Return Of The Nebula

By Riya Goswami

Preface

Once upon a time, there were three rebels who overthrew an evil queen. That is a story of the past ... The citizens of Nordostia needed strong leaders, so the girls bravely left their families to lead Nordostia into a new golden era. Now, Rosabel, Katherina, and Audrina were co-queens of Nordostia with their friend Ben Joe, serving as the Prime Minister

Section 1

The girls were trying to find somebody. Their friend Ben Joe’s sister had been missing since before the war. They were looking for her in the tunnels beneath the city. While they were looking, they found a note pinned to a wall.

The note said “I’m Denise, the Ice-girl. I welcome you to join my army! My aunt and sister are dead and my brother is a traitor. I don’t think he knows the truth. When my aunt was killed by my brother and his accomplices, she was just trying to protect me. Now I have new allies. Before my aunt died she put me in their care. With my new family, I am going to avenge my aunt. Yes! Fighting is hard…we live in the tunnels and don’t see the sun for weeks, and eat stale pretzels and chips, but we taste revenge everyday. Come join the cause! Tonight is the night we redeem ourselves.”

“Wow, that note is depressing, It also makes no sense, ” Katherina said.

“Come on K, she’s just thirteen,” said Rosabel “ Audrina, you can relate, can’t you?”. 

“Sort of. My life was pretty similar, but I didn’t have time to compose depressing notes.  I was always on the run,” said Audrina

“What does she have against us?” Katherina asked. 

“Well, I don’t know why she hates us, but we should probably get this info back to Ben Joe,” said Rosabel.

“Don’t you think he’s a bit obsessed with this? He’s been holed up in his room all day with a bunch of maps and trackers,” said Katherina.

“ Hey, if Mariah were missing, I’d be the same,” replied Audrina.

The girls got back into their hovercraft and made their way back to the palace to tell Ben Joe about their findings. They were cruising along when their hover came to a stop. They saw a tree in front of them. There was red ink smeared on the tree that said “ YOU WILL DIE. JUST LIKE OUR QUEEN - THE WOLVES”

Rosabel was terrified. She knew that some people didn’t like the new regime, but she didn’t think that they were a big problem. She definitely didn’t think that they would actually make outright threats. She looked at Audrina and Katherina. They had the same look of horror on their faces. Rosabel commanded the hover to go as fast as it could back to the palace.

When they arrived at the palace, they jumped out of the hover and ran to Ben Joe’s room. The door was locked, so they knocked on the door. Nobody answered, so Audrina opened the door with telekinesis. They found Ben Joe in the middle of the room, sitting in a pile of maps and looking at a hologram of Dana. He was in deep thought. Audrina tapped his shoulder and he jerked to attention.

“Ben, we discovered something about Denise,” Audrina said

“What? Tell me! I can’t lose my baby sister. Please!” cried Ben Joe

“Told you he is obsessed,” said Katherina

“ Not the time K,” Audrina said, “ We were in the tunnels searching for her, and we found this note.” She handed Ben Joe the note.

After reading the note, Ben Joe said “ I think she has been brainwashed. She was very close to Dana and her death must have shocked her.” He was holding back tears. “ She mentions an aunt. Our parents were the only children. She also mentions some truth. I don’t know what she is talking about. And who are the allies she talks about?”

“ Wait, I forgot! On the way back to the palace, we saw a threat on a tree from some guys called  the Wolves.” said Rosabel.

“ You guys got a threat?” screamed Ben Joe. 

“Yeah, we did,” said Katherina.

Ben Joe went into another trance. The girls left. As they walked away, Katherina asked a question that they had all forgotten about in the past six months of craziness. “ Who was Queen Velaska trying to call in the tower that day?”

Section 2

Denise needed backup. She had her family and allies, the Wolves, but there were only four of them that were younger than fifty. Denise was the oldest of the young Wolves. None of the other young ones were older than eight. If she was going to get any vengeance, she needed help. The older Wolves gave her supplies and promised that they would create distractions. Denise looked at a TV in a shop window and smiled. There was a news article running about a threat from a mysterious group. The article was saying that the Nebula Collective was trying to find the whereabouts of the Wolves. “They would never find the Wolves! Her aunt had made sure of that when she left Denise in their care.”

