Lumen and the Lost Luxem: Lumen, #2

By EJ Wozniak

"Lumen & the Lost Luxem by E.J. Wozniak is an extraordinary fast-paced, epic young adult fantasy. Fans of Star Wars and Harry Potter will absolutely love this incredible story. I was captivated and hooked from the very start and couldn't put this fantastic page-turner down." -Chick Lit Cafe

 

Lumen thought he had the hang of his new life as an Eague, a water-bender in a world hidden from Earth called Bonumalus. But when he showed up for the first day of classes, there was nobody to be found. Lumen soon learns that, due to a mysterious teleportation disruption, Bonumalus travels had been rerouted to strange places filled with eerie scenes and dangerous creatures.

 

Now, Lumen and the other students cannot return home until the problem is fixed. In the meantime, the students of The Paxum must compete against other castes in a series of games that will test their powers, endurance, and wit.

 

Desperate to find a way home, Lumen and his friends work to discover who or what is rerouting travelers into dark and potentially fatal worlds. Could it be Maldeus? Or the Occultum, a secret society in the middle of the Arctic Ocean?

 

During their journey, Lumen and his friends must use their water-bending powers to face deadly under-water sea creatures, giant, man-eating worms, and Bonumalus Rugby, a game where most players end up burnt or broken.

 

Lumen and the Lost Luxem is book two in an ongoing young-adult, contemporary fantasy series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: EJ Wozniak
• Release date: Jan 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393886136

Book preview

Prologue

W ill you shut that dang TV off, Richard? A woman yelled from across the alley.

Will you shut-up, woman? Mind your dang business! The man replied.

Gary, who lived in apartment 12 and was currently washing his dishes, could hear the whole commotion. It was the norm. Dale and Suzy argued all the time, but they loved each other in their own twisted way. Gary didn’t mind listening to their spats. It was better than the horrendous noise that came from next door in apartment 11. Every night.

Gary smiled as he listened to the argument from across the alley. He wiped his hands on his black sweat shorts and white tank top, both of which he bought from a thrift store down the road. He greased the remaining moisture on his hands through his tangled black hair. Gary had run out of shampoo, and payday wasn’t for another couple of days. He would have to make do for the big day tomorrow.

Gary went into his living room, plopped down on a lawn chair, and turned on his ancient TV after smacking the top of it to get the picture to stop flickering. He only had three channels, and since he didn’t like the news, so he ended up watching reruns of outdated soap operas.

Gary looked back at the clock on his battered black microwave.

9:33, Gary said aloud to himself. He looked back into his living room, at the wall that connects his studio home with apartment 11. Gary took a deep breath.

Please, not tonight, I beg you. Not tonight. I need sleep.

Gary had a job interview the next day. One that could help pay off his debt. One that could allow him to buy shampoo when he needed it. One that could help him buy new clothes so he wouldn’t have to buy used ones. Maybe, just maybe, an actual chair for his living room.

Gary smiled at the thought of this. He looked at his feet and saw his big toe poking through one of his socks.

Maybe some new socks also.

Gary leaned back in the lawn chair and watched the soap reruns for a few minutes before pausing for his routine smoke break. He rose, grabbed his smokes off his deflated mattress, slipped on his slippers, and took a stroll to the front of the old apartment building. Dale and Suzy were still yelling at one another, now about who ate the last piece of carrot cake. Gary laughed to himself as he went to sit on his favorite curb. He pulled a smoke from the pack and placed it in his mouth, took a deep breath, and lit the match.

Maybe I’ll quit this terrible habit as well.

He took a deep drag and leaned back, staring up at the sky. It was a silent night, a dark sky peppered with some stars. The air was a bit muggybut better than usual. Even the mosquitos weren’t biting him. Things seemed to be looking up for Gary.

He looked back at his apartment and noticed that he left the light on.

Dangit. I’ll be able to afford it once I get this job. Just need a good night's sleep.. He whispered aloud as he looked at apartment 11. The lights were off. It did not appear that anyone was home.

Perfect.

Gary took another drag and leaned his head back, smiling to the faint stars above.

Then, very suddenly, the screaming began.

AAAHHHHHH, MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!

Dale and Suzy stopped arguing. Gary snapped his head to their apartment and saw them peering out their window. Gary looked at apartment 11. The lights were still off.

PLEASE, MOM, PLEASE, MAKE IT STOP. AHHHHHH!

