It's been almost a week since we've heard anything from Uncle Dumm and all the talk about Jerry and whatever happened in Great Neck was kept under the rug. The lunch table has been nothing but small talk, like how to do Pythagorean theorem or when will the art teacher go on maternity leave for her twins. Caryn didn't seem to mind the level of talk but we were sure to be careful about exposing anything, especially about Chris. Suddenly, the ice started to crack.
Caryn was scrolling through her phone and her eyes widened for a moment. She showed us an article on some bioelectric company making its way to the auto mechanics field. I was skimming through the article until I caught a familiar name. I said to myself, "Gallagher?"
Chris questioned, "Why are we reading this?"
Caryn sipped more of her milk and answered, "My dad works with the stock market and his brother handles the mechanics around the boroughs. He's kinda like their go-to guy. He was telling me about some group of scientists that wanted to get their hands on some new tech and I thought it might be interesting."
"Gallagher?" I repeated. Whoa, our stop on this journey just came to an easy-going exit, but we still gotta remain on the alert. We don't know what kind of person Gallagher is and he sure isn't the greatest fan nor idol of Uncle Dumm and Dad.
"Hey look," Chris pointed out. "They're having a press conference tomorrow afternoon at near the Public Library."
"Why the Public Library scene?"
"I don't know. Maybe he likes books."
"No, hold on…" Isabel corrected. "This article was posted yesterday, which would mean the conference is today!"
"At 3:30!" I exclaimed. Caryn, confused at our conversation, butted in, "Um, feel me in on this please?"
"Long story," Isabel responded. "But I'm sure you'll catch on quick."
Feeling the insult, Caryn exclaimed, "Hey! Listen, we are best friends and that means we shouldn't keep secrets from each other!"
"Yeah, whatever," I scoffed. I seriously do not like her now. I could feel resentment building from just hearing her speak. She just irritates me!
"Alright," Chris digressed. "So it's settled: we meet at the Public Library around 3:30 so we can find out what all this is about."
"Right!" Isabel and I agreed in unison. We paused our bonding moment for Caryn's disapproving posture. Her crossed arms and pouty face forced us to bring her along.
When I got home, I woke up a napping Em and alerted him about the press conference. He woke up, screaming, "Wah, wah, where's Lady Gaga?"
He turned to me and continued in a disappointed manner, "It ain't Gaga, ain't it?" He threw up his blanket and exclaimed, "What is it?"
"A press conference at the Library. We're all gonna be there!"
"A press conference from who?"
"You'll see…"
I carried him along in his human form and we met up. There was a huge crowd and a lot of reporters and cameras. Chris commented, "Man, is this a packed house or what?"
Isabel suggested, "Let's get to a better standing area so we can see better."
"Hear better as well," Em chimed in. My friends looked at me as they realized Em had arrived with me. I shrugged, "I couldn't let him stay home and not be in on the fun."
"Fun?" Em remarked. "So where's the fun in some press conference? And what's happening in it anyways?"
Caryn scoffed, matching Em's boredom, "Just some scientist joining forces with my uncle on some cars deal thing."
As we neared the crowd, I noticed Chris's alertness. It seemed like he had found his match. I looked to where he was watching and found the guy: the tall, stocky gentleman in the suit with a cup in his hand. He seemed to be carefree, like he was expecting nothing at all. I asked Chris if that was the guy and he said, "Dead straight."
Chris took a step forward and shouted his name. The guy looked back and we all hid behind the garbage can. "Yeah, that's our guy," Chris affirmed. He did some thinking but came up with nothing. "We have to find out what's going on!"
Easing his frustration, I came up with a solution. "I'll go talk to him and record what he says. You and Em find out what's up with this Gallagher and find anybody that could help us." The one part of the group seemed to be okay with the plan, but I forgot to involve the girls. Isabel pouted, "Uh, excuse me, but what about us two?"
Caryn scoffed again, "You can't expect us to be in the background while you boys hang on the stereotype! We'll split ourselves!"
Isabel suggested, "I'm coming with you, and Caryn will stay with the boys since it's her uncle that's in on the deal."
Caryn agreed with her and we compromised. We set off with our plan as soon it was three-thirty. Isabel and I walked up to Liam, who was just getting off the phone. I didn't see any reason to this trajectory until he said, "Ha, don't worry. That little sucker doesn't even know I'm here."
Little sucker? Who is he talking about? He better not be talking trash about my best friend!
