by Tara Shuler
me and kissed me. It felt so good to be there with
him again.
“I’m going to go pack some stuff,” Max
mumbled.
“Wait!” I said, pulling away from Kai. “Max, I
don’t want you to go just yet.”
“I’ll only be a few minutes,” he said. “You
can spend some time with… Kai… until then.”
“Alright,” I conceded.
Max disappeared up the stairs, and Kai put his
arms around me again.
“You don’t know how much I’ve missed
you,” Kai whispered. “It’s been so hard being
away from you, not knowing what was
happening or how you were.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” I told him. “I think
about you every day. I dream about you every
night.”
“I love you,” Kai breathed into my ear.
“I love you, too,” I told him. “So very much.”
He enveloped me into a rapturous kiss, and it
felt like I would melt away in his arms. His lips
were warm and soft, and his arms made me feel
so safe and comfortable.
“Alice, I…” he started to say.
Just then, the front door flew open. I gasped as
five blurry figures swept into the foyer. They
appeared to be nothing more than gray streaks,
and they seemed to be hovering in the air. They
looked like ghosts or something.
Kai instinctively stepped in front of me and
tried to shield me with his body, but I saw the
vague shape of an arm rise from one of the
figures, and a glowing white orb shot out and
struck him. He slumped to the floor.
“Kai!” I screamed, starting to kneel beside
him.
Before I could, I felt myself being lifted from
the ground. The shadowy figures were suddenly
floating beside me, and I felt cold, clammy hands
grasping all over me and hoisting me into the air.
I heard a strange hissing sound, and I saw a
smoky, white haze floating around me. I started
to feel excessively tired, and I fought to keep my
hold on consciousness. I shook my head and tried
to clear it.
“Alice!” I heard Max shout, and I turned to the
sound of his face just in time to see a white orb
strike him. He fell forward and tumbled down
the stairs. His body came to a rest in a painful
posture at the bottom of the stairs.
“Max…” I whispered, just before I lost
consciousness.
*****
Chapter Thirteen – Dmitri
As I began to come around, I thought I heard a
voice on the wind. I could hear a breezy,
whispery sound whirling around me. It sounded
vaguely like speech, but I couldn’t distinguish
any words.
I blinked, and things slowly began to come
into focus. I was lying on the floor, and I could
see bars in front of me. I thought for a moment I
was in jail, but as my vision returned, I could see
it wasn’t a cell… it was a cage.
I struggled to sit up, and I saw the shadowy
figures twittering around me. They seemed to be
speaking to one another, but their words were
indecipherable to me. It sounded like a ghostly
wind, the tone slowly rising and falling in some
semblance of language.
As my eyes continued to adjust to my
newfound consciousness, I looked around the
room. The floors and walls were all made of a
pale, sand-colored brick. I could see something
that looked like a sort of platform, built of the
same material as the floor and walls, against the
far wall. The platform was flanked by huge red
curtains, which were held back by golden cords
with tassels.
The only light in the room came from two tall
candelabras, which appeared to be made of brass.
Each one held five off-white candles, which were
almost burned away. I noticed that everything in
the room, including the massive birdcage I was
in, cast tall shadows in the flickering candlelight.
Everything, that is, except the shadowy figures.
I strained to hear something in the distance. It
sounded like footsteps echoing hollowly. The
sound got louder and louder, and from behind
one of the red curtains, there appeared a robed
figure of a man. His skin was pale, but pinkish,
and he appeared to be very old. His short, spiky
hair was deep black, despite his obviously
advanced age. His robe was made of a deep
purple fabric, and it seemed to swallow his frail
frame.
The clack-clack of his heels echoed
throughout the room, and the shadowy figures
were silenced immediately. They all shrank to
half their normal size, appearing to bow before
the man. The man waved his hand, and the
figures scattered and flew away behind the
curtain.
For several long, awkward moments, the man
simply stared at me. He seemed to be sizing me
up – trying to figure out exactly what I was. I
licked my lips nervously and tried to avoid his
gaze.
Finally he spoke.
“Alice Wright, I presume?” he said in an
accent I recognized.
I clenched my jaw for a moment, trying to
stop my chattering teeth. I did not want to appear
weak or frightened.
“I am,” I said at last. “And you are?”
“Dmitri Dukas,” he replied. “I am an… old
friend… of someone I believe you know.”
“Barnabas?” I guessed.
“Very astute young lady,” he commented.
“What made you draw such a conclusion so
quickly and surely?”
