For those wonderful three who are following my story, I re-edited the first two chapters and added a few lines here and there to clarify some details. I also fixed an error I had made (Mamo is not the correct Gaelic term for Grandmother. Maimeo is the correct term. I went back and changed it.) The last improvement I made was to attach at the end of each chapter translation helps for the Gaelic/Irish names & phrases that I used in the previous chapters. I plan to have translation helps at the end of each chapter for any new words, names, or phrases that I use. Thank you all for reading & enjoying my story.
Signed GottesBlume
Chapter Three: Save the Citizen
Siobhan was running. She felt fear in the depths of her bones. She felt wind rustle through her hair and she turned fearing for what she would see. Bruce was there and he grabbed her arm. She could feel his powers as the school hallway turned into a wind storm.
"No" she screamed
"No, NO, no" she heard herself scream over and over
Siobhan jolted out of her bed. Her breath was coming in quickly and she could feel sweat on her brow. Her eyes adjusted to the early morning darkness and she saw that she was alone.
"Thank the goddess" she muttered
She sat for a few more minutes as she let the peaceful morning seep into her skin. She breathed slowly as her hands relaxed. She had not realized that she had been clenching them. She had not been expecting a nightmare. She had gone to bed feeling so happy and ready to face the next day's challenges. It was nights like this that Siobhan was glad that she knew who she was. She slipped out of her bed and went over to the small table that was set up under her window. The low table had several candles on it and a bowl filled with some earth.
"Thank you for this day. For guarding us and blessing us. Thank you for planting us and growing us. Bless us the seed of your seed" said Siobhan as she lit the candles and bowed down
She felt peace settle on her soul as she remembered that she was Tuatha De Danann. She was seed of the earth. She was a child of Dana, the goddess ruling the land in the land. She was not a lost soul wandering the world. She had purpose in her clan.
Siobhan stood up and made her bed. This simple act seemed just as much a part of her worship as the lighting of the candles and her prayer.
Her next stop was the kitchen. Her stomach rumbled and she couldn't wait to eat. Her brothers were already at the table and she could smell the eggs her Mamai was cooking. She grinned at her mischievous twin brothers and they grinned back.
"No food fights today my lovelies. " Said Siobhan's Mamai as she delivered eggs and toast to her children's plates
"But Mamai we are warriors" protested Ailbe as he banged his fork on the table
"Warriors in the face of our enemies; the eggs" said Ailill gleefully
"My brave warriors, how about you eat your eggs in peace so that you can fight your enemies in the back yard?" said their Mamai
"It does smell so yummy. I bet they taste good, too" said Siobhan trying to help her Mamai sway her rather hyper brothers
Ailbe and Ailill seemed to be wavering between flinging the eggs or eating them. It was when Siobhan heard their stomachs that she knew the fight was over.
"I guess the eggs are ok" said Ailill as he and his brother dug in
Siobhan grinned at her Mamai who looked happy that her boys were eating and not tossing the food about. The nightmare had faded from Siobhan's mind in the wake of such an adventurous breakfast meal.
She didn't take long to eat and drink her juice. Siobhan wasn't trying to rush either. She had plenty of time. It was simply her hunger and the good taste of the food that speed her along. She hummed contently as she ate the last bite.
"Thank you Mamai for the food" said Siobhan
"You're welcome my love" said her Mamai
Siobhan kissed her Mamai's cheek and headed down the hall to the restroom to take a shower. She loved waking up with enough time to savor her breakfast and her morning shower. She did not like feeling rushed. Her whole soul seemed to stretch out and relax in the shower.
"It is going to be a good day. " Said Siobhan to herself as she exited the bathroom
The next task was to pick out her outfit for the day. Siobhan brushed her honey blonde hair dry and loosely pulled it up in a bun. She picked out her favorite oversized T-shirt and her favorite faded blue jeans. She loved the comfy summer feel of her outfit. She then chose her pink all-stars.
"Yes, I like this outfit" said Siobhan to her image in the mirror
She added little crystal stud earrings and eyeliner. She thought putting lipstick on was a bit much for school but she couldn't help dolling up her pearl grey eyes. The color of storm clouds her mamo once had told her.
Siobhan felt serene as she packed up her odd school books: "Hero & Villains in History", "Math for the well-trained Hero", "Mad Science 1-0-1", "Heroes in American Literature", "The Art of Controlling your Powers", and "To Do or not To Do: The Ethics of being a Super Hero".
