Battlefield Read Free

She walked away before he even had a chance to say a word. “I don't get it.”
    â€œYou're oblivious. It may have something to do with how you insulted her fragile girl mentality. Maybe you should go try apologizing,” Orlando said as he pulled his book off of his face. Cadence was right, he didn't look hurt after surviving a fight against the monsters of Morningtide. There wasn't a scratch on him.
    â€œBut I still don't get it,” JD mumbled. She never acted like she cared before. “And who asked you anyway?”
    â€œYou two talk loudly. If I can hear it, it involves me,” he grumbled and slowly sat up with a rather sore sounding grunt. Perhaps he wasn't superhuman after all. JD had to hide his inner spiteful glee. “Might want to try talking about someone when they aren't around to hear you say it next time. Don't want any help with your girlfriend though, that's fine, do what you want. I certainly don't care.”
    â€œShe's not my girlfriend,” he snapped. However, Orlando was right. He did need to apologize; otherwise it could be days before she talked to him again. If I can catch up with her and tell her I didn't mean what I said to come out like that, then...What's that? His train of thought stopped when he noticed something red and bright hurtling towards the skylight of the plaza at a rather alarming speed. Worried, he searched for her and found her directly in its path.
    â€œC-Cadence?”
    She stopped where she stood and faced him with a loud grunt. “What?”
    JD pointed up. “Look out!”
    Her eyes grew wide as she noticed it, too. Bolting across the mall and back to the courtyard, she landed in JD's arms right as the object shattered through the glass above them, causing it to spray down on the ground in glittering confetti.
    Without thinking, his arms flew around her tighter to use his body to protect her. Her hands clung to his t-shirt as she screamed. The glass did not fall near them thankfully. Out of the corner of his eye, JD could see Orlando rising to his feet with a dropped jaw.
    JD didn't quite understand why, but he found himself drawn to the fallen object. Logic screamed for him to turn and run, but his curiosity compelled him to find out more.
    It looked like it was on fire. He couldn't make out what this object was made from. Large and oblong, it was similar in shape to the crash position of a person jumping into a pool with a cannonball, knees tucked in close to his chest. But where did the fire end, and where did it begin? It didn't look like anything on it burned, and yet the object was engulfed in powerful flames. After a moment, the shape began to resemble something human. But there was no way a person could have survived that kind of a fall, let alone be on fire.
    Then it moved. A small twitch at first that turned into a larger, more sturdy motion, as a head and arms popped up out of its ball-like form. Cadence shrieked, and it took a moment for both of them to realize it was a person—more specifically, a man. Still on fire, he didn't react to this in the slightest, almost as though it meant nothing. He spread himself out to his full length and stretched grandly. Tall and muscular, he was an intimidating sight to behold. That was the most JD could make out about him though. Everything else was encased in blinding red flames.
    â€œIs he dead?” Cadence whispered.
    â€œHe's moving, he can't be dead,” JD whispered back.
    â€œHe's gotta be an alien,” Orlando said from behind them. The glass crunched underneath his feet as he walked closer to Cadence and JD and the fallen man.
    â€œHe might be hurt,” JD said.
    â€œOr maybe he wants to kill us and take over our planet. We should run before he decides to zap us or something with a death ray,” Cadence said with a shaking voice.
    Orlando glanced at her and shook his head. “I think he would have killed us by now if he actually wanted to.” He