Antebellum

Aaron found it hard to shift his mind from finding out more about the twins. Every quiet moment he found was filled with thoughts of the “truth” and whether or not the twins were people he and his friends should trust.

“You’re thinking about it again, aren’t you?” Miche asked.

“What?” Aaron turned to her. “Oh. Yeah. Hard not to. I don’t see how you, Campbell, and Arie have been able to think about other things.”

“We’re thinking about it, too” Miche offered, “We’re just not obsessed.”

“Sorry your life isn’t in danger,” Aaron raised an eyebrow at her.

“That was a bit over the line, wasn’t it?” Miche pulled him in. “I can understand why you’re thinking about it so much, but you have to let your mind rest. Campbell said you’ve been having trouble sleeping.”

Aaron responded with silence. The thoughts were so strong that he found himself up in the middle of the night, unsure of how to address the issue or what news was waiting for him. He still hadn’t seen “Campbell” in a few days, who apparently knew all that there was to know about the twins.

“He’s right,” Aaron shrugged. “I don’t let things go easily, anyway, so to think there’s a mystery that could potentially involve my life and your lives… It’s hard to move on.”

“But you have to at some point,” Miche nodded to him. “One day, when this is over, you’ll want to be able to move forward.”

“Do you really think it’ll be over one day?” Aaron said with a voice of hope and disappointment.

“Yeah, one day,” Miche smiled. “But, I bet we’ll find more trouble to get into.”

“Awesome,” Aaron smiled at her. They soon came to a point where they had to go separate ways. Aaron continued to his part of campus when he saw Miche again.

“I thought you had class?” he asked her.

“It’s me,” she responded.

“Well, yeah, it’s you. I just saw you—“ Aaron halted. “It’s you. The one who knows about the twins.”

“Miche” slowly nodded her head.

“How are you able to look like my friends?” Aaron asked.

“I’m not going to answer that. What I am going to say is that you’re right to not trust the twins.”

Aaron was surprised to hear affirmation of his suspicions. “How do you know that?”

“Because I know you.”

“You do?”

“Absolutely. You’re one of the world’s greatest heroes. But, for some reason, you lost your faith. You stopped believing in the world you helped change and create.”

“But, I haven’t done anything…” Aaron’s eyes began to fill with tears. He desperately wanted to change the world, but felt powerless to change it. Even with his abilities, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to accomplish what he needed to. So, to hear that he had simultaneously grew his resolve but forced him to face his insecurities.

“Miche” placed a hand on his shoulder. “But you will.” She began to smile and cry as well. Soon, she stepped back and wiped her tear. “I may have revealed too much, but I still need to tell you about the twins.”

“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” another young woman said from the distance.

“Miche’s” appearance suddenly changed. “She” was now a young man just a bit taller than Aaron, his skin the color of red and earthen clay.

“Why’d he have to send you?” the young man asked.

“He knew I’d take care of a problem,” she responded. “Two problems,” she said as she looked to Aaron.

Aaron’s eyes began to glow. “Who is that?”

“Wisp,” the young man replied as he steadied himself for a fight.

“Who are you?” Aaron asked him.

“Clay,” he responded.

“Alright, Clay. We got a battle ahead of us. One more thing we need to do…” Aaron said as he sent a telepathic message to Arie. “You don’t have to fight this battle, just send us somewhere safe.” The trio disappeared and reappeared in a field close to the campus. Arie was also present in this new area.

“I figured you could use some help,” she said.

“Alright then,” Aaron said as he, Clay, and Arie prepared themselves for Wisp.

“Whatever,” Wisp laughed as she disappeared.

“This is going to suck, isn’t it?” Aaron asked.

“Yup,” said Wisp as she reappeared, phasing through Aaron. His eyes flew open and he fell to the ground reeling in pain.