CHAMPIONS (The Lost Chronicles of Eden, #1) [Published]

06: GUNS AND GIRLS DON'T MIX... IF THEY DID, RUN

Gabriel was roughly awakened by the relentless cry of his alarm clock.

He felt heavy, having just been pulled from the depths of a dream he was drowning in.

There  were  voices  again,  but  he  couldn’t  understand  what they were saying. There was a flash of light, and then water. Water everywhere. From under, pulling him deeper. From above, pushing him further. From within, filling his lungs until he couldn’t breathe. And  then a hand, piercing through the stifling waters, pulling him up, until he broke through the surface. Then there was light again.

And then his alarm clock rang. And he was back in his room. His door suddenly slammed open. Within moments, he was drowning again, this time in arms, legs, hair and screaming hellions. “It’s Kuya’s birthday! It’s Kuya’s birthday!”

Monsters, Gabriel thought as he tried to protect his head from the children who started jumping up and down and all over him on the bed. Monsters everywhere.

“Happy birthday, Kuya Gabriel!”

“Yeah, yeah, thank you, and all that jazz. Now get off me, you brats!”

“But it’s your birthday!” a little girl shrieked. “We’ll have a party! I’m so excited!”

“Cake!” a toddler screamed. “I want cake!”

“You’ll get your cake when Gabriel comes back from school,” Sister Margaret said as she walked into the room. “Now, hush, children, and leave your brother be.”

Gabriel watched in awe as the children scampered off out of the room in a single file. Only Sister Margaret had the power to calm legions of children on a sugar high.

“Bless you, Sister Margie,” Gabriel said. He stood up from his bed and gave Sister Margaret a hug.

Breakfast was a more cheerful affair than usual, what with the kids hyped up for their eldest brother’s birthday. Even Father Andres was nicer to him that day. He screamed at Gabriel only once, when he tried to balance the hardboiled egg on his nose to impress the kids. Gabriel always thought Father Andres would have a conniption if he didn’t scream at him at least five times a day, but today, he was proven wrong.

Before he went off to school, the kids sent him off with tiny hugs and wet kisses. He stepped out into the morning sun with a lighter heart and a smile on his face.

Immediately he felt “The Presence” surround him. He felt safe. He looked back and waved at the children who were shouting for him to come home soonest.

This was his home. They were his family. Memory or not, nothing’s ever going to change that.

***

Lunchtime, and he was sitting with the girl of his dreams in a small café near their school. He hated that he, Gabriel Galvez, self-proclaimed king of their college, was reduced to a simpering boy in the presence of Selina. There weren’t any butterflies in his stomach. There were eagles.

Gabriel cleared his throat and stared at his date. She was sipping on an overpriced coffee. Funny, she also looked like she was trying to hide her annoyance. Who or what she was annoyed with, Gabriel didn’t know. He had to start a conversation. He didn’t want to bore his date.

Gabriel blurted out the first thought that came to his mind. “I wonder why the twins are absent today. A pity Solenn missed her chance to report.”

Selina raised a finely arched eyebrow. “Solenn?”

Gabriel wanted to bite his tongue off. “Not that I’m always thinking about Solenn, you know. Because I don’t. Think about Solenn, I mean. I never think about her.”

“I’m not saying anything, Gabriel.”

“I’m just saying.” Gabriel cleared his throat and fiddled with his own coffee. He wanted to talk more, but he didn’t feel too swell.

He had been feeling a bit off since he left home, but for the life of him, he couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong. Something felt different. He felt like he was watched, but it wasn’t “The Presence.” This felt heavy, as if it meant to weigh him down. It felt sinister, as if it wanted to hurt him.

“You OK, Gabriel?” Selina asked. Her voice was soft, but her eyes were narrowed. Something’s different with Selina, too. Why hadn’t he noticed it before? Selina’s black eyes were usually soft, but now they were sharp. alert, darting from one place to another. There were red rings surrounding Selina’s eyes, but he thought it was just the trick of the light. Her posture was usually relaxed but now she was stiff. Her hands were closed into tight fists, as if she was holding herself back from something.

“I’m fine. Are you OK, Selina?” Gabriel countered. “You look uncomfortable. Maybe we should—” He didn’t get to finish his sentence because Selina suddenly pulled a huge gun out of her bag and started shooting at random men.

The first, she shot in the head. He had a black suit on, as if he just came from a meeting. There was a calamari vendor who was dipping squid rings on a batter before frying it. Selina shot him in the chest. She cocked her gun and shot in the guts a Fine arts student crossing the street.

Gabriel hadn’t recovered from the sight of bursting heads and spilling guts, when suddenly, the corpses transform into beastly creatures. Torn bat-like wings sprouted from the first man’s back. a curved horn grew on the second man’s head. a long, slithery, spiked tail grew from the student’s back.

Gabriel had forgotten how to breathe. His jaw dropped and his eyes bulged at what he saw. Hadn’t anybody else seen that? Gabriel looked around and watched as the people went on with their own business. Nobody else had seen what happened.

He stared aghast at his date, who calmly tucked her gun back into her bag as if she did nothing out of the ordinary. Oh, yeah. I shoot random men while sipping a hot cup of overpriced coffee. Just felt like it, you know? Oh, would you like some more sugar on your latte?

Gabriel shook his head to clear his mind off the crazy thought. He swallowed the huge lump in his throat and gaped at Selina. “What the heck?!” he screamed when he was able to find his voice.

Selina turned to Gabriel and smiled. “You saw that? Good. You’re the seventh Candidate. Come with me.”

I’m sorry, what? Gabriel wanted to say, but he was far too out of it to talk. Who and what is this person sitting in front of him? What the heck is happening? Seventh Candidate? What is that? Was he suddenly a participant in some screwed up pageant he didn’t know about?

Selina merely watched as Gabriel tried to get his bearings back. She gave him a few more minutes before she sighed in impatience. Slowly, she took out her gun again and this time, pointed it at a palpitating Gabriel.

“Are you coming or not?”

Funny, the barrel of the gun looked much scarier up close. Without another thought, Gabriel stood up and followed Selina as she walked away.

What the heck was going on?