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The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)
Chapter 56: Change of Plans
Part 1/2
“Ha, that’s right!” the lady said with a pointed finger. Samuel spotted an implant on her left wrist. It remained dull and inactive at the moment. Andres waved at her again.
“Come on inside, the brew’s finished!”
Tiffany made her way inside the house, carrying satchels along with her. As she reached the dining table she dumped them on the table, and berries began to pour out along with large portions of meat.
“Easy catch today. I spotted some weakened Terror Birds in the area. Something must have gotten to them, surprisingly,” Tiffany said. Samuel winced. Tiffany glanced at Samuel.
“How are you liking that brew?”
Samuel stared at it, and shrugged.
“It tastes alright.”
Andres grinned, giving him a thumbs up.
“My brew always tastes delicious, Samuel!”
Tiffany’s eyes sparkled at his name.
“Samuel, huh? So… who are your friends’ names?”
Samuel looked around, and Tiffany laughed.
“Oh come on, don’t tell me you found me all by yourself? How’d you find us? It was probably through the Book Club, huh? Is Skyler with you? I’d be surprised. She’s not one to go out often. Maybe it’s Ben… Or perhaps Gary?”
“No. None of them. While they were… helpful, Skyler took charge when you were gone. She was a bit misguided and out there. Me and MY team couldn’t really rely on that, so we decided to find you on our own without them. We’re much better off without them,” Samuel revealed. Tiffany laughed, grabbing a glass and pouring herself some brew of her own.
“Of course, of course, I was expecting you heroes for a while now. It won’t all be those bookworms now will it?” Tiffany said, taking a sip of brew, “I prepared another chair for you, the leader of your team. Let’s negotiate.
She glanced over at the book on the counter, and so did Samuel. The book lay idle there.
“You must be here for the book. Well I’ll certainly give you the knowledge. I don’t think you’d be able to understand it anyway, no matter how smart you are,” Tiffany explained, “But, you must be wondering why I need you and your team, right?”
Samuel nodded.
“Yes, it seems you two are perfectly capable on your own.”
Tiffany leaned back in her chair, putting her hands behind her head.
“Well, escaping this place is going to be a lot harder even with that book on my side. And even with Andres and I’s implant attributes. We need someone smart enough to help us all escape…”
She turned to Samuel.
“That’s why I’m counting on you, Samuel. And you need me because I’m the only one with a copy of this book around.”
Samuel smiled softly. It was a surefire deal that he couldn’t miss. He held his hand out.
“Deal. I will help us all escape, and in return you will help us out with your knowledge and strength.”
Tiffany held her hand out, but didn’t shake Samuel’s hand yet.
“There’s just one more thing, Samuel,” Tiffany added on, “I don’t know what type of person you are. I’m assuming you’re a good person, but… I don’t want just me to escape. I want EVERYONE who was sent to this island to. No one else deserves to die here.”
Now Samuel was reluctant. Could he really do that? Not only would that hold him and the others back, but it would be a gamble too considering the population.
“What if most of the other surviving graduates were like that small gang?” Samuel asked himself, “And, do I really need to do that? Who… cares about other people anyway?”
But, through it all, Samuel figured he’d find a way around it at some point.
Samuel grabbed onto Tiffany’s hand and shook it.
“I accept your offer. We hereby and officially team up from now on.”
“Good, good,” Tiffany said with a soft smile. Andres slammed his fists into the table with glee.
“Woo hoooo a new friend!” Andres cheered with delight. Samuel looked at Andres and gave a small smile. Tiffany began to laugh. She patted Andres on the arm.
Riddles of the Phoenixes series
Through the eyes of the Dark phoenixes.
Chapter thirty: Better safe than sorry.
Zooey Young had once been a peacekeeper but she still felt like one. She had never repented from her old ways and never intended to. When Tortuga had been destroyed she had gone into the sewers with a bunch of other losers. She’d pretended to be sorry for what she had done but on the inside? On the inside she was still just as evil.
Zooey was upstairs in her room. She cocked her head at herself in the mirror. Her braided hair was black, very black for her age, and she had cold calculating icy blue eyes. A streak of white hair ran across the top of her head. Zooey frowned.
