Hi everybody, this is Alexa! I am so sorry that I have not posted a section of my Fan Fiction in a while. Starting this coming Saturday, February 24, I will be posting every other week.

Thank you guys so much for your cooperation, and enjoy the rest of your day!

Entry 5 - Dear Hailey

May 5th, 2054

Dear Hailey, 

Were still on the bus but things have taken a drastic event. Somebody has the virus. It's a boy; a small one. He is about 2-3 years old. The soldiers say he's a lost cause, so they aren't even bothering to get the medics. I am watching right now the mom of the child quarreling with the soldiers on the side of the road. They want her to leave the boy there because they don't want to risk us getting sick. 

The boy has all of the usual symptoms. A bloody nose, swollen fingers, and a big purple dot on his tongue. His mom though thinks that he'll pull through and she doesn't want to leave him. 

One of the soldiers has just hit the mom on her head. She has collapsed. The boy is pocking at her, and yelling 'Mama'. Now we're being told to go back on the bus. I think they're just going to leave the boy and his mother here. The mom got what she wanted at least. The boy won't be left alone.  

Hailey, I'm glad we were able to get you to help. I don't know if you are alive or dead but at least we tried to save you. 

Hope Fonial

By Marizo Bheh

Queen of Light

I looked quizzically at Aelin. “That’s it?”

“No,” was all she told me before she went below deck. Probably to get more weapons.

I scanned the sky, making sure that nothing was going to instantly appear and attack us.

“What’s going on?” Rayen asked as she looked up at me.

“I don’t know,” I murmured, still scanning the sky. “I really don’t know.”

A small movement in the sky caught my eye. I looked at the sun, right where the movement came from. There, a cloud of black started to form. It was moving -- heading straight for us. Panic started to form in my gut. The wave of darkness just got bigger and bigger, and was moving faster and faster.

Aelin, having returned from below deck, ran straight towards the end of the deck, her face as white as fresh snow. “Ilken,” she murmured. She turned to face me, and my friends. “Ilken,” she murmured again.

“How many?” Lorcan asked. He stood in front of Elide, darkness already enveloping them.

Aedion walked to the edge of the deck, and looked out at the ilken. “More than 300,” he said. He faced us, his face paling.

“Shute,” Rowan hissed.

“What do we do?” I asked my friends.

“Fight,” was Lorcan’s only response. Everybody got into position. Lysandra was looking up at the sky. She growled.

The ilken were getting closer. They blocked out most of the sunlight. All you could see for miles and miles were ilken -- each heading for us. Rayen prepared herself beside me.

“Ready?” I asked, looking down at her.

She nodded once. Then, she looked out at the ilken. Her eyes were the fiercest I had ever seen them.

I whipped towards Aelin. “Aelin. I can fly up there and fight them in the air. So can Rayen.”

“No,” she said as she looked at me. “Not in a million years.”

“Yes,” I hissed. “This ship is small, and there isn’t any land nearby. They can easily destroy you --”

“No,” she repeated.

I forced my body to become invisible. I breathed in through my nose, and out of my mouth. “I am going Aelin, no matter --”

“No, Aiyana,” Rowan growled.

But it was too late. I had already shot into the sky. Turn into the biggest winged animal possible, I told Rayen through the bond. 

I already have something in mind, was all she said before she completely blocked me out.

I flew up so I was facing the ilken. They were getting closer. Much closer. I rallied my powers within me.

I summoned water, forming dragons, wyverns, and griffins that were indestructible. They could not be burned. Could not be defeated. Could not be killed. Not by one human being on this earth. Not even Amren.

As the ilken neared and saw the animals I created, their faces started to blanch. I put an invisible shield around myself when the ilken were about ten feet away from me. I ordered my animals to attack. They did as they were told. One after another, ilken screamed as they were drowned. As I froze them, then shattered them to pieces.

I formed invisible hands that had a mind of their own. They choked, crushed, and stabbed the ilken with the knives I had provided them. They tore out the hearts of the ilken, and crushed them. Ilken, like raindrops falling from the sky, fell down into the water, screaming with pain and rage. I burned some as they fell, and others I froze. I summoned two swords, each in both of my hands, and -- still invisible -- I flew straight into the army of ilken. I kept my swords out -- which were also invisible -- and they cut ilken as I flew through. I tore the ilken in half. As their body parts fell to the water, they burned.

