Almighties Dark Destines Ch. 1

Chapter One: Stones of Destiny

“Miss Marcin?” a voice asked. “Would you care to join us?” Samara brushed her blood-red bangs out of her face. She had fallen asleep in class again.
“Uh yeah, Mr. Johnson. Sorry,” she replied. Samara looked down at her history book. Mr. Johnson went on with his lecture about some current event. It was the last day of the school year and there was really no point in trying to teach the ninth grade teenagers anything but the teachers always had to try. Samara looked around at her three best friends. Her friend’s names were Kasumi, Gaki, and Michiro. They called themselves the Almighty Four or just the Almighties for short. Kasumi was the leader. She was the Almighty Jib Kea. Gaki was second was command. She was the Almighty Stalker because she was the best at stalking. Samara was third in command and Michiro was fourth. She was the Almighty Midge because she was the shortest and he was the Almighty Chiro-Kun. They even had their own language called Double Talk. They had met in the first grade and had been friends ever since. There always seemed to be a strong connection between the four of them and when they had first met they were certain they had met somewhere before.
Kasumi was sitting in front of Samara, Gaki was on her left, and Michiro was on her right. Kasumi and Gaki were both using their arms as pillows and had fallen asleep. Michiro on the other hand was doodling on a piece of notebook paper. She leaned over to him and whispered, “What page are we on?”
“What does it matter?” he replied. “We already know it all.” He was right. The four of them seemed to have knowledge far beyond their years and they were only fifteen. They got the highest scores on everything without even trying. Samara leaned back to her desk and closed her book. The dismissal bell rang and she and Michiro put their things into their book bags.
“Should we wake them up?” he asked tilting his toward Kasumi and Gaki. “Or just let them sleep until the janitor comes?”
“Better wake them up,” Samara replied. “You know how Kasumi is when she’s mad.” Michiro shivered.
“Yeah scary.”
“I heard that,” Kasumi said. She and Gaki sat up and began packing up their things. When they were done they placed their history books on the teacher’s desk, left the classroom, walked down a flight of stairs, and into the bright afternoon. They squinted in the sudden brightness.
“So are we still going to the river?” Michiro asked.
“Michiro school is out for the summer and all you want to do is go to the river?” Gaki asked.
“Hey I want to go too,” Samara said, eager to agree with Michiro. “Besides Kasumi wants to go to the river too.”
“Yeah,” Michiro agreed. They all looked over at Kasumi. She was the leader after all and what ever she said they were going to do they did.
“Let’s go to the river,” she said. Michiro and Samara cheered and began bugging Gaki with smug laughter and taking turns saying “we told you so” and “we were right”. Finally Gaki had had enough and shoved them into the street. They were almost hit by a car.
“Kasumi!” Samara whined. “Did you see what she did?” Kasumi was smirking at Gaki.
“Yeah. You two were asking for it.” Michiro and Samara stared at her dumbly for a minute and then shrugged. The four of them walked to Kasumi’s house so she could drop off her things. Once there she wandered into the kitchen to get some pink lemonade.
“Hey guys, look at what I found in the freezer,” she called. They walked into her kitchen. She was holding a silver stone with light blue swirls that hung on a brown leather string.
“You found that in your freezer?” Samara asked. Kasumi nodded and put it on. It glowed brightly and she was suddenly surrounded by ice and wind.
“Whoa,” Gaki said. Michiro and Samara just stared at Kasumi with their mouths open.
Kasumi formed ice daggers with wind swirling around them in her hands. Then the ice, wind, and daggers disappeared and Kasumi walked toward them as though nothing had happened.
“What was that?” Michiro asked when he finally found his voice.
“Don’t ask questions,” Kasumi snapped. “We have to go to your house.” They all nodded and walked across the street to Michiro’s house. He put his book bag in his room and came back out to the front yard. He stepped on something and bent down to pick it up. It was a green stone that hung from a brown leather string. He put it on and it glowed. Grass swirled around him.
He formed a bo staff in his hand. The bo staff was just a brown staff with intricate designs. Gaki and Samara watched jealously. They wanted a stone too. When the grass disappeared he came toward his friends smiling as he had been before he put on the stone.
“We have to go to Mara’s house now,” he said. Kasumi nodded. She and Michiro had a strange glint in their eyes. They walked next door to Samara’s house and went inside. Samara dumped her things by the front door and went into the kitchen to make sure the dog had food and water.