"I really need to store some of these in my locker" said Siobhan, "just as soon as I figure out how to open it"
Her Mamai had helped her pick her electives. She only had two electives this semester: Ethics & a Ceramic Art class. She had Ethics yesterday and as she looked at her schedule she assumed she would have her Art class, today:
Hero Day 1
8:15-9:40 Hero Gold & Hero White Math
9:45-11:00 Ethics
11:00-12:20 Hero Gold & Hero Blue Power Control
12:25-1:25 3rd Lunch
1:30-2:50 Hero Gold & Hero White English
Hero Day 2
8:15-9:40 Hero Gold & Hero Blue History
9:45-11:00 Hero Gold & Hero Red Mad Science 1-0-1
11:00-12:002nd Lunch
12:05-1:30 Ceramics
1:35-2:50 Save the Citizen
Siobhan was happy to see her Art class was today but "What is 'save the citizen'? "Wondered Siobhan "and why doesn't it tell which groups will be in it?" She supposed she could ask Bruce, since he and the other upper class-men, had started a week before the entire freshman class, but she didn't really want to encourage him.
"I guess I will just find out on my own" said Siobhan
She knew it was held in the gym and wondered if it was a class similar to the training sessions that each clan sets up on the weekends. "If it is" thought Siobhan "then Casey, Ashling, Colin, Donald, and I will be ready for such a challenge".
As Siobhan put her schedule, Week-by-week calendar, and pencil box in her backpack with all her textbooks, she grabbed her light jacket and headed for the door.
"Bye Ailbe, Ailill, Mamai!" called out Siobhan. She knew her Dadai was already gone. He worked at the local steel mill and left much earlier than she did for school. Hers was an old fashioned family where the Dad worked and the mom stayed home.
Siobhan had a half grin on her face till she saw who was waiting for her outside.
"Bruce, what are you doing?" asked Siobhan
"Waiting for you" he replied
"I never asked you to wait for me. In-fact, I wish you wouldn't" said Siobhan
"Now don't try to hurt my feelings. I am just being gentlemanly" said Bruce
"Why not be 'gentlemanly' to Sasha? I bet she would appreciate it more than I do" replied Siobhan as Bruce followed her down the lane.
"I don't want to be gentlemanly to her" said Bruce
"Well, I don't want you doing it to me" replied Siobhan
"I think you will change your mind in a few months" said Bruce
"I think not" replied Siobhan as they reached Lugh Lane and where Casey was waiting for her.
"Bruce, have you turned into a stalker?" asked Casey
"No, I am escorting Siobhan to the buses" he replied
"Against my will" replied Siobhan
"Then let us ignore him" replied Casey as she grabbed Siobhan's arm
"I think we have a class together today" continued Casey
"Yes, I looked at my schedule this morning. Its history" said Siobhan
"That means you have class with us, too" said Colin as he and his brother, Donald, came walking up to them from Raven Ave.
"Yeah, we can grab a table in the back and claim it for the Tuatha De Danann youth" said Daniel
"Sounds like a party" said Ashling as she also swiftly joined the group
The gang all peaked at Bruce and Colin looked like he was going to say something to him; but, a signal from Casey kept them all quiet.
Luckily for Siobhan and her friends the bus was not late in arriving. They managed to sit far away from Bruce and the other Tuatha De Danann youths.
"Why does Bruce have to cling to you?" asked Ashling
"He is trying to get me to like him, I suspect" she replied
"He is being a creeper" said Casey
The rest of the group nodded their head in agreement.
"Well, when you are old enough for marking you can formally deny him" said Ashling
"My plans are to do just that" Siobhan said
The group drifted off into their own thoughts. Siobhan was glad for a break from talking. Her morning had jumped around emotionally and she just wanted a brief moment to calm herself before the chaos of her second day began.
The sudden lift into the sky caught her by surprise again. Siobhan knew it was coming this time but still she felt a bit shocked and thrilled by it, yet again. "Will I ever tire of it?" she wondered as she watched geese fly alongside the bus.
When they had finally landed on the school grounds, Siobhan felt that her heart and mind where in the same place. She felt all the confidence of her morning routine flow back into her body and she grinned at Casey as they slowly exited their bus.
