Chapter 12
I pressed up close against the door, trying to shove it open with physical force. I glanced, Scott and Ken had come to help out.
"Da..." I started, Scott glared and the curse died on my lips. I bit my lip and shoved harder.
Still nothing."What the Heck!" I stepped back on the porch and kick the door. "Why can't we open it?"
"Umm it's a fortress? You want it to be Easy?" Heidi chuckled, leaningon a pillar. I scowled at her.
"Try knocking?" She shrugged off the pillar and gave the brass knocker a good thwaping.
On some cosmic joke, it opened up.
"I don't beleive it.." I blinked at her. "Wow." I grinned at Heidi and scooted over to her,
hugging her around the neck. "You rule." Jewls started snickering behind us, as the boys,
par usual, started inside without a look at us females. Eva shook her head and grabbed my arm, yanking me inside.
I yelped, still giggling as I waved 'bye bye' to Kai. I was in a funky mood... Again.
"What is with you?" Mandies fell into step with Eva. "I mean, listen to yourself..." I blinked,
I knew something was wrong with me, but I just couldn't think about it for very long, not without my mind wandering.
"Oh? And what about you 'n' Mike?" I smiled, leaning in closer to Mandies ear. "Something going on we should know about?"
I nudged her, dodging the oncoming thwap.
"There's nothing going on. He's just a good friend." She shook out her fireengine red curls. "Nothing."
Heidi chose this time to add in her own remarks. "You two meet pretty secretly in the training area before we left..."
I muffled my laughter with both hands.
"Yeah, well I noticed you and Robert were pretty close too.." Eva grinned over my head at Heidi.
Heidi blushed crimson, matching mandies' hair. I tried, really tried, to contain my laughter.
Only it over powered me and soon I was being told to shush by my friends. Jewls was up near Scott...
"Hey..." I grabbed Eva's arm. "You think Jewls likes our Scott?" I pointed up ahead, the dim hallway giving away only to our mage lights.
I could see heidi's color and Mikes, got toremember to thank them later for the thought. "I mean, they do spend alot of time together..."
"Yeah.. But the two of them have to make sure you don't trip over your own to feet." Eva added the last part on,
only because I had started to fall and she had to make sure I caught myself. I scowled at my feet, everything was very strange.
"I feel funny.." I muttered shaking my head to clear it.
"You've been acting werid.." Mandies' fingers pressed to my forehead.
"You don't feel like you have a fever..." I shook her off.
"I'll be fine..." I bit my lip and forced myself to jog, without tripping, to the front. The halls felt rather close,
like they were shrinking in on me. The air was heavy, musky, like it hadn't been opened in a long time.
Like something had died...
I shivered, moving forward, not noticing the others calling for my name. I opened the first doors I had seen since entering.
The room was swirling down ward. In the shape of a circle, with two doors and no walls. I blinked and stepped back,
something grabbed my hand. I bit back a scream and looked down.
"Mommy" It was only Teddy. I tried to stop my rapid beating heart. "Mommy, it smells...."
I nodded and brushed my fingers through his hair. This is silly, I feel sick, the room
can't be going around and around... I closed my eyes. Something pushed me into the spinning room.
I screetched and fell onto it. Teddy was right behind me. I looked up, the room was going down, faster now with the added weight.
Jewls, Scott, Sean and Eva jumpped on quickly after us. Mandies, Heidi and the rest watched, before following seconds later.
We caught the last jumper, which was one of the boys of Teddy's guard. I rubbed my temples. This was so trippy, long coriadors,
swirling rooms...
"Mommy.." Teddy's voice preiced the haze that seemed to be clinging to my mind.
I smoothed my hand through his hair. "Mommy..." I blinked, someone else was saying mommy. I whirled around to look at the
wall, was that Rachel? She was in the wall, like a ghost...
I didn't know I was screaming until Jewls slammed her hand over my mouth. Somehow
I had fallen to my knees. Ken was watching the walls, I think he saw people in them too. I shivered and curled closely in Jewls' arms.
I was scared, I hadn't been this scared in a long time. I was loosing control. I was going crazy...
"Snap out of it." Mandies thwaped me upside the head. "Gods sakes, you've seen worse then this!"
