DAMAGED - A Bad Boy Romance (29 page)

“They didn’t look at it from my prospective when they grabbed me and I was hauled down to that subbasement.”

“Again, they have this tendency to make idiotic decisions. Anyway, this is a peace offering to Dion.”

“I was told by Edward that the air elementals in this part of the mall can be very deceptive,” Dion said to Mrs. Jehuti. “What do I need to worry about?”

“They will use your baser instincts to lure you away. You are dealing with very sophisticated sylphs. These are not the ones that fly in an out of the windows on such a summer’s day. However, they are not as dangerous as the ones that fly in the upper storm clouds. You don’t have to worry about electrocution by them. The ones in the upper clouds seldom come down to earth, so it’s not much of an issue anyway.”

“How will I know what to look for?”

“I don’t have to tell you, they will be obvious when you see them. Remember, this part of the mall is governed by the element of air. There are many ways to control it, but you have the greatest ability of anyone I’ve ever seen. Use your powers carefully. I don’t think you’ll be able to get very close to the Grandmaster right away, so plan accordingly. I see you have some extra friends along for this adventure, do they know what to expect?”

Dion turned to Sean and Emily.

“I was on the receiving end the last time,” Emily told her. “I don’t want to deal with that one again.”

“This is my first time out,” Sean said. “But I’ve already seen enough to keep me here for the trip.”

“Keep in mind,” Dion said, “it will only get worse as we go closer to the hobby shop. The air elementals don’t want me to have authority over them and will do what they can to stop me from reaching my goal. They even set that plastic bull against me the last time. I was able to lead it into a kitchen store and bind it long enough to release the earth elemental they’d put inside it. I have no idea what they will try and do this time.”

Lilly looked up at the sky. The huge beetle was pushing along the sun, the same as it had done the day before.

There was a commotion and they all turned to find the source of the noise. When they couldn’t find it, Mrs. Jehuti pointed down at the ground. The looked downward to see a horde of small figures running across the sand. It was impossible to hear what they had say, but each of them carried some kind of farm implement and hurried on their way to a destination. After a few minutes, the tiny mob disappeared from sight.

“Ushabti’s,” Mrs. Jehuti explained. “On their way to some noble’s tomb construction.”

Sean looked up and watched a small boat sail across the sky. It contained several men riding in it and as strange half-human, half-animal creature at the prow. It seemed to follow the beetle, pursuing the sun directly behind it.

Emily wondered what she was doing in this place. She decided yesterday to come to the mall. She’d talked to Lilly the evening before to make sure her friend was all right. All Lilly wanted to talk about was Dion, how amazing he was and all the things he had done. To hear her talk, Dion was close to a rock star in looks and a miracle worked in ability. Emily had seen him stare down those ghoul cleaners, but she still couldn’t believe all the things Lilly told her about the mall, what it represented and the quest Dion was on today. There had to be a reason for everything, which happened that day. She wasn’t about to believe he could manipulate the elements. Real life wasn’t a comic book the kids read. There were no masked avengers who changed into men with superpowers. At least not as far as she knew.

But here she was, in the land of Egypt. The sun was pushed across the sky by a bug and a boat made out of reeds was following it behind. Worse, she’d just watched a herd of gremlins run across the sand on their way to a what? A noble’s tomb construction? Either she was insane, in a dream, or this place was real. The first two were bad enough, but the third made it worse for everyone. If the world did respond to the power of the four elements, why should she plan on attending college or finding a decent man to settle down with? Her dad had no luck on marriage, but she was determined to find someone to spend her life with. No way did she want to end up like her “disco divorcee” mother who had a different man over at her place every week.

She blinked and the landscape changed again.

Now she could see herself in the future. She wasn’t in the scene, but an impartial observer. Emily saw herself working at a cheap diner on the late shift. She had to get home in time to pick her daughter up from her mother’s. Her feet were hurt and she hated the uniform she was forced to wear to get some decent tip money. When was that no-account ex-husband going to send in his child support check? The idiot didn’t even spend time with his daughter.

She needed to find another job. This one didn’t bring in anywhere near the money she needed and the bills were starting to pile up. It was barely enough to afford a cheap apartment in a seedy part of town. How had things ended up this way?

