked, noticing that Tanner seemed a bit nervous.

  “Yeah,” Katie said. “You’ve hardly touched your food, and I know you’re always hungry.”

  “Nothing,” he replied, casting a cautious glare in Allora’s direction.

  Allora quickly took a large gulp of orange juice, ignoring everyone and staring out the window.

  Every day for two weeks, the four followed the same routine; waking early, eating breakfast together, and traveling through the portal to the orchard for basic training. Aunt May taught them the vulnerable body locations and how to exploit weak spots in their enemies.

  After a couple of weeks went by, Aunt May decided to change the training routine. On the morning of the fifth week, the four arrived to find no dummies. She waited for them to change into their usual robes, and then instructed them to take their regular positions in a line, facing her. They remained still, as they’d been taught, standing at attention with their arms clasped behind their backs.

  “Today, your training will require a bit more mobility, as your supposed enemy will be much more interactive, presumably, than the dummies you’ve faced thus far. You will be partnering up and training against each other,” Aunt May said, causing mixed reactions. “Katie, you will be matched up with Allora, and Tanner, you will train with Dax.” Reluctantly, they took up fighting positions, facing each other, and Aunt May stood between the two sets of partners. “You have a dual objective now. You must attack, while also blocking your opponent’s attacks.”

  Allora thought about what she would need to do to catch Katie off guard. She knew her opponent was much more skilled, but Allora was ready for it.

  “Begin!” Aunt May said.

  Katie advanced, swinging her leg upward. Instinctively, Allora swiveled her arms around to deflect, but Katie turned in the opposite direction, launching her fist into her opponent’s side. Allora recovered and mounted her own attack, sending a punch into Katie’s midsection with a force that expelled the air from the blonde girl’s lungs.

  Katie hadn’t anticipated the swift counterattack. “You’ve gotten better,” she said, standing up straight.

  “What’s wrong, Master Katie?” Allora responded, with a grin. “Can’t take a little competition?”

  “Oh, you’re going down girl!” At this point, Katie decided not to hold anything back. She dug her foot into the dirt and lunged forward, swinging her arms violently. The confusing move had the desired effect: Allora raised her arms to block a punch as Katie’s leg struck her in the shins. Allora knelt down but quickly threw up both arms to block a downward punch. Katie was obviously more gifted in the art of combat, but surprisingly, Allora was able to match most of her advances.

  Dax and Tanner were in a similar situation. Dax was able to blindside his partner, but Tanner was effective with his counterattacks. Every time one of them landed a punch or kick, it only made the other more determined. Their motions grew progressively slower, but they continued fighting.

  Finally, after about an hour of constant sparring, they all collapsed in exhaustion, their bodies bloody and bruised.

  “You will need to continue to spar with each other so that your bodies become used to the reactive motions of another,” Aunt May said, standing over them with her hands behind her back. “Since you all have summer camp this next week, we’ll have to continue this when you all start school.”

  Aunt May headed toward the portal exit, stepping through and back into the forest. Allora, Dax, Tanner, and Katie took some time to catch their breath, and then silently left the outer realm.

  Four

  CAMP

  The summer was almost over, but the sun was still scorching hot. Holding a handheld fan in one hand and a glass of lemonade in the other, Allora tried to cool herself. Sweat accumulated in her belly button while she sat on the hot leather couch. The freezer contained the only solution to her suffer
ing, but when she stood up, her skin stuck to the leather, requiring extra force to escape the insufferable cowhide.

  After reaching the kitchen, she pulled open the freezer door and let out a gasp as the cold air cooled the beads of sweat covering her body. The soft breeze from the icy freezer chilled her skin as she leaned farther into the compartment. After getting some ice for her lemonade, she looked out the kitchen window to see her mom coming back in from feeding the chickens.

  “Are you all packed,” Milly asked as she came through the backdoor. Allora nodded, grabbing a cube of ice and pressing it against her forehead. “I’ve got a few rules that I need you to follow while you’re at camp. You must not go out at night, and you must stay in the camp at all times. Got it?”

