Return of Apophis
Chapter 1
Sadie's p.o.v
I was just standing on the balcony, that's it! I wasn't doing anything wrong now was I? But this girl just had to come in to my life and change the otherwise perfect ways at Brooklyn house. Things had been going just fine in Brooklyn since the war with Apophis, me and Walt had been doing great and the magical trainees were working as hard as they could, and all was well.
One day, a girl appeared on my balcony. She entered tumbling out of a swirling sand portal, covered in sweat and holding a staff. She appeared to have been running from something, or someone, that could throw fire as her sweats and t-shirt where scorched. She had long dark hair and skin that was not pale, but still not tanned. She stood up and brushed the sand of her already ruined clothes, then she looked at me and smiled apologetically "Sorry," she said in an American accent, but it sounded not quite American, maybe Canadian "I had to get away the rebels." A million questions raced through my mind but I started with the simplest "who are you?" She smiled and put out her hand to shake "I'm Alex, short for Alexandra, and I would like to learn the path of the gods." I shook her hand and then said, more confused then ever "What did you say about the rebels, they're still existence?" "That's what I came to warn you about, but first," she eyed inside my room "Do you have any extra clothes?"
Chapter 2
Alex's p.o.v
I should probably back up before you guys get too confused. I am a Canadian magician living in Newfoundland in the 108th Nome. This Nome isn't very well known, so I am not sure why things happened as they did.
My Nome was following Amos, as all the others (and Carter, when he took up his position for a day) and we were all happy. We were working on the path of the gods one day in class, learning how to channel it safely, when an explosion rattled the building from outside. I pulled out my staff and glanced behind me, everyone else was unconscious, why wasn't I? I quickly realized that they had been hit with the knockout spell. I tried to conger a shield around them and a starry shielding covered them and with a shock I realized that I had just used the path of the gods, I'd channeled power from my patron goddess, Nut. Before I had the chance to process this, another explosion shook the building. I ran outside to find an army of magicians plowing through our protection shields. I need to do something! I thought. Then I had the craziest thought. I concentrated on the two remaining shields and they turned black and starry. The magicians looked at me and laughed, apparently not realizing I had just stopped them. They blasted spells at the shields, but it didn't work. They tried over and over and still nothing. Then a woman that looked about thirty stepped in front of them. She looked at the shield and spoke a command that I thought I would never hear, she spoke the word "chaos" and only later did I realize she had spoken in ancient Egyptian. My shields crumbled and the army raced towards me. Then the woman blasted a stream of fire at me and my clothes caught. I ran and yelled Mau, water materialized above me and dropped on my head putting out the flames. I thought of the first place that came to my mind, I summoned a portal and jumped through.
After I took a shower and explained to Sadie what had happened, we went down to the great room to tell Carter. Half way there, I saw a boy who had brown hair and a sword hanging at his side, but it wasn't Carter. I thought he was cute. Sadie stopped to tie her shoelace and I watched the boy walk up the hallway. He looked back, when he saw me his mouth fell open and he walked straight in to a door. He fell backwards. I pressed my lips together and tried not to laugh as I went to help him up. When he got up he blinked a few times and said "hi, I'm Lulian," he blinked hard "I mean Julian, ah, who you are" I held out my hand to shake "I'm Alex" he shook my hand and he said "you're new?" "Ya" I said "I have to go now" "Wait, where, what room do you sleep in, what's your phone number, are you free Saturday night?" I blinked; did he just ask me on a date? "Ah, ya, sure, what time?" "No! I didn't mean to say that!" he turned sheepishly, "no, no its fine, is 8 good tonight instead?" I asked. "ah, sure" he said and walked inside his room. I walked back to Sadie how pulled me close and said "Wow, I've never seen Julian act like that before, he must really like you!" I was too distracted to say anything back. I had a date tonight!
Chapter 3
Sadie's p.o.v
After the strange happenings in the hallway, Alex and I kept walking. I thought about the way Julian had looked at her and was so distracted that he walked in to a door! He was generally a very calm guy that almost never lost his cool, as you Americans say, so I guessed he must have really liked this girl. Alex and I talked on the way there and I found that she and Julian actually had a lot in common. I knew that they was going to have a great on their date tonight, so naturally when we got to Carter I tried to hurry it up so the poor girl could have time to pick out something to wear!