I became visible as I swooped down beneath the ilken, and flew straight to the front of the army. I sent an enormous gust of wind at them, sending them flying in different directions. The ilken regained their balance and flew back to the front of the army, sneering. I grinned at them. Ilken continued to fall into the water and burn as my invisible hands, flame, and water animals kept on attacking, having a mind of their own.

Ilken started to advance on me, while others flew straight to the ship. I sent a wave of water to the ones heading for me, which drowned them. As they fell through the air, they froze, and shattered into pieces before they could even scream. More started heading for me.

The ship. Aelin. Rowan. Where was Rayen? Where was --

A roar, so loud it made the sea tremble, sounded. I quickly looked at the ship, and saw an enormous dragon flying over it, shooting flame at the ilken that tried to attack the ship. Some were on the deck, fighting with my friends.

The dragon was marvelous. It was black, and had light blue swirls that crawled up its legs, wings, cheekbones, and tail. It had crystal blue eyes, and a blossom on its forehead. Rayen. I cry of relief escaped me.

I faced the ilken that were charging towards me. I sent flame, water, and ice in their direction. The ilken screamed, and fell down into the water. I sent a wave of wind to the ones that were heading towards me. The wave sent them flying back. Fighting knives instantly replaced the swords in my hands. I threw them. Ilken screamed as the knives pierced their flesh. More and more knives appeared in my hands. I threw them all, one after another. Again. Again. Again. Invisible hands took the knives out of the ilken’s chests, and stabbed them. Again. Again. Again.

The size of the ilken army had decreased in size. But more kept coming. I flew up higher into the sky. Ilken followed me. Just then, a shot of pain seared through my back, and I screamed. At that moment, a dragon roared. Rayen. I looked behind me. An ilken warrior had stabbed her in the back. It was smiling in delight. Rayen tried to get it off, but she couldn’t. In an instant, the ilken froze, and shattered into pieces. I took the knife out of Rayen’s back. She roared again, but this time, in thanks. I faced the ilken that were flying in my direction.

From the ship, I heard a piercing scream, then a cry.

I whipped back, so I was facing the ship. Something in my chest cracked as I beheld what happened: an ilken warrior had stabbed Aelin in the chest. Her eyes were wide, and she was sagging.

“AELIN!” Rowan roared.

My blood turned to ice. I was going to kill each and every one of these ilken slowly. Very slowly.
I faced them now, all of my powers building up within me. I was a beast. I was indestructible. I was not going to let them kill any of my friends.

All of my powers wrapped around me; each mixing with the other. Ilken froze, then slowly crept towards me, sneering and grinning. I exploded.

Invisible hands quickly killed the ilken to my right; fire burned the ilken to my left; and water and wind killed the ilken in front of me. I lifted my head up to the sky, and roared. I was going to burst. I did. Flame, water, wind, invisibility, and light -- light -- shot out in every direction. Ilken screamed as they disintegrated.

No ilken were left as I opened my eyes and looked out at the sea. None. I let my invisible shield drop. From behind me, I heard a cry. “Aiyana!” Aedion yelled at me. I faced him. Pain like I had never known shot through my back. Through my wings. I screamed. I whirled, and found two ilken flying behind me, blood on their hands. My blood. They grinned. I tried to lash my power at them as they neared me again, but I couldn’t. My powers were drained. One of the ilken disappeared. Pain zapped through my wings, just as the ilken in front of me dug its pointed claw into my gut. I screeched in pain. I thrashed, trying to lose the grip of both the ilken.

Rayen roared. I could hear the flapping of mighty wings getting closer. Just as Rayen was about twenty feet away from us, the ilken disappeared. Having lost all of my energy, I fell through the sky, heading straight for the water. My vision started to blur. The water was getting closer. Closer. Closer.

It hit me hard, bruising my already torn wings. I screamed in pain at the impact, and water filled my lungs. I couldn’t breathe. My eyes started to burn, and my vision started to blacken at the edges. I tried to hold on as I let myself sink farther, and farther into the sea. I tried to hold on. There wasn’t enough energy for me to do so.

