The Lost Prince

by P. G. Shriver

  “Me, too!” Lena nodded. “I could use a bite, or ten.” The others turned toward her with the same concerned expression. “Don’t worry, I don’t eat as much as you think I would. I’m just a normal girl.”

  “Lena, there’s not a normal girl in this room,” Cai rose from the chair to help them.

  Light reflections flickered through the slits in the living room drapes gliding across the wall opposite Jaz. He jumped to his feet, “Car!” With back to the wall next to the window, he peeked out the window from the side of the drapes. He was right. He knew they hadn’t given up on them. Jaz suspected this to be a trap, and sure enough, it was.

  “Blend!” Cai ordered.

  “What?” Jamie’s confusion prompted Cai to grab his left hand. “Lena, take his right and join hands with Nathan. Jamie stumbled as Lena tugged him toward the others. With the line complete, he felt his body changing, molecules moving, shimmering, separating—panic overtook him when he looked at what used to be his feet. “What the...?”

  Nothing but hardwood flooring.

  He searched the room for the others finding only walls, chairs, bookshelves, lamps, a staircase. The mirror directly across from where he stood showed only the kitchen behind him. Where was he?

  Knock, knock, knock.

  Silence.

  The doorknob at the front turned and the door creaked open. A pretty dark haired girl with glistening brown eyes searched the room right to left, “Nobody’s here. Well, I say that, but I feel like somebody’s watching me. You know? That uncomfortable feeling you get in the shower sometimes?” Carmen could see colors, a rainbow of shadows in the living room, like people were there, but they weren’t. Carmen frowned curiously as she scanned the bright colors in the room; for the first time since the day she left, she felt safe.

  Jamie’s chest wanted to burst out the breath he’d been holding. How much longer did he have to wait? He couldn’t hold his breath that long. Who were these people, anyway? The girl was kind of cute.

  “Ah, they’re here!” A young boy’s head peeked in around the door frame.

  “Stevie!” The blend released as Jaz let go, happy to see the young boy again.

  “Told ya’!” Stevie ran to squeeze Jaz’s waist. “I sure missed you!” Stevie’s voice cracked with emotion.

  “Stevie, mind your manners! We have a message from Maive for you all. She ain’t doin’ well. She wanted us to hand deliver it.” Stevie’s mother entered the room, “And on the way, we found these two. Stevie swears they belong to you.”

  “They do, Jaz! Momma they do! Don’t ya’ Carmen?” Carmen couldn’t help but grin at the young boy wrapped around the older one. They were like brothers, really close brothers. Carmen forced back the burn of tears. She was too tough to show tears, but Cheater noticed her hard swallow.

  “Hey, Carmen! I’m Cheater, uhm, Sara. Who’s that guy you’re holdin’ up?”

  “Is he okay? What’s wrong with him?” Nathan moved to Simon’s side to relieve Carmen.

  “Eh, he’s just not tough like me,” Carmen chuckled. “This is Simon. He stumbled into my humble abode this morning about half dead. Nothing really wrong with him. A little hungry. A little thirsty. Well, maybe a lot of both. How’d you guys disappear and reappear like that?” Carmen jerked her chin toward them and stiffened her spine.

  Cheater laughed and grabbed her hand. “We didn’t really disappear. Come on.”

  What better way to test her than to teach her? They joined hands again pulling Carmen along. “Watch! This is cool!” Stevie nodded to Simon who was more alert than he had been when Stevie poked him in the side.

  “Wait! Carmen, ask about the…” Simon’s voice trailed to silence as Carmen’s body blended into the background. “Where is she? What did you do with her?” Simon stumbled toward Carmen, mustering what little strength he had left and almost nose dived into the carpet, but Carmen broke the blend and caught him mid fall.

  “We don’t have time to show and tell!” Carmen’s urgent words forced the teens to action. “It’s okay, Simon. Come on, let’s get you some water, food. You are too weak!”

  Lena moved to Simon’s side, “I got him. You go on to the kitchen to see what you can find that will be easy on his stomach!” Lena cradled the passed out Simon like a baby and carried him to the couch. Cheater smiled at the others, then she nodded to Stevie’s mom, “Yes ma’am, they belong to us, and we’ll take it from here!”

