Lagency

Chapter 1

GWEN

“Excuse me- Excuse me!” I peered towards the hallway- crowds, mountains of students, trying to dawdle around. How was I going to get past this? I could hear my heart pounding against my chest as time slowly ticked away. I had a bus to catch. I wandered through the crowd to the doorway, just in time to catch the sight of a yellow bus—the bus I was meant to catch—leaving and dissolving into the mist. I let out a soft sigh as I headed back inside the school. Peering past someone’s shoulders, I saw a poster- something interesting, but height was my weakness, it has always been a barrier - always too short to see things in front of me. I sank down on a bench in the café and sighed. You see, I’m short, and shy in public. I’m not really the cheerleading kind of girl, I’m more like a nerd- the one who everyone copies from.  After some time of rethinking life, I skipped down the hallways trying to find the poster I just saw- the poster out of the dozens of them. I stopped- “wait- I- er want to see it.” I stopped the janitor before he pulled it down.

“Kiddo,” He looked at his watch “the auditions are over in 15 minutes.”

“Thanks- in the theatre, right?” I rushed off.

“No, the theatre- on the left.” 

“No, I meant- never mind!”

I sharp turned right just in time to slide into the door that was closing.

“Hey, watch where you’re going.”

As I dashed in, there were already of dozens of kids filling up the theatre. “Come this way.” A voice bellowed from behind. Instinctively, I turned around to see empty space, nothing, I stopped on my tracks. Suddenly, there was a yank, as though the ground opened up under me- well that was partly true. I wanted to scream, but nothing came out. I squirmed and thrashed reaching out, throwing a punch that very well missed his nose, then a kick, left and right. I slid my fingers across what seemed like a hand on my waist and locked it while trying to gain enough momentum to close the gap and spin myself off. To be honest, it was more me trying to fling myself off of a maniac and not get hurt at the same time. Something made me feel like I don’t really classify as a “typical” high school kid- not really fitting in and shopping for barbies like all the cool chicks who swarms the popular boys like mosquitoes.  

“Good job, you passed.” The same voice spoke again.  

I slowly turned my head to see a bulky dude looming over me. His shadow kind of intimidated me- I mean he look 6” - something I could only dream of. His first impression was an intimidating dude who had deep, sharp features and a strong voice.

“Ahem” he broke my thought, leaving a trail of my confusion in mid- air.

“Wha- what did I pass, exactly?” I mean, I’m used to tests, academically, not physically.

“You passed the test to the Lightning Agency, Lagency for short. Your training begins- in a week.”

“Lagency?”

“Your training begins in a week.” He repeated, with that he handed me a disposable phone. “Text this number if you accept the request.”

“H- how do I get out?”

“Turn right at the first exit.” He replied as his voice faded.

“Tha- thanks?” I collapsed to all I had to absorb in merely 2 minutes.

~I hid there for- forever. I wanted to hide from reality. Reality is not what it is- it’s like a theory, philosophical debate, an unanswered question to humanity, our imagination perhaps? I sat there gazing up at the ceiling, I spent my life burying my head in books. “Knowledge is something no one can take away from you.” Her voice echoed in my mind. You see, I was brought up from my grandmother. She died when I was six. The sensation of soft water droplets ran down my cheeks uncontrollably, I didn’t have the urge to wipe it. For a second, I wished this were a dream, I wish my whole life were a dream, I wish this was my imagination. This is- different- different from what I expected teen life to be, I’m only 14, I’m not ready to grow up. Not wanting to grow up wasn’t going to help. I wiped a film of tears from my eyes and bent down to pick up the phone “If you accept the request” the man’s voice echoed in my mind. I slowly walked down the streets staring at lights from the insides of houses- wondering what is happening in there, and the soon the lights started to fade out and “Ouch!” I saw a glitch then my memory went blank.

~I felt a breeze of fresh air beside me. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and scanned where I was. Then I felt like there was a click as I sprang up and recalled the “If you accept the request” Something gave me the urge to face this. It didn’t seem dangerous; I mean at the time I was only an innocent 14-year-old teen. I frantically searched across the room for the phone whilst making a racket. Suddenly my touch came across an icy, metallic phone, probably what that dude gave to me last night. I swiped across trying the clean cold surface of the phone and there was a flash in my eyes as the words projected upwards and came out like a typewriter, something I found in my grandpa’s study years ago.