Someone crashed into the water, and swam for me. The person grabbed my hand, and pulled me close to them. Their dark, black wings wrapped around me as they shot through the water. We were instantly back in the air, flying straight for the ship. I caught a quick glimpse of the person carrying me before everything went black. Before all I could hear was never-ending silence.

The person was a man that wore beautiful, black fighting leathers. He had short, dark hair, and darkness swirled around him. His face was beautiful -- like an angel’s.

Azriel.

By Alexa Gantt

Entry 4 - Dear Hailey

May 4th, 2054

Dear Hailey,

Another day has passed on the bus. We're still not sure where they are taking us. I didn't really get a chance to describe the buses but because basically nothing exciting happened on the bus I'll tell you what they look like.
The buses have only about 3 windows. There is one in the front - the windshield- one in the back on the doors, and one on the ceiling. The one on the ceiling is pretty tiny. The seats are only wooden benches. There are no seatbelts or backs to the benches. It seems as though this truck was for carrying objects and not humans before someone added the benches. We all have barely enough room in front of us to put our stuff.
We finally stopped yesterday to use a rest stop when the truck was almost out of gas. When I had looked at the high way I could at least see another ten black trucks just like ours driving past the rest stop.
It's scary Hailey to be so far away from home. I'm still not sure that if they let you go you could find us. Mom has been crying all day because of that.
Andrew just sits on the side playing with his toys. Dad is trying to support mom as best as he can but its hard.
I know I always say this Hailey but I wish you were here.

Hope Fonial

By Marizo Bheh

Queen of Light

I softly landed on the deck -- which was completely empty -- Rayen right behind me. She flew down to the floor, and shifted into the most beautiful lioness I had ever seen. She still had the crystal blue eyes and the blossom on her forehead, but she had intricate light-blue swirls climbing up each of her four legs. I stared at them.

“What?” she asked, her tail swiftly moving side to side.

“What are those swirls for?”

“The ocean. They show that I came from the ocean -- that I was born there. It was -- and still is -- my home. It is still a part of me.”

“They are beautiful. If you ever want to return to the sea, you may.”

“I want to stay with you,” Rayen said. “I didn’t have any friends, nor family in the sea. Now I have you.”

I knelt on the deck of the ship, right in front of her. I put a hand beneath her chin, and the other I used to pet her head. I bent down and kissed the blossom on her forehead. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“You’re welcome, Aiyana. You gave me a new life -- a better one. You gave me a family. I will always thank you for that.”

Pounding steps sounded from the stairs that led below deck. Aelin appeared, dressed in a pair of fighting leather pants and a loose shirt. When she saw me, she let out a cry of relief. She ran towards me and embraced me. “I thought something happened to you,” she said in a trembling voice. “Where were you?” She pulled away from me, far enough so she could look me in the eyes. Her lips were set into a hard line.

“I didn’t go anywhere special. I just flew towards the horizon. I needed some fresh air.”

Just then, she realized that a lioness was standing by my side, watching her with a close eye. “Rayen, this Aelin. Aelin, meet Rayen.”

Rayen smiled.

“How?” Aelin stammered, her face paling.

“It’s a long story,” I said. “I will explain it to you another time. Where is everyone?”

“I have no clue,” Aelin replied, looking around the deck. “This morning, I knocked on every single one of our guests’ doors -- no one answered. They were all gone.” Worry covered her features.

“Where could they have gone?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she murmured, shaking her head.

Rowan walked up from the steps that led below deck, wearing fighting leather pants -- like the ones Aelin wore -- and a loose, white shirt. He looked at me, then Aelin, confusion masking his features. “What’s wrong?” he said as he stopped beside Aelin.

“All of our guests are gone.”

“What?” he demanded.

“They. Are. Gone.” I said, enunciating each word.

He looked at me with the expression, I heard.

Well, I repeated it for you. I smiled at him.

He rolled his eyes. “They must have gone out to fly for a while. Don’t worry Aelin,” he said, taking her hand. “They will probably be back soon.”

“What do you guys think of them?” I asked.

They both turned their heads to look at me. Aelin spoke first. “They seem like nice people. I think I will accept their alliance, but will wait until we get to know them better. Amren is the only one that bothers me; she seems a bit . . . off.”

“I don’t like them very much,” Rowan said. “They seem too sophisticated -- like they know everything. Can you believe they went around asking people on their continent about us?” He shook his head in disapproval and frustration.