Gary hadn’t heard this yelling before. It usually sounded like a loud groaning from the girl who had pains when sleeping. Her parents always said that Brigid, an eightyearold girl with strong red colored hair, had a rare disorder that made her skin burn at night.

Gary always thought it was odd that it only happened at night.

Nonetheless, Brigid moaned and groaned all night from the pain. She would scream at times. But he had never heard such pleading before. It sounded as if death were at her door, tormenting her.

NO, NO, NO. PLEASE, STOP IT, MOMMY. PLEASE!

Gary’s stomach felt suddenly sickened by his cigarette. He put out his smoke on the ground and threw it in the rat-infested dumpster. As he stood there perturbed, he looked back at Dale and Suzy’s apartment, who  had drawn their windows and blinds. Gary wouldn’t be lucky enough to block out the noise. His walls were paper thin.

Gary looked at apartment 11. The screaming had stopped momentarily, but it looked like something was glowing beyond the windows. A reddish-orange glow, as if there was a fire in the hearth. There were no fireplaces in his apartment complex.

BAM. In what seemed like a nanosecond, Gary stepped off the curb, and apartment 11 exploded. Literally exploded. A massive ball of flames and smoke burst from where the walls of apartment 11 used to be. Uncontrollably, Gary fell to the ground from the explosion. Rubbing his head, he rose quickly and jogged over to the hole in the wall. He couldn’t see inside through the smoke and flames. Apartment 11 was gone. Gary looked at apartment 12, his home, and it too was up in flames.

Gary put his hands on his head and pulled his hair. He was at a loss. He didn’t know where to go or who to call.

Dale and Suzy had opened their window.

Gary? Gary, are you all right, hun? What happened? Suzy yelled. Dale, call 911, hurry!

Gary didn’t answer. Not only was his home and the little belongings destroyed, but the family next door was also certainly gone. Gary had spoken with them many times. Though the eight-year-old girl caused him to lose many nights of sleep, she did not deserve to go, not like this.

Gary squatted down and began to cry.

The flames and smoke continued to plume through the open wall as the fire alarms blared through the open windows. Suddenly, the residents began to pour out of the building, looking worried.

Amid the chaos, Gary heard something from inside the hole in the wall that was apartment 12 mere moments before. It sounded like movement. Someone or something was trying to come through the open wall. Gary panicked.

Mrs. Bast? Is that you? Brigid? Don’t come through this way, the walls are on fire, you’ll hurt yourself! Gary pleaded.

The movement continued. Through the hole in the wall, a hand grabbed hold of one of the burning boards. The hand was cased in that same orange-yellow glow.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. Oh my...Come through hurry!

Gary grabbed hold of the hand and pulled hard. He fell over, seized his own hand, which became severely burned almost instantly. It took everything in him to ignore the instant pain that shot up his arm. He continued pulling the hand and the person attached to it. There was eight-year-old Brigid, her bright red hair glowing with the rest of her body, most of her clothes burned away. Aside from her reddish glow, she appeared unharmed.

Are you okay? Gary panted as he held his hand in agony.

Brigid hesitated to answer. She looked at Gary and then at her own hands.

Yes. I feel much better now.

Chapter 1 - Back to School

A lright, hun, I know I said I would be there as often as I could, but I didn’t know I would get called into work on our first day. We can push it back...

Lumen rolled his eyes and smiled.

No, mom, I told you I don’t need you to be here. I fully expected to do this work on my own when I said I wanted to do homeschooling. I will be just fine. I promise. Alice’s eyes teared up.

Oh, mom, don’t do that! Lumen said dramatically, seeming embarrassed even though no one else was there.

When did you grow up? Have I been working so much that I missed it? Alice blew her nose into a handkerchief. Oh, I think I should take the day off. . .

Lumen’s eyes widened and thought quickly of something to say. Okay. . . well, let’s get started then. He pulled out a book titled Trigonometry and noticed his mother’s eyes widen. He continued, I was thinking we could start with the goniometric functions and then maybe move onto some theories about how this ties into oceanography and how it is fundamental to the periodic functions... Lumen looked up and could see he had lost her.

You know what, hun, I’ll help out with topics I know more about. Let me know when you are learning about botany! I can also get you a tutor if need be. I got to run, I’ll call later to see how you are doing.