“I accept your request.” Before pressing send, I hesitate- again. What is this? A secret association? Am I going to be some sort of superhero?

“No going back,” I muttered under my breath. My heart thud against my chest uncontrollably, I stared at my clock breathlessly as the projector once again went to work typing a sentence out.

“Ok, follow the directions. They will arrive there in 20 minutes.”

“If there is a girl, say the code word: 3546. She will follow it by 7569. If not- LEAVE AT ONCE.” ~L.

I smiled. It was like seeing my life flash between my vision, there was a tug of desperation to see what I have done, but yet an unsettling sense of sickness in my stomach as though it was urging me to stop and think. Was this what I wanted? Or was it my getaway for two days? Where was I going? My phone buzzed again and again, showing lists, maps, instructions…

~My pace quickened as I spotted a silhouette of a van, something that looked like a helicopter, or a race car. It was like déjà vu, something I have seen, but could not recall. It seemed like a block in my brain.

“A rookie I take it?”

“Um…3- 3556, no, 3546?” What was a rookie…

“7569, hop on.”

I jumped onto the ultimate object of the year and found a whole other world inside. It was like a constantly expanding paradise. A kitchen, shower, beds, working area… and something like a better version geminopad (like a translucent phone with a projectile screen?)

“You, Gwen?”

“Oh, yeah, am I not supposed to touch this.” I raised my hands. “I am so, so sorry.”

“No, no! Absolutely don’t worry, you will be fine. Just explore.”

I nodded my head in acknowledgement.

Time passed quickly, in a few hours, I found myself out of the country, yes, you didn’t get me wrong, I was out of the country- I mean I was out of Mongolia. Now that I’ve settled down, I can explain more. You probably think I’m a weirdo who’s just popped up and lived- but I can assure you that I’m not.

So, where should I start? First thing to clarify, I am not a runaway. Ok, so I am a 15-year-old from Mongolia- not really, I am mixed, you see. Mongolian and Swedish. I have low blood sugar problems- I had them since birth. I do Taekwondo, black belt- 3rd dan to be exact. And I love coding. Please don’t judge, I’ve never been the popular one exactly.  

The van slowed down as I woke up. This time, I had to think of where I was- home? No. Hospital? No. Then it clicked- I was in the van. I smelt the appealing scent of bacon and beans.

“You’re up?”

“Yes.” I walked up to the kitchen. “Oh, um, sorry, let me help, where are my manners.”

“Oh, don’t- don’t worry. Make yourself feel at home.”

“Great, um, thanks- I guess.”

“Come have some food!”

“Sure.”

I cautiously approached the counter and helped myself up a stool and gobbled down a bunch of bacons and toast.

“Hungry aren’t ya?” She grinned.

“Sorry- um, wait, I’ll cook.”

“Don’t worry, I prefer a cup of coffee.”

“Oh, yeah, coffee.”

“Calm down, it’s fine. No formalities- just you and me, and that girl joining later.”

There was a silence between us, giving me some time to gather in this: Lagency, a déjà vu van that was constantly expanding and a girl that seems like she came out of the blue. I nearly started to laugh at how ridiculous this was.

“Um, I haven’t properly introduced myself- Luna. Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand, I wiped my palms against my hoodie and gave her a shake. She really had good graces to not wipe her hand from the sweat I had.

“Gwen- I don’t really know what I’m doing here, really don’t.”

“Well, I guess I’m here to tell you. One of the coaches for your training, and one from the previous generation of the Lightning Clan- oh I meant Lighting Agency. I mean, it’s perfectly fine for you to be confused, it took me a day or two days to take this in.” She smiled while saying this- a warm smile, as though she was welcoming me.

“Um- ok. What are the clans?”

“From the spiritual world- like the myths. A different dimension. Asher will explain it.”

“Ok,” I muttered in clearly puzzled.

“Oh, and try learning how to drive this thing, it’s like a weird contraption with lots of buttons. Not that hard.”

“Um, I think I’ll go take a rest over there.”

~The next few days passed by in a flash. It was not something special, waking up, exploring the place… I found something fun, like chilling out and chatting with Luna, and operating that van thing or whatever it was. As night fell, I felt the car rumbling pass minor dents and gravel. I stared at thin air wondering where we were going. Luna loved stopping and winding down at night and just put on some relaxing music to vibe to. Suddenly, the van came to an abrupt stop. The screech broke the silence, and my thoughts.

