Lucas Ryan Versus: The Return (4 page)

LEVEL 06

MZ. HYDE

Biology II (Ms. Strickland’s Class)

“No, Olivia, I’ve never seen her before,” I sighed.

“Well, she sure looked as if she knew you,” Olivia grumbled. With a squeak of my desk as I settled into it, I ran my hand across my tattoo.

“You’re just being paranoid.” Whoops, I shouldn’t have said that. Her face scrunched together and her violet eyes pushed into me. For a second, I missed the real color of her eyes, brown. She was still hiding behind her favorite shade of contacts.

“I’m being what?”

“I didn’t mean…”

“You said paranoid!” she snapped.

“Never mind.” I shrunk down in my seat and looked away. Olivia folded her arms and turned away from me.

Silently, Ms. Strickland entered the room as if she was floating along the ground. She walked confidently but with no sound. It was weird, her expensive high heeled shoes should have made all kinds of noise on the dingy tiled floor of the classroom, but they didn’t. Very weird. As the entire class sat up in attention and quiet curiosity, she slowly surveyed the classroom. Her serious eyes locked onto each individual student for a brief moment from behind her thin eyeglasses. She saved me for last.

“Ruh roh…” I barely whispered, as her glare fell on me. My right arm began to tingle as if it had fallen asleep. I looked down at it to make sure Ripley wasn’t about to make an appearance. Apparently my magical protector didn’t trust her either. In my head, I whispered…

Settle yourself, Ripley.

The sensation in my arm fell away leaving only a faint itching. My other hand caressed the lines of the tattoo and Ms. Strickland watched intently. Quickly, I placed my arms under my desk. She stepped forward and brought up one hand in front of her face. Inside her well manicured fingers was a thick Biology book. She let it dangle in the air for almost a minute as everyone watched in confusion. Finally, she jerked the book upward before aggressively slamming the book to the floor in a thwack that reverberated along the floor. Most of the students jumped in their chairs, clutching for the ends of their desktops. I was too scared to move at all.

“No more!” Ms. Strickland roared. I looked over at Olivia as she reached for me with her eyes. I nodded softly and turned my attention back to the front of the classroom.

“No more,” Ms. Strickland declared again. “As of right now, no more books. They’re useless. I want each and every one of you to follow my lead.”

Olivia spoke for everyone else. “What?”

“Ms. Weaver, I said get rid of your book. Now.” Ms. Strickland’s voice grew more intense. “Pick it up. Drop it on the floor. Now.”

Olivia lifted her book from the top of her desk and paused. “Why?”

Ms. Strickland stepped over to Olivia’s desk and studied her defiance harshly. “Because those books are useless. A waste of time. A waste of your brainpower, my dear.” With a thud Ms. Strickland snatched Olivia’s book from her hands and tossed it over her shoulder. It slammed into the empty whiteboard in a crash, knocking colorful markers and magnetic clips to the floor. Olivia’s book followed swiftly with a soft slap to the ground.

“What the hell?” Olivia freaked out.

“Anyone else?” Ms. Strickland asked the room. Instantly, every student grabbed their books and tossed them to the floor. Every student except one…me. Ms. Strickland grinned slightly at the fresh anarchy. Her face turned my way, leaving Olivia in her shadow. Just before she walked over to me she said over her shoulder, “I’ll see you in detention, Ms. Weaver.”

Olivia looked on in disgust as Ms. Strickland slithered over to me.

“Mr. Ryan, I’m waiting.”

Slowly, I pulled my book from the depths of my schoolbag and held it out in front of me. “Here you go.” She stared at me long and hard before reaching for the textbook. Her fingers locked around it like a vice and she let a crooked smirk paint along her lips.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Her hands opened the book and flipped through a few pages. A single piece of paper slipped from the middle of it and danced through the air like a feather floating to the ground. I reached for it but was a half-second too slow. She ripped it from the air in a blinding speed. With her other hand she placed my book onto her desk just an arms length behind her. Her other hand pulled my paper up to her face. As she studied the outline of ink I had scribbled onto the paper I waited for her to comment on the drawing. She said nothing and folded the piece of paper into a small triangle and gently placed it back on my desk. It reminded me of a paper pyramid. Ms. Strickland stepped back to the front of the classroom and addressed everyone as I stared down at the familiar shape in front of me.

“You’ll work tirelessly. You’ll study relentlessly. You’ll learn more this semester than you’ve ever done before. But, you won’t do it with any silly textbooks. Biology is the study of life,” she echoed everywhere. “Trust me, when I’m done with all of you, you’ll be free.”

“Huh?” I huffed, aloud. Ms. Strickland walked to the door and opened it with a smile.