She would definitely need to fix that. She didn’t like looking old, and white and grey hair definitely made her look old. She would have to dye her hair again. More black.
She blinked and suddenly she saw out of the reflection of the mirror a shadowed figure. Zooey grabbed a dagger from on top of her dresser and spun around. She threw the dagger at him. The shadowy figure moved his head slightly and the dagger hit the wall behind him. “Nice try.” He said.
“Who are you?!” Zooey demanded. The figure gave a cold chuckle. “You should recognize me…Zooey.” The shadowy figure said. He reached up slowly and pulled his hood down. Zooey gasped and fell tot he ground startled, as the shadowy figure walked up pointed his. Sword at her neck.
“You!” Zooey gasped. The figure smiled slightly. “In the flesh.” He said, his voice all gravely. He pressed his sword against her neck. “You were one of the most oldest, loyalist peacekeepers and yet whenever your city and mayors were destroyed….you still continue to follow the path of the guilty. You deserve this. You are guilty. Guilty, guilty, guilty.” He pressed the sword in harder and was about to end her when….
“Please! Wait! I have information that can help you get what you want! Please! Please!” Zooey begged. The shadowy figure stopped with a amused expression on his face. “I’m listening.” He said, amusedly.
“In my travels I found out that the Dark phoenixes of legends are real!! They can give you what you want! They have all kinds of powers! Please you have to believe me!” Zooey begged. He cocked his head at her. “I believe you.” Zooey sighed thankfully. “So you’ll let me go?” Zooey asked hopefully.
The figure chuckled. “Of course…..unless……you’re lying to me. Better safe than sorry.” The stranger growled. “Please! No no! NOOO!” The sword pressed into her neck. The last sound that Zooey ever made was her long piercing, dying scream.
Next book coming soon! Thank you guys for reading!
-SunnyFox57
The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)
Chapter 56: Change of Plans
Part 2/2
“Don’t scare Samuel now. Now, before we start with our first mission, do you have any concerns or requests?” Tiffany asked with a raised eyebrow. Samuel nodded.
“I sure do. First off, why’d you desert the Book Club camp? It sure did make me and the others’ times a bit more difficult.”
“To draw out the heroes who are smart and strong enough to find the way out of here. Besides, I always wanted to move here anyway. Settling too close to the obelisk was never a good idea. Too many people and things could come by and it would compromise our safety, but everyone insisted since it was close to the rivers, where food was easy to get. So, I left. Then I found Andres, surprisingly. He’s actually a good childhood friend of mine. I didn’t even know he attended Terran High. Then, we made our way to this shelter, set up, and bided for time,” Tiffany explained quickly, “We did run into some trouble a few days ago. Some scouts under a mysterious figure named the ‘Crimson Crusader’ tried to hunt us down, but we easily took care of them.”
“The Crimson Crusader… Who is that?” Samuel wondered. He asked, “Should we be concerned about this person?”
Tiffany shrugged.
“Personally, I don’t see the concern. They don’t seem to know how to tame anything, so they would have to rely on pure manpower, it’s something that is easily countered by me and Andres’ abilities.”
Samuel reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. The cryptic message from Star. Star looked up and clucked her beak. Tiffany looked at her, and Star winked at her. Tiffany’s eyes widened.
“I do have one request, though,” Samuel admitted, “My dodo friend, Star, well, she gave me this message. It’s morse code, I think. I was wondering if you knew morse code? It just feels weird to me. Star isn’t exactly normal, she, she never went through the taming process and she almost acts human at times. Plus, she has an ability like us humans, almost as if she has her own implant attribute. So, could you help translate it?”
Tiffany grabbed the paper out of Samuel’s hands and began to read the lines carefully. As she did, Star smirked. Tiffany spotted her smirk in the corner of her eye, and looked up at Samuel.
“Your friend sure is unusual. She has a lot of character, even though the creatures of this island should be emotionless,” Tiffany told them, “There’s more to Star than meets the eye, Samuel. And this message is morse code, she’s trying to tell you something.”
