We continued walking until the afternoon. As to what Althea said, we are still on a long way before we arrive on the town that Trent has instructed us to meet. Having so we decided to eat while walking to make up of the time that we have lost. The boys talked a lot and they kept us entertained. Althea, on the other hand, led the way with her focus on the map and the compass. Sif was at her back, who occasionally ask her things that I cannot hear. I walked on a same pace with Blanche, followed by the three guys at our back. The best thing about walking on a hot afternoon with Blanche is that even if the temperature is high, she can create a small area that maintains a good walking temperature.

“You’re good at this” I told Blanche, looking around our small area with cool temperature. Blanche seemed to get flattered as I saw her blushed a little.

“Not really, but I do practice a lot during my free time. I knew that someday, I’d have to use this power outside the circus.” She said.

“How so?” I asked.

“Well, just between you and me, I and Flint already encountered these ghouls in the past. At that time, we were too young and we never knew that we are capable of this abilities of ours. We were saved by Trent and Arthur that day and weeks after we arrived in the circus, Flint started to incinerate everything. Of course, he wasn’t aware how to control it so he panicked. And there’s me – who accidentally destroyed the entire pantry. That was not a really good experience but that’s how I learned that I can do something, something that only I among the people of the circus can do.” Blanche whispered. Her face showed a nostalgic smile.

“And now, Gale and Edward got theirs. I hope I’d get mine soon. I don’t want to be the ones who needs saving during the times… you know, like last night” I said.

“You already have yours, but we are not aware of it. At least, that’s what Trent knows. But one thing’s for sure – you’re a psychic. Psychics are kind of cool, you know.” Blanche answered.

“Like Althea?” I asked.

“Yes, and Lea, and Sif. Their abilities are good! Psychics are more of a delicate user unlike us Elementalists, we usually tend to blast things in front of people, but you’ll get used to it so don’t worry.” Blanche said, chuckling. I smiled.

“Now that we are on that, what are the other classes or types? If you don’t mind” I asked.

“Well, you know about the Psychics and Elementalists” Blanche started. “The Psychics are mind users. They tend to influence living and non-living things. The extent? I don’t know but if you get creative enough, I believe that you can pull out a potential like what Lea did last night. While she managed to lift objects to shield us from the blasts, she maximized her ability by using those objects as weapons too and on the same time, she can create a communication inside our heads. This lady was a badass.” Blanche snorted, lightly punching Lea in the arm. Lea managed to understand what we are talking about, so she kept her pace with us as we walked.

“Thank you for that, Blanche. I’m flattered. Now let me explain the Elementalists” Lea said. Her face, as always had an effortless regal look. “Elementalists, as you know are those who can influence matter, as Blanche to water and Flint to fire. Generally, we, Psychics rely more on our mind, making our bodies a bit…. weak but Elementalists becomes formidable because of balance. Their minds must be as strong as their bodies. As you know, the elements surrounding us are stubborn. You need an equal amount of stamina and mind power for it to move or to change in form. Our Blanche here makes use of the temperature and ice with water! How cool is that?” Lea said, punching Blanche back on her shoulder. The three of us laughed.

“The third one is called the ‘Transcenders’. They are the opposite of Psychics” Blanche said. “While you make use of your minds, Transcenders makes use of their bodies. The best example I can give is for Serena’s case. Serena is the circus diva. Her voice can outmatch anyone from the tone to its raw power. While she demonstrates the best songs, she can also mimic animal sounds but be sure to not make her angry, as she can produce devastating screams. Let’s just say that a single scream can shatter my ice.” Blanche said, while showing us a fist-sized ice and shattering it in front of us.

“Since Transcenders rely on their body, they are generally physically powerful in that sense. We can say that they literally are super humans. I’ve read about some of them turning into hybrid beasts or so. Kind of scary and unbelievable but with these things going around like now, I guess they do exist.” Lea added. Blanche laughed nervously.

“The last and the newest of the categories are called “Mystics”. Lea said, brushing off the worst scenarios in my head that the Transcenders can make. “They are called mystics because they don’t fall on any of the three categories or in rare cases, a mixture of the first three types.”

“Just between the three of us, I think Edward and Gale are mystics. I don’t know but it’s just a hunch” Lea whispered inside our head.

“So how do mystics operate?” I asked.

“As far as I know, their kind are the rarest but notably powerful. By means of powerful, I mean POWERFUL. I’ve read few books stating that their kind has the power over space, time, or anything that has no connection to the first three groups, unless of course, a combination. By means of numbers, I believe that there’s only a few of them. Well, whatever it is, they are unique in a sense that we cannot assume a common denominator from them. Of course, being the unique ones is common to them but that’s it. We have no idea what Ed did last night, nor was he to make Gale do something and even Gale, who was able to produce some kind of shield out of nothing. Blanche and I can create a shield, but I need something to ‘bend’ while Blanche literally produces or transmutes water from it. Do you see the difference?” Lea asked. I and Blanche nodded in silence.