“The accent,” I said. “You must come from
the same area?”
“You are quite observant. I am impressed.”
“Can we just cut the small talk and get to the
point?” I asked. “What do you want with me?”
He chuckled menacingly.
“Smart and brave. I like it.”
I glared at him.
“Answer me,” I said forcefully.
“Barnabas has something I want,” he answered
after a brief pause. “I have only taken you to
exchange for it. If he gives me what I want, I will
return you unharmed.”
“If you want something from Barnabas, why
did you take me? He hardly knows me. Why not
take one of his sons?”
“Because taking you would hurt the sons,
which would in turn hurt the father. Besides, you
are more important to all of them than you
realize.”
“How do you know all of this?”
“I know everything,” he answered.
“Everything?” I asked, and I felt my brows
furrow in confusion.
“Yes, everything.”
“What are you… like… God or something?” I
asked mockingly.
“Something like that,” he agreed.
“You don’t look like God.”
“You know what God looks like?”
“Well, no. But is
n’t he supposed to have
white hair and a beard or something?”
Dmitri erupted into a sharp cackling laughter,
which continued for several seconds. It was so
comical I almost laughed with him, and I
probably would have if I hadn’t been so irritated.
Finally, he took a deep breath.
“Are you comfortable, Alice?” he asked.
“You mean am I comfortable lying on the
cold, hard floor of a giant birdcage dangling in
the middle of a cold stone room in a location I
don’t know, with creepy ghost-like things
floating around and whispering? If so, then no.
I’m not.”
He chuckled.
“I can bring you a blanket or some food,” he
said. “I mean you no harm. I only need to impress
upon Barnabas the seriousness of my request.”
“Request? Seems more like a demand to me.”
“Perhaps. Either way, he must relent.”
“What exactly do you want from him?”
“That is none of your concern.”
“Alright, fine. Well… do I get a phone call or
anything?”
“Not at this time. But I will have some food
brought to you later.”
I sighed and leaned back against the back of
the cage. This movement caused the cage to rock
back and forth, and the chain squeaked loudly
against the ring that suspended it from the
ceiling.
“I will check in with you later,” Dmitri said,
stepping backward.
I said nothing, and after a brief pause, Dmitri
left the room.
I scanned the room, looking for a way to get
out. The cage bars were all very strong, and there
was no way for me to squeeze through. The chain
looked extremely sturdy, and there were no signs
of cracks around the ring where it was attached
to the ceiling. I tried pulling the bars apart, but I
was weak from not feeding in some time. They
wouldn’t budge. I sat back and banged the back
of my head against the bars of the cage angrily.
I thought about Kai and Max, and I
desperately hoped they were okay. I thought
about them lying there, motionless as though
they were dead, and a lump swelled in my throat.
I had no way to know if they were alive or dead.
Then I thought of Alexi and Liam. What
would they think when they came home and I was
missing. Would they realize I hadn’t run away if
Kai and Max couldn’t tell them? I remembered
how pleased they both were when they thought of
taking me to the cabin. Would they think I had
just left?
Kai. Precious Kai. It horrified me to think of
him lying there, helpless and silent. I thought of
all the time recently I couldn’t have spent with
him and didn’t. I finally dissolved into tears as I
thought of his beautiful face, his gentle kisses,
and his strong arms around me.
Please let them be okay, I prayed. I’ll do
anything. Just please let them be okay.
I lied down on the cold metal floor of the cage
and cried until I finally fell asleep.
“Alice? Alice. Alice, hear me,” I heard a
whispery voice say.
“Who’s there?” I asked, sitting up and looking
around.
“Alice, can you hear me?” the voice
whispered.
“Yes, I hear you,” I said.
“Alice? Alice, I know you can do this. Use
your mind. Say something to me.”
Use my mind? I thought. What does that
mean? Like… telepathy?
I concentrated carefully, and I thought, I hear
you.
“Alice!” the voice whispered. “I knew you
could do it!”
Who is this? I thought.
“It’s Alexi,” the voice echoed in my mind.
“Liam and I are connected. We won’t be able to
communicate for long before we are drained.”
Alexi! I thought. Are Kai and Max okay?
“Yes, they are fine,” Alexi said. “Liam and I
found them when we came home, and when we
revived them, they told us what happened. Are
you okay? Have you been harmed?”
I’m fine, Alexi.
“Thank goodness,” he said. “Where are you?”
I don’t know. I’m in a cage in a dark room.
