Chapter Twelve
Halfway through Haley’s leap, she and Braden heard a huge engine sound, like an airplane. They looked behind them and saw three large aircraft, shaped like the flying dinosaurs Haley had seen in a museum. They didn’t look exactly the same, these were made out of metal and had smoother shapes, but they were close. They were shiny silver and the sun reflected off them, almost blinding Haley and Braden.
One thing they knew for sure was that this spelled trouble. Fighting off Gorgons on the ground was one thing, but this was different. What were they going to do now?
Jack saw the ships first. Jillian had said something didn’t feel right. The three ships were coming right at them. Jack tried to think of what they could do, but no ideas came right then. Maybe they should all run, he thought, but he didn’t think he could run with Jillian and Gabby.
Before they had the chance to react, the Gorgons fired their cannon, sending a shock wave right at them. The wave blew Haley and Braden to the ground and scattered Jack, Jillian, and Gabby.
Not again, Jack thought. He got up, feeling aches all over his body. He looked around and saw Jillian about ten feet away from him. He didn’t see Gabby anywhere.
“Gorgon Warbirds,” Uncle Johnny said so all of them could hear. “This is unexpected. You guys have to listen to me. Find each other.”
“I’ll try,” Jack said.
“Get to Gabby first. She’s not far from you, but the
Gorgons are coming for her.”
“I told you they weren’t ready,” the boy said.
“Not now,” Uncle Johnny said. “Let’s get them out of this.”
Jack ran toward where Uncle Johnny told him Gabby was. Another blast hit the ground before him. This one was smaller and more concentrated, and it knocked him off his feet.
When he got up, he saw a Gorgon heading toward him. What he didn’t know was that the Gorgon wasn’t coming for him, he was going after Gabby.
Haley got up. Her head hurt. She didn’t see anyone around her at first, but then saw Braden get up a few feet away. Not much further than that, she saw a Gorgon bend down and pick Gabby up.
“No!” she yelled, but that didn’t stop anything. “Braden, they have Gabby.”
“Oh, no. We have to do something.”
When they went to move toward the Gorgon, another blast like the one fired at Jack exploded the ground in front of them. It wasn’t so powerful, and it just knocked them down.
The Gorgon bent down and with his hairy hands picked Gabby up, who was sitting in the dirt after the first blast. The Gorgon’s hand was about half the size of Gabby herself, and she tried to get away but couldn’t.
The Gorgon took Gabby and started running away, toward where Braden had knocked the buildings down. Before he got halfway, he stopped. Then, he made a big mistake. He looked Gabby in the eyes.
“Aw, cute little girl,” he said in a deep, scratchy voice.
Gabby locked on his eyes. “Go back,” she said.
“Go back,” the Gorgon said.
“Help Haley.”
“Help Haley,” the Gorgon repeated, and he started running toward where Haley and Braden were. Jack and Jillian were coming toward that spot as well.
Haley couldn’t believe her eyes. Coming right at her was a huge Gorgon and a giggling Gabby. She then realized that Gabby must have used her power on the Gorgon and now he had to do whatever she wanted. She wasn’t sure, but she figured this wasn’t so safe.
“A Gorgon,” Jack said.
“He’s with Gabby,” Haley said. “I think it’s okay.”
The Gorgon stopped and put Gabby down in front of Braden. “Help Haley,” he said.
“Go back where you came from,” Haley told the Gorgon but it didn’t seem like he understood her.
“Help Haley,” he said.
“Gabby, make him go back. You can’t control him forever,” Haley insisted. “And he is better off there than with us.”
The Warbirds swooped down toward them and the Gorgon jumped in the air trying to hit one of them. They didn’t fire, probably because they were confused at what was happened, but they circled, preparing for another strike.
“What are we going to do?”
“Go back,” Gabby said to the Gorgon, and he listened, running toward where he came from.
“Maybe we can knock them out of the air with something,” Braden said.
“Like what?” Jack asked,
“I really don’t know. Uncle Johnny, can you help us here?”
There was no answer. Instead, the kids watched in fear as the Gorgon Warbirds approached. On each wing was a cannon, and the kids saw the cannons light up, as if they were going to fire something at them.
“Haley, can you make that bubble big enough to cover all of us?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. I barely got it big enough to cover me and Braden.”
“I told you they weren’t ready,” the boy’s voice said, this time for all of them to hear. “You didn’t listen.”
“They needed to be tested,” Uncle Johnny answered,
“And all of this wasn’t my idea.”
“Well, now we have to do something.”
Underneath the Warbirds, a new group of Gorgons appeared and rushed toward the kids. There must have been twenty of them.