---

After about an hour, we stopped through an open-lake. We cannot see the ends but the map says that it was a lake. We decided to take a rest, most especially that we might need it in the dark. Though of course, we don’t want to encounter anything at the dark like last night but it’s okay to be safe than sorry.

At dusk, we went around the lake and found a proper pavement at the other side. I felt a chill crawling to my back as we saw a jeepney with three dead bodies outside. By the looks of it, they weren’t physically harmed but their eyes, ears, nose and mouth bled. We never really got to talk about it much because Sif initiated to enter the jeepney to check its condition. As we got a signal from her, we tossed all our packs inside and boarded. Edward was the only one who know how to drive, and Sif knows some mechanical stuff, so they sat in front. The packs are quite big, but we opted to prioritize putting it inside, so Gale and Flint sat at the open space at the back, while us three remaining girls sat in the middle of the crowded space. Since we are on a road, the path seemed to be much easier and faster. Althea held the map and guided Edward as he drove through the dark.

After a few miles. I saw a flicker of light advancing at our back. The others seemed to notice it too but we stayed on our pace to look like a ‘normal’ jeep. As the vehicle at our back approached, Gale told us that the jeepney tailing us looks the same with our ride. At that moment, we knew we were screwed. The radio beside Sif started to catch voices that I cannot understand due to its unclear and static-y sound. Edward decided to pull up the speed, but our tail accelerated too. I looked back and saw men inside with guns and heavy-looking weapons prepared to attack us. One had half of his body out of the window. He raised his gun aimed at us.

And here we are, on another chase that we don’t even know about. Lea crawled through the window to go at the back most of our jeep and readied for another battle. Gale was instructed to change positions with Lea. He didn’t hesitate, but I can see the disappointment in his face.

“Sorry Gale, we need to get your powers in control first” Lea whispered inside our head.

Then there was it. I heard the first gun shot. I looked at Lea and Flint and they both looked unharmed. I felt the second gunshot hit something at the back but as long as Lea and Flint is safe, then I don’t care what it is. The battle started. We were moving across the different lanes on the road as it looked like an obstacle course due to the debris and on the same time, deliberately avoiding the bullets and anything that was thrown to us. The Good thing is, Ed was a good driver. The bad thing is Lea and Flint starts to feel tired. The debris around is getting lesser, giving Lea less stuff to throw. On the other hand, Blanche tried to help by freezing some portions of the road to obstruct the enemy's jeep but judging from our distance, it doesn’t really make any help as their driver is good at avoiding the slippery road. 

I went out at the back of the jeep to maybe do something to support them, leaving Blanche, Gale and Althea inside. However, as I was ducking and trying to push my body out of the back window, I saw a fast figure approaching our direction. As it approached, I finally saw that it was a guy about our age. He had a long, black hair tied on a bun. He wore a pair of goggles and he runs fast as he was able to catch up to us in a matter of seconds. We’ve gained more distance from the pursuers, so the shooting had stopped. Flint hurled a fireball on the man’s direction but he was able to dodge.

“No, man! We’re here to help!” The running guy said. “Gabe! How about a help?” he added.

I felt a mass stomped at the roof of our vehicle. I looked up and saw a man sitting lazily as if he is not on a roof and he was eating a bag of chips.

“Hold it. We’re going to save you. I’m Gabriel” the guy on the roof said he had a lazy eyes and lazy tone. He looked as if he was bored of everything.

“How did you-“Lea said but the Chase guy cut her off and told them to duck. As they ducked, a rain of bullets came again. We never realized that our tail has gotten near again. I saw Lea fell on her back and I knew- she was hit. I grabbed her to check for the wound and it was on her left shoulder. She seemed okay, but she looked pained. Tears began to fall on my eyes. I felt my own pulse getting heavier, I know something was about to happen but I heard the Gabriel guy said “Now that’s too much. Chase, head to the driver and tell him where to go. I’ll handle this”. He still sounded bored but with irritation this time. Chase accelerated with no question.

My agitation fell and all I was able to do was to look at Gabriel with wonder. He took out something on his front pocket and threw it mid-air. As if in a slow-motion, I figured that it was an object, about the size of a pebble. With a snap of a finger, the ‘pebble’ grew to a boulder about the size of our jeep. It bounced for a couple times and finally hit the vehicle following us.

The vehicle exploded and vanished out from our sight as we accelerated faster.