When she walked in the stove was on. Forgetting about the dog she walked to the stove and shut it off. Sitting in the middle was a red stone hanging from a brown leather string. Not even thinking about it being hot she poked the stone but it was cold. She put in on and it glowed. Fire erupted around her. She smiled and formed a fireball in one hand and a fire dagger in the other. As the fire died away she saw the last stone at Gaki’s house. She turned to face her friends who were standing in the doorway.
“We need to go to Gaki’s,” she said. Michiro and Kasumi nodded and they walked back across the street to Gaki’s house. Gaki dumped her things by the front door as well.
“Want to see our new pool?” She asked. They nodded, knowing what she would find there and followed her to the backyard. They walked onto the deck and looked down into the pool. Something was hanging on the ladder and Gaki picked it up. It was a blue stone with white swirls hanging from a brown leather string. She put it on and was surrounded by lightning and water.
She formed daggers, one made of ice and one made of lightning, in her hands. When it stopped she smiled at the others.
“Let’s go to the river,” she said. They nodded and off they went. While they were there they learned that they all shared a power: healing. Samara slipped when they were on the riverbank and cut her arm. When Michiro put his hand over the wound green light came out of his hand and healed her. Then he slipped on purpose and she healed him. Then Gaki slipped and Kasumi healed her. Then Kasumi slipped and Gaki healed her.
“Pretty useful power wouldn’t you say?” Gaki asked Samara as they sat down.
“Uh-huh,” Samara muttered as she began fiddling with her stone turning it over and over, examining it.
“Quit it,” Gaki said. “You look like a five-year-old when you play with that.” Samara didn’t hear her. Gaki blinked at her.
“Midge?” she asked. “Did you hear me?”
It’s pretty, Samara thought as she turned it over and over in her hand. Like something dad gave me once when I was little. Like that glass heart he gave me before…her mind wandered back to when she had been ten years old and her sisters, Lyric and Trista had been four. Their father had been away on a business trip and had just returned....