 Denise reached a dark alley and knocked on a door in a specific pattern. A hologram appeared. She whispered the code “ pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis” and the door slid open to reveal the sketchiest place in all of Nordostia. 

As Denise walked into the Black Diamond (Located behind Pink Fluffy Unicorns Dancing On Rainbows daycare) she felt evil in the air. There was a woman selling contraband drugs in one corner and a one-legged man selling fake documents in another. The area was lit with little hovers with lights and poison-darts to be used on anyone who tried to shoplift. A shadow darted by Denise. She aimed her gun at it. A girl with black hair revealed herself.

“What are you doing here?” the girl said. “I know everybody here, and I’ve never seen you.”

“I’m here for the Wolves,” Denise said 

“The Wolves?” the girl replied. “ My grandmother was a Wolf, but how do I know you’re not lying?”

Denise showed the girl her Wolf pin. The girl relaxed. She introduced herself as Zara and they talked for a while. Zara offered to come with Denise and introduced Denise to her friend Leon. Denise was happy. The time had finally come for her to get vengeance. 

Section 3

Audrina was exhausted. She has been looking through the palace call history all day, trying to find the call Queen Velaska made. There had been many calls on the palace line since that day, so it was taking forever. She was about to deem the search hopeless, when she found the record of December 31, 6048. She looked through the record and synchronized it with the time of the battle. The hologram was calling an unknown caller ID. She looked at the location of the call and saw that it was never recorded. That means it was time for an old fashioned meeting of the Nebula Collective.

“So, Is everyone here?” asks Ben Joe.

“It feels so different without Dana heading the meetings,” said Rosabel.

“I know, right?” said a NC

“Dana is always with us in spirit,” said Ben Joe.

“So, let’s talk about the elephant in the room, The Wolves.” said Katherina. “They are untraceable, have no record, and we don’t know how strong they are. We know they were close to Queen Velaska.”

“Wait, untraceable?” asks Audrina. “ I was scanning the call history of the palace to try and see who Queen Velaska was calling on the day of the battle and I found an untraceable number. I scanned all numbers in the Nordostia holo system and that was the only untraceable number with a special router attached to it. The special routers are usually for underground calls.”

“ That is probably the Wolves!” exclaimed Ben Joe. “They are probably living in the old train tunnels that used to run under the city in the Peaceful Era. The tunnels are still supplied for running water and really old plumbing. The tunnels are huge though. I don’t know how we’re going to find them.” 

“It’s okay. They will eventually come out of hiding,” said Audrina

Section 4

Denise sat at a cafe opposite the palace. Zara was in the public gardens and Leon was sitting by a fountain. They were talking on and testing their comms. 

“ Ok, we’re going to sneak in through the moat,” said Zara“ Yeah, I can freeze it at night and we can walk across it,” said Denise.“ That sounds good,” said Leon.

Little did they know, Marie the former maid was sitting in the same cafe as Denise, drinking her honey peach frappuccino. She overheard part of the conversation. Marie ran to the palace as fast as she could. She barged into the throne room and screamed  “The moat! Freeze! Threat!”

“Whoa, whoa, what?” asked Katherina

“Marie, are you okay?” asked Rosabel

“ I saw a girl. She is planning to break into the palace tonight. She said something about freezing the moat.” 

“Could this be the Wolves?” asked Audrina

“Maybe…” said Rosabel “We need a defense plan.”

“I can make the water push the ice open so that the Wolves fall into the icy water,” said Katherina.

“I can fly above the palace and look for danger.” said Rosabel

“If they attack, I can use telekinesis to throw heavy objects at the Wolves.” said Audrina

“I’ll keep an eye out for any more suspicious behavior,” said Marie. 

“We have to keep Ben Joe safe though.” said Rosabel “ He is in no position to fight.”

“You can say he’s going crazy,” said Katherina. “We all know he’s been unstable since Dana died and this Denise situation is making it worse.”

“Come on K, he’s not crazy. He’s just…. determined to find his sister.” replied Rosabel

“Listen, I don’t care what you guys are calling it, but Ben Joe can not be remotely close to the Wolves.” said Audrina.