Lumen sighed. All right, well here, don’t forget your coffee, and have a good day. e handed Alice her cup of coffee, and she scurried off out the front door in her all teal nurse outfit.

Lumen looked at Wrigley, who was lying on the kitchen floor, half asleep. You think that convinced her?

Wrigley looked up to try and understand but laid his head back down after just a second. He took a deep breath and seemed to sigh through his mouth, causing his black snout to flutter. Lumen sighed too.

What are you good for? Wrigley was already snoring.

Lumen jumped out of his seat on that warm summer morning and hurried off to his room. He threw on a sweatshirt and jeans and stuffed a pair of rain boots into a backpack.

J would have a field day with me if I forgot these... Lumen trotted out of his room when he realized he forgot something. You’ve been good to me little ring, but you make my finger sweat, and, frankly, you’re just not my style anymore. Time to try out something else.

Lumen took off his ring and placed it in a drawer in his desk, right next to his condensed ball of water that Allister gave to him for Christmas last year.

I should probably find a better spot for this stuff, Lumen shrugged and closed the drawer. He grabbed a watch that was sitting on his desk and put it on his wrist. Can keep the time and keep me out of danger when needed, pretty nifty.

It was a brand-new watch; the face was a deep teal-blue and the numbers were in silver roman numerals. The brown leather strap was a bit stiff, and Lumen struggled to tighten it at first. Once he had it strapped on, he looked at the face of the watch.

What the...the hands aren’t moving! Lumen poked the watch face a couple of times, and the hands began to tick. Ah, there we go, I’ll have to reset the time.

Lumen hurried out of his room with his backpack on and his new luxem. He walked into the kitchen to grab a banana. Wrigley yawned, sat up, and wagged his big brown tail.

Oh, now you’re up when I’m about to leave.

Wrigley turned his head to try and understand.

Fine you can come, but you better behave.

Lumen grabbed a banana, Wrigley’s leash, and opened a window. He jumped to the Paxum.

He hadn’t been there for a few days. Lumen and Alec had to return in the middle of their break though. The two had got in trouble while on vacation with Alice.

---

What’s in California? J snarled at Lumen and Alec in the middle of an empty Paxum with the tall and lanky Allister behind him with his arms crossed. J, Lumen’s pluvious teacher, stood with with his eyebrows furrowed, the deep scar over his right eye making his face look even more angry, and the big bulky wolf-gray Eauge outfit.

My mom took us there for a vacation, Lumen said.

I suppose that is okay. Well, what were you and Alec thinking? J snarled as he tucked his black necklace away.

Before Lumen or Alec could answer, a third older gentleman appeared through a window and stood next to Allister, bare-foot. Lumen couldn’t get a good look but saw a black bandana on the gentleman’s head.

Ah, Proteus, we were just discussing punishment regarding these two young men disrupting your work. Now, you two, explain to us why you thought it was a good idea to manipulate the waves in the manner you did? J snarled again.

Uh oh, thought Lumen as he and Alec exchanged looks without saying anything.

Hm? Either of you? Not only did you disrupt Proteus’ work, but you could have seriously injured another human. You broke two laws. Allister, I think the swiftest and harshest punishment should be dealt with here. We need to set an example for others. Suspension, no, suspension, and cafeteria clean-up for a month! J looked at Allister, who was scratching his beard and adjusting the old goggles atop his head. Proteus seemed uninterested in J’s berating as he looked to the ground, shoulders slumped.

Allister moved towards the group, his long green trench coat skimming the floor of the Paxum.

The boys were having some fun. Yes, they did break a law. But, no one got injured. Proteus, is everything back in order? I can help if needed.

Proteus cleared his throat. The man had a white scruff coming in on his cheeks and chin and was wearing a black bandana on his head with a raged white shirt and ripped jeans that only went to his knees. The man did not have shoes or socks on. Lumen noticed his left eye was closed at all times and had a prominent scar over the brow and eyelid.

Has he lost it?

No, everything is quite all right. A small disturbance cannot muddle my work so easily, the man said with a deep raspy voice.

Great, I will decide the punishment. J, Proteus, you may leave.

Proteus bowed and returned to where he came from. J frowned as he walked towards the cabin elevator leading to the Genaqua. Allister waited until it was just the three of them left in the Paxum.

Okay boys, I understand the banter and playfulness. But what you did was very serious. J is right, you could have seriously injured someone. Alec, you are becoming much more powerful these days. You can be suspended, or worse, sent to Vincula. The board does not take these offenses lightly. They were nice enough to let me handle this one.

