by Steve Bevil
“This doesn’t concern you,” she responded, sharply. She raised her arm, revealing the long sword sheathed at her side. She then formed a bright blue energy ball in the palm of her hand. “I’m here on official Order business.”
“Oh?” said Taylor, skeptically. “On whose command?”
“Wow, the resemblance is uncanny!” said Jonathan, abruptly. At first, everyone appeared confused by Jonathan’s sudden outburst. They then began to follow Jonathan’s gaze. Light from the nearby blue doorway fell onto the large oil painting above the fireplace. “Besides the subtle differences in eye color, I would think that was Liz in the painting.”
“Really, Jonathan?” asked Alan in disbelief. “That’s just so random!” Alan pointed dramatically. “The creepy guy just tried to lure us to the window so he could impale us with shards of glass, and she’s threatening us with an energy ball!”
“It’s going to take a lot more than a blown-up window to make us hand over all of our research,” said Lafonda. She stared into Liz’s hazel brown eyes and then turned to regard the brown eyes of the little girl in the painting.
“I agree,” said Angela. She pointed to the pair of silver-rimmed dark sunglasses that hung from the collar of Liz’s long black trench coat. “And now we see where Malick gets his bad habit of wearing sunglasses indoors.”
“Yeah, like, who wears sunglasses at night?” asked Alan. He laid his arms across his chest. “It’s silly, not to mention a sign of bad fashion sense, if you ask me.”
The blue ball of energy hovering slightly above Liz’s hand grew brighter, illuminating the frown on Liz’s face. “Awe, you’ve made friends,” she said, sarcastically, staring at Malick. “Now, if you’re done playing with the children … you know where you belong.”
Sweet Pea watched in disgust as Eleazar continued to trace the blade of his sword with his index finger, while making a threatening face at Lafonda and Angela. “Eleazar, enough!” she shouted. “Do you even know what you’re doing here?” She then turned to address Jordan and the dark-haired woman. “Do you know why you’re here? Or are you just following Liz blindly, like you usually do?”
“I’m sorry, Sweet Pea,” said Liz, with a sarcastic grin. “It sounds to me as if you’re having a hard time with your line again.” She turned to look at Taylor and then shrugged. “The members of my line just never seem to question my leadership.”
“Whatever, Liz,” snapped Sweet Pea. She raised her sword again and Taylor followed suit. “You’re not going to distract me, and no one is giving up anything until we discuss all of this with the Order.”
“Ugh, you’re just as bad as they are,” grumbled Liz. “When will you people ever learn?” She drew a deep breath and, without warning, threw the blue energy ball straight into Sweet Pea’s chest. “You know what they say, third time’s the charm.”
Sweet Pea’s tiny body hit the ground with a thud; forcing the air out of her lungs. She attempted to gain composure but gasped for air. Taylor looked enraged as he raised his sword and charged Liz, but his blade was met by Eleazar’s sword.
“Destroy all the evidence,” smirked Liz. She watched as Taylor and Eleazar exchanged blows with their swords. “Destroy the house too, if you have to.”
Jordan and the dark-haired woman’s eyes lit up; it was as if they were waiting for an invisible green light. Quickly, the dark-haired woman stampeded toward Leah as Jordan drew two silver knives from his side. He threw them at Nathan, in a fury.
The dark-haired woman shoved Leah to the ground, hard. Leah tried to hold on to the crescent-shaped medallion in her hand, but upon impact, it went skidding across the hardwood floor.
The dark-haired woman snickered as Leah frantically searched for the medallion in the darkness. She then unsheathed her sword, raised it above her head, and plunged it into Jonathan’s laptop, which lay on the couch.
“Nice one, Monique!” said Liz, to the dark-haired woman.
“My computer!” yelled Jonathan. In a dash, he attempted to retrieve it, but Angela and Lafonda held him back.
“Don’t forget the notebook,” said Liz. She squinted as she scanned the couch and flat surfaces around the dark room. “Now, where is the cell phone with the pictures?”
“Okay, how does she know about the cell phone?” grumbled Alan. He was huddled behind Lafonda and Angela.
“No!” screamed Jonathan. He watched in horror as Monique began ripping pages from his spiral notebook.