“Now, who wants to study some life? Follow me,” she ordered. As if being controlled the whole class stood up eager to follow her. Swiftly, she turned back to Olivia and I. “Everyone except Ms. Weaver and Mr. Ryan. You two can stay here until the end of the class hour. And Mr. Ryan, you may join Ms. Weaver in after school detention later today.”

Even though I liked the idea of staying behind with only Olivia, and I was already sentenced to plenty of detention, I couldn’t resist asking, “What for?”

Ms. Strickland waved for the class to leave. She patiently waited as all the kids filed out the door. Finally, she looked down at the folded piece of paper on my desk and nodded. “You know why, Lucas.” And with that, she disappeared out the door, leaving a wide-eyed Olivia confused and angry.

“Lucas, what was on that paper?” Olivia asked, softly. I pulled the triangle toward me and gently unfolded it and handed to her.

“A drawing.”

She pulled the paper to her eyes. and asked, “Of what?”

I looked over at her worried, and whispered, “A dragon.”

Olivia admired the sketch for a moment and then turned her attention to my arm where Ripley hid from the world.

“Lucas, I don’t like her.”

“It’s okay, she doesn’t seem to be too fond of us either,” I teased. “At least I’ll have some company in detention today.” Olivia smiled and slowly stood up. She removed her cell phone and swiped the screen.

“I think I’ll check in with Soph. It’s her first day back to school, too. Hopefully she’s having a better day than us.” She handed me back the crinkled and creased paper and began clicking a message on her phone. As she made her way to the windows of the classroom, I placed the drawing into my bag and tried not to overthink the last ten minutes of the day.

Just as my eyes fogged over in distant thought, the pages of my opened textbook along Ms. Strickland’s desk began to flip back and forth. I watched eagerly as they danced one way and then another. Slowly at first, but then more violently as if there was a wild gust of wind ripping through the room.

“Hey, Olivia, are you seeing this?” I called out, but she never answered back. Cautiously, I stepped toward the desk, unsure of what I was seeing. Once I reached the desk the book settled back to normal, the pages still and silent. I reached out and closed the book. It was cold to my touch.

“What’s going on?” I mumbled, to no one. Just then, the book started to slide along the surface of the desk as if something was underneath it. I looked over at Olivia who was still typing away on her phone, oblivious to the situation. When I looked back down at the book, it stopped moving. I held my breath and placed a nervous hand along the cover. It felt normal again.

All right, Lucas, quit freaking out. Just pick it up.
Slowly, I let my fingers wrap around the spine and timidly lifted it up. I was sure there would be something strange waving up at me from the desk but there was nothing. I closed my eyes, wondering if I was going crazy. When I let them open again there was still nothing. A relieved sigh shot from my lips and I turned to talk to Olivia again, but when I did, something caught my attention from the furthest corner of my vision. It was small and creepy and on the back of the book I held in my hand.

A two inch long, snake-like creature slithered across the surface before spinning itself into a tight little coil the size of a quarter. It stared up at me from the middle of the cover. It was dark purple and had three rows of red eyes. It quivered in place watching me intensely. Before I could process anymore information, four pointy appendages emerged from its head and stabbed themselves into the surface of the book. It began to hiss with a sound that reminded me of air escaping a flat tire. With a snap, it launched itself from the cover and shot directly at my face. Its evil little eyes glowing with rage.

“Ahhh!” I screamed, before whipping the book at the wall. My tattoo lit up in a golden fire as I fell backwards over the desk and chairs behind me. My hands flailed in front of me, hopelessly swinging at the terrible spider-snake. Olivia quickly ran up to me in a panic.

“Lucas…”

“Where is it? Is it on me?”

“What? I don’t see anything,” she said, scared.

“It was on my book…it freaking jumped on me…in my face…”

“Lucas, there’s nothing here. What are you talking about?”

Urgently, I searched all around me, my shirt, my hair, the floor, the wreckage that used to be my school desk. Nothing. No snake. No spider. It was gone, just like my dignity. Finally, I let Olivia help me to my feet. She was obviously worried about me. As I searched the room again, my heart began to settle itself.

“Sorry about that, Olivia,” I said, painted in embarrassment.

“Are you okay?” she asked, with a smile. My mouth returned the gesture.

“I think so.”

The school bell rang signaling the end of the class. Olivia and I gathered our things and headed for the lunch courtyard. Thank goodness, because I needed a break. This day was getting crazier by the minute.

The last time that happened, I ended up saving the world.

LEVEL 07

HEROES - WE COULD BE

“Unbelievable.”

