by Gabi Moore
“You want to stay over at our house tonight?” Emily asked him as she slipped her hand in his. “I’m sure my dad could let you sleep on the couch.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I have enough to contend with when I get home. If I was at someone else’s house tonight, I’d have to put up with worse.”
“And you didn’t say a word about our engagement?” she asked him.
“No, too much to handle at once. You?”
“Didn’t say a thing to my dad either, when are we going to break the news?”
“Let’s see what happens after tonight. We can always go over and talk my parents and your dad when we get the chance. No reason to rush on it.”
“Did you say you were her fiancé?” the desk nurse suddenly came into the waiting room and asked Dion. All of them stood up right away.
“Yes I did,” Dion said. “What’s happening?”
“She’s out of surgery and the doctors wanted to her to see someone who was family. Do you want to go in and see her?”
“Yes. Can all of us go inside and see her?”
The nurse looked them over. “I don’t see how it will be a problem,” she said to them. “Why don’t all of you come with me?”
They followed her as she went behind the admissions desk and into the surgery area. They walked through a place that reeked of alcohol and disinfectants as the sound level dropped perceptibly. The nurse led them to a recovery room, which had a chart attached to the door that was open. She ushered them through.
Lilly was in a bed wearing a hospital gown. She lay back and gently turned to them as they walked into the room. There were an assortment of medicines on the bed next to her and her clothes were piled up in one corner. Dion could see the white bandage wrapped around her head as she lay there. The smell of disinfectant was intense in this room.
“Are you okay, Lilly?” Dion asked her as he walked into the room and took her hand. She looked up at him and smiled.
“I’m just fine now that you are here.” She sounded weak, but Dion realized it could be the medicine that she had taken.
“The doctor said you might be here overnight,” he told her. “They’re worried about head injuries and want to keep you under observation.”
“Will that stop you from going into the clock tower tomorrow?”
Dion was embarrassed. Here Lilly was inside the hospital with her head stitched up and all she wanted to know was would it effect what he had to do the next day. Dion squeezed her hand.
“No, I still have to finish what I started out to do this week. Things will be much better when it’s done. When can tell your parents about our plans when I come back. You should be out of here by then.”
“You want to wait to tell them until later?”
“Yes. Sean and Emily are holding off, I think it’s a good idea for us to wait as well. You still want to have a double wedding, don’t you?”
Dion could see a single tear form at the corner of Lilly’s eye and drop down to the pillow. He felt even worse at that minute, but he knew he had to finish what he’d started tomorrow if for his family. His parents had to be freed, along with the grandmaster. Only then could he return for her.
“I’ll be back for your, don’t worry,” Dion told Lilly.
There were voices down the hall and the three of them turned to see the desk nurse walk into the room with Lilly’s parents. This was the first time Dion had seen them up close and he could see the physical resemblance Lilly had to her father. He wasn’t a whole lot taller than Lilly. Her father marched up to him and starred directly at Dion in the face.
“What happened to my daughter?” he demanded. “She’s been with you every day this week and now I have to come here to the hospital. What happened?”
“She fell. Just as I told you over the phone. I took her directly to the hospital when I saw how badly off her head was. You can ask her the same thing.”
Her father turned to Lilly. “It’s true,” she told them. “I fell and he brought me right to the hospital. They waited until the doctor finished stitching me up before coming to see me.” She reached out and held Dion’s hand.
Her mother was silent up until now. When she saw how Lilly took his hand, she spoke. “We just talked to the doctor,” she said. “They want to keep you overnight for observation. I’m going to stay in the room with you.”
The nurse started to say something, but kept her mouth shut. It seemed the issues which brought Lilly here could be dealt with later. She decided not to tell her mother families were only allowed in the rooms during visiting hours.
“Could you wait in the lobby?” the nurse said to Dion and his friends. “I need to talk to Lilly’s parents about a few things.”
Dion, Emily and Sean left the hospital room and went out to the waiting area where they’d sat after bringing Lilly into the hospital. Dion tried to look at a magazine, but couldn’t concentrate on it. Sean and Emily tried to watch the TV which was provided, but their gaze kept running back to each other.
“I think her parents calmed down once they had a chance to talk to Lilly,” Sean finally spoke. “They looked pretty mad when they came into her room. When she took your hand they changed a lot.”
“I can’t really blame them,” Dion said. “Their daughter is in the hospital, they’ll want to know why. I expected her dad to get in my face.”
A few minutes later, Lilly’s parents came out into the lobby. Dion notice her father carried some kind of folder with the hospital’s name on it. They stood up and went over to them.
“We talked to Lilly,” her dad said, “and she swears she fell on a rock by accident and you raced to get her to the hospital. I suppose I owe you some thanks for getting her here right away.” Her father held out his hand, which Dion shook. “We were terrified after you called. Lilly means a lot to us.”
“She means a lot to me as well,” Dion said. It was obvious she hadn’t said a thing about the engagement.
‘We’re leaving. The doctor we spoke with said she needs rest and they’ll watch her tonight. If anything happens, they’ll call us. Do you have our number?”
