The Phoenix Creation 🆕⭐⭐⭐⭐ (on Amazon)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The Olympics

'Don't tell your mother,' said Alya's father conspiratorially, as he and Artemis purchased crates filled with corn chips, cola, and marshmallows and then led the group to their seats.

The Olympics were finally here. The twenty-thousand-capacity, C1 Stadium, was buzzing with anticipation and Alya's curls sprang excitedly about as she looked around. She was so happy to be there and so relieved that her parents hadn't made her stay home after her behaviour at the dinner party the night before.

She suspected her punishment was on hold, but in the meantime, she was going to enjoy the Olympics; her obsession and reason for living had finally come around again after a whole year's wait. It was going to be epic, and nothing and no one was going to spoil it for her.

'No Poppy,' prompted Alya, grabbing her grandpa's hand as he was about to sit and guiding him instead to sit on her left. She made Red sit on her right, in between her and Hanuel and handed him some corn chips and a drink.

'This is so freakin exciting!' cried Red, in her ear over the rising, excited chatter of the crowd.

Alya laughed, and her eyes crinkled with delight as she looked at Red's positively electrified expression.

She exchanged a quick glance with Hanuel who was also delighted by Red's enthusiasm.

This was Hanuel and Alya's fifth Olympic Games, and so they knew what to expect. Of course, anyone could watch it on the TV, but it wasn't the same as being right there seeing it live. The crowd's enthusiasm meant everything, and there was something to be said about sharing corn chips, cola, marshmallows, and enthusiasm with twenty thousand, like-minded super-fans. As far as Alya was concerned she only ever experienced this elusive euphoria when she was tumbling through the sky during Death Wish, or Bird On A Wire, only this time it was sustained, and shared with everyone around her, making it even more special.

Seb leaned in and read his watch for her. 'Fifteen minutes to go, sweetie.'

'Poppy, this is gonna be the best one ever,' said Alya, her eyes fixed on the giant screen on the far side of the stadium as it played highlights from the last Olympics. She heard Red and Hanuel chatting companionably glad that Hanuel was finally coming around to Red and not at all surprised that Red was treating Hanuel as he would anyone, kindly and charitably. She'd wondered about inviting him; she didn't want him to think she was putting on a show of wealth, although to her, her family was not that rich, but they did often have a spare ticket. It made sense for Red to come this year, he was fast becoming a close friend and Seb had collected him from the neighbouring farm and brought him in on the monorail. They had walked to meet Alya and the others outside the stadium and it was the first time Alya had spoken to her grandpa after their strange and alarming conversation the night she'd tailed him to the radio tower and back. Alya didn't want to think about it too much because she knew if she did it would ruin the games for her. But then how could she not think about it? About him? About Leo.

Alya had listened intently to Poppy that night as he explained what he knew.

'It's not all conspiracy gossip, Alya,' he'd said gently. 'I worked Patrol for many years and there were rumours of an island even before my time. Some said it's where they kept the humans, the non-hybrids to experiment on, and some said it was an insurance policy, a floating island in case Continent One was destroyed. Of course, the likelihood was that it was an abandoned fortress from many years ago before Continent One was properly established. Now, we know different. Well, I know different, and now you do too.'