Without even thinking, Jack shot two bolts at them, but only one Gorgon was hit and he froze in place. The others didn’t even react. They kept coming. It wouldn’t be long before they reached the kids.
“Hang tight guys, I’m coming,” they all heard Uncle Johnny say. None of them thought he would make it in time.
Then, out of nowhere, a boy appeared. They didn’t really get a good look at him because he was moving so fast. It was more like a blur. He raced toward the group of Gorgons as if to try to stop them from getting to the kids.
In his right hand was what looked like a sword made of energy. He swung it so fast that all the kids could see were arcs of purple light. Gorgons were getting knocked in all directions, and the boy kept moving in such fast, fluid motions, no one could see his face.
Then, when most of the Gorgons on the ground were taken care of, he stopped. His back faced them. Haley could see that he was just a little taller than her, with blonde hair that came almost to his shoulders. He was wearing what looked like a black cloak.
He raised his left hand, and pointed it toward the Warbirds. Immediately, they stopped, staying still in the air. The Warbirds fired what looked like laser missiles at him but he countered by creating a huge bubble around him, just like what Haley could do. The lasers bounced off, not coming close to touching him.
Two Gorgons on the ground attacked and he quickly knocked them away with the sword. It happened so fast the kids almost missed it.
“Get them out of here already,” the boy said in all of their heads. Again, he sounded forceful.
With that, Uncle Johnny appeared behind the kids. He looked a little different than he did in real life. He looked taller.
“Time to go guys,” he said.
“Uncle Johnny!” all the kids screamed when they turned around.
“Let’s get out of here. Everyone hold hands. Close your eyes.”
They all listened. They felt themselves moving real fast. When they opened their eyes again, they were in a large room with what looked like computer monitors. They were standing in the back of room with Uncle Johnny.
“Where are we?” Jillian asked.
“The academy,” Uncle Johnny answered.
“Academy?” Jack asked.
“Yes, this is where you guys will get your training.” “We left that boy all alone,” Haley said. “He can handle himself.” “Who was he?” Braden asked.
“I think it’s best if he tells you that.”
Uncle Johnny led them out of the room and into another one. This one looked like a lobby. There was a large statue of a man with a beard in the center of the room. He wore hooded robes and held
a white staff in the air.
“What happened with the Gorgons? And Sarlak?” Jack asked, expressing what everyone else thought.
“We fought off this attack. You guys did a great job. No one knew they would bring in the Warbirds or as many soldiers as they did, but you handled them pretty well,” Uncle Johnny said.
“The boy helped us. We would have been doomed otherwise,” Braden said.
“Well, maybe you should thank him.”
A door opened on the left side of the room, and a boy with long blonde hair came in. Haley recognized him right away. It was the boy who was trying to tell her something in her dream.
The other kids didn’t know the boy, but they all felt like they'd met him before. They just didn’t know where.
“Hey guys,” he said, in a much calmer voice than he had used before with Jack.
“Hello,” the kids all answered.
“Good job out there. You all worked together and trusted each other like you were supposed to. I thought you weren’t ready but you handled yourselves pretty well.” The boy looked just a little older than Haley.
“Who are you?” Jack asked.
“You know who I am, don’t you Jillian? You can feel it.”
Jillian nodded. “Danny. But how?” Danny had been born a couple of years before, and Jillian didn't understand how the boy standing before her could be him.
“It’s a complicated story. The best way I can put it is that it was important for me to be here. I was needed,” Danny said. "That was why I had to leave the real world. I needed to take care of things here."
“But you look older than me,” Haley said. She knew Danny was supposed to be younger than Gabby.
“When you stay here full time, you grow up faster. I had to leave Earth so quickly because I needed to be trained right away. I needed to be ready for you guys,” Danny said with a smile. "And now you're here."
“So you stay here all the time?” Braden asked.
“Yes. I am a teacher. I'll be showing you all how things work here, like I have done for others.”
“Isn’t Uncle Johnny a teacher?” Jack asked.
“Not exactly,” Uncle Johnny answered. "I was your guide for this test, but I don't officially teach."
“He’s part time and I am full time,” Danny said. "It's what happens when you get old." The kids laughed. Uncle Johnny did too. A little.
“So, you’ll never come back?” Jillian asked.
Danny shook his head. “No. But I sent someone else in my place. Take care of Timothy for me, okay?”
All the kids nodded. They knew Gabby’s mother was going to have another baby. Now they knew a secret; it was going to be a boy and his name would be Timothy.
“I can teach you guys all sorts of things. You haven’t even started to learn your powers yet.”
“Can you teach me to hold off Warbirds like you did?” Braden asked.
“Of course. And Jillian, I can teach you to create things you haven’t even seen before. And we can make your strength even greater.”
