D. MacHale - Black Water

Mr. Pike walked to the front of the class. He was a pleasant-looking guy who Mark figured was in his thirties, with longish hair that was starting to go gray. “Exciting day today, guys,” he began.

Mark hoped he would have opened up by kicking Andy Mitchell’s butt out of the room. But he was willing to wait. He knew it would only be a matter of time.

“We’re going to be talking about the creation of a new polymer material that is unique because of its extreme flexibility and tensile strength.”

Tensile strength? Mark wasn’t exactly sure what that was. The only tensile he knew about was the kind you put on Christmas trees. Whenever Mark wasn’t sure about something at a meeting, he’d nod and pretend to understand. That was okay; he liked learning new things. The trick was not to look like an idiot and try to figure it out as they went along.

“Our guest today has been conducting some groundbreaking experiments in this field, and I, for one, am very excited that he’s here to share his findings. So let’s get right to it. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…Andy Mitchell.”

Mark sat bolt upright and let out an involuntary “Huh!” Nobody heard him. They were too busy applauding. He watched in shock as Andy Mitchell stood in front of the group and started digging into his backpack. Mark’s brain wouldn’t accept this. He looked around, expecting to see some guy in a suit and tie jump out with a microphone and shout, “Surprise! Candid Camera!”

Andy Mitchell coughed into his hand, then brushed his long greasy hair out of his face with the same hand.

Mark nearly puked.

Andy said, “I ain’t great at giving speeches. I only know what I know.”

Mark wanted to jump to his feet and shout, “Nothing! He knows nothing! He’s an idiot!”

But instead, the other members shouted encouragement. “Don’t worry about it. We’re cool here. Just be yourself.”

Mark was on the hairy edge of a scream. Most of the Sci-Clops members were juniors and seniors, so he figured they didn’t know Andy Mitchell. But they were going to get to know him real fast. Mark was sure this charade would end as quickly as it began.

Mr. Pike announced, “Andy is a sophomore here, but he attends science classes in a special program at the University of Connecticut.”

“You guys wouldn’t know me,” Andy explained. “Except for science, I’m not all that smart. You won’t see me in any of your AP courses.”

The members chuckled knowingly.

Mark squeezed the desk in anger. They liked him! They thought he was clever! This can’t be happening! Andy Mitchell smart? Attending college science courses and researching subjects Mark never even heard of? Bantering with the Sci-Clops crowd? Mark had heard people say: “I thought I was dreaming,” but always thought it was just a saying. He never thought anyone could really think they were dreaming. But right then, Mark seriously wondered if he was in dreamland.

Andy Mitchell reached into his backpack and pulled out a small, soft silver bag that looked like the kind of bag his mother used to put things in the freezer. “This is what I’ve been working on,” he explained. “Looks like a regular old bag, right? It ain’t.” He grabbed the bag with two hands and pulled. The silver bag stretched out as wide as his arms would reach.

The kids gasped.

“The thing is,” Andy said with a slight strain in his voice from the exertion, “even though it goes way out, it’s still real strong. I could probably put a piano in here and it wouldn’t break.”

The only thing that was close to breaking was Mark. His mind locked. His mouth hung open. If anybody looked at him, they’d call for an ambulance. The kids of Sci-Clops applauded. Andy beamed. Mark didn’t think he could take any more…

And that’s when his ring started to twitch.

He didn’t react at first. He was too busy being stunned. But a second later, when the ring began to grow, he was yanked back to reality. It was the bright light that started to flash from the gray stone that did it. It was a good thing he was sitting in the back of the room because nobody else saw it. He quickly clamped his hand over the ring.

“You okay, Dimond?” Andy called from the front of the class.

Every one of the Sci-Clops members turned to look at Mark. Mark felt like he was in one of those dreams where you suddenly discovered you were only wearing underpants.

“Uhh, y-yeah. I’m fine,” Mark stammered. He stood up, caught his foot on the leg of the desk, and nearly tumbled over. “I–Ijust remembered I g-got something-“

“Is everything all right?” Mr. Pike asked.

Mark could feel the ring growing on his finger. In a second everythingwouldn’tbe all right.

“S-Sure,” Mark stammered. “D-Don’t mind me. B-Bye.”

Mark half ran, half fell out of the room. He didn’t care what he looked like. He had to get out of there. He sprinted down the hallway, gasping for breath, and blasted through the doors back to the stairway. It was too late to find anywhere more private. He pulled off his ring, put it on the floor and stepped back. It was already the size of a bracelet and still growing. The gray stone shot out lights that lit up the stairway like a storm of sparklers. The ring grew to the size of a Frisbee. Mark saw the dark opening in the center that he knew was a portal to the territories. The light show was followed by the familiar jumble of musical notes that grew louder, as if they were coming closer. Because they were. A brilliant light flashed out of the hole that forced Mark to cover his eyes. He had been through this before. He didn’t have to see.

A second later it was over. The music was gone, the lights stopped flashing, and the ring returned to normal. Mark looked at the floor. He was close to hyperventilating. In that moment, all the waiting, all the frustration, all the anxiety of the last few months washed away. He didn’t even care that Andy Mitchell was now addressing his beloved Sci-Clops. That’s because sitting on the floor next to his ring was a rolled-up piece of parchment paper tied with a piece of green, plantlike twine. Mark looked at it for a moment, just to make sure it was real. After what he had been through over the last few minutes, he wasn’t sure anything was real. He reached into his backpack and pulled out the cell phone his parents had given him for the holidays. It was only supposed to be used in emergencies. This qualified. He hit #1 on his speed dial and listened. After a few seconds…

“Courtney?” he said. “Hobey-ho, let’s go.”

He snapped the phone shut, bent over, and reverently picked up the next journal in the saga of his best friend.

Bobby Pendragon.

Traveler.

I’m in trouble, guys.

I know, I’ve said that a million times before. But here on Eelong I’m faced with something that is way different than anything I’ve ever had to deal with. As I’m writing this, I can honestly say I don’t know what to do. This isn’t about being afraid, or being confused about Traveler stuff or even about finding Saint Dane. Finding him is the least of my worries. My problem is that, unlike Cloral or Denduron or Veelox or the Earth territories, the intelligent beings that inhabit the territory of Eelong aren’t normal. I know what you’re thinking: has anyone I’ve run into since leaving home even come close to being considered normal? Not really. But here on Eelong, the inhabitants may be a lot of things, but there is one thing they definitely are not.

Human.

Yeah, you read right. They’re not human. I’ve got to figure out what the turning point is here and stop Saint Dane just like on the other territories, but how can I do that when I can’t communicate with the very people I’m supposed to help? This is impossible! I’ve been on the run from the first moment I landed here. I’m in constant danger, and the scariest part is that my biggest threat isn’t Saint Dane-it’s the inhabitants of Eelong. How wrong is that? It gets worse.