Forever a teenager

You go on, go on

So what's the point of connecting to anyone?

Is a relationship bought or is it won?

Wallows

Two days for the Hawk's Festival

— Okay, you want to go, but you can't turn your back on that kind of thing! It's like ignoring a diviner, and look, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW!! — Exclaimed Pogo.

— Anyone in this tavern is better qualified than me to handle it! Like… Phely for example!

On the other side of the tavern, Phely picked up his hatchet and threw it at the target, hitting it hard. She let out a ''ROOOOOOOARGH!'' being accompanied by whistles and polite applauses from the people around.

— That little girl accepted your destiny already! — Said Heaven, floating on top of our table. — She is an honor for Jaimian and Solva, and will lead and train a lot of Thunderhawk's. I understand why you want to get out of here, but what you saw, i know a bunch of people from my land who would kill each other for such an adventure…

I put my elbows on the table and my hands on my chin, smiling.

— I'm leaving tomorrow. — Pogo bowed his head and let out an ''ughhh'' and i swore, even on Heaven's arrow body, to see disappointment in his… Look? — And when i go, you can know from now on, that i will never come back. And it's not like my dad is going to go after me anyway. You guys know that.

I shrugged, pretending sadness in my eyes. I didn't care what my father would think of me if i got out from here. Much less him.

Pogo and Heaven looked at each other. They both knew my father very well. Sometimes i even remember him while was talking. I couldn't deny the obvious, like a father, like a daughter. Both stubborn.

— C'mon folks, if the girl wants to go, let her go! — Coming from specifically nowhere, Aldren put his feet on the table and his hand behind his head, stretching. And it also stinking of dead fish. — I, believe, in you, Beatrice.

— Oww… Thanks Aldren! — I tilted my head and smiled at him.

Pogo came very close to his face.

— You know kid, there is something very smelly with you. — He snorted. — And it's not the fishes. I really don't trust you…

Aldren just returned the look.

— I'm just here to tell to Bea, that his dress, has arrived.

I immediately stopped eating the chicken leg.

— Wait, what dress!?

Ending up in a possible parallel reality or traveling in time made me forget about one of Erlee's most important festivals. I also forgot that my goal was to get out in the middle of the festival. Being trapped in responsibilities that my ''beloved dad'' prepared every year would actually hinder me. Every year is the same thing. I hide to not participate in that stupid ritual. I get scolded. And nothing changes, i'll still hate my dad.

— Oh, i totally forgot! Your mother asked me to take you to the teeths! We better go fast, we must be late! — Heaven floated up to me and pulled me back with the arrowhead towards the door, making me almost fall out of the barrel.

— Good luck with your journey, Thunderhawk! — Screamed Aldren, bowing and showing his tongue.

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The Three Teeths shone in the moonlight, when me and Heaven arrived. Their reflection was projected in the lake where my mother was, standing and looking into the forest. She had her hand on her hips and i already knew that something was very wrong when she looked at us.

— What do you think she wants? — I whispered to Heaven.

He gone quiet for a moment and his arrow body gave a brief tremor.

— I think… I think it's a quest for a possible adventure… — Her voice thin and ecstatic with emotion, Heaven began to float towards Solva.

— Hey, wait!

I ran after it, until i got very close to my mother and stood beside her. She asked for silence, pointing to the other side of the lake.

A few seconds passed, while we were completely silent. In the middles of the trees, a light appeared, timidly, until it took shape. A girl with red hair, almost like Phely's, riding a black horse, waved at us. She wore the guard's jacket and a bow and quiver with arrows on her back. I raised my hand and gave a slight wave, kinda scared.

— Who is she!? Man, that horse is so awesome! — As if she had heard me speak, she drew a sword from its holster, which immediately took the form of a whip. She blew out the air and the horse neighed, running into the forest and both disappearing soon after, leaving a trail of smoke behind.

I was speechless, even though i had seen a lot of things. What? I'm with a floating arrow right by my side!

— So… If she's here… — Said Heaven. — That means…?

From the waters, my nemesis appeared, Greg.

— Yooo, what's up everyone! — He wore his work uniform, a cap and a badge attached to his jacket, ''Hi! My name is Gregoriah Mackenzie''. — I have a package to… Beatrice ThunderHawk.

Said Greg, grinning, when he spoke my name.

— Thank you, Mackenzie. — Thanked my mom, taking the package and giving me an ugly look right after, in which i replied with another ugly look. — Tell to Sofia and Laura that i sended hugs.

— Sure ma'am. — Greg straightened his cap looking me in the eye and sank into the water.

— Mimimi, suremimi, who wears sunglasses at night?? — I whispered softly, as my mother opened the package.