“Yes I do.”
“Call me the first thing in the morning. No, wait until about eight in the morning. By then I will have spoken to the hospital and will know how she is getting along.”
“I’ll do that.”
Lilly’s family left. Dion thanked the nurse for the help she’d been and went to his van with Emily and Sean. He watched her parents drive out of the parking lot before he decided to leave. Dion started up the van and was soon on the highway.
“Do you still want to go into the clock tower alone?” Sean said to him from the backseat. “I’ve talked with Emily and we’ll find a way to come with you if you need us tomorrow.”
“I appreciate your help,” Sean said. “But I have to do this one myself. Remember, that clock tower sits directly over the abyss, or something like it. The monster you saw this evening is only a small sample of what lies in it.”
“Just keep us in mind.”
“I will.”
They dropped Emily off first. Instead of letting her walk up to the house alone, this time both Sean and Dion walked up to the door with her. As they expected, her father met them. He asked Dion and Sean to come inside and sit down. They went in and were seated at the kitchen table.”
“Is Lilly okay?” Emily’s dad asked. “I’ve been worried ever since Emily called.”
“She may have a slight concussion,” Emily said. “They stitched her up tonight and she’s spending the night in the hospital. But I think she’ll be fine tomorrow.”
“And she fell and hit a rock?” her dad asked.
“A big one. Dion drove like a madman to get her to the hospital when we saw how bad her head looked.”
“I’m glad you got her there quick,” her dad said to Dion, “but I don’t like hearing that you drove fast.”
“I don’t think I drove as fast as Emily imagined,” Dion responded.
Dion glanced around the kitchen. It was easy to tell that there was little in the way of a woman’s touch. It was clean, but looked Spartan. No lace curtains or the little signs a woman worked in it. The entire house was devoid of the presence of any older woman. He remembered Emily had told him her parents were divorced, but it must have happened years ago.
Emily’s father allowed her and Sean to have a few quiet moments together in the kitchen while Dion and him went in the living room. While they waited, Emily’s dad looked back at the kitchen and turned to Dion.
“This seems to be pretty serious. I don’t recall her being so heavily involved with any guy before. How long do you think it will last?”
Dion wanted to say ‘forever’, but knew that Emily and Sean didn’t want anything said about their engagement until they made it public. Since they were extending the same courtesy to him, Dion remained quiet.
A few minutes later, Sean came out of the kitchen with Emily holding his hand. He tried to look away from her father, but it was almost impossible to do. Dion could tell he felt uncomfortable. Also, he could tell they had been talking very seriously about something. The low voices, which came out of the kitchen, were an indicator. Dion had a sense what they were about to say and groaned on the inside. He was afraid this would happen.
“Daddy,” she said to her father. “We need to tell you something.”
He father went pale.
Dion could tell her father feared something terrible, but Dion couldn’t tell exactly what that might be.
“You’re pregnant,” Emily’s father said and dropped into a chair next to him. He turned and starred off into the distance.
“Daddy!” she yelled. “How could you think something like that about me?”
He father continued to stare away. “I should never have allowed you to visit your mother. It’s my fault. Is Sean the father?”
“Sir, would you snap out of it?” Sean said to him. “I haven’t done a thing to your daughter. Don’t you think highly enough of Emily to trust her? Haven’t you allowed her the freedom to choose the people she associates with? She’s eighteen and old enough to make her own decisions.”
“We’re going to get married,” Emily said. She turned to Dion. “I know, you wanted me to wait because you were told first and Lilly is in the hospital. But daddy should know. He’s been scared for a long time something bad would happen. We’ve had talks. I’ve had them with mom, too. She’s not as bad off as you might think, dad. She has her days, but I think she feels guilt for running off on us.”
“Congratulations,” her father told her. “To the both of you. Sean seems like a fine boy. You might be a little young, but there’s no reason for me to block it. If you really want to, I won’t stand in the way. When were you planning on going to the courthouse?”
“Soon. We have to tell Sean’s parents too. That will be the hard part.”
Sean looked at the floor.
“His mom is very religious, so be prepared for it.”
There were a few more hugs and Dion excused himself to go wait in the van. It seemed as if everything would work out. At least for them.
Sean opened the door and sat down in the front passenger side a few minutes later. Dion started the engine and backed the van out of the driveway. Next stop was Sean’s house.
“Sorry we popped that on you,” he apologized. “I know we planned to wait until all four of us could break the news to our families, but Emily wanted to tell her dad right away. She was worried about him.”
“I can see why,” was all Sean could say. He came to a red light and let the engine run for a bit. “Are you going to tell your parents when you go home?”
“No, we decided to wait. It buys you and Lilly a bit of time too.”
They were quiet until Sean saw Dion turn the van onto his parents’ street. “You’re still planning to go into that tower yourself tomorrow? Don’t you even want me as back-up?”
“I have to do it alone,” Dion said. “This is between my uncle and me.”
Sean nodded.