I blinked up at her. Mike was all but ready to shake me. I blinked again, that's right, I had a job to do. I nodded to them,
standing slowly. The room chose that moment to shake to a stop. I fell right back on my rear.
I shivered, getting to my feet again. It was alot colder down here. I looked around, double doors slid open.
I looked over my shoulder. Scott nodded and stepped aruond me to go inside.
I didn't know where we were, we had gone down? and west? It looked like a city subway.
The tracks were still there, laid out on the ground. I looked around.
There was no light. I summonded my magic, and gasped in horror at what I found.
Chapter 13
Crystal glasses, like some science-fiction movie, held children's bodies.
Green, blue or red goo swirled in the containers. I bit my tongue to keep from screaming.
It was horrible, the children were just babies, to older children. All had wires sticking out
from various parts of their bodies. I could tell by the air, the others were just as horrified as me.
I stepped close to the nearest one. Music, soft with a deep beat echoed from the walls.
The child was only 6, if not younger. Shaved bald. It's gray eyes totally unseeing. I shivered, pressing my
fingers closer to the Container. Then, everything went black.
"Cj!" Eva darted to my side as I fell to the ground. The others were quick to
gather around my prone form. "What happened?" She looked up to Jewls and Scott. "She was just fine a minute ago.."
"She will be fine again..." A husky whisper echoed from the shadows. "She's merely remembering everything of her past."
Soft, shuffling, footsteps. The black robed figure stepped out of the shadows. The cowl was thrown back off the cloak
. "She should of known better, she is an Empath..."
"Kris?" Ken blinked at the young woman in front of him.
"And Josh.." The one in black pope robes stepped out from the shadows.
"We came to see what we could learn... Neither of us thought you would find The Black kings lab so soon though."
Josh was 6'7, long black hair and jade eyes. Kris was 5 foot even, thin, with long blond locks and bright blue eyes.
"We got to move quickly, Justin will be back soon."
"What about Cj?" Mandies stepped closer to Josh.
"She should be alright, she just got to close to the child..." Kris motioned to the containers.
"They are half alive, half dead. Her system over loaded..." Kris tapped on teh glass, the young childs eyes blinked.
"See? She awoke the child..." Kris closed her eyes, pressing both palms to the glass.
It shattered with a pericing wail, and the child coughed up some of the goo. Ken's arms encircled her tightly,
rubbing her back. Kris turned away and motioned. "We must get them out quickly."
"We need Iris for that..." Josh bent down and brushed his fingers across her forehead.
She opened my eyes, no real thought in them, I stood up, not saying a word to anyone .
I was trapped in my own body, what the hell? I tried to force out something, anything past my ironsealed lips.
I pressed my palms againest the glass of the next container, the raw emotions of the child tapped into my own.
Fear, pain, longing... I felt a tear fall dully from my cheek. I moved to the next as the glass shattered
with the same ear priecing scream. I could feel her conciousness with my own. 'why are you fighting me?'
'Why did you take...' I broke off my respose as more emotions slammed into me like a punch to the gut.
'over my body' I would off been gasping for breath, had I control of my body.
'I am Green Mother. I had to, you are the only one who can wake up the young.
And you couldn't deal with walking and taking in their pain. I will die because of this.' Another container, more emotions
raked through my body. Physically it was starting to show, I could kind of hear Josh holding back my friends.
'I don't like this...' I whimpered, another child free, it was getting harder, not easier.
'No choices, the Black King knows your weaknesses. You must let me help you.' Another child released,
it seemed like endless numbers to go. Behind me, I could hear Jewls comforting the newest of the free children.
'Listen to me, he is who you think he is, he did it so you wouldn't have to. He made his choice, you will have one when you face him.'
'I don't understand...' I felt my very soul writhe at the next one, these were the children who had been here the longest. The most far
gone. Hopelessness now entered their being. Lonely...
'Come back. You must listen to me. You must deside now!.' I felt almost ripped apart by the second to last.
'One more... You must deside with your heart! REMEMBER.' I screamed, whatever had been holding my body let go with a dying
wrentch.
I fell to my knees.