Nathan heard Jonathan’s scream and wanted to help, but he barely escaped Jordan’s onslaught of flying knives. “We have to do something to stop them!” yelled Nathan to Malick.
“Oookay,” said Malick, hiding behind one of the lounge’s large end tables. They had knocked off the lamp, and both were hiding behind the tipped-over table. “I’m kinda busy at the moment — you know, trying to stop from being impaled!”
“Cover me,” said Nathan and he tried to throw an energy ball at Monique.
“Are you kidding me?” he asked. “What do I look like, a body shield?”
“Yo, Firewalker!” called Liz. She still stood over by the fireplace, and as soon as Nathan turned to look at her, she threw the ball of energy in her hand.
Liz’s energy ball soared through the air, missing Angela and Lafonda’s head by inches. The girls cringed and Liz laughed heartily. She also smirked at Nathan. Infuriated, Nathan switched his focus from Monique. He transformed the blue energy ball in his hand into a blazing blue fireball. He threw it at Liz.
The fireball hurled at her, lightning fast, and at the last second, Liz moved out of the way, allowing the fireball to smash against the blackened walls of the fireplace. It rekindled the fire.
“Thanks!” said Liz, proudly. Nathan looked confused, but his confusion was short lived. Swiftly, Liz approached the couch, picked up Jonathan’s backpack, and tossed it into the fire.
Jonathan’s backpack went up in flames, causing a cloud of black smoke to rise up from the fire. “No!” Jonathan yelled. Jonathan began to struggle against Lafonda and Angela’s grip.
“Jonathan!” yelled Lafonda, but Jonathan was free. Instantly, he dove toward the fire.
The flames from the fireplace roared and tiny fragments of ash floated through the air, as Jonathan tried to retrieve his backpack. Liz hovered over Jonathan, drawing her sword. It was as if she waited for him, as if it were her plan all along.
“Look out!” shouted Lafonda. Forcibly, she shoved Liz in the back, right before she could smite Jonathan.
Liz crashed into the stone of the fireplace with a thud, causing her to drop her sword. Startled, Jonathan crawled out of the way, leaving his backpack to burn. Lafonda turned to help Jonathan, but before she could walk away, Liz had regained composure. In one swift motion, Liz picked up her sword and seized Lafonda by the neck.
“Come here, you!” Liz snarled. Aggressively, she led Lafonda by the neck, thrashing her against the stone of the fireplace. She then took her sword and pressed it against Lafonda’s side. “How does it feel to be knocked around?”
“Let go of me!” said Lafonda, through gritted teeth. She tried to lift her head, but Liz forcibly pushed her against the fireplace again.
“I’m a patient woman,” said Liz. “Just tell me where the cell phone is, and I’ll let you go.”
“Like I said before,” said Lafonda, defiantly. “It’ll take a lot more than a blown-up window to make me just hand over our research.”
“Oh, you have balls!” said Liz. She began pressing the blade harder into Lafonda’s side, causing Lafonda to squirm. “Let’s see if I can change your tune.”
Malick witnessed what was happening and, in a flash, picked up the end table and tossed it at Jordan. It knocked him to the floor. “Liz, stop!” Malick yelled. In each hand, he formed two enormous balls of fire.
The first fireball hit Jordan square in the chest, igniting his black coat. “Aah!” he yelled. He immediately began to run around in circles, attempting to put out the fire.
> The other one hit Liz in her sword-carrying arm, causing her to release Lafonda. “You choose now to show that you’re a Firewalker?” shouted Liz. She still looked shocked as she put out the flames.
“There are two Firewalkers!” shouted Monique. She abandoned shredding the last remaining pieces of Jonathan’s notebook to help Jordan.
There was a loud crash from the back of the room. “Liz!” shouted Eleazar. Sweet Pea had joined Taylor, and he was in engaged in a duel with both of them. “Stop messing around and get the cell phone!”
Nathan pulled two of the throwing knives from the toppled end table and walked over to Angela and Alan. Slowly, Lafonda backed away from Liz and joined them, while rubbing her neck.
“Are you okay?” asked Nathan. Lafonda nodded. He then gave her one of the throwing knives and they both pointed them at Liz.
“Stop this now, Liz!” shouted Malick. “Before someone gets hurt.”