The others agreed. They decided that the best plan of action was to lock Ben Joe in his tower until the coast was clear. That way, he wouldn’t have any contact with the Wolves. They made sure to barricade his door with a lot of heavy furniture. As they were locking him in, he started screaming about violation of rights and asking if they remembered that Dana sacrificed herself to free Magnificans, and now they were locking him in a tower. With earplugs and a lot of willpower, they managed to tune him out.

Section 5

That night, Denise was making her way to the palace with Zara and Leon. Denise froze over the moat, and all was going well until they were about half-way across the frozen moat. The ice started being pummeled by strong waves of water from below, and boulders started falling around them. The ice was about to break completely and submerge them in an icy grave, when they jumped onto a patch of grass on the other side of the moat. 

“We’re about to infiltrate a castle!”, Denise thought, grinning. 

Ben joe was extremely frustrated. He had tried everything he could to escape the tower, but nothing had worked. Suddenly a thought struck him. He was a Magnifican. He could sense the power in things. He hadn’t used his power in months, not since before Dana died. He reached out with his power to see if any objects could set him free, when his power landed on an iron grill on the window. He chipped away at the stone with a butter knife until the grill could be painstakingly pulled out. He then used the grill as a crowbar to pry the door open. He tripped over the barricade and came face to face with a girl that looked like a younger version of Dana.

Denise ran through the corridors of the palace until she heard a loud crack. She tensed. Zara and Leon had each taken different paths to see where they led to. A boy came tumbling over a large assortment of furniture and stopped right by her feet. She was shocked. He looked just like her. He was gaping at her as he said “Dana?”

“How do you know my sister?” Denise asked

“Wait! Denise! It’s you!” the boy exclaimed “It’s me, your brother, Ben Joe.”

Denise was overcome with memories of her childhood before her family was ripped apart. “ Ben?” she asked

“Denise, hurry, hide. A gang called the Wolves are coming.” said Ben Joe.

Denise laughed in disbelief. Her brother definitely didn’t know the truth. 

“You mean me?” she asked

“What do you mean?” her brother asked

“ I’m a Wolf, Ben. So are you. It is in our blood.” said Denise

“ No, the Wolves are bad. I knew you had been brainwashed. We are good Denise.” said Ben Joe.

“Oh, so the people who killed the last of our family are good.” she said.

“No, the person to kill our family was Queen Velaska.” said Ben Joe

“ You really don’t know our whole family tree, do you?” asked Denise.

“ Denise, stay with me. Stop pillaging castles and threatening innocent people. Stop making assassination plans and being evil. This is not the Denise I remember.” said Ben Joe

“Well too bad. This is the only me left.” said Denise.

She shot Ben Joe and walked away. She needed to find Zara and Leon. They were going to need more help if they were going to avenge Aunt V. 

Flashback: Princess Velaska is walking in an alley at night. She knocks on a door. The door opens. There is a woman that looks like Velaska but is brunette. She gasps. Velaska shoots her sister without remorse. She walks into the house and sees twins. They look about six years old. The heirs to the throne. She sneered. Her sister may have chosen a life of poverty, but these children may not. The children both obviously have powers. Velaska becomes even more angry. She is the only person in her bloodline without any powers. In her distraction, the children escape through a window. A man bursts in. Velaska shoots him as well. She hears the cries of a baby. Her sister’s youngest child. She goes into the next room and sees a little girl that looks about one year old. She is crying a lot. Velaska is about to shoot her, but at the last moment she stops. She can’t shoot a baby. She picks up the baby and takes it back to the palace.”

Section 6

Katherina ran down a corridor. She had heard a bang coming from Ben Joe’s tower. She was berating herself for failing to defend the castle. The defenses were meant for a bigger army, not a few kids. She darted around a corner and saw Ben Joe bleeding on the floor. She screamed. Ben Joe was able to say one word before he passed out. “D-d-denise.”

Denise was running away. She needed a stronger army. One that could tear down walls and fight hard. The three of them were not enough. She took a sharp right and landed in the rich sectors of Nordostia. Many of the aristocrats had liked Queen Velaska’s rules. Most of them were mad that they were not important in court anymore. They were also mad that they actually had to contribute to society. They had been the Wolves best benefactors. She ran into a fancy atrium. She was here.