Glass shattered everywhere, i could feel my hair twist back in the wind. Small peices of glass twisting through my flesh.
But all I could feel was the lonelyness, the bottomless despair. My hands wrapped around my waist, tears
dripped in a steady stream down my face.
I could sense them all. Even josh was horrified, this wasn't suppose to happen. I shuddered, my whole frame
feeling like it was being torn apart. This misery... I wanted to claw at my head, trying to get the thoughts, the very feelings
out. I made damn sure my fingers were enbedded around my waist. I could sense him, barely, just a trace of thought.
He had felt my pain, my misery... He had felt it clear as day.
I shook my head, forcing myself to calm down. This wasn't helping anyone. "Your a big girl, stop this stuipd crying..."
I whispered to myself, the age old way of calming the only one I coudl think of. "Your silly, to be cryin
g over this,
it's over and your here.. so are they, stop crying!" I forced my mutterings down to whispers again.
Teddy was the only one without a child in his arms, he was also the only one who was brave enuogh to come near me.
"Mommy..." he pressed his face into my shoulder. I took a breath and stood up. Teddy stummbled back a pace.
I whirled around, arms outstretched over my head.
"Lets get the Fuck outta here." I left my expression dull. No one but my heart would understand the pain
I had just gone through. Heidi smiled and nodded, looking over at Robert. He was holding a small girl, his jacket
around her shoulders. "You, you, you and you, take the better off kids up the spiral room."
I motioned to Robert, Mike, Mandies and Heidi. Along with Teddy and his gang.
"Not so Fast..." Justin had finally shown up.
"Finally." I muttered, squaring my shoulders and turning to face him with all the rage
I could muster. And, let me tell you, it was alot. "You Arragont, son of a bitch." I stepped closer,
the anger just radiating off me. "You cruel heartless son of..."
"I get the idea." He responded drily. "Missing someone?"
That stopped me, right in my tracks. The anger drainned from me. Usagi... I growled, low and feral. "Give me my baby."
"Oh come on, you really think it's going to be that easy?" Justin motioned his hand, two red robes popped out of no where.
"There's a bomb in this buildling, set for 15 mintues... Oh don't try to find it, I have it well hidden."
I cletched my fists and teeth. It was a stalemate. "Now, you can take the children you have, and the gray king... Oh yes... Ken?
I beleive it was? Your army is no more, I took care of that while you were in here playing with my toys." I growled again,
I felt fully resposible, i had taken it upon myself to forbid my heart to kill him, now look, his revenge is using him
againest me.
Justin smiled, gloating, he know all to well i had been the one to stop his funeral oh so long ago.
"Now... If you will pardon me..." Justin turned, and with his guard, took off the other way.
"Get him!" Scott and Jewls screamed at the exact same moment. I held up my hand.
"Three groups, who wants to go after asshole?" I looked at the people assembled.
"I will." Ken grabbed his katana. "Watch my little girl." I nodded, looking at the rest.
"Who goes with Him?"
"I will." Josh bowed slightly, smiling over at Ken. Kris also nodded and stepped over to them.
Jewls, Mike, Robert, Scott and Heidi raised hands.
"Alright. Teddy, Sean and Eva, you guys take up the best kids through the Spiral room.
Mandies and I will take the worse off ones with magic." I smiled and nodded to Ken. "Good luck..."
"You too..." Ken smiled, slauted SeeD style, whole hand, facing toward yourself, thumb inward, fingers together.
Then he and the rest started off after Justin. I smiled and slauted Sean. "get them kids out of here..." I grinned at him. "Mandies.."
"Rightie-o." Sean started herding the kids out. Mandies and i were left with the five that had been the first to
be sealed into the contrainers. She stood to one side, and I to the other.
The flash of our combined magics lit up the whole house breifly as we appeared outside.
"That was easy." Mandies blinked out the spots. "Just a bit bright..."
"Yeah... that musty old house had Horrible lighting..." I chuckled softly, kneeling in the dirt to look over one of the kids.
I could heal them, but it would take the rest of my magic and engery.
Which means, if something happened, I couldn't help out.
A scream from the inside. "Bad thoughts, always come true." I muttered, running for the huge marble doors.
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