His fingers brushed against the cover, and a chill ran down his spine.
Maybe, just maybe, this book held the answer to everything.
The love for mythology, fantasy stories, and video games in Marquis was triggered. He glued his eyes to the book, amazed by its title. He snatched it and ran to his room, placing his food on the desk before sitting down to read. Once he started, he forgot about his food and all he could focus on were the pages. His blood rushed with every flip.
Words from the book burned in his mind.
"If only I could get that kind of power," he thought.
After finishing, he sprinted back to his father's office and rummaged through his things. On the desk were maps, most marked with X showing places his father had searched for the Orb. Then, a map fluttered to the floor. One area was circled repeatedly: the Ever Green Mountain, a place that stayed green year-round without change.
Marquis froze, then picked it up. "The Ever Green Mountain," he murmured. The map had fallen from his father's notebook. He skimmed the notes and his father, a historical archaeologist, was convinced the Orb was hidden there.
Marquis closed his eyes, terrified of what he was about to do. He took a deep breath, pushed his father's chair aside, and lifted the rug beneath it, revealing a safe. He tried codes, birthdays, anniversaries but nothing worked. Then he remembered, 11/09, the one day his parents got along. The safe clicked open.
Inside were money, documents, and another notebook. He reached inside and his hands shook as he took the cash, this was crossing a line he couldn't uncross.After taking the money he closed the safe and fled to his room. That night, he fell asleep smiling.
At dawn, Marquis shoved a bag of supplies into a minivan idling outside. Just as he climbed in, a voice stopped him.
"Twerp, where you going this early?"
Dex, Ethan, and Kareem loomed behind him.
"Did you forget?" Dex smirked. "You're supposed to be at my house doing chores and homework."
"I...I'm sorry, Dex. I'm going camping. I'll do your homework and Miss Chiedza's project on the trip," Marquis stammered.
"Camping?" Dex's grin widened. "Sounds awesome. We're coming."
"Yes, sir! Road trip!" Ethan cheered.
Kareem forced a smile. "Come on, guys, let's give him a break..."
"Reem, since when are you a bitch?" Dex shoved him. "We're going."
Before Marquis could protest, Dex clapped his shoulder. His grip tightening until it hurt, "Don't worry, buddy. Your parents won't mind us tagging along."
Marquis clenched his jaw. If he argued, his parents would find out. "Fine. Get in."
"Not yet!" Ethan said. "We need Nia and Chloe."
The van sped down the highway. Up front, Tommy the driver and Marquis. Behind them was Dex, Ethan, and Kareem, ogling Nia and Chloe in the back.
Nia's ebony skin glowed under her gray crop top and track pants, her toned abs bare to the wind. Chloe's short skirt rode high on her thighs, her blue eyes icy.
Ethan scribbled love notes to Nia, all rejected. Dex flexed at Chloe.
"Dex! Stop," she snapped.
"Just look at these guns, sweetheart." He grinned.
Kareem stayed quiet, watching Marquis's silent rage. Even Tommy noticed but kept driving, Marquis was paying with stolen cash, after all.
At fuel stops, Dex's crew horsed around while Marquis brooded in the van.
Hours later, they arrived at the Ever Green Mountain's restricted backside.
"Sneaking in? Not bad, twerp," Ethan said.
"Eh, I've done worse," Dex shrugged. "But this'll be a dope weekend for sure."
The van parked at the mountain's base. The group spilled out, grinning at the emerald peaks.
Marquis paid Tommy. "Wait here tomorrow morning. Don't be late."
With Dex here, the trip was ruined. He unfolded the map, hands shaking. "Let's go."
"We're coming, twerp!" Dex crowed. "Yo! Let's go guys. "
They trekked into grass as tall as they were, vanishing into the green. A hidden trail led deeper toward the mountain and whatever waited beyond.
"Hmm, looks like the locals all sneak into the mountain," said Kareem. "Let's just follow the trail they made."
The group followed the trail until they reached a long fence clearly installed to prevent trespassers. Its towering height made jumping over impossible. As they searched for an entry point, Kareem spotted a hole in the fence a few meters away.
What lay beyond stole their breath.
An otherworldly panorama unfolded before them: colossal emerald trees with canopies like cathedral ceilings, flowers pulsing with unnatural vibrancy, and birds whose crystalline songs seemed to harmonize with the wind itself.
"Yoohh! Is this shit real?" Dex breathed, his usual swagger replaced by wonder.
Ethan gripped Dexter's shoulder, knuckles white. "Bro... no wonder people won't shut up about this place. This shit's insane!"
"Last one inside carries all our stuff!" Chloe shouted, already sprinting toward the gap with Nia at her heels. The boys whooped and gave chase, backpacks bouncing as they crashed through the undergrowth.