“Yup,” I agreed, with Taylor. He had anxiously skipped his lunchtime football practice to hear all the gory details of my disappearance and impossible journey back to our dimension. Morgan and Roland sat quietly on both sides of him listening intently. They made sure to catch every word. Especially Roland. He was a geek at heart, like me. All this interstellar travel and galactic monsters made him giddy with excitement. I could see it in his eyes he was already working on a new conspiracy theory to explain all of this.

“I still can’t believe all that happened in just a few hours, Lucas. Why do you think it was over a month for us until you showed back up?” Morgan asked. She leaned against Taylor’s thick arm and he eased into her softly.

“Mo, I’m not completely sure.” With a twist of my wrist, I continued. “Ripley said it’s just how it works. Time in that dimension is much different than ours.”

“Ripley? You mean that mystical beast that lives in your tattoo? You’re still calling it Ripley?” Morgan asked, unsure.

“Yes.” I slid my arm into the middle of the circle with my open palm faced upward. Tiny rolls of flashing smoke spun in a miniature tornado just a few inches high. Ripley’s serpent-like form appeared. It cracked a metallic snap along its spine before nodding to my friends and melting back into my skin.

“Whoa,” Taylor smiled. “What can it do, Lucas? What can you do?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’m still learning. But it seems Ripley and I are one.”

With a rustle of his thick blonde mane, Taylor sulked, “I guess you don’t need me as your bodyguard anymore…”

“T, are you kidding? There is only one true superhero in this gang and that’s you. It’s always been you.” I tried to ease his unrest but it didn’t seem to help much. He looked over his shoulder as a distant whistle blew. It was Coach Kitna, and he looked annoyed that Taylor wasn’t leading the football team in midday workouts. Taylor slowly stood up, offering Morgan a quick kiss on her cheek before jogging toward the team. It bummed me out that he may be taking my unique situation as a sign that I didn’t need him or his strength. Taylor was the single reason I made it this far in high school. Bullies are around every corner and boy did they always seek out us nerdy kids.

“Don’t worry, Luc, he’ll be fine. You know how he is, a big softy locked in a warriors body,” Morgan eased, with a gentle smile.

“I guess.”

“He just needs some time to adjust to your secret powers,” she smiled.

“Secret powers?” I gasped, looking down at my arm.

Roland jumped in the conversation, “That’s right!”

I mumbled, “Uh, oh. I feel a new conspiracy theory coming on.” Morgan rolled her eyes at her brother and turned her attention back to Taylor across the campus.

“Well, I do have a theory about our new Biology teacher, Ms. Strickland,” Roland grinned wildly.

Morgan began to chuckle, “And here we go.” Roland huffed and ignored her. With a flip of his hand he opened the top of his backpack and removed his large touchscreen computer tablet. After a couple well-timed swipes he pulled up a page on the internet.

“I was watching the way she carried herself,” Roland began.

“I think every boy in school was watching the way she carried herself, Ro. She’s like a supermodel wrapped in a business suit,” Morgan interrupted.

“You’re right, Mo, but that’s not what I was talking about. She seemed to be brimming with confidence. Her posture alone screamed big brass military.”

“Military?” I asked, confused.

“Yes!” Roland roared. Some kids within shouting distance of us turned their disapproving attention toward us. Morgan cringed but Roland just used their judgement as fuel to his creative fire. He leaned in closer to me and slid the tablet in front of my face.

“But not just any government branch of soldiers, I’m talking about Black Ops…” he trailed off. Flashing along the screen of his tablet was three bold words…

BEWARE THE PHANTOMS

“Who the heck are the Phantoms?” I asked, regretting it as I did.

“The Phantoms are the elite of the Black Ops. The Black Ops of the Black Ops. No government will even entertain the idea that they exist. They’re complete and total shadows…they’re ghosts.” A weird smirk pulled along his lips. I let out a long breath and shrunk a little. Roland suddenly withdrew his tablet but before he did I stole a peek at an unusual reflection in its glass.

It was another spider-snake. It was just over my shoulder and looked as if it was lunging right for me. I whipped around to find nothing there. I grabbed at my shirt and hair, making sure it wasn’t anywhere on me. Nothing…again.

Morgan smacked her brother in the arm. “Oh, jeez! You’re not talking about those Phantom Ops again, are you? Ugh! You play too many video games.”

“That is true, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. You’re always naysaying my theories, Mo!” Roland pouted.

“That’s because they’re stupid!” she snapped.

“They are not!”

As their tempers flared I looked around us, scouting the grass in a feverish search. I knew I saw something. I wasn’t going crazy. The Saint twins continued their debate.

“What proof do you have that Ms. Strickland belongs to the elite of elite armed forces?” Morgan folded her arms across her chest, completely annoyed.

