The Crystal Chronicles: Book 2

One Human Moment

September 14th, 2042

Some say one's fate is tied to the land...

As much of a part of us as we are of it.

Others say destiny is like strands woven together into an elaborate cloth.

Forcing one's fate to be intertwined with many others.

Destiny is the one thing people search for or fight to change.

Some can never find it and wonder aimlessly.

But there are those that are lead in the right direction...

Once I finally break the surface of the water, I'm out of breath and my muscles ache. Ghosh, I wish I would have known how difficult it was to use my powers after concealing them for so long. I've never forced them to be docile for so long, the seem almost alien... something feels wrong... Every step of the way, my powers have been fighting me. It was almost as if they wanted to remain tucked away with Matt as much as I did.

My arms shake violently while I crawl onto the bank. My muscles suddenly give out and I slowly roll onto my back to spit out the gritty sand trapped in my mouth. I will oxygen into my lungs and stare into the night sky while my blue eyes remain activated. I search the walls above for sparkling blue orbs and sigh in relief when I can't locate any near me. My muscles slowly relax, at least I'm safe. For now

Groaning in agony when I force my tired muscles to move; I know I can't stay here forever. I probably have an entire army tracking me down at this point. I slowly begin jogging to wake up my screaming muscles. As the minutes pass my muscles warm up and begin to move fluidly without pain. I push my legs faster, picking up speed with each step. I am eerily aware I have no weapons to protect myself should I get cornered. I need to get to my safehouse as soon as possible if I want to have a chance at survival. Weaving through the natural corridors with precision I take the long way to avoid the traps I have set in place.

      Squeezing through the last crack, I expel all the air in my lungs and wiggle along the two rock walls. Until I reach the other side. Taking a deep breath when the walls open into another large canyon, I look into the starry night and wonder what Matt is doing. Shaking off that thought, he probably hates me now anyway. I begin rubbing my hands along the dusty rock wall searching for the small divot I know is located somewhere around here.

Smiling when my right hand finds it, I slide my thumb into the crevice. Listening to the soft beep I nod my head at the little camera above me and watch as the rock wall pushes back and slides up. Walking into the dark room I quickly find the light switch and the lights flicker to life. As the rock slab scrapes back into place, I throw my wet clothes in a pile on the floor with a loud splat. Quickly getting dressed, I check to make sure everything is operational. Someone must have been looking out for me because thankfully it still is. Blowing off the dusty laptop I quickly log in and find my cameras are still working.

      When I miraculously found this place, honestly it was by complete coincidence I stumbled upon this bunker. I was lost trying to find a way out of the Grand Canyon and ended up here. The door was open, and it was stocked with supplies. While I waited for the owners, I browsed through the small five-person bunker. I waited two days, but no one came. Once the sun rose on the third day, I started making the bunker my own. Though I waited for some to show, the first day I was here I hacked into the doors fingerprint scanner and uploaded my thumb print. The next time I came back I set up the security cameras and booby traps in the surrounding ravines.

Even though I didn't do well in Ravenna's monitoring department I'm still pretty dang good at manipulating electronics. Leaning back into my chair, my mind fills with images of what I left behind and my chest grows tight. Tonight, I'll let myself feel terrible. Tonight, I'll question whether any of this is worth it. Tonight, I'll give myself a human moment to cry. But tomorrow, I'll tuck all of that away and continue with my mission. Tomorrow, I will go back to who I was. Tomorrow, I will travel to find a way to destroy Ravenna.