Alec sighed. C’mon, all we did was make one measly wave crash a little harder.

Allister raised his eyebrows. A little harder? You raised a single wave to be over 20 feet tall to slam down onto Lumen. Luckily, Lumen was smart enough to part the wave to go around him before it slammed him into the sand. You both could have been seriously injured. And you threw off the rhythm of Proteus’ waves. He had to work a bit of overtime to fix the disturbance. You should thank him for not making a big fuss of the whole matter. I don’t believe in a harsh punishment for a bit of banter. Just please, do not do anything like that again, Allister said sternly.

Lucky I moved the wave? Luck is right. If anything, that was an accident, Lumen thought.

Lumen and Alec nodded in agreement.

Allister smiled. Okay, enough of that. Tell me, when did you learn to control that big of a body of water? That is very impressive, you two, Allister’s tone changed to a much more welcoming one.

They all laughed and spoke about the ordeal for some time before departing with nothing more than a slap on the wrist and a few pockets that Allister insisted on them taking. Before leaving, Allister suggested they find Proteus and offer some help.

Aw c’mon Al, it’s summer break. Can we do it once school is back in session? Alec whined.

Allister smiled and adjusted the goggles on his head. I don’t think so, do as I say. It’s for the best.

Alec rolled his eyes then nodded his head reluctantly. Fine, we’ll go today. Where is he?

California, lives near a forest on the ocean. You’ll find him.

Allister opened a window for Lumen and Alec, and they jumped through.Ouch! They landed with a big, wet smack right into what appeared to be damp sand. As they collected themselves, Lumen looked around. They were on some sort of beach, but it didn’t look like any beach he had ever seen. He heard the distant sound of small waves crashing on the beach. Lumen noticed a mass of floating dead trees beyond the surf.

There was something unusual about the trees. They looked like something from a horror or mystery movie. Their insides were hollow as Lumen could hear the insides echoing when each wave hit. Hardly any of them had branches, except for a few strong stragglers. It was just ten to twenty-foot high, off-white, hollow trunks.

Lumen was unsettled by the ambiance and felt shivers run up his arms. He could only hear the waves crashing and hitting the embattled trees. Lumen thought the trees looked tired as if they had seen and been through a lot. Alec called his name.

Lu! He’s over here, c’mon.

Lumen looked left and saw Alec walking over to Proteus, who was sitting in the sand wearing the same outfit from before, ripped jeans and an old white t-shirt with a black bandana on his head. He sat cross-legged with his hands resting on his knees. His eyes were closed as if he were meditating.

Lumen and Alec reached Proteus and stood a few feet behind. Alec whispered to Lumen. Should we say something? He clearly is in the middle of something, but I want to get this over with. We’re wasting precious vacation time. Alec leaned forward as if he were going to nudge Proteus.

I don’t know, maybe we should wait, Lumen said before Alec reached Proteus.

Proteus cleared his throat. Lumen is the smart one I see, Proteus said with his deep raspy voice.

Lumen and Alec looked at one another and took a step back.

Patience is key for us Eauge. Creating a rhythm for a body of water like this is no small task. Remember that Alec. He winked at Lumen with his good eye. At least Lumen thought it was a wink.

Is it a wink if he only has one eye? Or did he blink?

Proteus stood and bowed towards the ocean. Respect the elements, boys, they will give you respect back. It will make your jobs a lot easier in the long run.

Lumen and Alec looked at each other again. They weren’t sure what to say. Alec cleared his throat. Thanks for the advice, Mr. Proteus. We are here to say sorry for what we did, Alec looked at Lumen and signaled for him to say something.

Hmh, yeah, sorry Mr. Proteus. We were just being stupid.

Alec nodded. Proteus had yet to turn around.

Yeah, we are very sorry, Mr. Proteus. If there is anything you would like us to do, anything we can do to help?, Alec asked hesitantly.

Proteus turned to face them and clasped his hands together.  Proteus is just fine. We don’t need to be that formal here.

Alec nodded. Okay, Proteus, is there anything we can do to help?

Proteus nodded. Lumen, how are you? How has this life been treating you?

Proteus completely ignored Alec’s question.

Lumen was caught off guard. Uh, it’s been great. I really like being a part of all of this, Lumen said

That is good to hear. I hoped you would embrace us. Too much talent in your blood. Proteus smiled.

