Free Lucas Ryan Versus: The Return by Madison Daniel

into my pillow and blankets.
    “Ripley?” I whispered, holding my arm in front of my face. The magical markings were back and slightly filling with golden light.
     
    ~ Yes, Lucas. ~
     
    With a huge sigh of relief, I began to laugh, “Just checking.”

LEVEL 10
    FEELING GOOD
     
     
    A new dawn, a new day. As I strolled up to front of the school something felt off. The entrance didn’t look right. I couldn’t really explain it but instead of the simple double doors surrounded by glass that greeted every student at the start of the day, there were thin cracks within the paint that resemble veins. If I looked close enough they actually looked as if they were pumping blood just under the surface. Shadows and stains along the glass gave the impression of stretched skin and tendons. They surrounded the morbid doors as if enchanted. I closed my eyes and pushed through the doorway cautiously.
    The gang was already waiting at my locker. Roland had his head buried in his laptop and Taylor and Morgan stood side by side, holding hands. I walked up with a look of worry on my face and some serious luggage under my eyes, courtesy of the long night before.
    “Hey, Luc,” Taylor said. Morgan smiled and reached up and wiped away a piece of lint in my bangs.
    “Rough night?” she asked, playfully. I sighed and let a small yawn escape.
    “You have no idea.”
    “What happened?” she asked. Taylor looked at me worried.
    “I’ll fill you in later. All of you. Right now, I need to get my head in check.”
    Taylor and Morgan exchanged a concerned glance.
    “Have you guys noticed anything different around here?” I barely asked.
    “Like what?” Taylor asked, curiously.
    “Umm, I don’t know…just anything strange.” I checked the walls and lockers for any signs of strange life. Nothing, they looked normal.
    Standing up to join the conversation, Roland teased, “You mean stranger than our best friend carrying around an unknown power in his tattoo that takes the form of a dragon? Nah, haven’t seen a thing.”
    “Ro, shush!” Morgan ordered. “Someone might hear you.”
    “So,” he argued.
    “So, we need to keep Lucas’ secret, a secret. His secret is our secret. Understand?”
    Taylor added, “Yeah, man, we’re all involved in this.” Roland winked at me and patted Morgan on the shoulder.
    Then Roland proudly exclaimed, “Don’t stress, Sis, I have a theory!”
    “Oh, great…” I grumbled.
    “Let’s hear it,” Morgan nudged.
    “Well, remember when Luc found the original stone, the Jynshee Orb?”
    “Yes,” she said.
    “Back then it was an all-powerful rock created in another dimension for the sole purpose to find the one person that could harness its power and make it real. Well, that was Lucas, and that amazing power you now call Ripley. Ripley had the power to grant him any wish he wanted. You even referred to it as your own personal genie.”
    “But the stone, I mean Ripley, wasn’t all-powerful, remember, it ran out of wishes and moved onto another owner, Sophia,” I corrected.
    “Yes, I remember. Here’s the thing though, when it chose her and its form changed from the stone to the rings, I think it freed the essence of the Jynshee Orb. That essence is the unbelievable dragon that lives within your arm now, Luc,” Roland said, sure of himself.
    “What does that mean for Sophia and her enchanted rings?” Morgan wondered aloud.
    “She still holds a fantastic power but it’s something completely different now, it’s something made just for her.”
    “Like what?” I asked.
    “Just like the stone eventually told you what it wanted, what it needed, so will her rings when the time is right,” he smiled.
    “I guess that makes sense,” Morgan nodded.
    Taylor stepped forward, concerned. “But what does that mean for Lucas and his new abilities?”
    “That’s easy, Tay. Last time Lucas was the boy who discovered the limitless power of a galaxy hopping genie…”
    I leaned in closer and