"Um," I stammered, putting on the act. I caught his attention and I continued, "excuse me, sir? But do you know how I can get there?"
I showed him the address of Chris's apartment and he shook his head in disappointment. Isabel played along and chimed in, "Aw man, now we'll never get to help Mrs. Pernoit!"
The name caught him. Just as he was about to leave us, he turned back and asked, "Pernoit, you say?"
We shook yes. He chuckled, "Sorry to be like that, but that's my boss's address. I can help you find it if you'd like."
"It's alright, sir," I said, shutting off the phone. "I think I know how to reach it, if I can jog my memory."
"Yeah," Liam said. "Hey, listen, listen. You know Mrs. Pernoit, do you?"
We shook yes. He bent his knees to our eye level and continued, "How well do you know her?"
This was a tough question for me to finagle. I couldn't tell him straight off the bat that I was best friends with her adopted son/his runaway brother. What do I tell him?
"We've been carrying her groceries ever since she moved here," Isabel responded. I was relieved. Liam nodded his head. I cut through with my question, "What are you doing here?"
"What?" he asked me, shocked almost. I repeated, "What are you doing at this press conference?"
"Oh just some soul-searching. You see, I just moved to the city and got a position as an intern, but I hear something else about some bioelectric company. So I got interested."
"How close do you work with Mrs. Pernoit?"
"Not very close, although she is a charming lady."
I almost made an impulse move and Isabel held me back. Liam didn't notice, or even bother to care. Maybe he was expecting it. "Hey, you two seem like some nice kids. You wanna see a real show? Come around sunset at Central Park. You'll find me there," Liam smirked. He left in a jog and we lost him in the crowd.
"Sunset at Central Park?" Isabel repeated. I looked into the crowd and wondered, "How is Chris doing with the man?"
We looked over our shoulder and saw a short, slightly older man in a beige suit shaking hands with Caryn. I wonder what was happening. I texted Chris but I found that he wasn't there. Isabel asked, "Where the hell did he go?"
I had a dead feeling I knew where he went. He responded to me but I knew it was a lie. I told Isabel I would meet her later and I ran to the direction of where Liam ran off. I should catch him easily since I'm the one of the fastest on my team.
Ah, yes! Finally a stop light and he's gotta wait! But I don't see Chris anywhere...where is he? As I walked around to find Chris, I was abruptly pulled in from aside into an alley. I found out it was Chris, getting away from our plan. "Chris," I abruptly whispered at him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with Caryn and Em!"
"I saw Liam run off and I had to follow. What are you doing here?"
"Stopping you from doing something you'll regret! Chris, we had a plan!"
He growled and his eyes rolled to the changing light. "He's getting away."
"Dude, we can catch him later. You can spy on him through your mom's job."
"Hell no! I wanna get my hands on him!"
"Chris…"
He pushed me away and ran off. I chased after him and caught him before he could reach the next hot dog stand. I shouted, "Wait Chris! We have to decide this!"
"Shut up, Kellin! Nothing you say will help me!"
"You're angry…but I have an idea."
"To hell with your idea!" We were caught in a tug-of-war when Isabel came to break it up. She shouted to Chris, "Will you shut up and listen? Try using your head instead of your heart!"
Chris finally calmed down and I explained what Liam told me and Isabel. Chris looked at me strangely and asked, "Sunset at Central Park?"
He walked past us and said, "Be prepared. He'll be using his magic tonight."
We followed him and met up with Caryn and Em. Em was excited this time and he grabbed me by the arm, dragging me away from the group. I asked him frantically, "What? What is it?"
Okay Kellin, tone it down a notch! He's a hedgehog with a lot of dreams. I listened as he responded with such excitement, "I found Jerry and his tribe! You gotta see this!"
"Wait, no! Not yet!" I hushed him. I stopped him from running off to Jerry. He asked why and I explained that everything was still premature and we need more information to ensure that Jerry's brother is in the hands of Gallagher.
Em slowly agreed to that predicament and we decided to call it a day since we had no leads other than sunset at Central Park. "We have a few hours to kill. How about we go home and be prepared by then?" Isabel suggested.
We all agreed and left for home. However, on our way home, we heard a bell ringing rapidly and glass shattering. We looked over and saw what we didn't expect: cases of jewels being thrown out to the streets and a burnt out gate. Em pointed and shouted, "There! I've got you now!"