Alec spoke up again. Hey, Mr. Proteus. Is there anything we can do to help around here? Looks like you have everything under control so we can head out to let you get back to work.

Proteus put his hand up to stop Alec. What you did was very irresponsible. You could have hurt someone, or yourselves. You are not old enough, not yet skilled enough to be fooling around with something like this. Proteus turned back to the ocean with his arms out. The damage you did was minimal, and I was able to restore order quickly, he said with his back to them.

Great, we’ll get out of your hair then. Alec turned and signaled for Lumen to follow.

But, since I had to work extra hard because of your silly stunt, I will call upon you two the next time something needs an extra pair of hands. You can see first-hand what kind of work I do and what happens when she is disturbed; or worse, when she is angry, Proteus said as he pointed out towards the ocean with his thin index finger.

Lumen felt nervous, but also excited. He liked Proteus’ vibes, his commitment to his job, and wanted to see the work Eauge did firsthand.

That sounds great, I look forward to it, Lumen said with an upbeat tone.

Proteus nodded and sat back down in the sand. Lumen and Alec took that as a goodbye and began to walk away. Lumen had one more question for Proteus.

Where is this exactly?

Proteus looked at Lumen and smirked.

This is the Ghost Forest. No one comes around here. It’s not easy to reach for most humans. The forest is dense, and behind it is a cliff. Just remember this spot and jump here when I call upon you, Proteus said and turned back to the ocean. He closed his eyes and went back to what looked like meditating.

Lumen wondered why it was called Ghost Forest. Alec interrupted his thoughts.

Phew. Glad that’s over. Hopefully he forgets and we won’t have to come back here.

Lumen shook his head in disagreement. What? I think it would be cool to see what he does. He seems wise and powerful. Don’t you want to see what other Eauge do anyway?

No, this stuff is boring. I told you what I want to do. Join the LOT. They do way more exciting stuff than stare at the ocean all day; they catch criminals. That guy is alone most of the time. He talks about the ocean as if it’s a living being. He’s probably losing it. He’ll become a ghost of this place, and nobody will bat an eye. Then the next sucker will come take his post and live the same boring life he did.

Lumen shook his head again. I dunno. I think he’s cool. I hope he reaches out for help. I’ll gladly come.

Alec rolled his eyes. Whatever man, let’s get out of here. Alec waved his arms, and a window appeared. They jumped through back to Lumen’s house.

---

Classes were set to begin just five days after their visit with Proteus. Now that Lumen was back in the Paxum, he was excited to see his friends and tell them about what had happened with him and Alec. Lumen thought they would appreciate the meeting with Proteus more than Alec did.

When Lumen landed back in the Paxum he expected to see it filled with students. There were no Liros earth bending, no Ignous juggling balls of fire, no Eauge snowball fights, no Aeries creating miniature twisters, and no parents dropping off their scared children for their first day.

Lumen was surprised to see that he and Wrigley were the only two there. What the. . . Today is the day, right? He scratched his head, looking at his watch. It was August 25, 8:05 am. The hands seemed to have adjusted to the correct time by itself. Yep, it’s definitely the right day. I guess we should just go down to the Genaqua. Maybe everyone is already down there. Am I late?

Wrigley wagged his tail and trotted ahead of Lumen to the snowy corner of the Paxum.  Lumen’s heart raced, thinking about all the possibilities.

Am I late? Did something happen? What if Till came back?

He hadn’t thought of Till, the young blond girl who had an eye-catching smile and caused many headaches for Allister and the other leaders the last school year, much since their last encounter and decided it wasn’t possible for her to escape Vincula.

Lumen looked at each corner of the Paxum to find that everything was peaceful, just as it always was. There didn’t appear to have been any commotion or disturbance. The clouds in the Aeris area were calm and just as white and airy as usual. The desert on the Ignous bend looked to be as placid and dry as ever. The forest in the Liros bend seemed to be as green and full of plant life as ever. The Eauge corner was as snowy and cold as ever. Nothing seemed to be out of place.

Lumen walked into the cabin with the elevator to take them down to the Genaqua and saw Gretchen, the guard with red hair, freckles, and wore the typical Eauge outfit with big boots and wolf-gray cloth sewn together with thick black thread, sitting at the desk as usual.

Hey Gretchen.

