Onyeka and the Secret Superhero by Tolá Okogwu

Author:Tolá Okogwu
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Published: 2024-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

My cry cuts off abruptly when my body comes to a sudden stop. I’m hovering above the ground, held up by a power that’s definitely not mine. Afam’s eyes are locked on me, his right hand stretched out in my direction.

Beside him, Niyì, Hassan and Adanna’s impressed faces grow more so as Afam curls his hand and I drift towards him like a helium balloon on a string. I don’t enjoy the experience, and when I reach the roof, my legs wobble for a second before I find my balance. I nod at Afam, grateful, though surprised.

‘Thanks,’ I say, my voice a breathless rush.

Afam doesn’t reply, his gaze now fixed on something behind me. His expression quickly morphs into one of growing horror. Then I hear it – the dull roar of rushing water. I turn to see a solid wall of it, easily three storeys high, charging towards the village. The massive wave sweeps aside everything in its path, gobbling up trees and land like a hungry beast. The villagers start screaming, the sound of their fear a loud chorus.

‘We need to get out of here,’ Adanna yells. ‘It’s a tsunami.’

‘How?’ Niyì asks. ‘We’re trapped!’

‘Stay together,’ Afam shouts, and the villagers obey immediately, huddling into a tight ball.

Niyì, Hassan, Adanna and I form our own little huddle, our hands grasping one another tightly. This is beyond even our powers. Afam ignores us and instead stretches out his hand as a look of concentration falls over his face. The giant wave is almost upon us and I flinch, bracing for impact… but it never comes.

Instead, the giant wave crashes against some unseen barrier. I suck in a sharp breath as the water flows sideways, its onward path now blocked. It follows its new route, circling the outer edges of the village in its destructive quest. Afam has created a telekinetic dam, allowing the water to pass us by.

‘I can’t hold it much longer,’ Afam hisses. Sweat beads his face, his jaw clenched as he struggles to carry the burden alone.

Hassan steps forward immediately and lifts his hand. A yellow energy shield appears in front of Afam’s invisible one, strengthening it. Together, they hold back the devastating wave, but I eye the churning water with worry. It isn’t enough, and our Ike isn’t limitless. We need something more permanent to hold back the water.

My eyes meet Niyì’s and it’s clear he realizes this as well. He joins Afam and Hassan, his own hand outstretched, and his Ike combines with the other two. Tendrils of frost appear, racing along the telekinetic and energy barrier. They mould themselves to it, forming into a solid wall of ice that begins to surround the small village in a horseshoe shape.

‘Hurry!’ Afam whispers, his outstretched hand beginning to shake.

Niyì grits his teeth. ‘I’m doing my best.’

My heart races. There are just two houses left unprotected, and Niyì’s ice rushes to enclose them as the last of Afam’s strength gives out. Just in time too –

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