The Rise of the Earth by Jeanette and Myrna (good books to read for teens txt) 📖

to me! I really don’t know what I did.’ Lux pleaded, and quickened her pace to keep up with her sister.
Finally when they reached their room, Caliga turned to Lux and said,
‘You didn’t do anything. All you did was remind me of what we are doing here and what our real mission is. And it’s not playing around here with these people. We are running against a timer, the second it runs out, it’s over, we both don’t exist anymore! Now, go away, I need some time to prepare, we are going leave soon and travel on our own, like it was supposed to be. If Aunt found out that about what we were doing, I’d be in so much trouble right now.’
‘WHY?! I like it here. Just because you’re the manliest girl in the world doesn’t mean we both have to be alone!’ Lux yelled
‘And whose fault do you think it is that I ended up this way?’ The air around Caliga got so hot that Lux had to take quite a large step back. ‘It’s because your such a spoilt brat who think everyone is nice and that life is easy, well have a wake up check! It’s not! Especially not for me.’ Caliga slammed the door in Lux’s tear stained face.
‘Fine be that way.’ Lux screamed and stormed off to go find Thalia. She bumped into Ryan, but didn’t say anything as she stormed off.
‘What the hell did that girl do?’ Ryan shook his head as he knocked on Caliga’s door.
‘Go away! I’m tired.’ Caliga yelled through the door.
‘I’m coming in...’ the door creaked as Ryan weighed his odds about going in. First option was to turn tail and run, but then Thalia would probably be mad and he’d have hell to pay. Then there’s entering the room where it would most probably rain fire...but sister made him shudder more, so in he went.
The room was in complete darkness, the curtains closed and Caliga was hiding underneath her blankets, as quite as ever. If Ryan hadn’t heard Caliga yell at him before he entered the room, he wouldn’t have known that she was in there.
As he walked into the room, Lux had left her large rucksack in the middle of the floor, and of course, Ryan tripped over it. So down he fell, straight on top of Caliga. She yelped from surprise as she shot a fireball at his head, which just missed him.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ She asked impatiently, ‘get out now! I want to be alone.’
Ryan just sat up quickly, and rooted himself to the end of her bed.
‘I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong?’ Ryan asked as confidently as he could, but in his brain, he was hoping that he would get out of this alive, and preferably without burns.
‘Why do you care you stupid person?’
‘Why not?’
Not one of his best moves, because the second he said that, another fireball was thrown at his head.
‘Man, you’re an angry girl today.’ Ryan complained while rubbing his head from another almost hit to the head.
‘Just go and annoy someone else, I’m not in the mood today. And if you piss me off anymore, I swear to the Gods that I’ll toast you alive and then revive you, then toast you again because once wasn’t enough.’
And anyone that knows Caliga knows that her threats are all 100% real.
Ryan flinched a bit, but he didn’t move. Eventually after much pointless arguing between the two, Caliga let Ryan stay for a little bit.
‘So are you going to tell me what’s wrong then?’ Ryan asked again, but with more confidence that he would come out if this one alive.
‘Nothing’s wrong.’ Caliga demanded
‘Please, we all know that you’re the world’s worst liar. When you lie, you start to look in all directions and your fingers twitch. So are you going to fess up or not?’
‘Let’s go with NOT! Now please for the love of the Gods, go away!’ Caliga begged.
‘I think not, not until I have my answer.’ Ryan smiled smugly.
‘Take that stupid grin off your face, you may have been able to stay in my room, but you haven’t won this battle yet.’ Caliga grumbled.
She then stood up, and walked towards the door. However Ryan wouldn’t let her go before he got her answer, he grabbed her wrists and pulled her down so they ended up lying down, facing each other, on the bed, Ryan’s face staring straight at Caliga. He took off Caliga hood that was hiding her face, and underneath, were tears trickling down her face.
‘I’m not allowed to do this. I’m just born to protect Lux, nothing more, nothing less. I should have never been born. If I hadn’t none of this would have ever happened.’ Caliga whispered.
‘Shut up you idiotic woman!’ Ryan yelled.
Caliga was to stunned that Ryan had actually raised his voice that it brought her back from the back of her mind and realised what was happening.
‘Get off of me Ryan.’ She growled
‘No.’ Ryan said defiantly.
‘Ryan.’ Caliga said again, ‘Get off of me now.’
‘Make me.’
But Caliga couldn’t move. Something made her unable to get up from the bed. She turned her head to the side and started to cry again.
‘Now look at me.’ Ryan ordered.
And slowly but surely, Caliga moved her head until they were looking straight at each other. It was quiet for a few seconds, and just as she tried to get up again, Ryan held her down.
‘Please just let me go, please.’ Silent tears dripped down her face.
‘I can’t take this anymore!’ Ryan said.
The before Caliga could do anything, Ryan leaned forward and kissed her. But oddly, she didn’t mind it. It was like the feminine side of Caliga pushed its way out into the open and took over. Her body just followed his lead. It took a few minutes before she realised what they were doing. She quickly came back to her senses and kicked him off of her.
‘What the hell was that?’ Caliga yelled, her face a very bright red
‘It was called a kiss my dear, if you didn’t know.’ Ryan just smiled and walked straight out of the room, but not before another fireball was thrown at his head.
After he had left, Caliga buried her head in her pillow, embarrassed as ever.

