Ava Can Fly

By AvocadoBlossom

Amazing cover by Light and Bright

Check out my other fanfic: Daughter of the Nobility

## Synopsis

Aviana Ivory Vacker, daughter of Sophie Foster and Fitz Vacker, is a star student, super-popular, and this close (imagine a centimeter between someone's fingers) to getting a boyfriend. Life is perfect, especially with her extra-sweet best friend Dulce Sencen.

But of course, this all has to change.

One day, a human enters the Lost Cities. He travels to Foxfire, and kills four students.

How will Aviana's life change?

## Chapter One

“Aviana Ivory Vacker! Come down here right this instant!” I could hear Dad’s yells from all the way upstairs. He seemed annoyed.

“Sorry Daddy. I’ll be there in a second!” I rush down the stairs to the meeting room, where my father stands tall, teal eyes staring into my soul.

“You’re going to be late. If that happens, you will not be allowed to ride Silveny for a whole month.” So that’s why he’s mad. I’m going to be late for the Opening Ceremonies, and I know it.

“Sorry if my hair doesn’t cooperate!” I yell as I scurry back up the stairs, straight into my bedroom, where I notice Ella the Elephant smiling up at me from my bed. I sit down at my vanity and begin to tug through my wavy dark brown hair. Unlike my mother, who is dead-on blonde, I was born with chocolate hair, just like my dad.

I pull it into a low chignon bun and rush back down the stairs, pulling my cape over my shoulders. I pick up the Vacker family crest and pin it onto my cream white cape. In walks my mom, looking more regal than even Councillor Oralie herself.

“You look stunning, darling.” My dad looks at mom with love-filled eyes. And he’s indeed correct. She’s wearing a deep blue, slim dress that knots gracefully at the waist, her hair is down and curled, and she’s wearing very minimal make-up. Her cape, with our family crest on it, is pinned around her neck by dad.

“Thank you, Fitz. Might I say, you clean up quite well!” Mom smiles dearly at him, and then, after a long pause of awkward silence, we use our pathfinders to bring us off to Foxfire.

## Chapter Two

“Hello and welcome to Opening Ceremonies, dear Foxfire students and beloved parents! The Ceremonies will begin shortly!” Magnate Leto announces. I notice my best friend, Dulce Xena Sencen, daughter of Keefe Sencen and Biana Vacker, weave her way through the unruly crowd and come to stand by me.

“Can you believe we’re fourth levels now? I can’t. We’re so old!” She sounds like she’s on the brink of exasperation.

“Neither can I! I’m so excited! I manifested a new power, but....I don't know if I can tell you...will you keep it a secret?” I smile at Dulce, appreciating her enthusiasm in everything.

“Of course. And seriously? That makes, what? Five special abilities? Are you kidding me? Lucky! I’m stuck with good old frosting..” Dulce sighs. She’s obviously jealous. I’m already a telepath, empath, mesmer, and enhancer. I keep manifesting more and more because of my mom. She has more abilities than I can count.

“It’s ok, Dulce! Your ability is still really amazing...it’s impossible for me to get frosting. Elwin told me.” I try to comfort her as much as I can.

I feel a hand being placed on my shoulder.

“Ladies, ladies! Stop chit-chatting, please! The Ceremonies are about to start!” I spin around. Aha. Brooklyn Giller. The super-cute boy that was in my third level Universe class. The boy I have a tremendously large crush on.

I smirk at him, and notice how his teal eyes are getting brighter and brighter.

“Fine, Brook, but you’ve gotta shut up too. Ok?” I glare at him playfully, and he laughs in reply.

He was right. The ceremonies begin immediately after we finish talking.

## Chapter Three

After the ceremonies are done, all three of us walk over to the food area and stuff ourselves with mallowmelt and custard bursts, my favorites.

Soon enough, all the parents regroup and join us.

We travel back to our homes, ready for school the day after. At least, as ready as we can be.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------As I wake up, I realize today’s the first day of school. I’m a fourth level! Oh my goodness, fourth level! As my body surges with excitement, I get ready for school.

I eat fresh custard bursts, my favorites, for breakfast. I push down all my first day nerves. My dad walks into the breakfast room, kisses me on the head, and goes to sit down across from me at the table.

“Ava. I remember going into fourth level. It’s amazingly exciting. I can still recall the nerves that filled me up the first day. Here’s what I have to tell you: just think of it as a normal school day. Think that nothing has changed. And if you feel particularly nervous, remember you can always talk to Dulce.” He flashes me a warm smile and proceeds to go get his own breakfast, leaving me here to worry myself more.

My mom comes into the room and wishes me luck as well.

“I know you’ll do amazing at your new ability sessions. Just relax. If you concentrate on an emotion, inflicting gets easier.” And she says it. My new ability. One I’m not particularly proud of, and I’m embarrassed to tell anyone in case they think I’m going to harm them.

The time rolls around for me to light travel to school. I got my nexus taken off when I was a second level, so it’s gone for good now. I create a beam of light and leave, nervous as I could possibly be.

When I get there, I immediately spot a group of people, and within that group of people, I notice Dulce’s shining honey blond hair. I run over towards the group and tap Dulce on the shoulder.

“Hi Ava! Are you excited to go to your classes? Wanna go to our lockers?” Her enthusiasm enthralls me, and I hug her from all the excitement inside of me.

“Of course! We can also review schedules once we get there.” We walk off, towards our lockers, which are carefully labelled on our schedules.

We lick the DNA scanners on our lockers, which are licorice flavored today. Me and Dulce’s lockers are three apart, so we’re close to each other.