"Guys, we can't just...." Marquis's protest died unheard. With a resigned sigh, he trudged after them, already anticipating their mocking demands to haul their gear.
But when he stepped through?
The true majesty of Evergreen Mountain revealed itself.
The first thing they saw was a beautiful, shiny white snake going up a tree, its tail filled with rainbow colors. The group couldn't stop staring. Once the snake disappeared up the tree, they started to hike up the mountain. With so much vegetation, it was pretty easy for them to climb, grabbing onto vines, strong grass, and tree branches. They would stop here and there to admire the view and catch their breath.
They reached a flat surface where they could actually stand and run around without falling. There seemed to be a small pathway filled with flowers and huge trees on the sides. The group followed the pathway with eyes full of curiosity. The path started to get larger as the group was about to reach its end. When Dex, the one leading the group, noticed that the pathway was reaching its end, he moved off the pathway and started walking behind the trees. The rest of the squad looked at each other and just followed what their leader was doing.
When Dex finally reached the last tree, he tilted his head to see what was at the end of the pathway. Instantly, his jaw dropped to the floor and his eyes popped out in shock. He couldn't believe what he was looking at.
"Guys, you've got to check this out," he signaled with a low voice.
The rest of the squad crowded behind him and froze.
Before them, a waterfall with water so clear it seemed made of liquid glass. Below it, a pond shimmered with the same impossible clarity. And standing in it's center,
A Phoenix
Flame colored feathers blazed across its body, crowned with gold. It stood four times taller than a man, it's plumage four times longer than a peacock's.
The phoenix walked under the waterfall, and the sounds of water getting thrown into flames emanated from the creature's body. It got out from under the waterfall and shook its head, then started shaking the rest of its feathers, steam rising from its body.
Ethan, who had stayed behind to pee, finally caught up to his friends. "What the... Are you guys seeing this?" he yelled.
Dex, Kareem, Chloe, and Nia turned toward him instantly in distress and quickly covered his mouth.
"Shhhh!"
Marquis placed his right hand on his forehead while shaking his head, inwardly mumbling, "These fools will definitely get me killed out here."
One of the phoenix's eyes quickly moved when it heard Ethan. It slowly turned its head and looked directly at the four kids struggling to keep their friend quiet. The fire in its eyes quickly faded.
From behind a tree, Marquis's voice echoed, "Guys..."
"Be quiet, twerp," Dex snapped, still trying to stop Ethan from making noise.
"It's looking at you," Marquis said again.
Dex and his friends froze and slowly turned their heads toward the phoenix. It was looking right at them, tilting its head sideways, amused by them.
"Let's slowly back away from the pond," a voice echoed. The group turned around to see Kareem already 20 meters away, escaping. They were shocked by how fast he had moved. They began backing away from the creature.
Marquis, still behind a tree, opened his backpack and took out a rulebook, one given to tourists who visited the mountain.
Dex and his friends were backing away when Dex noticed Marquis relaxed behind a tree, reading.
"That lil' twerp," he snarled.
The phoenix grew tired of watching them and turned its whole body toward them.
"We're dead," Ethan muttered, his legs shaking.
Drops of sweat fell from Dex's chin. "We're fucked."
As for Kareem, he was already hiding behind a tree, waving his hands, signaling Chloe and Nia to join him. His mind raced with images of the two beautiful girls pressed against him, holding on for dear life. Chloe and Nia were about to head toward him, but when they saw the weird, creepy grin on his face, they bolted hiding behind a different tree.
The phoenix walked out of the pond. Dex and Ethan, still in its line of sight, froze in fear, shaking in their boots. But the creature ignored them, walking to its right toward a bed of beautiful flowers. It settled atop the flowers, tucked its head under its wing, and fell asleep, basking in the warmth of the orange setting sun.
Dex and Ethan looked at each other and sighed in relief. The others peeked from behind their hiding spots, then came out, scratching their heads.
"I guess it doesn't really care about us huh?" Kareem said.
Dex glared at Marquis. "Why the fuck was he so calm? Is he playing games with us?" Anger burned in his eyes.
Chloe pulled out her phone, about to take a picture of the phoenix.
"Wait till we show the girls this," she boasted, already imagining how she'd gloat about the trip.
A hand instantly snatched her phone away. A cold look flashed in her eyes.
"How dare you?" she spat.
Dex seized Marquis's collar, lifting him off his feet "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
"Let me go! You're all gonna get us killed!" Marquis's breathing quickened. He gripped Dexter's hands, trying to free himself but it was no use. He kicked wildly toes barely grazing the dirt.
On the bed of flowers, fire slowly lit across the phoenix's body. It lifted its head from under its wing, and its pupils shifted from golden to orange, its anger rising. The flowers beneath it blackened, the air rippled with heat.