  Cheater scanned the nine others, the lost feeling of family returning to her heart. This time there was no fear of losing them, because she knew if one was lost, they would all be lost. They would be together for the rest of their lives, whether that was a day, a month, a year, or many years from now, they would be together.

  A tear escaped down her cheek as she watched giant Lena mother the newcomer Simon. She wiped it away as she heard Carmen’s strong voice call from the pantry, “There’s enough food in here to feed the homeless on Glory Lane!”

  Nathan answered, “You should see the cellar.”

  The bustle of noise from the kitchen overwhelmed Cheater’s senses. She’d spent so much time alone, even with the various families and homes, she had still been alone. Most of her new family had been alone, too. Now here they were, getting close to the time when the twelve would be together. What was to become of them?

  “Hey, you okay, Sis?” Jaz picked up on her absence and found her, placing a brotherly arm around her shoulder, placing a light kiss on her temple.

  “What’s going to happen to us, Jaz?” She looked up into his concerned eyes.

  “Whatever is meant to happen. Either way, we are here now, almost all of us, and it may get really tough for us, but the ending will be great, no matter which way it turns out. You see, either we leave this old world struggling as it is and go on to our Heaven, our families, or we take down that monster in the fairytale and make the kingdom a better place… maybe. Better either way, right?” Jaz nodded.

  “I have a question for you. When did you get so positive about life?” Cheater cast a puzzled frown his way.

  “Hmm… I don’t know. I guess my little sister rubbed off on me some,” he replied, a smile lighting his face. “Hey, that new kid’s waking up. Why don’t you go help Lena with him. He’s liable to pass out again when he sees her standing over him,” Jaz joked.

  “Truth!” Cheater nodded as she made her way to the couch. “Hey, Simon! Feeling better? Up to some food and water maybe?”

  Simon’s gaze moved from Lena to Cheater, then scanned the living room ceiling, “What happened? Who are you?” He asked Lena.

  “Well, that’s a first. You must not be completely with us yet. The first question most people ask me is ‘How tall are you?’” Lena laughed.

  “That was my next question,” Simon added as Carmen brought him some soup and water.

  Cheater helped Simon sit up.

  Nathan joined them, “Why is it the new guy always gets all the girls?” His comment brought laughter throughout the two rooms. “Let me take a look at the bump.”

  “He needs some ice on it!” Carmen ordered.

  “I got something a little better than ice!” Nathan smiled at her then sat next to Simon, placing both hands on the back of Simon’s head as he sipped his soup.

  “Need some help?” Rebecca asked, handing Lena a sandwich.

  The light behind Simon’s head was the only answer she needed. Nathan’s power was strong and something told her it would be necessary as their mission progressed.

  John turned his eyes from the rearview mirror, blinked, and looked again. Had he seen something behind him? He glanced at Neka’s concerned expression. “What’s wrong?” She peered over her shoulder.

  John looked at the mirror, again. “Nothing. I just… I thought I saw something, that’s all.”

  Neka frowned at the driver who kept glancing in the mirror. She gave the backseat another quick look, paying attention to the darkness through the back window, shrugged. “Just go!” She order
ed.

  “Okay.” John pulled the car away from the curb, drove slowly up the main street and took a left. The woods to his left danced with shadows from the street lights and the headlights as he picked up speed. Every few seconds he gave the rearview mirror a check which made Neka wary. An uncomfortable feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. “Why do you keep looking behind us? Is somebody supposed to be back there? Following us? Are you setting me up?” Her voice rose with anger at the thought of being double crossed.

  “No, I’m not setting you up. It’s just—nothing. I guess I’m paranoid enough that I’m seeing things. I swore I saw something back there before we left.”

  Neka’s brows drew together in a neat V above her nose. Her eyes crinkled in a knowing smile. She turned her face to the window, a slight smile returned in her reflection.

  Nashota and his games! She shook her head.

  Returning her eyes to the road before them, she asked, “How far is it?”