Samuel’s eyes widened, and Star licked her beak in anticipation, fluttering her feet. Tiffany handed the note back to Samuel, who held it in his hand, numb in shock.
“I won’t translate it for you just yet,” Tiffany declared, “I still don’t know what type of person you are. But I’ll find out soon. We’re going on an expedition to a cave that’s nearby. We have high faith that something there is waiting for us: an artifact. In that book, the main characters used artifacts to escape. So, once you prove you and your team are worthy, by helping me and Andres collect the artifact, I will translate the message for you. Do we have an understanding?”
Samuel nodded in affirmation. He gave her a salute.
“Of course, partner.”
Tiffany sighed, and cracked her knuckles. She waved at the air, and Andres followed.
“Let’s go down to the lake for a swim. You should come too, Samuel. You need to get yourself cleaned up, there’s mud all over you.”
Tiffany and Andres left the house, leaving the door open for Samuel to follow suit. Samuel eyed the book that lay on the counter again. Once again, he was faced with a decision. He could grab the book, and just leave.
But now with Star’s message on the line, and a potential translator, Samuel was no longer willing to make that move. He got up from his seat, got out the door, and shut it behind him. Star chittered happily, and Samuel looked down at her with a smile. He crouched down for Star.
“Hop on my shoulder, friend.”
Star chuckled and hopped onto his shoulder. Samuel got up from the ground, and began to walk off after Tiffany and Andres.
The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)
Chapter 55.5: In Vain
Part 7/7
As the two arrived back at their own place, Franklin could spot a few large vans parked outside their house. Franklin scrunched his eyebrows at the sight. He could see Mom and Uncle loading in large boxes into the vans, as their grandparents watched.
“What’s going on?” Franklin asked.
No one answered his question. Big Brother let his head drop on the car door, his eyes tired and his body weak.
Dad looked at the two of them, and stopped the car.
“Welp kiddos… I won’t be seeing you for a while,” Dad murmured. Franklin scrunched his eyebrows again.
“What? What does that mean?”
Dad didn’t answer.
“Answer me, Dad!”
Dad stepped outside of the car, and Big Brother did as well. Franklin opened the car door up and slammed it.
“Dad! What is going on-”
Dad put his hand out and ruffled Franklin’s hair.
“I love you, Frankie. You’ll see me next summer, okay?”
“What? Dad-”
“Bye Dad,” Big Brother suddenly said, rushing in to hug him, “I love you too.”
Dad hugged him back, and a few moments later let go of him. He looked at his two boys sadly, before stepping back into his car and driving off, leaving tire marks on the concrete. Big Brother began to walk off to the vans, and Franklin followed him, demanding an answer.
“Boss, what is going on here? What are these vans for and why was Dad acting like that and what did he mean-”
“Don’t call me that,” Big Brother responded, “It’ll just make it worse.”
He pointed his thumb at one of the vans. Franklin looked at it in horror and saw in big fine print, “MOVING SERVICES”. He could spot inside one of the vans, their dining table, and a bunch of old antique chairs. Uncle pushed in Franklin’s office chair, and Franklin turned around to see Mom walking toward them.
“Mom?” Franklin asked, his voice slowly dropping, “I thought we were… Going on vacation?”
Mom paused in her tracks, sighed, and shook her head.
“Sorry Franklin. That was a white lie.”
“We’re moving.”
“What?! Where?”
“More information will be revealed in due time,” Big Brother explained, “Sorry we didn’t tell you sooner. They didn’t want you to be upset, or worry at all about final goodbyes.”
“You knew all along?” Franklin said looking at his Big Brother in horror, “That’s- That’s not like you!”
“Kiddo, you think I want this as much as you do? No, I don’t.”
Mom put a comforting hand on Franklin’s shoulder.
“Just go in the car. Uncle is going to drive you all first. We’ll be driving there. I packed all your clothes while you were away for the weekend so you don’t have to worry.”
Wordlessly, and without protest, Franklin felt himself carry his legs to their car. He opened the car door up, and slunk inside, slamming it behind him. He looked on into the abyss, unsure of what to say.