Some old guy named Dmitri has me.
“Dmitri!” Alexi gasped. “What does he want
with you?”
He said your father has something he wants,
but he wouldn’t tell me what it is. He said he
wanted to trade me for whatever it is.
“Alice, Liam and I are weakening quickly. It
takes too much energy to maintain this
connection. I will contact you again as soon as
we regain our strength. We’re coming for you. I
promise. We’re going to get you out of there.”
Please don’t come for me! I don’t want you
to get hurt.
“We won’t. We’re not going to leave you
there. I’d rather die.”
Please, Alexi. I’m begging you. Don’t risk
your lives for me.
“You are my life, Alice,” Alexi insisted.
Alexi…
“I must go. I will come for you soon.”
Alexi. Alexi! Please…
It was too late. The connection was broken,
and I was alone again. I wanted to desperately to
convince him not to come for me. I knew what
those shadowy ghost things could do, and I didn’t
want to risk any of them. But I knew he wouldn’t
listen.
The hours crawled by. No one came with food
or water. No one checked in on me. The voices
were silent in my head. It was cold and lonely,
and I felt afraid. I wasn’t so much afraid for what
might happen to me as I was for what might
happen if they came for me. To think of Kai,
Max, Alexi, and even Liam getting hurt because
of me was unimaginable.
I finally fell asleep again. There was nothing
else to do, and I hoped sleeping would make the
time seem to pass faster.
“Alice? Alice. It’s Alexi. Wake up,” I heard
the whispery voice echoing in my head.
Alexi, I thought. I’m awake.
“Stand up,” Alexi instructed. “We have a
friend here to help. I need you to stand up and
move against the wall of your cage.”
Without stopping to ask why, I immediately
complied.
“Hillary is going to open a portal in the floor
of the cage,” Alexi explained. “It’s taking the
combined energy of her, Liam, Kai, and myself to
do this, so you have to hurry. We only have
seconds. Fall through it. I’ll catch you, I
promise.”
I saw a swirling vortex of fog slowly start to
appear in front of me.
“Go. Now! I’ll catch you,” Alexi said.
I trust you, I thought.
With that, I stepped into the swirling vortex.
*****
Chapter Fourteen – Calm
One moment, I was inside the cage. The next
moment, I was f
alling. True to his word, Alexi
caught me. I fell safely into his arms, and I
immediately threw my arms around him.
“Alexi!” I shouted, squeezing him tight.
“Alice…” he whispered into my hair.
I kissed his cheek, and said, “I knew I could
trust you.”
With reluctance I could easily sense, he
lowered me to my feet. His arms stayed around
me for a moment more, and he finally let me go.
“Alice,” I heard Kai say.
I turned to face him. He was trembling in the
floor, and blood was oozing from his nose.
“Oh, my God, Kai!” I gasped.
I ran to his side and kneeled beside him. I
brushed his hair away from his face, and I pulled
him into my arms.
“What happened? Are you alright?” I asked
him.
“I had to help…” he said weakly.
“You did,” I told him. “I’m here. I’m safe.”
“This has weakened him badly,” Alexi said.
“He isn’t as strong as the rest of us.”
“I’m fine…” Kai said, but he still trembled
badly.
“No, you’re not,” I argued. “You’re not fine
at all. I’m so tired of people getting hurt because
of me.”
I gently smoothed his hair as I held him, and I
kissed his cheek gently.
“Someone hand me a tissue or something,” I
said.
Alexi stepped into the dining room and
quickly returned with a handful of napkins. I
took one and blotted the blood away from under
Kai’s nose.
“I’m fine, really,” he said, trying weakly to
push my hand away.
“Okay, then stand up,” I challenged him.
He tried to push himself up, but his arms
shook so hard he just slipped back down.
“You’re not fine,” I insisted.
“I’m just weakened,” Kai said. “I’ll be fine in
a little while.”
I’d been paying so much attention to Kai, I’d
forgotten about everyone else. I scanned their
faces. Max looked brooding and angry over Kai.
Liam and Alexi were whispering against the far
wall. And I noticed a stranger – a woman. She
had rich ebony skin and cropped blonde hair, and
her black eyes glared at me as she stood with her
arms crossed.
“Hillary?” I asked, standing and extended my
hand toward her.
“That’s me,” she said, without shaking my
hand.
“Thank you so much for helping me,” I told
her, lowering my hand uncomfortably.
“No need to thank me,” she said. “I did it as a