Denise looked at the tables. She spotted the one she was looking for. The table of Lady Bonnenns. Her husband had been one of Queen Velaska’s advisors and she had been one of Velaska’s best friends. She would definitely sympathize.

“Denise, darling,” said Lady Bonnenns

“Hello,” replied Denise, “I was hoping you would be here.”

“I imagine you are not here just to see an old friend,” said Lady Bonnenns

“I need an army. I am going to avenge my aunt. I thought that you might be able to help me.” said Denise.

“Of course I can help you. I know everyone who’s anyone around here… Tomorrow there will be a meeting of a group that is against the new government. Go to Duke Mollins’s mansion and go in through the back door. They meet at five p.m.. They should be willing to fight with you.”

Meanwhile, Ben Joe had just gotten out of surgery. He was shocked. His sister had shot him. She was a Wolf. And, she knew something about their family tree. With all this spinning in his head, he didn’t even feel the pain of the bullet and the surgery. He was just desperate to find her… even more than before! 

Rosabel was overwhelmed. She had no idea what to do. The Wolves apparently had Denise, and instead of the sweet kid Ben Joe had told them about, she was an evil assassin. Rosabel would never hurt a kid, but she would definitely hurt a Wolf. She was in a moral dilemma. She decided that she needed some fresh air. As she was walking outside, she saw a rope fall from a palace window. She saw a figure climb out. She hurried over there and saw that it was a maid. She stayed a safe distance away and then recognized the maid as one of the new girls. She tried to think of her name. Zara, she thought. She started following Zara. 

Rosabel followed Zara all the way to an old manhole. Zara jumped down. Rosabel waited a few seconds and then followed her. The hole led to the old train tracks. Zara walked for about a mile, and then disappeared. Rosabel looked down and realized that she was standing on a trapdoor. She fell down through it and into a net. An old lady smiled. “You were looking for the Wolves, well now you’ve found us.”

Section 7

Denise was going to attend the secret meeting at Duke Mollin’s. She gasped as she crossed the cellar and opened the door to the mansion. She had never seen such an extravagant home. Sure, she had lived at the palace with her aunt for a while, but it was an old place. This was absolutely amazing. She snapped out of it and walked into the parlor. There was a gathering of fancy people in fancy clothes. When she walked in, they all stared at her. She suddenly felt self conscious.

“ Are you the Wolf girl that Lady Bonnenns was telling us about?”

“ Yes.” Denise said. She showed them her Wolf pin.

They all had a long conversation about the Wolves and what they were going to do. At the end, they made an agreement that the aristocrats would send their guards to fight alongside the Wolves and some of Velaska’s other trusted gangs. 

At the palace, nobody had seen Rosabel in days. Audrina was getting worried. They had sent out countless search parties to find her. Audrina was pacing in Rosabel’s room and trying to figure out where she had gone. Nothing was missing. Last time anyone had seen her, she was going on a walk. The Wolves had also been awfully quiet since Rosabel disappeared. Rosabel hadn’t eaten in days. She was kept in a cage like an animal and was permitted to use the bathroom twice a day. The younger Wolves seemed innocent enough, but the older Wolves were horrible to her. At least she had gotten some intel. If she would be alive to share that intel. She sighed. One of the Wolves had been torturing her every day.  She was electrically shocked in a tub of water, burnt by a fire that was just hot enough to hurt, but not enough to injure her, and was forced to stand still on one leg for five hours straight. This was going to be a long imprisonment.

Denise finally had an army. She finally was going to be vindicated. She was happy. But Ben Joe’s words kept coming back to her. What did he mean by saying that Queen Velaska had killed their family? Aunt V would never do anything so horrible. After the battle, the remaining Wolves had told her that Dana had been stabbed by one of her fellow Nebulans. She was also told that her parents were killed by Magnificans, and that’s why Aunt V was imprisoning them. Well, she was about to kill the killers of her aunt. She could worry later.

Section 8

Katherina was extremely bored. Ben Joe had wanted to search through all the family trees of Nordostia to see if he had an aunt. With Rosabel missing and Audrina leading the search for her, she was the only one available to help Ben Joe. So far, there was nothing.  Then, Katherina accidentally tipped over a wooden box. It was fancier than all the other boxes in the archives. A paper tumbled out. Ben Joe picked it up.