"Excited? " Casey asked when she saw Siobhan's grin
"Of Course" she replied
77777777777777777777777
"Have you figured out how to open the lockers?" asked Siobhan
"Yeah, do you need some help?" replied Casey
"Yes, I do. I have been lugging my textbooks all day" said Siobhan
"You should have asked me after History." Said Casey
"I forgot to. I was planning on it but I had to dodge from class quickly. I saw Bruce looking for me." Said Siobhan
"Remind me after 'save the citizen'" said Casey
"Do you know what this is?" asked Siobhan as the two of them entered the gym
"No. But, I heard that it included the entire school body. So, let's find Ashling and the boys before Bruce spots us" said Casey
Siobhan and Casey quickly saw where their friends were. They also noticed that Blanche from yesterday had found them once again. Siobhan was unhappy to see that Bruce had also found their little group. He had brought Sasha, Liam, Teagan, and Iona with him. Siobhan did not mind the others who were generally nice but Liam was Bruce's best friend. It made her weary of him and his girlfriend, Teagan.
"Hi Blanche! Nice to see you again!" said Casey as she sat by Blanche and Ashling
Siobhan sat by Casey and Iona, "Hi Blanche, Ashling, Iona" said Siobhan as she took her seat.
"Hi Siobhan" replied Ashling
"I haven't seen you in a while Siobhan" said Iona
"Oh, well maybe we can plan a girl's day out with Casey and Ashling" suggested Siobhan
"It sounds fun, what do you think Casey?" asked Ashling
"Agreed" said Casey, "Would you like to come, Blanche?" Casey added
"Yeah, would we be going to the mall?" asked Blanche
"How about the library? Then we do some homework, walk around in the attached park, and visit an Art gallery?" suggest Iona
"That doesn't sound bad at all" said Siobhan who was slowly warming up to what was originally her idea.
The girls would have hatched out more of details for the girl's date if Coach Boomer hadn't walked into the gym. He pressed several buttons on the gym wall and the floor of the gym opened like an orange being peeled. The ground moved away to reveal a stadium. Siobhan guessed that it was made to look like an oval coliseum. The only difference was the cylinder at the end that was filled with razor sharp knives and the dummy hanging above it.
"Alright, Warren Peace and Will Stronghold" called out Coach Boomer
Siobhan noted that he didn't sound enthused to be announcing those two. She remembered Blanche had gone on about how Will had saved the school. She hurriedly whispered and asked who Warren Peace was. Blanche replied that he was Will's best friend, who had also helped to save the school.
"Freshman, welcome to SAVE THE CITIZEN. This is your physical education class. The goal of this class is to teach you how to use your powers in combat with other gifted youths. The goal of the Hero team is to prevent the Villain team from letting the dummy fall to the knives. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?" asked Coach Boomer adding his special emphasis to the words.
The crowd of freshman didn't venture to raise any hands and Coach Boomer seemed satisfied.
"I have a special treat for today's lesson. Instead of the victors from the last save the citizen choosing their opponents, I am going to choose from the freshman. In-fact, I will chose freshman opponents for every save the citizen till the entire freshman class have had a turn." Said Coach Boomer with a hint of glee
Siobhan couldn't believe her ears. "I hope I don't get picked" she thought
"Today's opponents are ALLEN SPENCER AND SIOBHAN IVERS" boomed the Coach
"Drat" muttered Siobhan as she headed to the arena
She found her partner was a blonde haired youth, like herself. He didn't seem like much but she hoped his power was useful. She didn't remember him from power placement.
"Hi, I'm Siobhan" she said
"I'm Allen" he replied
"What do you do?" Siobhan asked
"I create illusions" he said
"Oh, goodie! Then whichever one goes for you then you will just keep them in an illusion" said Siobhan
"Hopefully, I don't always have the best control of my power" said Allen
"I have a wide range of mental powers, so we should work together fine" said Siobhan
She didn't feel like explaining all her powers. Technically, she could just take over her opponents minds and wait till their time was up. But, she was sure that her Maimeo would consider this an abuse of her gifts.
After putting on some armor over their gym outfits, Siobhan and Allen walked out of the locker room and into the arena. Will and Warren were waiting for them. Siobhan thought Will looked a bit odd in his overly patriotic colors but Warren looked hot. "Man, if Bruce looked like that, I might get over his nastiness or maybe not" she thought as she remembered Bruce's extreme cruelty.