He felt the car door next to him slam shut too. Franklin heard Big Brother grunt, and shuffle in his seat uncomfortably. Uncle stepped into the driver’s seat, started the car up, and began to drive away. Franklin couldn’t even muster the words to say goodbye to their old home.
As the car found their way on the freeway, Franklin could hear Big Brother whisper a woman’s name. Franklin turned to see Big Brother looking out the window, his hand clutching onto a light blue-white hibiscus. He clutched onto it tightly, before muttering the woman’s name again.
Franklin looked ahead again, his eyes wide and filled with horror. The darkness of the night covered their home in a blanket of darkness, the stars of the faraway non-existent, all but one that shone tones of red, blue, and green. Franklin clenched his fist, his thoughts running haywire. His heart began to pump faster, and a clump began to grow in his throat. He felt his eyes burn, and tears began to shed.
“But, but we’ll come back, right? Next summer that’s what he said,” Franklin wept.
“In 2027,” Big Brother dully replied, “I’ll be in college by then. You’ll be back, but… the others probably won’t either. Their parents grow busier, and so do they. I’m sorry, Franklin.”
Franklin put his head in his hands, the tears overflowing him. He couldn’t believe it.
Their only family reunion after three years of separation was in vain.
The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)
Chapter 55.5: In Vain
Part 1/7
SLAM.
Franklin jumped up in his seat, his head jolting awake as he carried his head off his book. A dim light buzzed over his head, the lightbulb fit to die any time soon. A moth was buzzing around near the light.
The day was February 4, 2026, his older brother’s seventeenth birthday.
At the time, Franklin was only in the sixth grade.
“What was that noise?” Franklin asked himself. He spun his office chair around and got up from his seat, taking a stretch as he did. He heard soft, inconsistent footsteps. Franklin raised his eyebrow. He couldn’t recognize them. His mother’s footsteps were silent, as she always wore socks. His uncle’s were loud and energetic. His grandparents were soft yet loud, and his older brother? His were like boots that clacked across the floor.
Fearing the worst, Franklin pointed at his head with his index finger. A spark of blue shot out and hit him. Franklin then opened the drawer up… And took out a pair of sharp scissors that were conveniently stored inside.
Franklin turned around to see a teenager wearing a white button up shirt ,thin black jacket and baggy blue jeans idly standing at the dining room. He was holding something within his hand, and Franklin tensed, a bead of sweat dripping down his face.
“I’ve been through worse, so why do I feel a little scared?” Franklin thought as he clenched the scissors tighter. He almost considered calling out for his Mom or Uncle… But what were the ‘odds’ that they’d be able to get to him in time?
Franklin felt himself growing hot, and the effects of his power suddenly kicked in. The chandelier above the mysterious stranger buzzed on, and there he was: his big brother.
He had bloodshot, wide dehydrated eyes, and dilated pupils. He was clenching his right fist, and his eyes were twitching. He looked really angry, but at the same time… really sad. Franklin could recognize dried out streaks of tears running down his eyes, and he was shaking. Franklin’s eyes darted to see what he was carrying, but by the time he looked he already put the item away.
“Hey Frankie,” his big brother dully said.
“Hi.”
Big Brother looked up at the chandelier that had just turned on randomly.
“This place really is falling apart,” Big Brother said with tired eyes. He muttered something else under his breath, but Franklin couldn’t hear him. Big Brother took his jacket off and threw it over his shoulder, and then eyed the dining table solemnly. There were a few boxes that contained some taco leftovers. There were only a few left, but Mom and Uncle had decided to get a few carne asada tacos since that was Big Brother’s favorite.
Surprisingly, Big Brother pushed that box to the side and opted for an al pastor taco. Big Brother took a bite of the taco, but it seemed to put him in an even worse mood.
“Where’s Mom and Uncle, Franklin?” Big Brother asked as he chewed on the taco slowly.
“Oh, uh, I dunno. I think they were, uh, having an important talk? I don’t know what though.”
Big Brother sighed.
“Alright. Thanks.”
