Chapter 4 The Talented One

"Back off! "

Joy was woken by the sound of shouting from a girl far away. Baby was already awakened, stood up, stretched his limbs, opened his mouth and licked the tip of his nose with his tongue. He was gently patting her left hand with his claw. Then he jumped up and ran into the direction where the noise came from. Joy picked up her package on the ground and began to follow Baby’s footsteps immediately.

Joy ran close to see that a huge vulture was constantly attacking a palm-sized dog in front of a camphor tree which was dozens of meters high, and a girl about her age was protecting the dog using her power shield against the vulture laboriously.

The vulture was full grown with a wingspan about six-or-seven feet, dark brown with two spreading wings; bare head covered with short dark brown plumage, the back neck was completely bare without feathers. His wings were stirring vigorously, causing the branches of the camphor tree dancing randomly, as though they would be broken any time. As the vulture had been pecking at the poor little dog on the ground with its hooked mouth, the puppy was shivering and shrinking into a ball. Luckily the girl was trying her best to defend the vulture with her power; otherwise, the poor little creature might have died under the fierce attack of the vulture.

Joy was witnessing that the girl was retreating and her face was drenching with sweat. Joy run close enough to bag-striking the vulture automatically without hesitation, the vulture was shocked by the beating and waved its wings to bump Joy to the ground. She fell over to the grass planet, scraping her palms and knees. The surge pain kicked in which helped to improve her concentration, she had to think and plan better if she wanted to save them all. She saw the ghost thread vine wrapped in the tree and an idea came up.

"Baby, can you distract the vulture?" Joy was whispering.

"Of course." Baby flew towards the vulture.

" Please be careful."

Joy was secretly approaching the camphor tree while Baby was carefully drawing the vulture’s attention. The vulture saw Baby’s action and didn't move, but its grooved mouth stopped striking the dog temporarily. Joy walked quietly to the back of the tree, and immediately rushed to pick up the dog, ran as fast as she can, shouted at the girl.

"Use the ghost thread vine."

As soon as Joy dropped these words, the fatigued girl pulled the vine with power to fly towards the standing vulture’s wings. The vine instantly wrapped around, and entangled the vulture’s whole body together. The vulture looked really piss off; after all, he had been practicing for many years. He was trapping by the vine which gave time for the two girls fleeing for their lives, carrying a wounded dog and a flying cat.

The sudden appearance of a row of dense bushes blocked their way. It seemed that the vulture was about to broke free from the tight vine, he grinned an evil grin and started to exert all his strength to break the trap. Then he was playing catch-up game with the girls.

He sneered in the sky, rushed down quickly, directly to the dog that Joy was still holding in her arms. It was a close call, but luckily Joy’s power shielded her unexpectedly while she was trying to block the dog with her arms from the attack. It is better late than never. The vulture was hit by the powerful force in a sudden; he stared at Joy out of those washed-out gray eyes, then turned around and ran away.

Both of the girls were relieved and lied down on the ground, once they made eye contact to each other, they started to laugh so hard.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome!"

"By the way, I am Joy Gao. Nice to meet you. "

"I’m Sunshine Su, nice to meet you."

"You are Sunshine? "

In her excitement she had forgotten her pain, sitting up and staring at the lady next to her. She was slimy built; about two inches shorter than Joy’s five feet three inches, but her long straight dark hair made up some the difference between their heights. She was wearing a white tight fitting short shirt, black flared pants and a pair of white sneakers covered with dirty. Her carry-on item was a knapsack quite different from Joy’s, more stylists.

Joy was seldom self-conscious about her appearance until she saw Sunshine, No wonder Baby was talking about her non-stop in the last few days.

She was a genesis with a photographic memory that had reviled her power when she was ten years old. It was told that she could read from the age of three, and she had read thousands of books and she was awarded with two Doctor’s Degree. In brief, she had a mind know as an encyclopedia and a good-looking figure.

Sunshine was petting the dog and having a small talk with the poor thing; Joy could not follow their conversation since she did not understand dog’s language. She saw that there was a small wound on the dog’s foot; she took out the first-aid kit from her bag to handle it to Sunshine.

"What is her name? Is she ok?"

"Her name is Happy. Thanks."

Sunshine was gratefully took the kit and started to bandage Happy, while Baby was silently curling into a ball on Joy’s belly.

"Baby, do you know who she is? Sunshine. "

"Noted." Baby seemed to be less interested.

"We need to go. It is not safe here. The creatures will find us in a minute." Sunshine was already carrying Happy in her bag.

"Why is the vulture attacking Happy?" Joy was catching up.

"He and his partner were setting a trap to apart me and Happy, but I saw through it from the beginning. We pretended that we had fell into their scheme and plot to leave at the right moment, when we passed by the swamp, I tricked both of them bogged in the swamp; I do not know how he got out free. Anyway, he started to pursue after us for revenge." She was walking so fast that it reminded joy the nightmares in which they were being chased.

"Why don't we team up? We can take care of each other on the road. Besides Happy was injured, she might not be able to lead the way."

Sunshine nodded happily and starched out her hand to shake Joy’s hand, Joy shake her as if they made an unconventional deal.

"Do you go to college? What is it like?"

"I never go to college; I studied at home by myself."

"Wow, you really are smart."

……..

In the Habitat, Headmaster Wu Xi was sitting in front of the Flash Waterfall, watching the two girls with a cat and a dog, who were walking together in the forest. She smiled with satisfaction because her plan worked out successfully.

"Youth, how wonderful." She mumbled to herself.