“They need someone to help them, Rowan,” I said, looking at him. “Apparently, there wasn’t anyone on their continent to do so, so they did some of their own research.”

Rowan looked out at the sea, his mouth set into a hard line. “That’s the thing I don’t like. He came here knowing every single little detail about us, while we know nothing about him. It’s absurd.”

“It is not absurd, Rowan. You’re just being dramatic. Is he always this dramatic, Aelin?” I looked at her.

She rolled her eyes. She faced him, still looking out at the sea, and crossed her arms. “Rowan, they seem like nice people. I would agree to their alliance right now, if I wanted to, even though I don’t know them.”

“What if we needed help to defeat someone who harmed us? Would we have done the same?” I added.

At this, he turned. “Yes,” he murmured.

“See? They didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Who -- what -- is that?” Rowan blurted, pointing at Rayen.

“I am a who, not a what. In addition, it is not nice to point,” Rayen said to him as a way of greeting.

“Excuse me?” he blurted again, his eyebrows raising. This will be fun.

“I would watch your mouth, Rowan. Rayen is very, very sensitive.” I looked down at her, and winked. She grinned. I returned the smile.

Instantly, Rowan’s face paled. “How?” he whispered, looking at me in complete shock and surprise.

“It’s a long story.” I looked out at the sea, the sun low in the sky. It must be early morning. “Is everyone still sleep --” I abruptly stopped as I saw winged creatures flying towards our ship. They were not our guests. They had webbed feet, were tall, and were a mix between human and creature. “Aelin,” I said, slowly facing her, “what are those creatures flying towards us?”

She stalked to the very edge of the deck, her face paling with each step she took. Rowan walked right beside her, his face pale, too. “Ilken,” he breathed.

Aelin jolted to a bell that was mounted on one of the hulls of the ship, and started ringing it. “Ilken!” she yelled. “Ilken! Ilken!”

At that moment, Aedion, Lysandra -- in snow leopard form -- Elide, Manon, Dorian, Fenrys, Gavriel, and Lorcan came running up the stairs that led below deck, all of them dressed, blades out.

I balked at them. “What are Ilken?” I asked Aelin as I turned to her.

“They are terrible creatures that can rip your throat out in the blink of an eye,” she said as she gathered her weapons.

My gut started to twist. “How do I fight them?”

“With weapons, your bare hands, or your powers,” Rowan answered from behind me. “Where is freaking Rhysand and his crew?” he demanded, looking around. “Are you sure you want to make an alliance with them, Aelin, if they leave on the first morning?” He glared at her.

“That is not the question you should be asking me right now, Rowan,” she angrily said as she stared him down.

The ilken were getting closer. I looked down at Rayen. “Are you ready?” She nodded once in answer. “What animal will you turn into?”

“It’s a surprise,” she whispered. She grinned. Her eyes sparkled with joy and delight.

“Great,” I mumbled. “Just be careful, okay?” She nodded.

I looked at Aelin, and the rest of my friends, who were preparing themselves. “Why are we all getting ready if there are only two of them?” I asked to no one in particular. Nobody answered. Well, then. I will just prepare myself for more to come. My wings flared from behind me, and I rallied my powers together. They thrummed, excited for battle. I pulled them all into my core, and forced them to spread throughout my body and to my fingertips. I was ready.

I looked out at the sky. The ilken were close enough for me to see every single detail of them. They grinned when they saw me, revealing sharp, jagged teeth. Chills ran down my spine. Rayen, who was beside me, still had not changed. She was waiting. For what, I did not know. All of my friends surrounded me, leaving me at the front of the group. We all glared at the ilken as they landed on the very edge of the wall, their claws digging into the wood.

“I see there is a new member of your little group,” the taller one said in a smooth -- but deadly -- voice. It looked at me, and grinned. I watched its every move; so did Rayen.

“What do you want?” Rowan demanded.

The smaller one -- a female -- pinned her stare on him. “Erawan sends a message,” she said.

“What’s the message?” Aedion asked, his face a hard mask of stone.

Both ilken looked at each other, grinned, and faced Rowan and Aelin, both tense and standing side by side. “You will see for yourself very, very, soon,” the female said. In a blink, they flew up into the sky, and vanished.

By Alexa Gantt