“This is the royal family tree.” he said “It’s the only one we haven’t seen.”

“Well, I doubt you’re on there.” said Katherina

“No harm in looking.” said Ben Joe 

“Fine,” said Katherina. “Did you know Queen Velaska had an older sister? Apparently her name was Princess Eliana.” 

“Wait, Eliana?” asked Ben Joe. “Can you look her up in the database? My mom’s name was Eliana.”

Katherina looked up the name “Princess Eliana” in the archive database and found something. Eliana had married a commoner and had three kids. One of them was dead. She clicked on that kid and a file popped up. It was a picture of Dana. The other kids’ files had pictures of Ben Joe and Denise. 

“Um… Ben Joe, Princess Eliana was your mother.” she told him “And that would mean that Queen Velaska was your aunt.”

Upon hearing those words, Ben Joe fell to the ground as saw a flashback…a memory that he tried so hard to forget but never truly went away.

Flashback: Dana and Ben Joe have just heard their parents get shot. Their aunt was sneering at them with a gun. She seemed distracted. Dana pulled Ben Joe out of the window. They ran as fast as they could until they got out of breath. They saw Magnifican kids being pulled out of a Magnifican group home. They defeated the guards taking them away and saved them. Together they built a home in a cavern under the city. They were the Nebula Collective.

Katherina used her power to douse Ben Joe in cold water. He screamed. He explained his flashback and how Queen Velaska had killed his parents. Ben Joe was about to pass out again, so Katherina commed his doctor to see him and left.

Audrina had an idea. It may not work, but it was an idea. Her plan was to lure the Wolves to the castle, without Rosabel, and then get the Nebula Collective to go full out battle mode. Then, she would go with Katherina into the tunnels to rescue Rosabel. She knew that if fighting would happen, it would be horrible, but she knew the Wolves were a small group, and hoped that they would be scared off by the big army. It would be risky, but it was a risk she was willing to take for the sake of her friends.

Section 9

Denise was sitting peacefully in front of the fountain in the Nordostian botanical garden, when her comms unit picked up a new conversation. She heard co-queens Katherina and Audrina talking about how there would be a huge peace ceremony at the palace in a week, and that there would be no security. 

The perfect time to attack. Too perfect. It had to be a trick. She received a comm from Zara. It was asking about the announcement and if they would go or not. “They think we’re small,” she replied. “Only send a few soldiers so they think their plan worked. The rest of us will guard the tunnels.”

Rosabel was confused. The Wolves hadn’t come to her in days. She was starving. It looked like they were preparing for something big. She had heard snippets of conversations and had put together that the palace was throwing some celebration and they were going to fake attacking it.  She had to figure out how to warn her friends. 

On the other side of the city, Audrina and Katherina were standing on a palace balcony and waiting for an attack. They were getting a bit bored. There was only so long you could watch a carnival without getting sick of it. They were doubting that there would even be an attack, when a bullet flew past their heads. Katherina quickly did her water vapor travel trick, and they were out of there. They were rematerialized by an old mining shaft in the woods.  There was already a group of Nebulans there. Suddenly, Ben Joe, who they had locked in a tower again, came running into the clearing.

“I found her! I found her!” he screamed “The Wolves live underground!”

“Yeah, Ben Joe, we know,” said Katherina “That’s why we’re here.”

“I must rescue her!” cried Ben Joe as he jumped down the shaft and started running.

Audrina ordered  “We need you guys to distract the Wolves, and you guys to find Denise, you guys to follow Ben Joe, and we’ll get Rosabel”. Everybody leapt down the shaft and went in their respective directions.

Denise heard somebody jump down the mine shaft not too far from the Wolves’ hideout. She was confused. It sounded like one person, but weren’t there at least one hundred members of the Nebula Collective? Then she heard a lot more people fall down the shaft. That made more sense. She was glad that they thought her brother was in no state to fight. She didn’t know if she could handle fighting him again. She heard somebody running towards the room where they kept Rosabel. She remembered that there were no guards there. She ran there as fast as possible.