Emily blinked again and she was back in the desert with her friends. Mrs. Jehuti stared at her from across the sands.

“You should focus on where you are now,” she told Emily. “You don’t need to look at the endless possibilities which lay before you. It was something which might happen, but that is not guaranteed.”

“I’ll keep that all in mind. So what I just experienced doesn’t have to take place?”

“No, but it will if you continue on your present course.”

The rest of the group looked in confusion at Mrs. Jehuti and Emily. The two of them experienced something, which wasn’t privileged to be shared between the others. They knew the place they stood was outside the circles of time, but none of them realized how different it all was.

“Thank my lucky stars,” Emily said. “I was ready to walk off a bridge rather than face that future. How do I prevent it?”

“It’s up to you. I can’t tell you what to do; you have to make that decision on your own. I think you already know what steps to take.”

Emily had an on-again off-again relationship with one of the starters on the high school football team. It was fine for a while, but Teddy, as she liked to call him, could be demanding. She needed to bring it to an end. Or should she take it to the next level? She didn’t see enough to know whom the man was that left her in that state.

Emily closed her eyes, but the scene did not come back. She needed to focus on her future, but decided to put it off for another day.

Chapter 4

“Can I see the map?” Sean said to Dion. “You’ve talked so much about it I want to have a look at it.”

“Of course. Just be careful about it. It’s the only one there is and I don’t know how to go about finding another one.”

“That’s because there is not another one,” Mrs. Jehuti said from across the sand. “It’s the only one which was ever made. It’s possible to make another one, but the research could take years. This one came out quickly enough because we were able to draft it while the mall was under construction.”

Sean unrolled the papyrus and looked at the symbols. It showed the two levels of the mall and the two basements beneath it. The descriptions of each store and what it sold was spelled out in very clear English. The passageways mentioned by Dion and the others were indicated on the map as well. It was a huge map and had to be at least forty inches in length.

“What happens when a store changes hands?” he asked. “Do you have to get a new map?”

“No,” Mrs. Jehuti said, “the map changes to reflect the new owner. You can watch it happen on the day the new store opens. It might happen today, since there is supposed to be a new coat shop going in.”

Just as soon as she’d said the words, Sean noticed one of the box diagrams on the map began to shimmer. Lines emerged on it and lettering filled in the space where it was located. Before his eyes, the map changed to show the location of the new store and what it sold. If he had ever doubted the ability of the map, they were gone. Before his eyes, the name of the store spelled itself on the papyrus and more letters described what corporation owned it. The final words appeared within thirty seconds.

As Dion told him, there were all kinds of passages and places marked out on the map, which would never appear on any other one. It showed the secret entrances to stores which were closed to the humans. It showed how the residents of the subbasement moved in and out of their domain. It even showed where the power lines and ectopic transmission points were located. The four parts of the mall were divided up by their elemental designation. They had left the one for “air”, just as Dion told him. However, there was one thing missing on the map.

“Why is the center of the map blank?” Sean asked Dion. “There is nothing listed here. I thought you said the management and builder of the mall resides in the center where the clock tower is located?”

“The builder of the mall doesn’t want anyone to know what’s on the inside. You won’t find that part on any map. It’s right over the entrance to the abyss.”

“Even
we
can’t find out what is inside the tower,” Mrs. Jehuti explained. “Whoever stands watch over it doesn’t want the inside of the tower known and has gone to extraordinary means to keep it that way. The only way to find out what is inside that tower is to gain entrance to it.”

“Not even a door,” Sean said. “Not a single door is listed on this map.”

“Like I said, they don’t want anything known about it. It’s one of the reasons they’ve gone after Dion. When he gains all elemental powers, he’ll be able to breech the entrance to the inner tower. If he gains the power over the fifth element, the residents of the tower will be subject to him. They will do everything they can to keep this from happening.”

Sean returned the map to Dion. “I’m in with you all the way,” he said. “This is something I’ve only read about in books. By the way, who was that funny little man in the officer’s uniform we saw you talking to just as we pulled up?”

“That was Edward,” Dion laughed. “Do you know him Mrs. Jehuti?”