  “A few miles out of town. I’m just not sure this is a good idea. I mean, if he wants us all together, should we give him what he wants?”

  “But you won’t stay, right? I mean, you said you were going to stay with the force, see what he— whoever he is— is up to, so technically you won’t be there, right? Plus, how do we even know the rest are there?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, that’s a good point. I still wish I knew what was going to happen, what he had planned. I know he’s looking for something, I just don’t know what. The others must be close, though, if he’s pulling back one the search.

  “Hey, do you still have that pendant I handed to you?”

  Neka had forgotten about it. She felt her pocket, “Yes, and the paper.”

  “Don’t lose it. I know he’s looking for the pendants, all the rest of them. We each have one and he needs them for some reason.”

  “We do?” Neka asked.

  “Yeah, I mean, I thought we did. That’s what I was told from above.”

  “By who?” Neka wondered.

  “Wait! Are you saying you don’t have a pendant? A teardrop pendant your mother left you?”

  A memory… a twirl… a flash of something dangling from a chain at her mother’s throat. Where was it now? “No, but I remember her wearing one.”

  “Then he probably already has yours. And… I don’t know how many of the others he possibly has, but it could be dangerous for us. I’m taking a big risk giving that one to you, so make sure you keep it safe. They’ll know who I am if they find out I gave it to you, but we can’t risk him getting it.”

  Thinking of her mother brought a pang of sadness. Where was she? Was she okay? And what about her father? They left that day and never came home, no news, no word. Then those police officers came. They wanted to take her and Nashota to CPS to place them in a foster home while they investigated, but nobody wanted to care for twin teens. They’d been separated for a few days, but Nashota found her, as always, and they left together. They’d been on the run ever since, searching for that place, Paradise. She never wanted to be apart from Nashota, again. Deep down, her gut ached because she knew she would never again see her parents. Tears burned and she stiffened her spine to stop them.

  John felt her mood change, saw her stiffen from the corner of his eye, felt the tension build in the air. He knew what she was thinking about, and he knew what happened to her parents. He was there. How could he tell her that, though?

  He was there when her parents died, and even though he didn’t take part in their disappearance, he saw the pictures, saw what happened, the evil the force brought upon them. His position allowed him to know everything about Neka and Nashota. Remembering that night created an ache in his abdomen, a lump grew in the pit of his stomach. He would have to tell her eventually, but how did he tell her? Would he want to know if he were her? Should he even tell her the truth?

  A heavy silence filled the car during the remainder of the ride. Making the right turn into the driveway was like a habit for John. He’d been to this house numerous times. Once, shortly before he’d been promoted as an officer. He had come out with the cleanup crew. He’d never vomited so much in his life. That’s when he learned just how evil the boss was, what tasks he would command to get what he wanted.

  John had made up his mind then to do what he had to do… to learn everything about the man who’d had his family murdered. He hadn’t expected to learn the truth about his own family, though.

  What if, like Neka, he didn’t know what had happened to his own family, who he really was?

  A deep sigh escaped his lips. He killed the headlights and maneuvered the car to the back of the house. Keeping his foot on the brake pedal, he laid his arm over the back of the seat and faced Neka. “Go in. They’ll look after you and your brother when he shows up. I’m going back to my official role. Tell them about me, that I’m working on the inside, for the man who set this all in motion. My phone number is on that piece of paper. Keep it safe. And if you need to call me, don’t use the house phone. And whatever you do, keep that pendant out of sight.”

  “Why? What’s so important about it?” Neka tilted her head.

  “We’ll know soon enough. Just keep it safe. Never leave it behind, and don’t lose it.”

  Neka spoke the words before she realized it was the wrong time for jokes, “Does this mean we’re exclusive? A couple? Engaged?” Her smile faded when she realized how the facetiousness of her words sounded in contrast to his sullen mood. No doubt another lecture was coming.

  John’s lip raised in a half smile. He shook his head and glanced toward the house. When he faced her, his features turned to concern. “We’re about to go through some pretty rough stuff. Whatever happens, don’t let it change you. I was a little hard on you before, when you came out of the barn, I know. But I had to get your attention, make you listen. You were in danger.” He smiled at her and her heart flipped. “Go!”