"BEGIN" roared Coach Boomer
Will's eyes looked foggy and glazed over almost immediately. Siobhan guessed that Allen was using his power on him. She turned her attention to Warren. He had promptly lit up his arms in a blaze of fire. She couldn't help but grin. "Oh and he is of the Fire clan! I found a lost one" She thought
Siobhan wasted no time in tweaking his emotions. She gave his anger a boost and watched as confusing then rage filled his eyes. The flames grew from his arms to his shoulders. Then she surrounded him in a bubble of telekinetic energy.
When Warren calmed himself down and tried to toss a fire ball at her, it bounced back at him. His face showed his confusion and he tried to back away. He bumped into the invisible wall that Siobhan had created with her mind.
Warren started throwing fire balls everywhere and having no luck as they all bounced back at him. She could tell that he was now angry of his own free will. She turned to see how Allen was doing with Will. The foggy look had faded from Will's eyes and she assumed that Allen was losing his hold on Will.
Siobhan watched for a bit as Warren was now trying to ram into the invisible wall. It wasn't doing him any good but it did amuse Siobhan. She turned back to Will and Allen. Will was clearly no longer under Allen's illusion. Will was running toward Allen and Siobhan decided to help out.
She mentally grabbed Will and let him float in mid-air. It was poetic and dramatic, since he had the power of flight. "Or perhaps ironic" she muttered
"Thanks, I was worried there for a minute" said Allen
"You're welcome, how are we doing on time?" asked Siobhan
"We have a minute left" He replied
"Are you going to be OK, that is, are you going to be able to keep both of them trapped?" asked Allen
"Yes, I don't think it will be a problem" said Siobhan
"You have better control than I have" said Allen
"I have twin brothers so I get a lot of practice" said Siobhan
She didn't want to admit that her people had combat training for their youths. How would she explain it? These teenagers all thought she was the same as them. How could she explain that she was an elemental and connected to the earth? How could she explain the magic of her race without making it sound like a fairy tale?
"I pity your brothers" Allen said jokingly
"TIME" Coach Boomer hollered
The watching crowd seemed stunned. Siobhan guessed that this victory must have been a shock. "I hope I didn't overdo it" she thought and bit her lip as she released Will and Warren.
Coach Boomer continued "The Villain team wins" with a bit of extra relish she noted. Siobhan figured that Coach Boomer didn't like Will and Warren.
777777777777
"You were amazing" gushed Blanche and she continued in her rapid fire speech, "This is the first time Will and Warren have been defeated since they teamed up in their freshman year. The whole crowd was a buzz about it"
"Thanks" Siobhan said through the pause in Blanche's words
Blanche turned to Ashling, Iona, and Teagan to regal to them about the save the citizen match, even though they had been there. Siobhan gladly turned to Casey as the group slowly exited the gym.
"Do you think I overdid it?" She asked
"Nope. You did fine. Here, I will show you how to open your locker" said Casey
The two girls shuffled to Siobhan's locker. The others had been lost in the confusion of the mass of students. Siobhan didn't worry though because all the Tuatha De Danann youth rode the same bus instead she turned her focus on her best friend.
"You twist the nob to the right till you reach your first number than you twist to the left past your next number and on the second time around you hit your second number. Then you twist the nob to the right again and hit your third number" explained Casey
Siobhan failed a few times but with Casey's help she managed to figure her locker out. She felt like this was a giant accomplishment. She knew her weary back would be grateful.
"Thanks Casey" Siobhan said
"You're Welcome, see you on the bus" said Casey as she walked off toward her locker.
Siobhan unloaded her backpack expect for her Math, Ethics, and English books. She knew she needed to do some touch up on her homework from those classes before she turned them in tomorrow. She felt like just maybe she was having some luck in the school in the sky. "And it is only my second day" she thought happily.
7777777777777777777
Dear Reader, please review (let me know what you think or any questions you might have), follow, and favorite my story!
Signed GottesBlume
Irish/Gaelic words & names:
Mamai = Mother
Dadai = Father
Liam (Bruce's Best friend) = Strong protector
Teagan (Liam's G.F.) = Beautiful
Iona (other Tuatha De Danann upper class-man youth) = Blessing