  Allora happily nodded her head and raced off to her room to grab her stuff. Then, they jumped into the minivan, and headed for the school. Hundreds of teenagers lined the bus pull up, standing around in groups, huddled next to piles of duffel bags and backpacks.

  Katie and Dax were on the curb with an excessive number of bags in front of them.

  “Wow. Got enough stuff?” Allora said.

  “Ha-ha. Very funny,” Katie said, placing her hands on her hips. “I need all these bags. This one has my makeup,” she said, pointing to a small brown suitcase the size of a bowling ball. “This one has my really nice dresses, this one is my accessory bag, and my workout clothes are in there. Oh, and of course I’ve got an I-don’t-care-what-I’m-wearing bag, which I’ll only be using when I’m in the cabin.”

  “And what’s that one?” Allora asked hesitantly, pointing to a smaller bag with a paisley pattern on it.

  “Glad you asked,” Katie said with a grin. “That’s a bag full of clothes for my friend Allora, who never brings enough to wear and eventually has to borrow some.” She cocked her head to the side and smiling mockingly.

  Allora mimicked the smile but secretly agreed with her best friend.

  Just then, Tanner rolled up in his car. “Hey!” he said, waving, only to be smacked by Jenny.

  Allora noticed the big blonde hair as her nemesis slid out of the passenger seat. The sight of the pompous soccer captain was enough to make Allora cringe. She had almost forgotten how much she despised the prissy elitist. I’d like to catch her on fire sometime, she seethed. I bet her hair would explode with all that product in it.

  Tanner followed Jenny, waved at the soccer players, and then fell in behind his girlfriend.

  Jenny strutted up to Dax, gave him a half-hug, and then glanced over his shoulder. Pulling down her expensive designer bug-eyed sunglasses to glare at Allora. “What is the fire freak doing here?”

  “Jenny, that was an accident, give it a rest,” Tanner said, pulling at her arm.

  “No, what I saw wasn’t a firework,” Jenny said, yanking away her arm, and getting to within inches of Allora’s face. “That was some sort of black witch magic. I’m on to you freak.”

  As Jenny turned around, Allora angrily moved forward with her fist cocked, but Katie reluctantly grabbed her best friend’s body to prevent a fight. The summer training had given Allora a sense of pride and the confidence to defend herself, which was rather useful at that moment.

  Jenny was too oblivious to notice the aggressive display and simply sashayed away to the other side of the parking lot, where her minions, the other soccer players, were congregating.

  “She was only kidding,” Tanner said, though he didn’t look like even he believed that.

  “Ugh!” Allora exclaimed, and stomped off in the opposite direction.

  Katie glared at Tanner, crossing her arms and shaking her head disapprovingly.

  “What?” he asked, shrugging his shoulders with his hands outstretched.

  “Sometimes I think all boys are clueless.”

  Tanner turned to Dax. “What was that all about?”

  “Hey, man, don’t ask me. I’m clueless, remember?”

  Tanner rolled his eyes and stood there confused.

  A line of large yellow buses pulled into the parking lot. Everyone grabbed their bags and filed into their designated vehicles. The eagerness was palpable as the youth-filled buses left the safety of the school and formed a long yellow caravan that snaked toward the wonder of the mountains.

  Camp Big Lake was located in the Cascade Mountains, near Mt. Jefferson. The camp sat on a large, freshwater lake created from mountain runoff, making the water very cold, but most campers didn’t mind the chilly swims, which could be a relief from the scorching summer heat.

  The buses pulled onto a gravel road and stopped at a wooden lodge. The old log cabin looked as if it had been built over a century ago. Splintered wood, a stained metal roof, and cracked concrete steps greeted the campers as they filed out of the buses, and camp counselors lined up, ready to meet the arrivals.

  As if they’d just arrived at boot camp, the head counselor started barking orders through a bullhorn like a drill sergeant as soon as they exited the bus steps. “Please make sure you have all of your belongings, people!”

  “Geesh,” Katie whispered. “Next thing we know, he’ll be tellin’ us to drop and give him twenty. What’s with that guy?”

  Allora giggled. “Maybe he’s been eating the camp cafeteria food for too long. It’ll do that to a person,” she mused.

