Food Fight (kinda)

Meanwhile at school, “Another day at school, let’s make the best of it,” Maya sighed. “Agreed. I’m going to my class so I can talk to my friend, Luke, before class starts,” Leo explained as he ran down the hallway. Maya sighed again. “I’ll see you and Leo at lunch. And please don’t forget the rule,” Maya mumbled as she walked toward her locker. Lily nodded as she walked down the hallway, mumbling good morning to the passing students. She took out her notebook and opened it. Suddenly, someone pushed it past her, causing her to trip and fall. Luckily, someone caught her. “Are you okay, miss?” a deep voice asked as the student helped her up. Lily nodded and turned her head to see who caught her. It was a young boy, around her age. He was wearing a blue t-shirt with jeans; his hair was jet black, as well as his eyes. “A dark hybrid!” Lily explained in her mind as she flashed back to the day of the attack that forced them to flee. She and her siblings were on the planet called Tiere Leben, the planet they used to live on. The battle was in the woods called the Giant Woods.

“Lily, watch out!” she heard her brother Leo scream as he clawed a dark human-leopard that was aiming at her back. Leo was not in his disguise; his pale spotted fur rippled as he slashed his claws at the leopard, hissing furiously. Lily leaped and gripped her claws into the human-leopard’s back, growling as her tail slashed around angrily. The dark hybrid growled as it swung its back around, trying to get her off. Leo leaped away from the hybrid and landed onto a different dark hybrid that had pinned a human-fox. He bit into the dark hybrid’s shoulder, spilling blood. The hybrid screeched as it swung around and tried to hit Leo with its needle-sharp claws. Leo flinched as the claws slammed into his side, threatening his balance. Leo shook his head, his muzzle splattered with blood. “Stay away from us!” Leo growled, slashing his claws at the hybrid’s head. The human-fox twisted around and pushed his hind legs against the hybrid’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The dark hybrid flew upward and landed a few feet away from them. The human-fox scrambled to his feet and growled at the hybrid, his ears pinned against his head. Leo nodded and looked around the clearing and spotted Maya fighting a dark human-hyena that was twice as big as her. Maya growled as the human-hyena reared up, his sharp teeth bared at her. He leaped forward, aiming at her neck. Maya leaped upward, and the human-hyena crashed into the ground where she was seconds before. Maya landed on top of him and bit his neck. The hyena screamed and then went still. Maya spat the dark hybrid’s fur out of her mouth and hissed triumphantly as she leaped off the dead body. She chased off toward another hybrid that was attacking a human-lynx. Leo chased after her, hissing at the dark hybrids that were reaching for him. “Maya!” Leo yowled as he pinned a dark hybrid with wings. “The dark hybrids are too numerous. We need to call in the second wave to come in,” he explained as he struggled to keep the dark hybrid down. Maya glanced around and nodded. She let out a long but loud howl that shook the leaves nearby. A moment later, they heard a group of pounding feet running toward the clearing. A group of hybrids broke through the bushes, many of them had daggers. They hissed as they leaped at the dark hybrids. “For Tiere Leben! For peace!” screamed a human-fox as he plunged his dagger into a nearby dark hybrid’s body. The dark hybrid struggled for a moment and then fell down and died. “Zeve, watch out!” Leo screamed as a dark hybrid leaped at the human-fox’s back. Zeve spun and dove away from the hybrid’s claws. Then Lily appeared, and she bit the dark hybrid’s leg, and Zeve knocked the hybrid onto its back. Then both Zeve and Lily started scratching the dark hybrid’s belly with their claws until the hybrid started screeching. They let go of the hybrid, and it ran away, howling in pain. “Soldiers! Push the enemies out of our village, protect the princess!” he yowled, looking around for Maya. He raced into the thickest part of the battle and nearly crashed into a large dark human-panther. He leaped at the human-panther, his dagger covered with blood. The human-panther growled and fled from Zeve. Zeve chased after the human-panther, breathing heavily. He noticed that most of the dark hybrids had fled and there were only a few left in the clearing. He spotted Lily dealing with a human-falcon, while Leo was chasing a human-tiger out of the clearing. He gave the human-panther a last bite on the leg before he ran off to find Maya. Finally, he spotted Maya, wrestling