Liz continued to look at her charred sleeve as it smoldered, and her face looked gloomy. “This is not how I imagined you telling me about your fire ability,” she said.
Malick’s face softened and his eyes grew wide as he probed her face.
“Yes,” she nodded. “I’ve known since we were kids. I’d hope by now, after everything we’ve been through — growing up together, not fitting in with our families, dating — that you would’ve eventually trusted me.” Liz kept her head low, but her eyes continued to search the floor. “But up until now, you’ve kept your secret.…”
“Yeah, he’s good at that,” mocked Alan.
“After all this time, you’ve finally revealed yourself as a Firewalker,” continued Liz, “but not to tell me….” She lifted her head to look over Lafonda, only to eventually turn up her nose. “I know you’ve always had your reasons why you refused to join the Order … and it appears you are still conflicted as to where you belong.”
“Liz,” said Malick sympathetically, taking a step forward.
She lowered her eyes again and eyed the corner of the couch. Jordan and Monique had returned, tightening the circle. “And I don’t have time to wait for you to choose the right side,” said Liz. Quickly, she pointed to the edge of the couch with her sword. “There it is! Grab the cell phone!”
Jonathan, still on his knees on the floor, spotted the phone and dove for it as Nathan and Lafonda charged Liz with the throwing knives in hand. Jordan suddenly drew two swords sheathed to his back, and pointed them down at Jonathan as he clutched his cell phone.
“Hand it over!” shouted Monique. She also pointed her sword at Jonathan. “Or lose more than the cell phone.”
Jonathan looked down at his cell phone. Scraps of paper from his notebook lay beneath his knees. He lifted his chest and shoulders and looked Monique directly into her dark, brown eyes. “No,” he said, defiantly.
Monique raised her sword, gritting her teeth.
“Duck!” rang a voice in front of him. Like a thunderstorm in the night, a flash of white light lit up the dark room and, when it was gone, Monique and her sword hit the ground.
“Go!” rang the voice again.
Finally, Jonathan’s eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could see Leah standing in front of him.
“Take the phone and get out of here!” she yelled. The medallion in her hand continued to glow a bright blue as she pointed it at Jordan.
Jonathan stood up and started toward the hallway that lead to the front door, but froze. In front of him, small shapes darted in and out of the shadows, and the sounds of clawing and scratching drew near him.
“What’s wrong?” asked Leah. Jordan grinned at them, as the scratching sounds grew louder.
Leah’s grip on the medallion tightened and Jonathan’s glasses slid down his sweaty nose. “Quick!” she yelled, gesturing toward the bookcase near the fireplace. “Go through the doorway before it disappears!”
Jonathan nodded, and the last thing he saw before entering the fading blue doorway was Lafonda running past him as Nathan tried desperately to avoid Liz’s sword.
Jonathan stepped out of the blue doorway and into a dark and quiet room. The moonlight that crept in through the busted stained glass window revealed that he was still in the lounge area of Black Manor. The only difference was that the room was completely devoid of people. Everything was shrouded in gray.
“The Space-In-Between,” he said. He took a few steps away from the blue doorway, stopping in front of the fireplace. He leaned over, catching his glasses before they slide down his nose. Inside the fireplace, he could see his backpack engulfed in flames, but like everything else, it was frozen — almost sculpture-like. “I haven’t seen that before, even the fire is frozen.”
Jonathan stood upright again and opened his hand to look at his cell phone. His hand, including his cell phone, retained their color. “I have to get to somewhere safe,” he said, closing his hand. He turned to look at the fading blue doorway. “Even if the doorway closes, there is nothing stopping them from forming another one and finding me here.”
Jonathan closed his eyes to use his Spirit Walker ability, to transport to another location, but he quickly opened them after he heard his name.
“Jonathan!” called Nathan, again. Nathan continued toward him as Malick and Lafonda followed. Just like Jonathan and his cell phone, they too retained their color.
Jonathan looked over Nathan’s shoulder and saw Leah step through the blue doorway, before it dissipated. “How did you…?”
“Make it past Liz, Monique, and the Blackwater twins?” finished Malick. He appeared out of breath as he walked the room. “Because of Leah. Thanks to her trusty medallion.”