“Oh yes, I’ve known Edward a long time. He did a lot of damage the last time he was around, but he now has a chance to fix things. Don’t worry about him; he has your best interests in mind. He might have a strange way of showing it, but listen to him because his advice will be sound.”

“Excuse me!” a voice said behind them.

It was the same man Dion and Lilly had seen the last time they were here.

They turned around to face him; once again, he held a set of plans. He hurried over to Mrs. Jehuti and pointed out something on the plans. “Look at this!” he said hurriedly. “The angle is too steep! I knew it! The structure will not be able to hold up under all the weight. What are we going to do? The rains will be here in a few weeks and I’ll lose all that help when the farmers go back to their fields.”

“Reconfigure it and take all this into consideration,” she told him. “You have gone far enough with the stones to see the problem, now you’ll have to bend in the top so the rest of it doesn’t collapse. We don’t need that to happen again.”

“Of course! That’s the solution! Reduce the angle of inclination so that it bends inward! Thank you, now I know how to fix the project!”

He ran back to the work crew with the plans under his arm. Dion could see the man was excited by the news Mrs. Jehuti gave him. In the distance, more carts pulled by oxen moved the stones toward the structure at a slow pace.

“It is time to return,” Mrs. Jehuti announced. “Dion has the map and needs to resume his quest. Pleased don’t lose it again because there is not another one.”

The air temperature changed while the scene about them slowly shifted.

Emily had a glimpse of herself in a medical lab coat as she supervised a nurse and then she found herself back in the mall. She looked at her friends who were in the middle of some experience themselves.

The looked down and discovered their clothes were the same as they were when they left. They were still next to the waterfall. Mothers were playing with their children next to the pond where the waterfall descended.

Lilly looked up and saw the departing form of the bird, which had delivered the map to Dion. It was almost gone and soon the sky was devoid of its form. She looked down and wondered if there would be any sand on her shoes, but they were clean.

“Mutual hallucination?” Emily asked the rest of them.

“Only if you believe it happened in the detail,” Lilly said. “I don’t recall having the same dream with anyone. Ever. What happened to us can’t be explained by any logical terms.”

“You mean we really were all transported to ancient Egypt?” Sean asked. He looked over and noticed Dion holding the map to the mall. “Okay, guess we were.”

“I’m sorry for the way I ran off yesterday,” Emily said to Lilly. “But that experience in the basement was just too much. They kept me locked up down there all the time you were running around trying to find me. I don’t ever want to go back to that place.”

“No need to apologize. I can’t even imagine how horrible it must have been to you.”

“I thought they were going to build the theater into the mall,” Sean said as he looked at the form of the cinema beyond the parking lot. Why did they put it on the other side over there?”

“If you looked into it,” Dion said, “someone would give a very logical reason on paper which would make all kinds of sense. But I think the real reason was that it would have conflicted with how the mall was built. They don’t want it to take up too much space that the rest needs.”

“The cheerleaders are supposed to be here today,” Sean announced as they started to leave the waterfall. “Something to do with a fund raiser for a football team. I don’t think the football team is supposed to be here, but you never can be sure.”

“Never had much interest in football,” Lilly said. “Even when I was dating a football player. I must be the only girl in school who doesn’t follow it.”

Emily had a better experience with the team from the guy she dated who was on the starting line-up. She would go and experience the lights of autumn. She liked to watch the guys line up and be psyched over their game. She had fond memories of sitting on the bleachers and allowed to watch the games from up close. It was a different experience for her, but, now that she’d broken it off with the guy, she wasn’t so interested in the game. Besides, it was spring and the sport wouldn’t kick in again until the fall.

Sean couldn’t understand the fascination the male part of the school had with cheerleaders. He wasn’t impressed with their routines and thought they weren’t very attractive. Granted, the professional ones who ushered in the pro games resembled perfection, but the ones at their school were far from attractive. They weren’t even very athletic. He couldn’t recall a single routine any of the girls had done which captivated him. Perhaps it would be different when he went to college.