Hey Lu, how was vacation? She didn’t even glance up from her papers.

Great, uh, where is everyone? asked Lumen, looking around

Gretchen shrugged. I’m not sure, I haven’t heard or seen anything. Been just me for the past couple days. My shift ends in a couple of hours so my replacement should be here soon. . .

Lumen had no idea where everyone could be. You haven’t seen anyone? Class starts today right?

Gretchen looked at her watch. It’s the 25th, so yeah, starts today. I mean, there have been a few in and out, but not like you would expect on a first day. She still seemed unconcerned and kept reading.

Lumen wasn’t sure what to make of the situation.  Alright, I guess I’ll go down. C’mon Wrigley, He turned to leave and then stopped before pulling the chain string on the standing lamp that moves them down to the Genaqua. You haven’t heard anything from Allister?

If something were wrong, Allister would have let me know already. Don’t worry. Gretchen smiled and gave a thumbs up.

Lumen nodded and pulled the chain. The descent down began. Lumen thought that the elevator was moving slower than usual. He was impatient and bit his nails all the way down. Wrigley roamed around the dimly-lit elevator and licked up something off of the ground.

They landed on the floor of the Genaqua. It was a ghost town. Not a single student or teacher was on the cobblestone in between the classrooms; there weren’t any snowball fights, no one was practicing their water bending skills. The classroom doors and shops were all closed except for one, The Juice Mart. Lumen jogged over to the store and peeked inside. An older woman was on a ladder stocking the shelves.

Lumen cleared his throat. Hello?

The lady was startled and almost fell off the ladder. She laughed and hurried down as fast as she could in her two-inch heels, long pink skirt, and a white long sleeve button-up shirt.

I was wondering when the students were going to start to show! Come on in! Are you new?

Lumen recognized her. She had always worked in the Juice Mart since Lumen had begun school. No, Mrs. Wexler, it’s me, Lumen.

Mrs. Wexler put on her sparkly green glasses that had been hanging around her neck.  Oh, of course, of course, how’ra Lumen? Was your summer okay? Heard you got into some trouble.

Lumen was shocked that she knew. You heard about that?

Word gets around quick in Bonum, I would think you would know that by now. She smiled at Lumen.

My vacation was great. I hope you got a break?

Mrs. Wexler nodded her head. Of course we get a break. I came back a few days early to get the shop in order. I have a cot in the back, so I have been staying here.

Have you seen anyone since you’ve been back?

Mrs. Wexler peered up to the ceiling and put her hand on her chin. She squinted her green-coated eyelids as if she were thinking really hard. Lumen took notice of the mini pink bow on her glasses and the pink bow in her graying black hair. They matched.  She took a few moments, and Lumen too looked up at the ceiling as well to make sure he wasn’t missing something. There was nothing there except for shelves filled with juice bottles. He looked back down. She hadn’t moved yet.

Ah! Yesterday I saw Professor J come by. I believe he was dropping off some supplies. He was in and out. I don’t think he even saw me here. That was it, though. I have not seen a soul. School starts today, right? Where is everyone? She asked, second-guessing herself.

That is what I’m wondering? Gretchen said not to worry though;, Allister hasn’t said anything so there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

Crash, a glass bottle shattered behind them. Wrigley was standing next to a broken bottle with juice all around him. His ears went back when Lumen looked at him.

Wrigley! Get over here! This is why you can’t come with...

Oh don’t worry about it Lu, it is quite all right. Here, take a bottle of Whistleberry Juice, on me.

She smiled and patted Lumen on the back.

Thank you. I guess we’ll get out of your hair. Hopefully we will see you soon.

I hope so too! These juices aren’t going to drink themselves!

Mrs. Wexler turned back and climbed up the ladder in her pink heels with white socks on.

Lumen hoped she would be careful. He turned back and looked about the Genaqua one more time. He was disappointed that no one was there as he had been very excited to catch up with Lucy, Yu, and Chester.  Lumen looked out to the Illustra forest. It was calm. The trees were covered with snow, the ground had a perfect layer of powdery snow, and the sky was cloudy as usual. Lumen didn’t like the silence. It had never been this quiet, not even on Christmas break.

Looks like it’s just you and Mrs. Wexler. Hold down the fort, he said, looking up into the eyes of the Maredeus statue, the chiseled, muscular man with long wavy hair that reminded Lumen of the greek god Poseiden.

Lumen stared at the