with a dark hybrid with scales. He clamped his jaws into the dark hybrid’s tail and dragged it off of her, then he gave it a vicious bite on one of its back legs before releasing it. The dark hybrid yowled as it crashed into the bushes and disappeared from view. “Maya! Gather your family and follow me. It’s getting too dangerous for you to stay here,” he explained. Maya turned to him, her eyes twinkling in sadness. “Where are you going to take us?” she asked, pushing her body against his side. “I’m going to take you to the portal I made and send you guys to a planet called Earth. You learned about it in the scrolls, and I’m sure that’s the best place to send you,” he explained, rubbing his face against her. “You will come see us… right?” she asked. “As often as I can. I’ll send Windy to you so you can find out what is going on here,” he said. Then he glanced around. “Go! Find them and meet me at the east corner of the woods. Make sure nobody but you and family go. I’ll meet you there,” he mumbled, giving Maya one more squeeze on her hand before running away. Maya nodded and ran toward her siblings. Leo was licking his wounds on his paw, while Lily was putting morning reliever on a bite mark on her left ear. “Leo. Lily. Gather your stuff, we’re going to leave this place,” Maya said. Leo looked up from his wound, surprised. “But where are we going? Where are we staying?” Leo asked. “What about our parents? And our older brother?” Lily stuttered, her ears flattened against her head. “They will follow us soon, but right now we need to escape. Zeve is going to send us to Earth,” Maya explained, running to their house. She came back out a few minutes later with a sword and an old book with four different symbols. “You’re going to bring the Old King’s sword and the book about the four spirits to Earth?! Are you nuts?” Leo explained. “No. I’m not nuts. If the dark hybrids get their hands on those things, there will be more trouble in the future.” She looked back at her village, wondering if she would see her home again. Then she turned around and faced her siblings. “What are we waiting for? We need to go… now!” Maya growled, leaping away into the bushes with her siblings close behind. They dodged tree branches and crossed rivers. Finally, they reached another clearing; in the center of the clearing was a portal that was covered in vines. “Maya! You brought your siblings, good. Here,” Zeve said, popping out from behind the portal, his hands full of clothes. He placed the clothes in front of them. “You’ll need this. Humans don’t have fur, so use this. They will help you fit in,” he mumbled. Then he raced back to the portal. “Are you ready?” he asked. Maya nodded. Zeve pushed some buttons on the machine and pulled down a lever. The lights on the portal grew brighter as it whirled to life. Then her mind blurred and the background noise rushed back to her. “Umm, hi. I’m new here. My name is Carson. What’s yours?” he asked, reaching out to shake her hand. “M-my name is Lily, it’s nice to meet you,” she mumbled, her hidden tail twitching nervously. “Lily. That’s a nice name. What class are you staying in?” Carson asked. “I’m in Miss Herdson’s class,” Lily replied, her curiosity replacing her nervous energy. “Cool! I’m in the same class as you. Oh, we better get to class, it’s starting soon. See you later,” he explained, smiling. “He doesn’t seem to know that I’m a hybrid,” she thought as she watched him walk into the classroom before following him.

Meanwhile with Bruce, “Boss, Karl told us that you went to see Glitch! Are you nuts?” a boy with brown hair explained. “No. I’m not nuts. Glitch is an old friend of mine, and I trust him,” Bruce grunted. Then his phone rang. “Excuse me for a moment,” he mumbled as he accepted the call. “Bruce, I got some news for you,” Glitch said as his face appeared on Bruce’s phone. “Hey there, Glitch. What is it?” Bruce asked. “Your suspicions are right about the three kids, but not the way you think. We believe that they are hybrids in disguise. They speak of dark hybrids and how they fled from them,” Glitch explained, glancing at D0ge, who was standing next to him. Bruce’s eyes widened as his mouth opened in shock. “The older girl warned her siblings to watch out for people who have black hair and eyes; they might be dark hybrids, so watch out for them,” Glitch said, his eyes wide. Bruce glanced at his friends. “We’ll be careful. Thanks for the warning, Glitch. See ya later,” Bruce murmured as he hung up. “Listen up, crew. Not a word of this to anyone. I’m going to face Maya at lunch and get some answers from her,” Bruce grunted. Karl and the others nodded and quickly walked away.