~I peered out the window to an African girl that looked about my age, or a little younger. There was a greyish tint to her dreamy azure gaze that seemed to be staring into thin air. I mean, so childish and dreamy… A bunch of questions gathered in my mind and a slight pointer; she was a bit taller than me.

“Um hi, I’m Lyla.”

“Gwen.”

“Um Luna.”

There was an awkward exchange between us until Lyla spoke up.

“Uh… Where do I put this?” She said with a calm tone.

“The one on the right.”

“I guess I’m going to be sleeping here?” she pointed to the right bed.

“Mhm, yes, sorry you don’t really have a choice.” I smiled.

She seemed to give me a silence acknowledgement and quietly started to unpack. She was- quiet, but her personality was- different. I mean- she was that innocent quiet kid who seemed to like being in the shadows.

~Before I knew, Lyla became the sister I never had, well we got along well. One thing we had in common was that we both loved music. Sometimes I would try teaching Lyla to code- but she’s too dreamy, it’s like she’s physically here, but mentally in lost space.

“Um, Luna- what the hell is that.” Lyla pointed towards some sort of blackish suitcase with short bursts of sparks flying out. I let out a silent gasp.

“Guys, get off the van- now!” Luna said it more like a command that a comment. “Bomb found.” She spread an evil grin across her face.

Ducking between sparks of flying debris, I spared a glance behind me.

“Luna, quick!”

“Don’t worry about me, GO.”

Before I could reply, a flame erupted from the back.

“Luna.”

“G-o, go.”

I flung myself off the van and sprinted into the empty yards of grasslands. I jumped to my feet, feeling the pulse rising as I tripped over a pebble.

“Goddamn pebble.”

I saw a haze of black mist rise in front of me. Trying helplessly to stagger away from the rising flames. The last thing I remember was desperately trying to hurl air past my lungs… but it was useless, her silhouette loomed over me as I winced to the pain stinging in my foot.

~

“Gwen, Gwen?” A voice whispered desperately as my eyes flickered uncontrollably, “you awake?”

“Y… yeah.” My voice came out hoarse, I was used to episodes like this, but a bomb- hell no.

“Finally.”

“Um where’s Luna.”

Lyla’s eyes lit up with fear as my eyes landed on the half b****y body.

“You mean- that’s Luna.”

Lyla’s silence told me all I needed.

“That’s not fair. She stayed behind to help me- and I live, she, we don’t even know.”

“Don’t blame yourself, you canno- ”

“What are you saying! She stayed behind to fix everything- and her life, it’s poof, gone…” My voice faded.

“She’s not gone, there’s a pulse.”

“But look, if you just woke up from a fire that nearly killed you and the dude next to you is unconscious, you would automatically assume she is D-E-A-D- dead.”

She opened her mouth to say something.

“Lyla~” I warned suddenly, I felt a burn on my leg. A short squeal escaped as I crunched my leg in pain.

“Oh, here let me help.”

“It’s just a- ouch.”

“It’s not a burn, it infused with toxic chemicals that are chewing away your skin!”

“How long have I been asleep.”

“Since yesterday?”

“Ok. Um…”

Lyla dabbed some water on my wound as I squirmed away in pain.

“It helps, it stopped the swelling.”

“Um, look- you wait here and just look at Luna and I go grab something.”

“Gwen- where the hell- It’s no use, you are officially insane.” Lyla screamed after me.

I stumbled down the slight incline of the grasslands stretching towards the horizon, shooting short glances across left and right while passing through the lush, verdant grass showing off a soft tint from the sunlight in the March afternoon. I felt like there was a tug in the air as I slowly glided off finding myself standing in front of a pack of horses.

“Um, hi? You mind if I borrow you for a sec?” I whispered at the horse. Its noses flared up in disgust as though I had just interrupted its ‘perfect lunch’. I didn’t wait for another snare as I swing myself past its ribs and landed on its back. The horse pounced up, swinging me back, I clung hard on its side trying to slowly smooth down its mane. Once again, it let off a silent neigh as it took off with me desperately trying to hold on.

“Gwen- what is that thing!”

“A horse!” I grinned.

“That thing is a horse?”

“I mean you’ve never seen one?”

“Two- I had those things in my dad’s stables.”

“Never mind, um, get some clothes and strap Luna on.” I ‘sprinted’ off to the other horses, fetching them to Lyla, by the time I finished getting the third one back, my wound started spitting open again.