Rosabel heard footsteps. She looked at the doorway. She hoped that the Wolves had brought her some food. Instead of seeing a Wolf with a stale food tray, she saw Ben Joe tearing through the tunnel. He almost ignored her, but she screamed “Ben Joe! Help! I’m over here!”

“Rosabel?” he said “Why are you here?”

“I’ve literally been here for days! They kidnapped me!” she said “Have you not noticed that I was gone?”

“Umm… no.” he replied

“Wow, maybe Katherina was right about you going crazy.” she muttered.

Section 10 

Katherina and Audrina burst into the cavern. On the other side, Denise also ran in. They all screamed in surprise. Then, there was a big boom and rocks started falling from the ceiling. They all took cover, and when the booms stopped, both exits were blocked.

“Rosabel!” Katherina and Audrina exclaimed in unison.

“You look like you have been run over by a truck and then starved.” said Katherina

“Hey!” said Audrina as she lightly punched Katherina in the arm

They freed Rosabel from the cage and gave her some snacks they had packed. They were all having a nice reunion until they saw that Denise had a gun pointed at them. 

“Finally, I will get vengeance for my parents, my sister, and my aunt,” Denise said

“Wait, we didn’t kill your parents or sister” said Audrina

“Well my parents were killed by Magnifican rights activists and my sister was killed by the Nebula Collective.” said Denise

“No, your parents and sister were killed by your aunt, Queen Velaska,” said Katherina “Why would Magnificans kill your parents? Your parents were the original Magnificans - the source of all powers… And Dana was our leader. Why would we kill her?”

“Well, then what really happened?” asked Denise. “Tell me the truth or I'll shoot you.”

“I think this is a story for Ben Joe to tell. He was there and saw it with his eyes.”

Section 11

“ Our mother was Princess Eliana. She was supposed to be the next queen. She was the most powerful Magnifican ever and was the source of all the Magnifican powers in the world. But she married our father, a commoner, and chose to live with him and raise her kids in peace. She didn’t want the riches but wanted her kids to inherit the throne after her. 

Queen Velaska (Princess Velaska then) was jealous. She was the only one in their family without any powers. But she wanted the throne badly and could do anything for it. She decided to murder her sister. One night, she came to our house and knocked on the door. She shot mom and dad and was about to shoot Dana and me, but we ran away. She kidnapped you and told you lies about us. She told the kingdom that we were all dead of a virus. But she never stopped hunting me and Dana down, because many civilians still believed that we were alive, and were the rightful heirs to the throne. 

A few years later, we had built up the Nebula Collective and declared war against Queen Velaska. One day, Dana was buying provisions for the Nebulans when she was taken by the Velaska’s soldiers. After Lord Bonnenns was killed at the battle, Queen Velaska stabbed Dana to death. I was there. It was horrible. At the end of the battle, we had cornered Queen Velaska as she was trying to call the Wolves. She started shooting at us indiscriminately. We were able to unlock the secret Magnifican power in time to defeat her and her minions.” said Ben Joe “Somehow, the whole kingdom, including us, lost the memories of our parents and who they were after they died. I’ve been having these weird flashbacks ever since Dana died. We only confirmed this story after searching through the archives a few days ago.”

Denise was stunned. She was trying to comprehend what Ben Joe was telling her when she blacked out.

Section 12

Denise was in a flower field. Dana was wearing a white dress and walking towards her.  

“Hello Denise.” she said

“Dana?” Denise replied “I thought you were dead!”

“Dead, yes. Gone, no.” Dana said “I am in Kurukshetra. After I served my time on Earth I came here.  This is where Magnificans’ souls begin and where we go when we die. This is a place with no suffering.”

“Well, am I dead?” asked Denise

“No silly, of course not.” said Dana. “ I just needed to give you some advice.”

“What advice?” asked Denise

“Think about what you are doing now. Trying to kill the members of our family. Trying to destroy the ones that are trying to help you. They are not evil. Who are you? Really, just think, "Who are you?” said Dana.

“That is all I am permitted to say. Our time is almost up. You will return to the real world soon. Just remember what I have told you.”

“Wait, come back with me!” cried Denise

“I will come back, one day. I must serve my time here. But, the time master knows that my time wasn’t fully served on Earth. I will be back with you soon. We are out of time now. Farewell, Denise.” said Dana

“Who’s the time master? What’s happening? Dana?” Denise screamed as she faded away.