“Cool!”
“And Jack, imagine being able to send those bolts whenever and wherever you want.”
“That would be great,” Jack answered.
“And you,” Danny said to Haley,” I can teach you how to fly.”
The kids talked with Danny for a bit, still amazed that it was actually him. The cousin they thought they had lost was with them, and they would get to know him. It felt a little strange at first for him to be their teacher, but it didn't take long to feel right.
Danny went over to Gabby and picked her up. The sister he never got the chance to ever meet was in his arms and Haley thought she saw Danny cry but he quickly covered it up. Of all the things Danny had to give up by training full time, not getting to meet Gabby was the hardest. He kissed her on the forehead.
“Danny boy,” Gabby said. “Hello.”
“How did she know who you are?” Haley asked.
“I’ve talked to her in her sleep. I’ve been around her and her parents from the beginning. She must recognize my voice.”
“That’s amazing,” Braden said.
“There will be a lot of amazing things to come,” Uncle Johnny said, “but right now it’s time to go home. You guys have had a rough day.”
“You’re telling us,” Jack said.
Just then, the door opened again and an older man, who looked to be about 60 years old, came in the room. He had a long white beard and looked a lot like the statue they had seen in the lobby, only he didn't have a staff.
“So here are our new Dream Fighters,” the man said in a deep voice. “We have been waiting for a new class for some time.”
“Yes,” Uncle Johnny answered.
The man was tall, a few inches taller than Uncle Johnny, and very thin. He wore a cloak similar to Danny’s, only his was white. It matched his beard.
“You did well today,” he said. “I am Kal Ras, the headmaster of this academy. You can call me Kal. After you’ve trained with Danny for a while, I will teach you things you can’t even dream of right now.”
“That sounds great,” Braden said.
“You all have your own special powers but you also have some powers in common. We will teach you to bring those out. But remember, the most important thing is that you tell no one in the real world about this. It is to be kept secret.”
No one said anything but each of them wondered why it needed to be kept secret. Jack felt funny not being able to tell his parents. It almost felt like he would be lying.
“It’s not like lying, Jack. It’s the way it has always been done. Your mother was one of my students.”
“She was?” Haley asked. “So we could talk to her about it?”
“She won’t remember,” Uncle Johnny answered. “Once Dream Fighters get to a certain age, they retire to start families of their own. When that happens, all their memories of what they did here are erased, for their own good. Your
Mom and I fought some pretty cool battles back in the day.” “What about you?” Jillian asked.
“I think I might be leaving sometime soon, too,” Uncle Johnny said.
“You’re not leaving me to deal with Sarlak and the Gorgons,” Danny said.
“You say you do all the work anyway.”
“Well, you help sometimes.” What Danny wanted to say was, if Uncle Johnny retired, he’d never be able to talk to him again. He would lose not only his teacher, but also his best friend.
“I’m not leaving yet, but soon, I think.”
“Either way, we keep this a secret, even though many people in your family served with us. Your grandparents trained me,” Kal said.
“Wow,” the kids said together.
“Wow’s a good word,” Kal said. He looked to Uncle
Johnny. “Get them home. We will start their training soon.”
“When will we train?” Haley asked.
“At night, when you sleep,” Danny said.
“Okay, let’s go,” Uncle Johnny said, and directed them to another door. They all walked through the door, and the next thing they knew, they were teleporting. Flashes of colors shined all around them and it felt like they were moving faster than they ever had before.
“When you wake up, only five minutes in the real world will have passed. No one in the house will have noticed anything.”
“How is that possible?” Braden asked.
“We were in another dimension. It’s like when you remember something. You can remember a whole day in just a few minutes, can’t you?” “I guess,” Jack said.
“Well, it’s like that. So, time passes differently in the two dimensions. Your training, which will take 6 hours in the dream world, will only be about 10 minutes of your sleep.” “That’s a little confusing,” Haley said.
“A lot of this stuff is going to be, but you’ll start to get the hang of it as you learn.”
“What about Gabby?” Braden asked. “How can we stop her from saying something?”<
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“You don’t have to. Little kids say stuff all the time that parents don’t pay attention to. You don’t have to worry about that. We’re just about there. Remember, don’t say a word.”
Haley woke up first. She felt dizzy, like she had been on a roller coaster. She looked and saw everyone wake up, even Uncle Johnny, who was sleeping in the recliner next to the couch.
“Okay,” he said, “go back to playing your video game and I’ll go back upstairs. Remember, don’t say a word about what happened. Even to each other. Not when so many people are around.”
They all nodded. Uncle Johnny went upstairs and Jack picked up the game controller. Somehow, after all they had done that day, video games didn’t seem so exciting.