Even the school didn’t have that much spirit. He recalled a “pep rally” where his homeroom starred at the proceedings with bored amusement. They were supposed to get up and cheer every time someone ran around and waved a stick. They stood there and watched the guy who held it run in circles. For some reason, school spirit was in short supply at the high school. He thought it might have something to do with all the imports into the student body from the air base, university and general transfers with all the companies in the area. It was hard to feel much about a community when you just moved to it. You could tell who’d relocated into the area just by who they associated with at the high school. It was the sound of the crowd, which attracted them.

Dion rolled up the map and placed it under his arm. He knew the air elementals would try to keep him from his destination. Not all of them. Most of the elementals didn’t care who mastered the elements, but he knew there were a large number of them who didn’t relish control by any human. Dion had no intention of lording it over them like some master of the temple, but the elementals had no way of understanding this. And they would try to get at the map to prevent him from moving around the mall.

Lilly desperately wanted Dion to succeed in his quest. She was drawn to his sense of power and his mysterious side. Part of her wanted to protect him. She wanted to help him get his parents back. She couldn’t imagine being on her own without hers. It was something too dreadful to even think about it. She stayed by him every chance she had.

The whole trip to Egypt had altered Emily’s way of thinking about Dion. When she first met him, months ago, Emily couldn’t see the attraction he held for Lilly. He was just another silent boy who didn’t fit in with the rest of the kids. The school was full of them and she had no use for anyone who would accept their lot in life. But now that she’d seen his abilities and how he could manipulate the elements, she wanted to find out more about him. Okay, maybe Lilly had first bids, but she hadn’t told her Dion was off limits. He didn’t seem to be in the boyfriend zone anyway. As far as she was concerned, he was fair game.

This left her with a little problem: Sean.

Sean was nice, but lately he’d taken to following her around at school. There had to be limits on what relationship she allowed him to claim. Again, Sean was nice, but she had her pick of nice guys at the school. Plus, she’d seen the end result of nice in the form of her father who was so nice to his ex-wife that he continued to send her money in hopes she would come back home. Nice didn’t cut it, as far as Emily was concerned. Control was what she needed. She needed a reasonable provider, but someone she could be seen in public with who didn’t consider her an asset. Nice was for the men who did their job and came home to the white picket fence. She wasn’t going to attend college in the fall if a white fence was all there was at the goal post. She wanted more and didn’t see how Sean was part of her overall plan. So she needed a way to push him aside with minimal interference. Sean might have some heartache, but he would get over it.

Sean located the source of the crowd’s attention without much trouble. It was the sound of clapping which attracted him in the first place. He heard them at a distance and slowly moved through the crowd to get closer to the source of their attention. Several hundred shoppers were looking at something which took place on the concourse. He wormed his way through the crowd to see what it was. All thoughts of his companions were momentarily abandoned as he went in search of a shiny object.

And then he saw them.

Cheerleaders.

Here were twelve in their uniforms at a clear spot inside the mall. Even the security guards were fascinated by what was in front. The forward row consisted entirely of middle-aged men who were reliving their youth. Most of their wives were still shopping, which left the men to roam free. Of course, they were trapped in the mall when the manifestation took place. They were mesmerized at what was before them.

Twelve cheerleaders wearing the colors of a school Sean didn’t recognize. He didn’t care because they were all stunning. The cheerleaders were of all races, but they had perfect figures. Each wore a thin short skirt of synthetic material and a top, which barely covered their slender bodies. Some were buxom, others slight, but whoever designed the routines knew how to work the body types into the performance.

As Sean watched transfixed, a tiny girl who looked Asian jumped on top of the pyramid formed by the others. The precision of their actions was unbelievable. No one in the crowd had ever seen such work. They were all used to the dull, halfhearted local high school shows during halftime. The best they could hope for was someone who twirled a fire baton. Even that was rare as it involved a certain amount of risk with flames. None of the local girls he saw on the cheerleading squad had one-tenth the athletic ability of these girls. Even the pompoms they shook looked to be made of gold.

Where had they come from? Sean couldn’t read the name of the school on their outfits; try as hard as he might. He noticed they were blue and white in color and the name of the school was hard to read. One finally stopped and turned her back to him, which allowed him to see the name of it. He looked at it closely and finally made it out: Aerophane High School. The name of the team they cheered for appeared to be “The Sky Spirits” and their symbol was a triangle that pointed upward with a line through it. Where had these cheerleaders come from?