Big Brother walked away, leaving Franklin even more worried. Why was Big Brother acting this way? He hadn’t acted this gloomy since…
“Even THAT was years ago,” Franklin thought, as he put the scissors away, “But, his ‘vacations’ got him over it.”
A half hour later, and the familiar footsteps of his Mom approached him. He turned around and saw Mom and Big Brother standing behind him. His Mom looked more stressed than ever. Recently, she had disappeared for long periods of time, along with Uncle and Grandpa and Grandma. Furniture would end up disappearing too. The other day, the ten-year old living room couch had vanished without a trace. When Franklin asked about it, Mom inquired that they were selling it off to get a new one.
But today, Mom seemed very satisfied.
Big Brother had a red backpack slung over his shoulder, and Franklin nearly winced at the sight. He hadn’t seen that in a while. Big Brother himself didn’t recall how he got it, but…
Franklin knew.
And so did all of their cousins.
“You two are going to your Dad’s place, so pack up Frankie,” Mom told him.
“Dad’s? But it’s only a Thursday, and we’re spending the weekend with you this week! And it’s a school night!”
“We’re uh, going on a vacation next week, actually,” Big Brother reluctantly said. Sweat dripped from his face, “So uh, yeah. We’re going to Dad’s this weekend.”
“Oh… Okay.”
The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)
Chapter 55.5: In Vain
Part 5/7
The three made their way out of the bedroom and headed down the hall. In the middle of the wall there lay a lone door that led to the infamous closet. Possibly the worst hiding spot in the entire house, no one bothered to hide here since it was easy to look through for potential hiders, that was, except for…
“Emma, really? Couldn’t you have found a better hiding spot?” Connor said as Big Brother opened the closet door to reveal Emma standing there mindlessly. She stomped her foot into the floor.
“Erghhh, I thought I’d fool you!” Emma screamed. Everyone laughed, some things never changed.
The four made their way down the hallway and into the kitchen, where a woman was cooking up dinner. She wore an apron, a black shirt and gray sweatpants. She was fiddling with a pot and pan, and was chopping vegetables on a chopping board. She was humming a tune to herself, but for some reason she was shorter than Big Brother and definitely didn’t look like an adult.
“Hey, whoever you are, can you turn around?”
“Hmm?” the lady responded with an unusually deep voice, “Sorry, can’t do that, I’m busy cooking.”
Big Brother squinted his eyes and walked forward. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she turned back. She was a stranger. She was wearing fake glasses, and she had a pretty gnarly mustache for a woman. She seemed a bit familiar though.
“Hey, have you seen Little Kayla or Jeffrey or Tanya anywhere?” Big Brother asked her. She scratched her chin and shrugged.
“Ermm, I dunno who that is. Sorry Boss- I mean, boy.”
“Hmm, okay, thanks.”
Big Brother let go of her shoulder, but as he was about to walk away, a gust of wind blew the stranger’s mustache and glasses off. Big Brother turned around, and gasped. It was Little Kayla all along!
“What the- I found you, ha ha!” Big Brother laughed. Everyone else did too, and Little Kayla groaned.
“Come on, I put so much effort into that disguise!”
“Yeah right Little Kayla, it was so obvious it was you the whole time!” Connor roared.
Big Brother and his crew continued to search their house in pursuit of Jeffrey and Tanya. Where could those two have gone? Franklin could’ve sworn they checked the whole house up and down, so where could they have been?
As they were going through the quartz hallway a fourth time, footsteps suddenly rang behind them. Big Brother turned around and saw a flash of magenta.
“Hey, I saw that!” Big Brother cried. He ran after the runner, and everyone followed suit. As they ran out of the quartz hallway and back into the dining room where they first started their game, they could see Jeffrey just about make it to the next doorway.
“Jeffrey, stop, stop we found you!” Big Brother yelled aloud. Jeffrey stopped in his tracks, and cursed to himself.
“Dang it, I was so close!”
Jeffrey turned around, sweat pouring down from his face. He looked out of breath.
“Where were you hiding man? Why’d you run, I don’t think you would’ve been found for a while if you just stayed put!” Big Brother asked.