“Ok. Show me your schedule.” Dulce orders. She’s trying to find out whether or not we have some classes together.

I pull my schedule out of my locker, and begin comparing schedules with Dulce.

“We have Elvin History and Agriculture together!” I say, ecstatic to have classes with her. She always brings a certain gusto to class…

“Hello, Dul-chi..” A voice appears behind us. Dulce raises her hand, as if she’s going to slap whoever’s behind us.

“It’s Dul-say, you idiot!” She spins around, ready to attack, when she sees it’s George Dizznee.

“Ugh. It’s you, isn’t it? Well, get my name right, next time!” Dulce walks off offendedly.

“It’s ok.” I say to George. Everyone knows he has a hopeless crush on Dulce. But she’d never accept him. She says she’s “way too high-level” for him.

I walk to my Monday morning class, which is Elementalism. I hope I’ll see Dulce later, if she’s not going to still be offended…

## Chapter Four

As I walk out of Elementalism, I notice an unease in the halls.

As soon as I see Dulce, I ask, “What’s wrong? Everyone looks so worried…”.

She hits me, straight off the bat, with a reply.

“There’s a rumor going around that a human has made it into the Lost Cities.”

“No..no no no no...there’s no way. The Lost Cities are way too protected, it’s just impossible.”

Dulce puts a worried look on her face.

“It IS just a rumor. But..you never know. The world is a crazy place, Ava. You really do never know…”

Dulce’s words are like a sharp dagger to the stomach. As much as I wished she wasn’t, she was right. And there was no way of reversing that. We walked to lunch together, like two frightened birds, scared of what was coming.

During lunch, I got a hail from my mom. She told me to stay safe and if there were any updates about the safety to light jump home.

All of lunch, we talked about the situation. Even Brooklyn had something to say.

“All we know is that this is a maybe.” I’m trying to console everyone, but we’re in a state of panic.

The lunch bell rings and we step out into the hallway.

The gun is aimed at Dulce’s heart.

## Chapter Five

*Don’t move a muscle*. I transmit to Dulce. My own blood is boiling, and I am scared to death. Quite literally. The human, whose left hand is holding the gun, trembles.

His hand twitches, and Dulce takes my hand. She squeezes it tight, and a silent tear falls down her cheek.

The man pulls the trigger. The bullet shoots through the air and hits Dulce square in the chest. She crumples to the floor. I get on my knees next to her, sobbing more than I’ve ever sobbed in my whole life.

“HELP!” I yell. “Someone, please help me!”

The man shoots three more bullets into the dispersing crowd, and hits three more people. I hear more cries for help. Someone takes my hand and pulls me through the crowd, trying to get me to safety.

“NO! Let me stay with her, please!” I beg, noticing that the person pulling me is Brooklyn.

“It’s not safe at all.” He says with tear-stained eyes. I don’t know if he’s just scared or sad for Dulce,  when I notice his younger brother’s small body lying on the floor, bullet in his chest.

He brings me to Everglen with his pathfinder, my head buried in his shoulder.

“MOM!” I yell from the entrance.

“Ava! You’re safe!” My mom flies down the stairs, relief flooding her face.

I begin sobbing, and tell her everything that happened, all while Brooklyn fills my Dad in.

“Oh, Ava, I’m so sorry. Fitz, we should probably hail Keefe. I don’t know if he’s been filled in..but we need to offer our condolences.” My dad quickly agrees, and goes off to contact him.

“Ava..it’s ok to be very deeply upset. But I don’t know if we can stay for her Wanderling planting. It’s too dangerous to stay right here, in Eternalia. We should probably go somewhere harder to get to.” My mom’s worried face wrinkles in deep thought.

“Maybe...Atlantis?” Dad walks in, "I hailed Keefe and Biana. They’re devastated. They are going to Atlantis, for safety…”

“Yes. We should go there, for now at least. Brooklyn. Inform your parents, let them know where we’re going. Hopefully we’ll see you soon.”

“I’ll do that. Hopefully, even without Brian,” a tear falls down his cheek, “we can make it there.”

“Good. See you then.”

## Chapter Six

There's no worse feeling than packing your bags. It means you're leaving home, you're leaving your life, and you're starting all over again.

For me, packing was supposed to mean safety, closure even. But it didn't. It made my heart drop to think that I was leaving.

Dulce...Dulce...was all I could think last night in bed, knowing I was never going to see her again was the worst of it. Elf deaths are rare. We live almost infinite lives, so ending one, so early, brings a sense of new to the situation.

Not a good sense of new.

I walk towards my closet, my tired eyes fluttering, and my body aching from the amount of tears that I shed last night.

“Ava...” My mom walks in, eyes dark and tears pooling up on her cheeks.

“What?” I snap back at her, cupping my mouth as soon as I heard how disrespectful I'd just been.

“Honey, it's ok.” She came up to me, trapping with her arms.

For once, I felt safe. Or at least, safe enough to take steady breaths and slow my tears down.

“We're leaving in two hours. Make sure you packed everything. I'm pretty sure we won't be coming back here for a while.”

We regroup in the main hall of our house, each of us more nervous than we've ever been.

“Time to go?” I ask inquisitively, unsure whether or not I'm ready to leave. My heart was racing, and I could think of nothing but the dangers ahead. The constant fear of death, a fear I'd never had before, nags at me.

“I guess so.” My dad looked at my mom in the eye, and they nodded simultaneously. I realized, this may be the last time I ever see my home.

A steady trickle of tears rolled down my neck, and I could feel my face puffing up, all red.

“Then let's go.” I murmured so gently I was dubious if my parents heard.

They heard.

And off we light-leaped.