Alex explained the situation to Carter and he seemed greatly troubled by what he found out. "So you are channeling the power of Nut," Carter frowned "I've never heard of anyone that has done that before, why did you chose her?" Alex thought for a moment, possibly about Julian and then spoke "Well, I always thought of the sky as paradise, no restrictions, free and happy, so Nut seemed like the best goddess to chose." "I see," said Carter "and this woman spoke the divine word 'chaos' and was still able to cast magical spells, right?" "Ya, it was like she wasn't even tiered." Alex's eyes widened as if she had just thought of the answer "Oh! Oh no, no, no, no, please say that's not the answer!" She stumbled backwards and leaned on a table, shaking with fright. "What?" I asked "What's it?" She stared at me "That woman is channeling the power of Apophis; she is trying to help him return!" I felt as if someone had smacked me in the face with a hammer "But, we just sent him in to the Duat, the shadow execration? Did that not work?" "No, no it worked," Alex said "but this woman, if she has the power, she could..." she was interrupted by the sound of feet, clomping down the stairs, Julian appeared, trying to tie a tie around his neck "Carter, I need your advice on..." he looked up, saw Alex and smiled, clear embarrassed, he laughed uncomfortably, and turned to leave and tripped on the stairs. Alex was clearly trying to contain her laughter. He raced up the stairs. "That's all for now, brother dear," I said "let's go get a room for you, Alex, so you can get ready for your date."
Chapter 4
Carter's p.o.v
After Sadie left with Alex, I went to check on Julian. I came to his door and found Walt waiting outside it. "Hey man," I said "what are you doing?" he looked at me "I've been trying to talk to Julian, but he won't answer his door, keeps mumbling 'not in the mood' which isn't like him" Walt was right; Julian almost always was up for a chat. I knocked "Julian, open up" I yelled through the door, the door creaked open and Julian was dressed in a tux, but he look humiliated, I thought of the way he'd acted in the great room. "Hey man what's wrong?" asked Walt "Ugh! Alex! That's what wrong!" "Alex? Who's Alex?" Walt asked "A new trainee, we have a date tonight and I completely humiliated myself in front of her, twice!" "Whoa, dude, its ok," I said "we've all done stupid things in front of girls," I looked at Walt "right, Walt?" "Ya," he said "wait, you have a date tonight, oh man give me some." They fist pumped and I realized that this girl must really drive him crazy for him to be so nervous around her. "That girl must be awesome to make you clumsy." Walt exclaimed "Oh she is," said Julian "I'm taking her... I, I don't know yet, I haven't thought about it." "Take her to dinner at the restaurant on the water side; I take Sadie there all the time." "Thanks guys," Julian looked much more relaxed "you want to come in and watch some TV before I leave?" "Sure." Walt and I said in unison. We walked inside Julian's room.
Chapter 5
Alex's p.o.v
After Sadie gave me a room, I went to get ready. I picked out a sparkling violet dress that got lighter as it came to the bottom. I wore no makeup and black flats on my feet. I was ready for my date!
I went up to the roof and waited for Julian, in my jacket I watched the crescent moon and sparkling stars dance in the night sky. After a while I heard someone coming up the steps, Julian appeared on the roof. He stared at me for a while, I stared at him. He wore a tux and a red tie that looked really good. After a moment he held out his hand, I summoned a portal and we walked through. We reappeared at a lake side restaurant called 'river delight'. We went inside and got a table for two. We talked and laughed and I found that we had a lot in common.
Half way through our date, we laughed about something, then he stared in to my eyes, we leaned in to kiss and the east wall exploded. "Honestly?" I yelled at the falling bricks. I pulled my staff out of the Duat, Julian pulled his sword. A monster appeared from the ruble. It had a giant snake head and the body of a crocodile! If that wasn't weird enough, for a neck it had a thick, reptilian snake body. Julian made the first move, he summoned a falcon headed avatar and lunged at the monster, he managed to cut a bit of the monsters neck. The creature roared in outrage as green blood oozed from the wound. He smacked Julian's avatar in to the far wall. I knew it was my turn. I thought of a word of power and I spoke, Ha-wi, strike. The hieroglyph blazed in the monsters face and it went flying in to the wall. I was tired from summoning a divine word, but I knew I had to keep going. I called on Nut, and her power flowed in to me. I asked he for a good word of power to use and a perfect one popped in to my head. I knew it was crazy and might result in my death, but the monster had already been healed from the cut Julian had made in his neck. I saw Julian, without his avatar, starting to stir as if he'd been unconscious. I concentrated on the monster and spoke the final word out of me that night, Ma-at, order. The hieroglyph glowed on the monster's chest and the creature disintegrated, the building repaired its self. I was still keeping the spell up so it could fix any damage, but I was aware of Julian behind me. I finished the spell and fell backward. I would have knocked my head off the marble tiles, but Julian caught me. I slumped in to unconsciousness.