He unlocked his bracelet and dashed after the green light. I ran over to the direction of their scuffle but found that I was too slow for them. I looked over to Isabel and she knew what to do. Without question, she grabbed me by the shoulders as she gained flight. Soon she threw me up and I landed safely on her scaley back. I looked around and found the fighting orbs near a tree-infested area of Central Park. They were bouncing off each other like yoga balls. We got to a hiding spot and I caught Em in the action. At last, I finally caught vision of the supposed thief: a green feathered fiend with a gnarly beak and bright blue eyes. There were small hand-like parts on each of his two wings and two huge yellows talons. His voice was nasal-like but had a malevolent demeanor.
He teased, "You'll never get my jewels with slow feet like that!" He laughed maniacally as he perched himself on a tree. The bag of jewels were found on a higher branch.
Em, panting slightly, growled, "I'm not here for the jewels! I'm here to teach you a lesson and put you in your place! And when I'm done, you best bring back the jewels or I swear…"
"Swear what?" he teased, getting ready to jump off. It was unbelievable. Two creatures with the same speed duking it out in Central Park? Oh no, the sunset!
"Em," I called out. He turned his head slightly. "Don't forget about tonight!"
"Right," he said to himself. He turned back to the bird and smirked, "I guess I'll have to make this quick!"
"With pleasure, hedgehog!" his opponent smirked. They went at it: bouncing off each other like colliding balls and back at it. It went on like a pattern until the bird paused for a second when they were about to collide again. His head was looking up at Em's determined eyes, but his huge talon was above as it pounded Em's head into the ground. He took one of his feathered fists and punched straight into the side of Em's head. The impact dragged Em far into one of the trees, rustling the leaves and causing the tree to move a bit. Em flipped over, but felt dizzy. The bird chuckled, "Ha, is this who I'm dealing with? At first, I couldn't believe it, but now it's crystal clear who's who!"
"What are you talking about?" Em muttered, catching his balance. He never experienced an impact like that. I felt guilty for all this, but I don't know why. I feel like I should do something, but what? How can I handle a creature like this? I can't even handle my own best friend! I looked to Isabel but she too seemed helpless and somewhat scared. A humagon, a person who can turn into a dragon, is scared? It's the situation, we don't know how to handle it!
The bird walked up to Em, ready for another attack. I tried to jump in, but Isabel held me back. "It's his fight," she told me and I looked back. Em seemed to be drifting off to sleep when his opponent raised his fist to the air, opening to reveal his sharp, yellow ivory. His face held a great smile as he enjoyed his supposed victory. I couldn't bear to watch. Isabel and I hugged each other from the scene and I shouted his name as loud as I could, hoping that he could hear me.
Out of nowhere, we heard the opponent unexpectedly screamed and some thwacks that seemed to come a stick. We looked over and were surprised to see a familiar face present his talent: Jerry Mousinez with his huge branch. "We meet now, don't we?" Jerry said to the fallen greenish creature.
The creature got up angry and pointed to Jerry, shouting, "The hell you here for? Can't you see I'm busy?"
"By terrorizing his home?"
Em was still down but seemed to be protected by Jerry's shadow. Jerry, who had the weapon raised behind his shoulders by one hand, lowered to the front, standing it like a walker. The bird laughed weakly and responded, "You believe he isn't the one?"
"I know he isn't the one," Jerry answered with such seriousness. The one? You mean that Luca fellow they mentioned before? What has Luca done that was wrong to them? Jerry swung the stick to his right side and commanded, "Leave the jewels and leave this city. You are not needed."
The bird guffawed, "Yeah, right! You think I came here for robberies? Nah man, this is New fricking York! I can't leave without a little danger!"
"By committing crimes and stealing profits? Some kind of life that is!"
"Whatever, Jerry! You have your little family to take care of and by the way...how are you taking care of their needs? Does Luza appreciate you?" he teased. Jerry growled and stepped forth in such a rage. He held himself back by self-control, a trait that I immediately noticed and admired. Jerry directed his stick at his opponent and mentioned his name. "Chikk, I am giving you a choice: leave New York and return the jewels or stay behind and help the tribe."
Chikk scoffed and rolled his eyes. Jerry remained stern at him and Chikk finally made his decision. "Alright then...you got me, Jerry! I guess I will stay for you and that joke of a threat, but under one condition."
Jerry kept his grip on the stick and asked with pure caution, "What kind of condition is that?"