Dion pulled up to Sean’s house and told him good night as he watched his friend walk up to the door. The light was on when they arrived and the door opened before Sean was up to it. Dion could see his mother at the door. She hugged her son in relief when he walked inside the house. The door closed and patio light when out, which plunged the yard in darkness. Dion pulled the van back out of the driveway and onto the street.
He wondered how it was going down inside Sean’s house. Good thing there was no school tomorrow. He didn’t enjoy the idea of everyone asking him what happened. News traveled fast in this little suburb. It was amazing how many people knew each other when so many had relocated from somewhere else. Dion didn’t know too many people from California, but there were some at his high school. The local air force base had something to do with that.
He wondered about that air force base at times. It was very close to the entrance to the abyss. There had to be a connection. It wouldn’t be an obvious one as the abyss didn’t have a physical entrance in the way most people understood it. The abyss could be accessed in many different ways, but his uncle had found a means to lock it down into one location. Perhaps the first inhabitants of this area had known about it. If they had, they kept the knowledge to themselves.
It took Dion another half hour to arrive at his aunt and uncle’s house. The outside light was still on and he expected they would be waiting up for him. It was still only eleven in the evening, not too late by local standards. He would need to explain to them why he had to return to the mall tomorrow and enter the clock tower. Tomorrow would be the day of reckoning between him and his Uncle Seth. Tomorrow he would discover why his uncle had gone to such great lengths to keep him away from the mall. There was a lot happening beneath the surface right now and Dion intended to find out what it was.
Dion stepped out of the van when the light began to fade around him. There wasn’t a lot of it in the first place, but he knew someone wanted to take him somewhere else for reasons he could only suspect. This time it had to be his uncle. Good and fine, but he’d had enough of his uncle and his tricks. Time to make Seth Bach arrive here for a change.
Dion closed his eyes and resisted the transfer. He felt the light; no matter how little of it, return and he opened his eyes. He was still in front of his aunt and uncle’s house. Dion looked at his wristwatch. It was still close to eleven in the evening and the same date was on the inner dial of the watch. His uncle had failed to pull him over to his own time circle.
However, his Uncle Seth was standing in the middle of the driveway.”
“Glad to see you again, uncle. Is this a family visit? I do think it’s been a long time since you saw your brother and his wife.”
“You think you are so powerful, so talented, so brilliant,” his uncle snapped at him. “We’ll see how well you do tomorrow. Don’t you think I know what you’re up to? You do know, don’t you, that I can keep you far from the mall itself?”
“Why don’t you try and stop me?” You’ve tried to make yourself master of this universe and it hasn’t worked. You have something else in there you don’t want anyone to know about. You are afraid I’ll find out what it is, aren’t you?”
His uncle glared at him.
“And you couldn’t even bring me to your turf,” Dion concluded. “It would appear, uncle, your powers have their limitations.”
“We’ll see about that tomorrow!” his uncle growled and then disappeared.
Dion looked at the empty space his uncle had occupied. He was ready, that was for sure. Dion wasn’t sure what the best way would be to get into the tower. His uncle would be watching every clandestine entrance to the mall. Granted, he would have a new security company in place and they would be green. There were plenty of outside contractors who could police the mall for him. His uncle would make sure the guards would be on the lookout for Dion or anyone who matched his description. With his elemental power, Seth Bach wou
ld know the minute Dion entered the mall.
Dion continued to his aunt and uncles house, pulled out his key and unlocked the door. As he expected, they were in the TV lounge watching the news. Both of them jumped up as Dion entered the room.
“Are you okay?” his aunt ran to him and put her arms around Dion.
“I’m fine. Lilly is going to be all right, but they are keeping her in the hospital overnight to make sure she doesn’t have any head trauma. Or something like that.”
“Your Uncle Rich told me about your call,” she said as they sat down. Dion place the bag he carried into the room on the floor.
“What’s that?” his uncle inquired about the bag.
“Something I need to return to Hobbs. It’s a censer that can be used to trap fire elementals. I have my full fire elemental powers today and don’t need it anymore. I didn’t have to use it, so he can sell it to someone else.”
“And your uncle tells me you plan on going back to the mall tomorrow?” his aunt asked him.
“I have to. Uncle Seth has imprisoned not only my parents in that clock tower but the Fire Elemental Grandmaster too. I need to obtain the power of the fifth element to stop him and get my parents out of there.”
“Can’t someone go in there with you?” his uncle asked. “I’m willing to accompany you. After all, I am Seth’s brother.”
“It won’t make a difference,” Dion explained. “He’s out of control. I have to be the one who goes into there alone and deal with him. Nobody else but me can do it.”
Dion stood up. “I need to get to bed. Big day tomorrow.”
His aunt and uncle watched him leave.
“He didn’t say a thing about Jupiter Olympus,” his aunt said to her husband.
“Isn’t it enough that he knows? It’s one more thing on Dion’s mind. I didn’t think my brother would sink so low to tell him, but he’s desperate and will do anything. He hasn’t changed a bit.”
They turned back to the TV. Tomorrow was supposed to be a bright and clear day, according to the weather report with no storm clouds on the horizon.