Nathan eyed Leah and he looked worried as he watched her clutch the medallion tightly to her chest. “Yeah,” he mumbled, sounding doubtful. “Thanks to her trusty medallion.”
Leah placed a lock of wavy brown hair behind her ear and stopped short of Jonathan, to catch her breath. “You guys’ fire-power helped too,” she said.
Suddenly, Lafonda gasped. “Oh no!” she shouted. She quickly did a scan of the room. She then turned to where the blue doorway had been. “Angela and Alan … they didn’t make it.”
“Then we’ll have to go back for them,” said Nathan.
“Umm, that would be a no,” said Malick, sarcastically, continuing to search the room.
“No?” said Lafonda, dramatically. She shifted her weight to one side and then pointed, using the long, silver sword in her hand. “Angela and Alan are my friends! And what about Sweet Pea and Taylor?”
“They’re most likely all at Black Manor on the other side, worrying about us,” said Malick. Lafonda looked confused. He stopped to look at her and then pointed at the cell phone in Jonathan’s hand. “Liz wasn’t after them, and knowing Liz, she left immediately after we did. Trust me, she’ll be coming after us.”
“Can you not point that thing?” asked Nathan. He winced every time Lafonda pointed the sword in his direction.”
“Sorry,” said Lafonda. She lowered the sword and ran her free hand through her long black hair. “I picked it up off of Monique while she lay unconscious.”
“Good,” said Malick, continuing to look around the room. “Because you’re going to need it.”
“So, you’re concerned about Sweet Pea and Taylor now?” asked Nathan, teasingly. “I thought you didn’t like the Order.”
“I don’t,” said Lafonda, rolling her eyes. “But whether or not I like the Order, or like what they do, that doesn’t change the fact that Sweet Pea and Taylor helped us today.”
“Speaking of the Order,” said Nathan. “How can they fight their own members?” He folded his arms across his chest. “Shouldn’t there be some rule against that?”
“There is,” said Malick, ceasing his search. He approached Jonathan, Nathan, and the others. “And it’s only permissible if another member is in the way of carrying out a mission.”
“And apparently, Liz thinks she’s doing just that,” added Jonathan.
&nbs
p; “Okay, guys,” said Leah. She frowned while looking around the dark room. “I hope we’re planning to leave soon. Considering my history, and everything I know about this place, I’m not exactly thrilled to be in the Space-In-Between.”
“My thoughts exactly,” said Malick. “We definitely can’t stay here. I’m expecting Liz and the others to show up at any minute. And considering that there is barely any light here….” He turned in the direction of the broken stained glass window. “The Necrocritters would arrive first.”
“Before you guys got here,” said Jonathan. “I was just about to leave.” He paused to make sure his cell phone was secure in his hand. “And I think I have the perfect place to go.”
“Alright then,” said Leah. She shuddered, and then nervously looked into the dark shadows and corners around the room. “Let’s get out of here before the Necrocritters show up — sharp claws and teeth included.”
“You guys know the drill,” said Malick. He placed a hand on Jonathan’s shoulder and then motioned for them to gather around closer.
Nathan followed suite and Jonathan placed a hand on both Lafonda and Leah’s shoulders.
“I just had a scary thought,” said Lafonda. “What if our parents show up with my grandmother, before Liz, Eleazar and the others leave Black Manor?”
“Well,” said Malick. “If your grandmother is the same LaDonda Devaro that everyone says is responsible for the Great Upheaval, I’m sure she can hold her own.”
Slowly, Lafonda nodded, and as soon as Jonathan closed his eyes, they were gone.
*
A few seconds past and, in a swirl of blue and white lights, Nathan, Malick, Lafonda, Leah, and Jonathan reappeared.
“And why, exactly, were the Necrocritters at Black Manor?” asked Nathan. He took his hand from Jonathan’s shoulder. “I thought they were one of the minions for the Scarlet Priests.”
“I don’t know, but that’s a good question,” said Malick. “The last time I checked, Necrocritters were not in the service of the Order.”
Nathan’s mouth twisted and he appeared to be in deep thought. Trancelike, he watched as Lafonda and Leah spread out from the group. It wasn’t until he recognized what appeared to be the night sky, that he realized he was no longer at Black Manor. “Wait, where are we?”