Denise woke up cold and wet. Katherina had soaked her with cold water vapor from the air. The first thing Denise said “ I understand now. I am on your side.”

Denise explained what happened when she blacked out. After her encounter with Dana, she had also reclaimed all of her childhood memories. Everyone was thoroughly confused.

“Who’s the time master?” asked Rosabel

“How is she dead but not gone?” asked Katherina

“ A magical field of flowers in the sky?” asked Audrina

“Dana is coming back?” asked Ben Joe

“ I don’t understand it either, but what’s important is that I’ve found my true self.” said Denise “ I know it isn’t enough, but I’d like to sincerely apologize for all the bad things I’ve done. Please forgive me.”

“Of course we forgive you Denise!” said Rosabel, “ You were a victim of Queen Velaska’s lies.” 

“Well, after this, Ben Joe’s my only family left that isn’t in the clouds in a magical garden. I understand if you never want to see me again, Ben Joe.” said Denise

“ Denise, I’d never do that!” said Ben Joe “ You are definitely forgiven.”

Section 13

“BOOM” There was a loud noise as the rock that was crowding the door exploded. It was Zara and the Wolves.

“Call off the attacks” said Denise

“ What? No.” said Zara.

“ No, these guys aren’t evil!” said Denise

“Of course they aren’t evil. I’ve known it all along.” said Zara

“What?” asked Denise

“Yeah, I’ve been using you the whole time,” said Zara. “I can’t believe you thought we were really friends.”

“No!” said Denise

“Yes, and if you don’t want to obliterate these guys anymore, sorry but I have to kill you too. It’s finally time for the Wolves and all the other gangs to have power.” said Zara

Suddenly, all of the Nebulans burst into the tunnel.

“Wow, this is exactly like the battle of Nordostia.” said Katherina

  All of the Nebulans got into fighting positions. The gang members also got into fighting positions.  Then Rosabel screamed.

“Stop! No fighting! The last battle we fought in, a lot of people died. That battle is the cause of this problem! Do you really want to go through this all again?” she screamed

Most of the people put down their weapons and all agreed that nobody wanted to repeat the battle of Nordostia. Then a bullet came flying through the air straight at Rosabel. She shrieked. Denise, Katherina, and Audrina came running at her at the same time. She was hit. Thankfully, she was only hit in the arm.

“This arm just healed from the last battle.” she laughed “I think it just wants to keep being hit by stuff.”

Katherina, happy that Rosabel was okay, looked around for the shooter. She saw Zara with a gun sitting on a window ledge that opened above ground. She backflipped out of the window. 

“You haven’t seen the last of me!” she screamed as she fell into a dumpster that was right under the window. 

“Pretty stereotypical exit.” commented Katherina

Everybody laughed. Then, the Nebulans arrested the older Wolves and the criminals who had been hiding in the tunnels. The rest of the people, who had no idea what they were actually doing, went to the police station for a quick interrogation. Rosabel was given medical care for her arm and the other wounds the Wolves had inflicted upon her during her imprisonment. All of their families flew over from England for an extravagant nine-day celebration in the honor of Denise.

Epilogue

Denise was having the most fun she had ever had in her life. She had made friends with Audrina’s sister, Mariah. But she still wondered about her encounter with Dana in the tunnels. She brushed it out of her mind. That was a question for another time. Now was the time to have fun. She joined Mariah at the cotton candy booth at the festival. 

Katherina, Rosabel, Audrina, and Ben Joe were on the ferris wheel when they saw something weird. They looked to the sky and swore they could see a field of flowers. They also swore that when they looked up, they could see a figure waving at them. When they blinked it was gone. But after the festival, when they were in the game room, there was a note in a shimmery silver ink. It said “See you guys soon!”

But that was a secret not for now. Now was the time to make Nordostia better than ever before. Rosabel, Audrina, Katherina, Ben Joe, and Denise were the best leaders in history.  As they all once said, they had unlocked their inner heroes, now it was time to use that heroism.

Find out what happens next in the next book, The Nebula Strikes Back* (Not written yet)

*may not be final name

By Riya Goswami