Chikk snickered and responded connivingly, "You help me to bring down that hedgehog we both hate and I will help you with the clan."
The clan? That's their family. Jerry's family. I know too many things right now, but my brain is not even clocking out so that's good. As they conversed, I crawled over to Em and checked his pulse. Thank God he's still breathing and alive. Suddenly Jerry noticed what was behind him and said, "You?"
"Yeah," I chuckled. "I apologize for my brother."
Chikk uttered, "Brother? More like a rabid pet to me!"
All of a sudden, Em woke up and shouted, "What did you call me?" Before I could call out to him, he went back to sleep. Jerry chuckled and looked to Chikk, explaining, "The Clan lives within the sewers by the East River. Knock twice and let them that I sent you."
"Will do, Mousinez," Chikk said, flying off over the city's skyrise. Jerry turned to me and said, "I admire your love for your brother. Not many would run to his aid like you did."
"Well, I try not to see him dead or anything," I responded. I then asked him, "Hey Jerry, who was that guy?"
"Oh him?" He referred to Chikk. He sighed, regretting to tell a story. I pleaded with him not to if that meant too much to him, but he insisted. "It's better if we speak in private. Perhaps your home?"
Before I could consider it, Isabel notified me about Chris. "He's with Caryn by Dunkin Donuts. I think he calmed down," she told me. She flew me and a resting human form of Em over to the site with caution and found them inside, waiting for their order. We decided to walk in, but then we forgot about Em and his diet. So we did the smart thing: flew him over to my home and tucked him into bed. Hopefully, he wasn't injured too much. We came back to Dunkin Donuts and this time, instead of an uneasy air between Caryn and I, it was between my best friend and I over a grudge I had nothing to do with.
We sat quietly and awkwardly by the window with showcased the view of the ever-busy intersection. Slurping her smoothie, Isabel started, "So that Jerry person seemed nice."
"Oh Jerry…" said Caryn, having no knowledge of the character we were talking about and continuing to drink her coffee. "So this Jerry person...we'll have to be prepared right…"
I locked eyes with Isabel's and we both felt like we were isolating our friends from what's really happening. But what was more intense in the situation was Chris's anger against Liam. I had to talk about it with him and try to ease out the anger, or at least help him channel it in for the big one. I checked the time it was almost four-thirty. About two hours from the sunset.
Suddenly, my phone rang and I picked it up. It was Em calling me, waking from his slumber. I asked him if he was okay and he assured me some good news. He told me that Jerry wanted to speak to me. I excused myself from my friends, but as I was doing so, I started to remember the old man's words and I decided to take them with me to my home. After getting them some snacks and situated at my place, I opened the window and let in Jerry and Chikk and they joined us in the living room. Chikk, crossing his arms and looking around, slowly started nodding his head in approval, but Jerry scolded him, "Don't even think of robbing these good people."
Chikk scoffed with humor. "Yeah, okay…"
Em, feeling annoyed at Chikk's rudeness, seemed like the hedgehog was about to attack the bird, but I stopped him before he had the chance. Isabel and Chris widened their eyes when they saw Jerry and Chikk. I guess it's not everyday that you see a purple mouse and a bright green bird that can speak like humans. Jerry waved and said, "Hello, fellow humans. We come in peace. We steal nothing."
He elbowed Chikk and remarked, "Right?"
Chikk squawked, "Whatever...it's not like I was interested anyways."
Isabel nodded, smiling as best as she can. She introduced herself, "I'm Isabel Englow. Welcome to our world." She took out her hand and Jerry shook it. It was heartwarming for me. I felt like I was watching history, the moment when a human (a humagon in this case) shook hands with a mouse. It was as if two worlds were colliding or merging together.
Jerry smiled, "Nice to meet you, Isabel. And you are?" He turned to Chris.
Chris smiled and responded, "I'm Chris Fe—er, Pernoit."
"Pernoit…gotcha." They shook hands and Jerry turned to me and asked, "So why are we here? I thought we were going to speak in private."
I chuckled, "Well, I have some good friends here and I know they can help you with your conflict. And you could help us with our dilemma."
"So there is a catch?" Chikk asked suspiciously, butting into our conversation. Jerry turned over his shoulder and whispered something to him. Chikk sucked his beak and scoffed, "Oh fine! Anything to get you off my back."
Jerry turned back and said, "Anything for you, Kellin. Your hospitality and open heart is more than what I can ask for in such a strange world."