“I wasn’t hiding, I was on the move the whole time,” Jeffrey revealed. Everyone let out gasps of awe. No one had ever thought of that one before. Big Brother grinned.
“Heh, clever. You really have learned from me. So uh, that’s the end of the game?”
“I think so,” Connor said, tapping his foot on the ground. Little Kayla suddenly slapped him on the back of the head.
“Ow!”
“You dingus, we still need to find Tanya!”
“Ohhhh,” everyone realized.
“Well, there’s no one left, so she wins,” Big Brother declared. He put his hands to his lips and yelled out, “TANYA YOU WIN YOU CAN COME OUT NOW.”
A giggle suddenly echoed through the dining room, and everyone turned to the plant, where the noise had come from. The plant rustled, and afterward Tanya came out from behind it. Everyone began to cheer and applause as she made her way to them. Big Brother held his hand out, and she high-fived him.
The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)
Chapter 55.5: In Vain
Part 6/7
“Heh heh, nice hiding spot, I didn’t even spot you!” Big Brother told her, “Good game everyone, that was a lot of fun, what should we do now?”
“Isn’t it obvious? We need to talk about what we’ve been doing since we last met, we probably have so many stories to tell now!”
“You bet, let’s go everyone,” Big Brother announced. All seven children made their way to the living room, their usual hangout spot.
~
“So, you won’t believe it, but Evan and Melissa kissed on the bleachers AGAIN!” Tanya said, “And then they told each other they loved each other and it was so ewww.”
Tanya gagged, and Little Kayla raised her eyebrow.
“Aren’t you seven?”
“Psh, it’s probably not as bad as Emma, she’s in looooove with another boy! What was his name again? Andrew or something?”
“Connor you can’t be talking! I’ve been hearing you talking to that girl on the phone all the time,” Emma replied, flustered, “You KNOW I don’t like anyone like that, that’s gross! I don’t wanna get cooties!”
“Heh, well, for me, personally, I don’t have much going on for me,” Franklin admitted. Jeffrey sighed.
“My classmates keep shipping me with one of my girl friends, which I don’t like, because we’re just friends. And I don’t see her that way, but they only say that because I’m a boy and she’s a girl, it’s not nice,” Jeffrey said sadly. Big Brother chuckled.
“Kiddo, you just tell them to stop right away and that that’s not who you are,” Big Brother told Jeffrey, “Don’t let it bother you too much, okay?”
Little Kayla scratched her chin, looking at Big Brother with a sly smile.
“Say, what about you, Boss?” Little Kayla asked with a witty grin. She looked at Connor and raised her eyebrows back and forth. Connor grinned back and snickered.
Big Brother’s expression instantly changed, and he shook his head. He seemed a bit more melancholic now.
“No… But that’s not your business anyway, is it?”
“Lame,” Little Kayla said. Franklin looked back and forth at the two, the thought of their big adventure still on their mind.
“Maybe he’s going to be this way forever, maybe deep down, he still remembers?” Franklin wondered. Big Brother opened his mouth to speak again when footsteps approached them. They turned around and saw Dad walk in.
“Boys, it’s time to go,” Dad said with a frown. He seemed to be expecting this.
“Awww,” everyone complained. Franklin rushed up and packed all his things, oblivious to what was going to happen next.
“Okay, I’ll see you guys all again sometime! I think we’re going to be meeting more often from now on, soooo probably the weekend after?”
“Yeah, for sure!” Connor roared, pumping his fist into the air, “We’ll see you two around, alright?”
“Goodbye!” Franklin said, waving at them a goodbye. Everyone waved back, and Big Brother let out a sigh, getting up from the ground and patting the dust off his button up shirt. He shoved his hands in his pockets, grabbed his red backpack, and made his way to Dad.
“Well,” Big Brother said, looking at all the cousins one last time, “Goodbye, everyone. I’ll see you later.”
Everyone waved goodbye, but as Big Brother was about to step out the front door, he looked back at the crowd one last time. He seemed to take a mental picture, putting his fingers up, and winking his left eye to capture the moment. He put his hands back in his pockets, and he and Franklin walked out to Dad’s car.