  “I know, right?” Katie said, recalling their meals from the previous summer. “I had no idea food came in that many shades of green and gray.”

  The campers were instructed to find their name on a large list plastered on a wooden post and then line up with the counselor associated with the first letter of their last names. Since Allora’s last name was Smith, she searched the group, and found the counselor of Cabin S.

  The girls’ cabins were located on the east side of the lake, while the boys’ were situated on the south. After lights out at ten o’clock sharp, campers were forbidden from leaving their cabins—a rule that was consistently broken every year.

  Allora found a suitable bunk and changed quickly into her bathing suit not wanting to waste a minute of the beautiful, sunny, cloudless day. She quickly hiked down the hill and met Katie at the lake. The sun was almost at its peak position in the sky, and the mercury had already climbed to a shocking ninety degrees, even at that early hour. Many of the other girls had the same idea, so the dock and beach were already crowded. Surprisingly, Katie and Allora found a vacant spot on the dock and settled in after applying their sunscreen thoroughly. The peaceful stillness, along with the soothing warmth of the sun, caused both girls to nod off.

  They were lying on their stomachs when they were awakened by the sound of the dock bending and crackling from the weight of running bodies. They pulled their heads up just in time to feel cold water splashing up from the dock’s edge. The frigid wall of water caused both girls to gasp, and they looked around for the perpetrators who had dared to interrupt their cat nap. Of course, the two heads that popped out of the water belonged to Dax and Tanner.

  “You’re dead!” Allora yelled.

  Katie wasn’t happy about being splashed either. “Don’t you two have anything better to do?” she said.

  “Better than messing with you girls?” The boys exchanged sinister smiles. “Nah!”

  They soaked the girls from head to toe, sparking a war. The girls retaliated by leaping forward, trying to jump on top of the boys, but Dax and Tanner somehow managed to swim out of the way. They splashed around for a few minutes, until they heard someone loudly clearing her throat on the dock.

  “Having fun?” Jenny said, tapping her foot on the wet wood as she stood there in front of Nancy and Tanya.

  All three of them were dressed in their best bikinis, obviously with no intention of getting into the icy water.

  Katie and Allora gave one another knowing stares, communicating their devious plan with their eyes. Just as the boys had done to them earlier, they began splashing the pretentious girls on the dock.

  Jenny and the rest of her entourage screamed and ran
away, soaked from the attack.

  Tanner, Dax, Katie, and Allora laughed uncontrollably and continued frolicking in the water and swimming until their bodies were wrinkled and numb from the cold. At that point, Allora swam over to the beach and got out, while Katie grabbed their wet towels from the dock.

  At the other end of the beach, they hopped onto a boat for water skiing lessons. After two hours on the boat, the girls headed off to the archery range, intent on getting some practice in during summer camp. The entire week was most of the same. On the last night, Allora fell into a deep sleep, tossing in her bunk as her dreams pulled her to an unfamiliar field of soft, green grass. It was quiet, with only the sound of the wind to keep her company. The sun was out, the sky was clear, and mountains filled the distant landscape. It was a very peaceful place, but for some reason, it felt peculiar. The ground suddenly began to shake violently. All around Allora, the ground cracked. Chunks of rock fell into a flowing river of lava. The liquid fire was so hot that she could feel the burning steam escaping from the crevices. The mountain ranges crumbled like dried-out clay, till all that was left was a small slab of rock beneath her feet surrounded by darkness.

  She turned and saw an old man. His skin was wrinkly, the white hair on his head was thin, and he was hunched over on his staff. Rather than looking at her, he just stared at the red hot, molten liquid below. The most amazing thing was that he was floating in the air, hovering a few feet away. When he finally looked up at Allora, she could see that his eyes were unusually blue, even bluer than the sky had been, with a commanding stare that penetrated to Allora’s core. She could feel a considerable amount of hadron energy emanating from the strange, supernatural man floating in front of her, the same type of energy she had experienced during soccer tryouts. His demeanor became somber as he floated closer. “They are coming. Allora. You are the key, and they know it. You must find that which they seek. They are coming!”