Pisces
Chapter 8

“Mina,” Matt breathed out.

“We should have known Pluto would send someone to keepwatch,” I said standing on my own. “Although I’m surprised it’s just you.”

“I felt confident I could handle anyone who showed upsniffing around here,” Mina said side-eying me. “But I admit, I’m impressed youfound the artifact so soon. If you managed to get away it’d be very bad forus.”

“Mina, please—”

“Quiet,” Mina said flinging her arm at Matt.

Snow and ice kicked up as a wave of gravity slammed intohim. He cried out as he flew a feet back, and eventually skidded to a stop sever yards away quiet and unmoving.

Before Mina could turn her attention back to me I was runningat her. I clenched my fist, the image I wanted coming into focus, and thenthrust it forward. A ball of ice appeared and flew at Mina’s chest. She bentout of the way just in time, but then I was on her.

I slammed my knee into her head forcing her to stumblebackwards, and a grin spread across my face.

Bitch was about to get what’s coming to her.

Elbows, punches, and even a head butt had Mina flailing backand bleeding.

Funny. They could distort our very reality, but when it cameto fists they were weak and uncoordinated. Nothing but little dogs with bigbarks.

An upper cut had Mina bending over my fist, and when Ipivoted to finish her off I made my mistake. I tried to kick on ice.

My foot connected with Mina’s temple, but my other foot hadalready left the ground causing most of the force to be lost. Karma seemed toreturn the favor though, because lights flashed when my head hit the ice. Myhead throbbed as I tried scrambling to my feet, but Mina thrust a hand at me. Agasp left me and I crashed back to the ice.

I couldn’t move. I could barely breathe. Mina knelt a fewfeet away hunched over, a hand still stretched towards me panting. I tried moving,managing to shift my arm slightly when Mina clenched her fist.

“Fuck you,” she hissed, and I screamed the last of the airfrom my lungs.

I felt my bones bending under the ungodly gravity. The icebeneath me started groaning and cracking, and dread flickered through me. Wasshe going to let me break through? If so then I wasn’t going to give her thechance. She wanted to increase the gravity—well two could play at that game. Iclosed my eyes and reach into my core, yanking back as much as I could andallowing it to radiate through me. The crushing weight lifted, and I gasped forair.

“How?!” Mina asked throwing her other hand at me. The icebeneath me shattered, I dropped into the water, and bobbed back up—feet restingon the surface of the water. Mina’s mouth fell open, “W-What?”

“I changed my density,” I said throwing myself forward.

I crossed the distance between us and shifted my density tonormal, the change rocketing me towards Mina before she could react. I raisedmy leg straight up and slammed my heel down on her face, the force so strong myankle popped and went numb. I looked up smirking, and blinked when I saw Minastaring at me just as shocked as I was.

Mina raised a trembling hand, touching her forehead where Ishould’ve hit. Then both of us looked down to see my boot on the ice.

“My apologies for the surprise Mina,” Pluto said appearingout of the air. “I don’t usually turn people into illusions, but I thought itwould be in your best health.”

“An illusion,” Mina echoed, and despite the dark I saw her pale.Who wouldn’t? For a brief moment she didn’t exist.

I stood up, ignoring the pain in my foot and watched himclosely. His mask shifted to me, and we stared silently. Behind me, Matt groanedas he came to and cursed when he saw our newest arrival.

“Nora!” I turned to see Matt throw the meteorite. Thepressure hit me before the stone did, and when I reached for it a blur past me snatchingit out of the air.

“Let’s go,” Mina said sliding to a stop beside Pluto.

Out of my peripheral Matt pulled his gun. At the same time,Pluto and I raised our hands. The gunshot cracked through the cold air, but thebullet never made it past the wall of ice that appeared from the lake surface.Matt’s mouth fell open as he looked at me, betrayal in his eyes. He looked tohis gun and saw it no longer existed, the last of the metallic dust slippingthrough his fingers.

“Sorry,” I said. “But nobody’s going to hurt my brother everagain.”

I looked back, and Mina mimicked Matt’s expression. Nobodysaid anything. Then Pluto moved, twirling his fingers and thrusting his hand out.

The meteorite left Mina’s grip and shot towards me. I raisedmy hand on instinct, and the stone slammed into my palm. My body went rigid. Apressure unlike anything before filled me—then intensified. I wanted to scream,but my jaw was locked. White filled the edges of my vision, and what felt likemolten metal started pulsing through my limbs.

I’d been tricked. That was the only explanation. Thismeteorite wouldn’t make me stronger—it was going to kill me! My mind went blankwhen pain tore through my body. A bright flash filled my vision and then nothing.