  Neka felt the urge to kiss him, but she resisted and pushed open the door. Her body shook with fear as she moved toward the house. When she heard the tires crunch on the gravel, she spun, longing to run back to the safety of the car and him. Was this a setup? Who was inside the house?

  “Ugh! You don’t need him. You have me! You’ll always have me, Sis. Come on!” Nashota stood at her side.

  “Thank goodness for that! You shouldn’t have pulled that on him… in the backseat? You scared him!”

  “What’s a brother for? Besides, I felt the need for a test.” He whistled a tune as he led her up the steps on the back porch.

  “Again with the whistling? You may as well shout ‘Hey, we’re here!’”

  “They already know.” Nashota shrugged and walked through the door. Neka pulled open the screen door and turned the knob on the door that opened into the kitchen. Tentatively she stepped through. Splash met her and licked the dangling fingers of her left hand. Absently, she stroked his head in response as she craned her neck toward the living room. “Hello?” She whispered. Nobody responded. There wasn’t anybody here. “Hello?” she repeated a little louder. What was Nashota talking about?

  It couldn’t be a trap. Nashota was already inside, though she didn’t see him. He would have warned her if it were… Suddenly Nashota appeared before her.

  “Nobody’s here. Is it a trap? Do you think John set a trap for us?” Neka moved to the center of the kitchen.

  Splash followed her, nosing her fingers asking for more attention.

  “She can’t be bad. Splash loves her,” Rebecca silently suggested.

  Neka—startled by the invisible commenter— stepped backward and for the doorknob. “Who said that?” Were they like Nashota? All of them? Could they hide themselves the way he did? “Where are you? Look, an officer brought me here. I don’t know you, but he said to tell you that I am a Gifted One, whatever that means.”

  One by one the others appeared as they broke the link between them. “An officer?” Cai questioned. “What officer?”

  “John. That’s all I know.
His name is John and he dropped me off and told me to tell you he is on the inside, working for the man who is behind all this, us, our lives… the man who destroyed our lives. That’s all I know. He left me, and Nashota, here with you, said we would be safe and that he would contact us as he learns more about the plan? I don’t know what he meant.”

  “Nashota? Who’s that? Where is he?” Thad searched the kitchen.

  “He hides, like you,” Neka looked at Nashota. “Sometimes I can see him and others can’t. Sometimes I can’t even see him. He’s here.” She waved a hand toward her brother. “My name is Neka. My parents disappeared last year. We’ve been on our own since Nashota rescued me from the foster home I was in.”

  “Ugh! Foster homes! Don’t mention them! I’ve seen enough of those,” Cheater moved forward. “Come in!” She offered looking around the room. “Jaz, Rebecca, Nathan, Cai, Thad, Carmen, Simon, Jamie, Lena, and I am Cheater, well, Sara.” She held out her arms, “We are the Gifted Ones. You and Nashota make twelve. I guess we’re all together, now. Now what happens?”

  “Good question, but I bet it’s about to get real. Do we wait? Do we keep searching, and for what exactly?” Jaz wondered. “How long before they come after us?”

  Wait! All together? Neka thought. Did John lie to me? Is he not a Gifted One?

  Thad peered nervously at each of them, “Technically, there’s only eleven. I don’t see her brother, Na—?”

  “Nashota!” Neka reminded him. “He’s there! You can’t see him? If I can see him, if John can see him, why can’t you all see him?” She turned to Nashota, but he was gone again. “Ugh! He’s not there… again.” Neka mumbled under her breath, “Wild goose!”

  “I’m sorry what did you say?” Jamie, closest to Neka and Cheater, asked as he did the math. If John was one of them, too…

  That made thirteen. Each looked at Jamie, knowing his thoughts, then around Neka searching for Nashota, then the kitchen, and back at each other’s confused expressions.

  John parked the car in its original spot, taking care to replace the key to its exact spot under the mat leaving everything as it was. He had a phenomenal memory, so much better than most, picture perfect. That was his gift, he guessed.