"I'm glad to hear that," I said to him, basking in that warm and giddy feeling. I heard the door closed and out came Caryn walking into the living room we were in, and behind was…
"Wait, is that who I think it is?" Isabel asked.
Baffled, Caryn looked behind her and saw nothing. As she turned her head, her head stopped midway to see the huge head of a grey hedgehog standing right next to her. She shrieked, "Ah, what is that? Help, we're being invaded!"
We laughed at her freak out. Caryn ran for the landline and Isabel stopped her. Caryn argued, "Let me go, Isabel! Didn't you see that rodent? Agh, I think I'm contaminated!"
She noticed her best friend's laughter and she turned over to Em, who conveniently fixed his hat. He let out a big smile as Caryn calmed down and suddenly realized who it was. "Em?" Caryn asked. She turned to me to see if I saw the same thing. She then looked around and spotted Jerry and Chikk and became so confused.
I came up to her and explained, "Caryn, this is my brother Em, and these are Jerry and Chikk. They will be joining us this afternoon in Central Park."
After a long pause, Caryn asked me, "Am I being pranked? This is some kind of trick you planned for me?"
I laughed and said, "No...I know it's a lot to take in. Trust me, it was one wild rollercoaster ride after the next!"
"What do you mean?" Caryn asked me harshly. "Is there some kind of cult of furries you're hiding?"
Isabel and Chris laughed. I remarked, "Hey, why are you talking to me like that? It's not like I was the first to know about Isabel, right?"
Caryn gasped, feeling as stiff as a statue. Isabel whispered loud enough in her ear, "He got you there…"
Caryn shook her head and exclaimed, "Alright! Why are we here?"
Everyone looked at me. I felt it. The spotlight was on me, the podium was shoved into me, the floor beneath me was being elevated and my body went cold and became covered in sweat. The room before me became dark and the lights above me became brighter than they ever been. What do I do? What am I doing here? Why is my body so cold? What's happening?
Feeling a huge pounding in the back of my head, I could feel my knees getting weak and my fingers started to feel bony and such. I think I'm losing it.
Suddenly, I felt something warm come over me. My right shoulder felt the warmth and soon my left did as well. I looked over both sides and heard their voices.
"It's okay, Kellin." A familiar voice said to me. His voice brought a sense of energy that introduced a tingling sensation through my skin as it permeated through my body. It was weird but it also felt comfortable to me. It reminded me of how important I felt and that I was strong and formidable young man.
"We're right with you!" Another familiar voice, a female this time. Her voice brought a warm sensation to me, making me feel weird yet cozy. It was like I was being hugged by a huge, soft blanket and it was assuring me that everything would be okay. It reminded me of the sensitivity and vulnerability one can have.
Soon, my whole body began to feel that warmth and I wasn't as shaky or cold as before. It was as if I was being revived back to life. I closed my eyes as the rush of blood filled my head and when I opened my eyes, I found myself looking up at the ceiling and Isabel and Chris were holding onto my arms. They were worried and confused.
"Hey Kel," Chris said. Isabel continued, "Are you alright? You nearly fainted on us!"
I chuckled, "Yeah, I'm doing alright. Thank you for holding onto me." I got myself up and continued, "So where was I? Oh right! Why are we here?"
As I began to speak, everyone started to take their place in the living room, all watching me speak. I started, "We are gathered here because all of you are a group of individuals that I trust and care deeply about. As we all know, we are each unique in our own ways and we need to harness those talents and abilities to fighting the good fight.
"Right now, we have two big situations that we need to deal with and it involves not only us, but my family as well. I will start with the first situation on my agenda. Jerry Mousinez came to us in need of help and we offered him our hospitality and friendship. Jerry, you said that my father was involved with the invasion of your village? Well, I'm here to tell you that it wasn't my father. It was a man by the name of Chris Gallagher. He was the one behind the invasion of your village and may be the one who took your brother."
Jerry gasped, "Are you serious? Where did you get this information?"
"A Professor Heinz Nite himself...otherwise known as Professor Dumm. He's my godfather and he knows about Chris. Dumm and my dad were just college freshmen when the invasion happened."
Jerry banged his fist on the countertop and growled, "Damn, I never felt so embarrassed before…"
"But you met us. We will get your brother," I reassured him. I continued my speech, "And for our next dilemma, Chris, we know you have something against Liam. You want your revenge against him and avenge his former friends. We will help you. No question about it."