Second surprise of the night. I was expecting an expensive dress (wich one i was going to hate) and not a blazer. As if it had an invisible hanger, the clothes floated in front of us, waiting for approval.

Heaven came close and took a closer look at the set.

— Yeah, i think this will do!

In addition to the dress shoes, the white button-down shirt, the black tie, a belt, with the symbol of an eagle floated up to me and landed carefully on my head, making me look like i had two giant ears.

— Uh… Ok, i hate having to figure things out on my own, but can someone explain me what the heck is going on? — I asked, with the belt shaking, looking a choked fish.

— Those are your clothes for tomorrow's festival. — She clapped her hands and the clothes folded one by one, re-entering the package. — But the girl? I really don't know… Heaven?

— Oh, sorry! Her name is… Wait. Now that i realized that i never asked her name! Hum. Weird. Anyways, she and her horse appeared in random battles burning the enemies with light and fire! Literally. — It's tip gave a slight shake. — Ok, i think we're a little screwed.

The package fell on my head and stopped right in my hand.

— Wait, why scre… You know what? I don't even know why i asked you two to explain it to me. I figure it out on my own, as always.

Solva made a few quick movements with his hand. Almost immediately, the guard gang came out of the forest and gathered around us. Most had their guns drawn and some were injured.

— I JUST FOUGHT AN ARMY OF… I don't know what it was, BUT I WANT MORE! — Indigo's ax glowed with electricity. A little... Fried brain? It was serving as an ornament on the blade. — Wait… Are we being attacked?

— And i was going to ask… Why did i wake up in a kind of ''pirate tavern''? In the middle of… A war... Pirate? — Zoe's clothes were with some tears and you could see in her eyes that she went through some shit. — What's going on?

— Exactly!

— I believe the term we are looking for, is…

Soon, they started arguing with each other.

— Wait! — I screamed, trying to keep order. They stopped and looked at me. — Uh… I think, actually, i hope, that Heaven will explain to us.

— Thank you, Beatrice! — He floated up to the lake, so we could all see him talking. And stopping to think, this is a very strange scene. A floating arrow about to give a lecture? I bet, wherever you are, that you don't see that kind of thing every day. Thunderville is really a weird place to live... — So! Everyone knows that after i get stuck in this body and stop in this dimension, Loretra managed to close any door, in case someone from outside appeared out of nowhere in those lands, right?

Everyone nodded, except my mother who had her hands in front of her body, paying attention.

— And, everyone knows, that maybe… I got into a fight with a considerable number of beings and i'm sworn to death, right…?

Ok… Maybe, i should pay more attention to the stories he always tells…

— And… Well… We have this guy, Cardallamith… Let's say that my relationship with him is not very good. Ugh, how do i explain…

— These strange things happening is because he managed to open portal for our dimension and now he wants to destroy you and also conquer any universe that he has the chance to get his hands on. — I explained along with Marco, speaking at the same time, that by the way, he also understood what was going on.

— That's it! Oh, boy i'm ready for a fight against this asshole… — He started to rotate his body and practice some blows in the air, releasing some ''há'' and some ''iiiiiaaaa!!''.

We were silent, absorbing that situation. I put my hands on my waist proud of myself for having managed to think about it. Marco just scratched his chin, thinking.

— So. War…? — Asked Indigo, leaning on the ax.

— Oooooh! Yeah, now i know where you came from! — Making a cute voice, Albion took his hands behind his back and pulled out a small black dragon.

Everyone took a step back, startled, raising their weapons. Zoe ended up bumping into Indigo and the two fell into the lake.

— WHERE DID YOU GET THIS… THING?! — Asked Heaven, approaching carefully. Some strange sounds was coming from the beast. A very weak blue fire came out of his nostrils, burning Albion's shirt, ''I Love The Begger!''. He also seemed to have returned from an excursion from somewhere. Albion wore sunglasses and still had his pajama pants along with a slipper.

— This little guy appeared with me, when i managed to get out from the Begger! Also, it was an amazing tour! When you go there i highly recommend the sandwiches from…

Marco lifted his head, adjusting his glasses and looked at the dragon, frowning.

— Did you get to see how Lawen was doing? — He asked.

— Of course, it was the main attraction! For some reason, she was very angry, so they were limiting the number of people to take a picture… — He took a photo from his back pocket and gave it to Erin.

In the background, Lawen was attached by chains, on the wings, on the whole body and even on the ears. Her mouth didn't have a protection, but i could see that she was very weak, to ''have a party'' with the people around. In front of a protective grid, Albion posed for the photo, making a thumbs up with his hand and smiling from ear to ear. The photo resembled a lot with a postcard.

My impression or were they trying a different approach with the Begger's Hole?