I sat on the ground as the spring breeze spread my hair out in a fan. You see- growing up in the Mongolian grass lands, I was used to hearing horse hooves- but I never knew I was that used to hearing them. My peaceful moment was cut short within minutes as I felt sharp stings spreading over the opening of my patch of burnt crimson skin.

“Lyla- a towel!” I reached out, positioning the partly burnt towel across my skin, slowly reducing the stinging sensation to what felt like a constant bruise around the bottom part of my right leg. I lumbered over to Luna’s bag hoping to unravel something more useful than a dead body and blood. Slowly running my fingers past stone cold contents, I felt something that had a weird shape to it. I pulled it out hoping to see a spark of hope, realizing it was an earpiece. I gasped in joy and quickly placed it in my ear.

“Um… Lyla, I found something.”

“Oh hi! Luna!” An enthusiastic voice boomed through the earpiece, taking me aback in shock.

“Who? Erm, excuse me, who are you?”

“Asher, um where is Luna.”

“You mean that b****y body that is lying partially dead and unconscious right at this moment in time?”

“Wait what? Luna is what?”

“Yep, and she’s in a deep sleep about 5 feet from me, sorry, I can’t really fetch her, but you can tell me why the hell was there a bomb in the car.”

I heard some soft pacing and inward swearing in the other side of the line. “Um, who are you?”

“Gwen.”

“Oh, ok. How can you hear me?”

“Earpiece.”

“Um, oh yeah right. Just put on Luna’s glasses and her necklace for Lyla?”

I waved across to Lyla, who just sat tending Luna’s wound. Flinging the necklace across to Lyla, I put the glasses on.

“Hi?”

“Ok, can you hear me now. Power on left to adjust volume, right to put on visuals.”

“Got it.”

“Wait, are you in the grassland.”

“Mhm.”

“Nice… I will send people to come find you. If you tap the top of the USB thing, you will see a map- follow that, I will be here to guide you.” His voice went from panic and frustration to abrupt tranquillity. With that what originally seemed a vivid grassland, seemed dark, silent and lifeless. I shifted my gaze nacross to the dreamy clouds floating aloft. I don’t think he really meant the “I will be here to guide you part.”

~ 

I sent a wave through the ropes as we tightened Luna on a horse.

“C’mon, be quickerrrr!” Lyla yelled across.

I hopped on the horse and sprinted off towards the horizon. There wasn’t much we knew- or at least we were told. All we could do was follow what seemed like a map until some sort of van arrived. I broke through the wind flinging my hair free as the sensation of freedom passed through my veins.

~ 

Before I knew it, my horse halted next to a dusty pathway filled with cobblestones and yellow stripes along the edges. The smell of petrol filled my lungs and choked to the dust my horse was flinging in all directions. I dug out a pen knife sitting in my left pocket and threw it across to Lyla. We opened up some canned peaches and expired sardines. We sat in silence as I gnawed on a piece of peace, staring up wondering when heaven would open up and send someone to save us. My thoughts faded as dust particles flew all over my face. I sneezed as a dark black van appeared. Squinting my eyes, I felt déjà vu as the van flashed before my eyes. “You need me to pinch you?” Lyla teased as she emptied the last slice of peach.

“Ugh, no thanks.” As my I spoke, a young man in his late 20s jumped off the van.

“Um, Gwen and Lyla?”

“Yh- I’m Gwen, that’s Lyla.”

“Where um” his gaze fell on Luna and let out a soft sigh. “Never mind- um just get in the van and make yourself comfortable. Zeus!” A boy looking 18ish popped out.

“Um Hunter?” The boy’s face went pale as he saw Luna.

“Just- get her in.”

“Um… okay?” Her shot us a questioning look, then immediately glanced away.

Me and Lyla wandered into the van and set our bags- or what was left of them down on a table. I jumped up to my feet as a soft racket rang across my ear.

“Ooh, who’s that?” A cute boy pointed in my direction, but I tried to ignore it.

“Yo, Theo-” Two voice spoke in sync cut short- probably as they saw us.

“Um, Lyla and Gwen. Our van kinda… um, blew up.”

“Woah! Coooollll!” I wanted to yell ‘keep you voice down, it’s annoying- if you haven’t noticed yet.’ But I bit my lip and nodded in agreement.

“Axel, and Darko.” One of the boys said.

“Um, Theo.”

My eyes darted back and forth across the room as I made a lame excuse to get out of the more than awkward situation.