“First, there’s no records of a Scarlet Strickland anywhere, and I mean anywhere. No credit reports, no driver’s license, no address, no phone number. Second, her posture and strut are straight up military. I’m talking old school militia stuff, like Hitler and his cronies. Third, her style. No normal civilian dresses that way!”

Morgan interjected, “Oh, that’s right, no ordinary woman would wear an expensive power suit and designer shoes.”

“Shut up! I know what I’m talking about.”

“You do know how to do one thing perfectly…annoy me,” she nudged.

“Mo, just trust me.”

“Well, Bro, I think you’ve finally lost your mind.” Morgan let a polite laugh out and turned to me. “What do you think, Luc?”

Still in a fog of delusion I tried to focus again. “Huh? What?”

“Did you hear any of Roland’s stupid conclusions?” Morgan asked, worried.

“Yes, I mean, no.”

“Lucas?” Morgan leaned into me. “What’s wrong?”

“Did either one of you see…something?” my voice asked desperately.

“Like what?” she asked, softly.

“Umm…like a snake thingy…”

She jumped up almost knocking over her brother. “Snake! Where?”

“Luc, the only snakelike thing around here is embedded in your wrist,” Roland said, calmly. I glanced at my wrist and then, back to the green terrain below our feet.

“I guess…” I mumbled, scratching my head. This was crazy. What was gong on? I saw that creature as clear as day but now it was nowhere to be found. Maybe I was slowly losing my mind. Everyday I would fall deeper and deeper into loonyville. The price to pay for having this growing power inside of me. I inhaled a long deep breath and tried to focus on Taylor throwing a football in the distance. He chucked the ball to a group of teammates and they all fought to scoop it up into their arms. He noticed I was looking his way and gave me a polite nod. I smiled back but it was only a half smile.

Fully ignoring me now, Roland continued his insane thoughts. “You know, if I’m right about Ms. Strickland, we’ll have to be extra careful around here.”

“Careful of what?” I barely asked.

“Careful not to track too much attention our way, especially your way, Luc.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because, if she is what I think she is, she is here for one thing and one thing only. You, my friend.” Roland shrunk in his stance a bit. “The last secret military person that ended up snooping around this campus turned out to be a demon from another dimension that fed on unimaginable power and death.”

“The General,” Morgan whispered.

General Love, the galaxy hopping entity that hunted Ripley down to this planet and tried to end all life on Earth just because he could. I almost died trying to stop him. Yeah, I remembered him.

“He’s dead,” I promised.

“Are you sure?” they both asked in unison. I just looked at both of them, not knowing what to say. I saw him die. I saw him be wished into nonexistence by Felicity just before we disappeared over a month ago, but I’d be lying if I said he was gone for good. So, I didn’t say it. I didn’t say anything. Morgan and Roland settled themselves and stepped closer to me. Our little circle closed itself to the outside world.

“Don’t worry, he’s not coming back,” I said, with fake confidence. Suddenly, a shadow fell over our bundled group. It was long and thin, and brought with it a new chill in the air.

“Who’s not coming back, Mr. Ryan?” Ms. Strickland inquired, as she marched toward us. With her long legs she managed to greet us unnaturally fast. Her voice was deadly calm and her makeup and hair were still perfect. Too perfect. Roland made sure his tablet was snugly back in his bag and pulled it to his chest. He frowned and looked at me as if to say,
“I told you so!”
Morgan took a small step back, keeping her eyes from directly making contact with hers.

After what felt like a minute, I said, “No one.”

Ms. Strickland circled us with her long strides. Her steel eyes locked onto each one of us as she passed by. “Is that so?”

I nodded yes. She stopped just in front of me, in the same exact spot I thought the spider-snake fell to the ground. One of her heels tapped on the grass gently.

“Mr. Ryan, I will see you in detention after school.”

“I remember.”

“Good.” She turned from us and began to walk away. Just as she did, her head turned back to us. “Don’t be late.” Before I could make some kind of smart comeback a voice called out from behind us.

“Look out!”

Just then a football rocketed past us, directly for the back of Ms. Strickland’s head as if her tight bun of hair were a bullseye. In the last possible second she spun around just enough for one of her hands to snatch the spinning ball from the air. She never even looked at it. She just grabbed it like she had eyes in the back of her head. She dropped the ball to the grass and continued walking away.

Morgan, Roland, and I stood stunned with our mouths agape. Taylor ran up on us in a reserved panic.

“Did you see that? That was impossible,” he gasped. I reached down and plucked the football from the grass and slowly handed it back to Taylor.

“Nothing’s impossible, T. Not in this school.”