— Great, now we have to worry about an army of ''we don't know what it is'' and…!

A high-pitched roar made Zoe fall with Indigo again into the lake. Clouds started to form and it started to get quite cold, along with a light drizzle that was starting to fall.

— IS THAT LAWEN? — Asked Indigo, with his clothes and the bear cloak, soaked.

— Maybe this thing is hers, and maybe not, both are in two different colors! — I said, slapping my ear trying to get the buzz off.

— Ok, here's the thing! — Said Zoe, trying to get attention. — First of all, i know today was the day off…

''Argh, man... ''

''C'mon!''

''WHAT!?''

— ...But we have to find out what is going on. Solva, can you teleport out us to… Oh, she's gone.

My mom disappeared leaving only a circle of burnt grass. And what i'm doing here, i'm not even a guard! I started to make my way towards the mansion.

— Hey, where you going? — Asked Albion, petting his new pet. Zoe designed a Thunderville hologram and started arguing with Erin. — Don't you want to stay and see what's going to happen?

— Nah, i'm tired. And we leaving tomorrow, you forgot it?

A mixture of emotions crossed Albion's face.

— Yeaaaahhhh. About that…

— Oh no, serious dude!? We're planning this like, for a month!

— I know! But… I… I finally got the free pass for The Light Ocean! You know more than anyone that i want to go there since i was a child!

— And what about Brassara? She will kill you if she hears about it! — Tears were already beginning to rise in my eyes.

— Her parents punished her for stealing the family's most powerful weapon and turning into a hammer. So she's kind of grounded… Forever.

I tried to control my breathing. Longs weeks of preparation thrown away. They weren't even paying attention! I wanted to slap Albion's RIDICULOUS FACE!

— Sure, whatever.

Snowflakes started to fall and i stepped deep, going home.

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My dad was trying to analyze the hologram of the map of some place, while my sister yelled at him.

— I WANT ANOTHER DRESS, THIS ONE IS HORRIBLE! — She threw the dress on the floor and stepped on it. — Why every year i have to wear the junk you choose? I HATE YOU!

I put the package behind my back when she came towards me.

— 'Sup, sis.

— Out of my way, weirdo. — She gave me a bump and opened the door, leaving and letting some snow in.

Usually, the Thunderhawk Mansion is one of the best places to relax after a crazy day. It's like, a super secret technological base with a lot of expensive furniture! You can rest on the circular sofa in the middle of the room with the comfort of a fireplace (Albion, Brassara and i have already made some good marshmellos there), or, if you prefer, just grab a bunch of food from the fridge and go sleep on the roof. What? Why this is strange, everyone sleeps on the roof!

What i mean is, the Mansion is the dream home for everyone. It's incredible.

Except when my dad is here.

He has such a bad energy around him that he ended up driving his friends away. And family. Hearing him speak, makes you want to punch him so hard in the face and kick your bag. Passing close to him, makes you afraid, you don't know if he is judging you or is just minding his own business. A single false step, and all…

— Beatrice.

I stopped halfway to my room and slowly turned to him. He hasn't taken his eyes of the hologram. Risking, i tried to climb the stairs without make a noi…

— BEATRICE!

— WHAT!?

The chances of me getting a lightning in my face and ending up on the other side of the island were, now, extremely high. But my dad just had his face turned towards me, waiting.

— Come here. — His voice had no emotion at all. I took a deep breath, and walked over him.

He seemed to have just returned from another of his explorations. His hair was wet and some branches were stuck there. The backpack he carried everywhere was partially torn, along with his clothes.

— I know you are planning to ''get out of here'', but don't forget that you have responsibilities. — The Navigation Table glowed in purple, revealing geographic levels and other things that in my 18 years i could never understand. Jaimian drummed his fingers, analyzing the data. — And, if you leave, you will be considered an exile. Also, the Thunderhawk family is only for those who have the lightning. You are not, and will never, be a Thunderhawk.

My father had an unbearable accent. Whenever i heard him speak, i always cursed him in a thousand different ways. His loose way, made me want to punch him in all the existing ways.

— I already knew that, when i was 10 years old, dad.— I said, raising my hand in challenge. Crying near him, would indicate weakness. — And don't worry. I will be at the festival with you and Phely.

I started to make my way to my room, leaving him alone.

I just took off my boots, hanging them on Gary, and went to lie on my hammock in my bedroom balcony. Snowflakes started to fall and in the distance, i could see the ships' lamp, giving a melancholy tone to the landscape.

My eyes filled with tears and i collapsed. Not from sadness, but from anger. Anger for my father treat me badly since i was born. Anger for not having the lightning. Anger from my friends.

It took me a long time to fall asleep. The tatto itched on the back of my hand.