Crossing Anthology Two

The beginning of Part 1

It was summer, 2013 and his seventeenth birthday finally came; Jonah was filled with happiness and unbridled excitement. He saw his birthday as a passage into a new life; moving on from the battles he faced in recent years, and the feeling of desolation left from his brother's betrayal.

After preparing himself for the day, Jonah went down stairs to see his closest friend whom he had lived with, the one who to his perspective was a real brother figure, Cole.

Cole met Jonah when they still lived on planet Earth, in 2009. Cole followed Jonah in his previous three year adventure to stop an evil threat, and in that time Jonah learned to be more optimistic, and outgoing from Cole.

Though he still loved his real brother, Jonah learned more from Cole than he did in the life time he spent with Seth. Jonah was never fond of his brother’s pessimistic, judgmental, cold and calculating nature, it was a mindset that he detested and tried to evade. When he met Cole and experienced his warm, caring and positive aura; Jonah latched to it.

Despite Seth's rash actions, Jonah still worried about him and wished the best for him. He claimed to no longer be saddened by Seth's absence; and saw it as him trying to better himself on his own.

Jonah descended from the stairs of his home to see Cole in the kitchen, eating left over barbeque ribs. He greeted him,

"Hey Cole!"

"Hey bro, happy birthday."

"Thanks.”

Jonah glanced down to the ribs in Cole’s grasp;

“Huh, I didn't think we had any leftover ribs from last night."

Cole put down his rib and licked his sauce coated fingers and said,

"Mmm. Yeah! That was some party last night; did I happen to get laid?"

With a quick chuckle and a smirk as he grabbed a glass cup, Jonah replied,

"Haha, sorry but no."

"Aw Man..."

"Well, we did get into some other serious shit though, don't you remember?"

The previous night was unlike any other for them, Cole's twin brother, Del, introduced to them a new kind of alcoholic beverage as an early birthday gift to Jonah. Del described the beverage as, "a way to lose your freaking mind!" Jonah and Cole being interested tried this new substance, and moments later, it was like they were completely different people. They did not know what they were indulging in under the devastating influence of the alcohol in their systems. Jonah told Cole of his very faint memories of their previous night; he remembered three specific items they used out in public for an unrecognizable event; a baseball bat, a fedora, and a telephone pole. The final moments that Jonah could recall was him and Cole walking into their house and struggling to walk up his stairs.

"Seriously, it took me about two whole minutes to climb each step of the stairs!"

"How embarrassing... Well at least I got these ribs; Halie can cook a friggin' good set of ribs. I'm gonna go and see her again today."

Jonah filled his glass cup to roughly an inch from the rim with tap water from the kitchen sink, and asked;

"You've been hanging out with Halie an awful lot lately, haven't you?"

Halie was one of the many accomplices of Jonah and Cole's on their three year adventure. During the adventure she was a high ranking member and hydrokinetic prodigy of what was once called the "Boone County Gang.” It was a small organization that was once spread out across two counties in southern West Virginia, using her ability to manipulate water and liquids; she was a great asset to Jonah and Cole’s team. After the three year journey, Cole befriended Halie and the both of them began hanging out almost every day. To Halie, Cole was someone who could take any bad situation, and turn it around to make it seem completely non-existent.

"Yeah, she's a very interesting person. And to be honest, I'm thinking of asking her out, you know like dating."

"I think you both would match perfectly, you talk well together, a good example is how much you helped her after what happened to her friend."

"Whatcha mean?" said Cole with a confused look.

Jonah took a couple gulps of water from his glass, and said;

"Remember Evan? When he died, you were the first person to really get through to her and help her feel better. Seriously, she was like a walking zombie when Jacob or I tried talking to her!"

Cole recollected his memories as he grabbed another piece of the barbequed ribs,

"Oh right! That could be a hint that she likes me. Ya know what, I'm gonna do it, I'll ask her out. It may actually turn out well; we may even be as good a couple as my brother and his girlfriend."

Jonah nodded in encouragement and said,

"Maybe. Or as well as Mina and I are together."

Cole choked on his barbeque rib, and said while spitting up barbeque;

"Mina scares me, man... The weather power of hers is just… intimidating. I mean think about it, I have electric powers, you have ice powers; she can create thunder and hail! She’s like the both of us together…"

"Oh come on, Cole. You know she's on our side now."

"No, it's not that. I forgive her for the whole thing back in 2012, but overall I think she wants to slice my throat open sometimes. She's so sadistic to me! She even treats YOU like shit sometimes, Jonah!"

Mina was once a classmate in Jonah and Cole's seventh grade classes of 2009. Her relations with the duo were, for the majority of the time, at a boiling point. Since the two were always the class clowns, and never took a lot of projects seriously, it often disrupted her concentration and focus during lectures or assignments. Though Jonah and Cole have grown since their childhood antics, and that she now dated Jonah, Mina retained some of the sarcastic and rude emotions toward them and most other people. Most of her emotional distress and dark atmosphere today can be the result of the 2010 flooding in her home city, when she witnessed the tragic death of her twin sister. Mina was stranded in the flooded city of Virginia Beach until 2012, when she was manipulated by Jonah and Cole's old enemy to believe that they were the ones who caused the said flood. Mina spent a short time trying to hunt and kill the duo, and later to join them after some misunderstandings were solved. She ended up being a pivotal role in the final battle of the three year adventure.

Jonah was prepared to calm Cole, until a series of loud and echoing knocks were heard from their front door. Jonah and Cole went together to see who it was, Cole still having ribs in his hands with barbeque sauce smeared on his lips and fingers. Cole reached for the door knob with his filthy hand, Jonah moved him away;

“Don’t open the damn door with that on your hands; I just cleaned this place two days ago!”

“Oh, shit. Sorry.”

Jonah opened the door to see two local police officers waiting behind it. One of the men promptly said;

"Mr. Jonah? Mr. Coltrane?"

Jonah and Cole looked at each other for a brief moment before Cole said;

"That's us, can we help you...?"

The officer continued with a stern expression;

"You two are under arrest for vandalism and arson."

Jonah and Cole became shocked, their pupils widened, and Cole dropped his ribs as they stuttered their words. The officer said to his partner;

"Book 'em."

The other officer proceeded to step behind the boys and hand cuff them both, Jonah and Cole were escorted to the officer's patrol vehicle, and were taken from their home.

So our story begins with two boys, once celebrated heroes, now being taken into custody for a shady and unrecognizable crime. What did happen that previous night? And what will happen to the two best friends?

Meanwhile, a much more tragic situation continues to happen elsewhere, on a planet far from Jonah and Cole's home... Planet Equestria...