Later at lunchtime, “Hey, Leo, how was class?” Maya asked as she picked up a tray. “Pretty good. We learned about the Ten Years’ War. Lily literally answered a very hard question from our teacher,” Leo explained as he placed a small bottle of milk on his tray. “Speaking of Lily, where is she?” Maya muttered, glancing around the cafeteria. Meanwhile, outside near a big oak tree, Lily was sitting, eating lunch. “Hey, Lily, how was class?” Carson asked, appearing next to her. “You were there, remember? Do you want to eat lunch with me?” Lily asked. “Sure. I gotta admit, you are the first friend I ever made at this school,” Carson explained as he sat down. They sat together quietly for a few moments, then Lily spoke. “Do you like gemstones, like amethyst?” she asked. “I do like gems. Amethysts are pretty, but I think my favorite is blue quartz,” Carson mumbled, taking a bite of his sandwich. “Do you like to swim?” he asked. “I do! I try to go to a public swimming pool near my house as often as I can,” Lily explained, popping a grape into her mouth. “What do you usually like to do when there’s no school?” Lily asked, stretching her legs. “I usually practice my fighting skills, though I am a bit clumsy. If it’s sunny outside, I often go out to sunbathe in the sun,” he mumbled, looking up into the clouds. “I like to read good books and lay outside to enjoy the sun,” Lily said, smiling. “Sis! Where have you been? We looked for you everywhere,” Leo explained as he reached the oak tree, panting. “Oh, sorry, I’m coming. See you later, Carson,” Lily said, going to Leo. Carson nodded and continued staring at the clouds. She and Leo raced across the playground and into the cafeteria, where Maya was waiting. “Lily, there you are! You got us worried about you,” Maya said as they reached the table that Maya was sitting at. “What were you thinking, running off like that without telling us?” Maya asked, frowning. “Sorry, I was eating with a boy that I met earlier. We have a lot in common,” Lily explained as she sat down next to Maya. “What’s his name?” Leo asked. “Carson. He is about my age. He likes gems; his favorite gem is blue quartz,” Lily explained. “That’s nice that you made a new friend. I have to go dump the rest of my food into the trash can. I’ll be back in a minute,” Maya said as she stood up. She walked to the trash bin and dumped her remaining food in and placed the tray on a nearby table. Suddenly, a large hand clamped around her wrist. She looked up to see Bruce facing her. “Maya, I know who you are,” Bruce hissed as he yanked her hand toward him. “That I’m a trash girl?” Maya said calmly, trying to get away from him. “You are not a human at all, are you? You are a hybrid. And I’m guessing that your siblings are too,” Bruce growled, his grip tightening as he continued to drag her. “How did you know?!” Maya hissed, her eyes darting around the cafeteria, where the students were starting to turn their heads to see what was going on. “Let my sister go, Bruce. Or would you like a punch that you won’t forget?” Leo hissed from the table, standing up. “I know who you are, and I will tell the whole school if you do that,” Bruce explained. The students started muttering to each other, glancing at Leo and Bruce. “How… you wouldn’t dare,” Lily muttered, her face turning pale. “I will, and I should. Nobody wants freaks at our school,” Bruce growled as he walked toward the door, Maya still struggling to get loose. “That may be a bad idea, pretty boy,” explained a young voice. Carson walked through the crowd and stood in front of Bruce. “That’s my friend’s sister you are dealing with. You wouldn’t want to fight me, would you?” Carson asked, his eyes narrowed. Bruce stared at the boy and remembered Glitch’s warning, and he noticed that Carson had black hair and eyes, and Carson was staring at him, waiting for his answer. “Well? I’m waiting,” Carson said, his eyes never wavering. Bruce’s face slightly turned pale as he slowly lost his grip. Maya had also noticed the boy’s eyes, and her hidden ears flattened against her head. “You can have her, just stay away from me,” Bruce muttered, completely letting her go. “You’ve made a good choice, Bruce,” Carson said as Maya stepped away from Bruce. Finally, Bruce couldn’t take it any longer; he turned around and disappeared into the crowd. Lily got off her chair and walked toward Carson. Maya glanced at Leo; Leo shrugged. “Carson! Thank you for helping my sister,” Lily explained as she reached him. “That’s what friends are for. See you later.” He winked at Lily, then he turned and walked away. Lily started to wave goodbye, but Maya grabbed Lily’s hand and dragged her into the janitor’s room, with Leo following them. Once they got inside and Leo locked the door, Maya growled. “Sis! What were you thinking?! He’s a dark hybrid. He’s probably a scout looking for us. Why are you hanging out with him?” Maya frowned, staring at Lily. “He doesn’t know that I’m a hybrid. He thinks I’m just a normal human,” Lily said. “That’s no excuse for that. He will turn us over to the dark hybrids the minute he finds out that we are not humans,” Leo hissed, his eyes turning into slits. Then they heard a loud crash, and someone screamed outside the janitor’s room. Maya and her siblings burst out of the janitor’s room and saw an unwelcoming sight.