Samara and her younger sisters ran down the street to meet him.
“Dad!” She called waving her whole arm the way little kids do when they get really excited. Makoto looked up and smiled slightly. He waved back. Lyric and Trista laughed and the three of them ran across the street. The girls jumped into their father’s arms. Makoto hugged the three of them and then set them down.
“I brought my three pretty girls presents,” he said. Their eyes got big and wide grins split across their faces. Makoto reached into his pocket and pulled out three small packages. He handed one to each of them. They opened the small boxes. Inside Samara’s was a small red heart made of glass.
“Thank you daddy!” She cried flinging her arms around his neck.
“Did you see that it has a chain?” he asked. She looked down and saw a thin silver chain slipped through a small hole. Makoto took the heart from her and fastened it around her neck. Samara smiled up at him. Lyric held up a small purple stone on a gold chain. It was shaped like flower.
“Will you put mine on too?” she asked. Makoto smiled and fastened hers around her neck as well. Trista came over to Samara and tugged on her jeans.
“Samara what’s this?” she asked holding up a pink stone. Samara glanced down at it.
“A crescent moon,” she answered.
“Daddy put mine on too!” Trista said jumping up and down with excitement. Makoto laughed and fastened her chain around her neck.
“C’mon daddy!” Lyric cried taking Makoto’s hand and pulling him down the street.
“Mommy made your favorite dinner!” Trista took his other hand. Makoto laughed nervously this time.
“Actually mommy doesn’t even know I’m here,” he muttered. “Or that I exist really.” Samara looked up and blinked. Makoto looked back at her.
“Is something wrong, Mara-chan?” he asked.
“Uh…” she replied. She laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head.
“No dad nothing at all!” Lyric tugged on his hand.
“Daddy?” she asked. “Did you say something?” Makoto shook his head and they walked down the street. Samara walked along behind them turning the red stone over and over and humming to herself. Makoto and the younger girls crossed the street ahead of her. She ran to catch up.
Suddenly, a car sped down the road towards them.
“Dad look out!” she yelled. She grabbed the girls by the backs of their jean overalls. The three of them fell backwards and landed on the ground with a thud. They watched as the car slammed into Makoto.
“Daddy!” Samara screamed. The younger girls started to cry. Samara jumped up and ran over to him. The man who was driving the car got out, pulled out a cell phone and called an ambulance. The three of children knelt beside their father.
“Daddy?” Lyric and Trista asked tugging on his arm.
“Quit it,” Samara said softly. “He’s not going to wake up.” They didn’t understand.
“C’mon daddy you have to wake up,” Lyric said.
“Yeah we have to go home. Mommy’s waiting for us,” Trista agreed.
“I said quit it!” Samara yelled standing up and grabbing their hands.
“But what about daddy?” Trista asked.
“He’s dead don’t you get it!” Samara yelled at them. Their eyes filled with tears and she hugged them as the ambulance came and covered Makoto with a white sheet. Samara took their hands and they started walking home. She took them through the allies because it was quicker. At least it was until they met one of the street gangs.
“Marcus I’m surprised to see you,” Samara said crossing her arms. Marcus and Samara had grown up together until he ran away form home one day and she hadn’t seen him since.
“Same here,” he replied a strange coldness in his voice. The coldness reminded Samara of something, a memory of when she was younger. Someone else had that same coldness but she couldn’t remember who it had been. She shook her head slightly, clearing it of the thought.
“What do you want with three helpless girls?” she asked.
“Do ya got any money?” he asked knowing that they had none. Samara wrinkled her nose in disgust at his bad grammar.
“I’m ten, they’re four our mom doesn't give us money,” she said.
“Then what about those things around your necks?” he asked pointing to the necklaces.
“Our dad gave us these. You can’t have them,” she snapped. She pushed past him and started to walk away. Marcus caught her by the arm.
“You’re not leaving until we get those jewels,” he said menacingly.
“Let go,” she snapped. Marcus grabbed the heart and yanked it off her neck.
“No!” Samara cried grabbing it as well. They began to fight for it. Then the heart flew off the chain and hit the ground. Marcus and Samara watched as it shattered. Marcus pushed her to the ground.
“What a waste,” he said. She jumped up and punched him in the face. His friends had already run away. Marcus touched the spot where she hit him.
“Didn’t know a girl could hit so hard did you?” Samara asked coldly. He turned and ran away. Samara picked up the glass and put it in her pocket. She took her sisters’ hands again and they walked home. When the girls got home their mom was in the living room crying.
“Mommy what’s wrong?” Lyric asked as she and Trista crawled onto her lap.
“Oh girls,” she said hugging them. “You know how daddy was supposed to come home today?” They nodded.
“Well he was in a car accident and he died.”
“We know,” Samara said softly. “We were there.” Her mom didn’t seem to hear her; she was in her own world, lost in her thoughts.
“You see there was another car and it swerved into the lane your daddy was in and he didn’t have time to stop.” Samara cocked her head.
But we saw dad get hit, she thought as she blinked at her mother. We were there. Then she remembered two things that had been strange about Makoto. First, he had said that their mom didn’t know he existed. Second, was that his hair had been dark red like hers. Not brown like her older brother’s…

“Earth to Midge!” Gaki said. Samara’s head snapped up and she realized where she was. She could feel her eyes begin to prickle with tears.
“Yeah okay I’ll stop,” she replied softly.
“Are you okay?” Michiro asked. Samara leaned back in the grass and covered her eyes with the back of her arm.
“Yeah I’m fine,” she lied.
“Are you positive?” Gaki asked.
“Gaki,” Kasumi said her voice full of warning.
“Well are you?” Gaki continued. Kasumi covered Gaki’s mouth with her hand.
“Shut up will you!” she yelled dragging her away from Samara.
“What?” Gaki asked. “What’d I do?”
“Don’t you remember what happened to her dad?” Kasumi hissed. Gaki gasped and glanced over at Samara.
“Oh yeah.” Michiro put his hand on Samara’s shoulder.
“It’ll be okay,” he whispered. She nodded and touched the stone once more.
“Yeah I was just thinkin’ about him that’s all. I’ll be okay, I think.”