The lunch bell sounded and the rest of day went on as usual, except for the awkward silence when Caliga and Ryan were both late for lunch and they ended up sitting next to each other. Thalia and Lux just looked and gave a quick smile at each other, they were going to have so much fun terrorising Caliga tonight about what had happened.


‘So, you going to tell us what happened? Or are we just going to have to force you to say anything?’ Thalia questioned Caliga when they were all back in their room.
‘Nothing happened.’ Caliga lied
‘Ha, as if we’d believe that!’ Thalia smiled and called for Lux to help her.
‘Please tell us my dear wonderful sister...’ Lux tried to pull the sweetest face that she could, her voice dripping with sugar coated words.
‘Don’t try to pull the sister thing here Lux. I’m only your protector technically, I don’t exist.’ Caliga smiled one bone chilling smile and went to lie down in her bed.
Lux whispered that she didn’t think that they would get anything out her tonight, so they all tucked themselves into bed and fell asleep.

The small alarm clock struck 1’oclock in the morning, and everything on the ship was quite. Nothing moved, nothing creaked, and it was as if time had stopped. The silence was broken when Ryan started to do his rounds around the ship. He heard someone walked around behind him, but when he turned his head to look over his shoulders, nothing was there. But the sound didn’t go away, every time Ryan took another step forward, the other person took two. Eventually, whatever it was, caught up with him. All he knew what that someone, or something, was taking deep, heavy breaths behind him. Ryan turned around as quickly as he could, but it wasn’t something that was behind him, it was Gaia. But just as Ryan pulled out his sword and tried to attack Gaia, it just went straight through her, and she just kept on walking forward as if nothing had happened. Ryan tried to hit her again, this time with his fist, but that didn’t work either. Gaia just kept on moving forward, towards Acario’s room. Ryan was puzzled but ran after Gaia, however, by the time he reached the girl’s room, Gaia was gone. Ryan looked around, puzzled, but then he just shrugged and thought that he had just imagined everything. But the second that he left the room, he looked back just the make sure that Gaia wasn’t there. She wasn’t but what he did see was Acario sitting straight up in her bed, eyes glowing a bright green. She got up out of bed, and started to walk towards Ryan.
‘Acario? You awake?’ He asked while taking a step back.
Caliga didn’t say anything, but just walked past him, eyes still glowing and her face was very pale. Ryan tried to get her attention by grabbing her wrist and asking her what was going on, but when he tried, she just glared at him and lit herself on fire. He quickly let go and just decided to follow Caliga to where she was going. They walked up the stairs and up onto the top deck when Acario just stood still in the middle of the floor. Ryan, like an idiot, almost bumped into her when she stopped walking, but he slowed down just in time. All was quiet for around three seconds when Ryan felt the air getting hot, really hot. The wind started to howl and the floor was slowly being covered in ice. All the plants started to over grow and twist and turn around everything until the top deck was just plants and ice. It was all except for where Caliga was standing. And every time she took a step forward, she would leave a trail of clear patched behind her. Ryan had to follow in her footsteps because if he took one foot out, it would be covered in ice and vines. Not regarding anything that was happening around her, Caliga stepped up onto the side of the ship, and started to chant some words in a language that Ryan couldn’t understand. But all he knew was that the second that she stopped speaking, the deck turned back to normal.
Ryan ran up and caught Caliga as she fell backwards towards him. Her eyes were closed now but even more markings had shown up on her arms, and they all had turned a shade darker. Ryan was about to carry her back to her room, when Caliga grabbed his face and pulled him in closer, whispering
‘Gaia didn’t hurt anyone did she?’ her eyes still were closed shut.
‘No she didn’t.’ Ryan answered
Caliga let out a sigh and said, ‘Thank the Gods. But she’s going to come again, I need to leave before I hurt someone again.’
‘You’re not leaving anywhere unless I say so. Now can you stand up or shall I carry you back to your room?’
There wasn’t an answer. So Ryan lifted her up and took her back to the room where Lux had just woken up and was looking around for her sister.
When Ryan saw Lux he called her over and asked