Chris nodded, his back against the wall and his arms crossed. I continued, "Alright, now here's my plan: since Liam was the one who invited Isabel and I to Central Park, we will go in to meet him. Chris, Caryn, Em, Chikk and Jerry will follow but be in the background. We will give you a signal in case things go awry. What will Liam do to us? We don't know, so we have to be prepared for the unexpected."
"Um, question?" Caryn blurted out, raising her hand. She was behind Isabel on the couch. I took her request and she asked, "How are we going to help? I mean, yeah, there's some hedgehog, a mouse and a bird, but Chris and I are only human."
Chris stifled his laughter and Caryn turned to him. Chris responded, "You have no idea what you're in for."
"What? Just turning water into ice? What's that gonna do?" Caryn remarked. Her attitude was getting to me, but I remained calm. I responded to Caryn, "Do not worry. I trust Chris. I have seen his powers."
Caryn shrugged her shoulders, still skeptical of the whole meeting. Em asked, "So what time are we leaving to get there?"
"He said sunset," I responded, thinking to myself. I checked my phone and it was only an hour until sunset. Damn, too early.
"So Chris," Isabel said, "what is Liam like, as far as you can remember?"
"Hmm," Chris thought out loud. "From when I last met him, he didn't have proper control over his dark magic. It is said that kind of magic is forbidden and only a chosen few are able to control, and from what I've heard, some have been jailed while others are still in hiding."
"Well, it seems like one of them is out in the open," Em said. He grabbed Chris's hand and exclaimed, "But not to worry! There's no way he can get past my speed!"
"Oh please," Caryn scoffed, "what can a hedgehog do?"
"This," Em smirked. He let go of Chris's hand and twirled a little pin that had a bright yellow flower. Caryn gasped and she felt around her hair. She grunted, "Oh you little—"
Em laughed and the two went on a chase into the hallway. It's amazing how easy Em can get through small spaces in such a short amount of time. I shouldn't underestimate him. I shouldn't underestimate anyone. I can't believe it. We're actually going to do this. I'm going to experience magic and powers beyond my control and knowledge. This is going to be so exciting! I hope I can be conscience long enough to see it and write it all down!
I felt someone tugging on my shirt and I looked over and it was Chikk. He asked, "Hey, you got any grub around here?"
It was time. We set out around half past five and started making our way toward Central Park. We didn't know where exactly Liam wanted us to meet him, but Chris had an idea. He led the way for us. Em was left walking with us in his human form while Chikk took the skies carrying Jerry by his shoulders. He glided carefully as he realized that humans were much slower than him. After ten minutes, we finally made it to the grounds. Chikk landed on the post and Jerry jumped off from his clutch. We all stood by the entrance, nervous yet confident about the unexpected. It's been years since Chris and his brother Liam have seen each other, so who knows what could unfold?
We all looked at each other and we set our plan in motion. Isabel and I started walking ahead while the others trailed behind us at a close yet far distance. About five minutes down the path, I noticed a similar man from before. He had the same black hair and facial features from earlier. He wore a black visor and a matching tracksuit. He must've been jogging or something. I pointed it out to Isabel and she recognized him as well. We looked over to Chris, Caryn and Em and signaled them.
They got the message and immediately took cover behind a huge boulder. Jerry and Chikk were hiding among the trees. We walked up to the man and he looked over to us. He laughed and said, "Hey, you two finally came!"
"That's what she said," I joked. Isabel nudged me. Liam laughed, "How about we take a walk?"
We both looked at each other and over our shoulders. We looked back and nodded. As we started walking, I pulled out my phone and texted Chris. He read the message and sent out a thumbs-up emoji. I nodded to Isabel and she slowly nodded hers. Liam was in front of us. Isabel asked, "So where are we going?"
Liam chuckled, sending a chill down my spine. I didn't trust this guy. How can a person who literally killed his own friends and leave his family act so...so human? There was so much that I needed to know.
"Oh you'll find out," Liam answered us. I started getting nervous and anxious and then something grasped my attention. It was the same warm feeling I felt from before. I looked down and saw that somebody was holding onto my hand. Suddenly, the tension and uneasiness in my arms and shoulders eased their way out of my system. I looked up to see Isabel smiling. Could she be one of the voices from before? What is going on? What does this mean?
"Ah look at this!" Liam exclaimed, stopping our walk. There were people camped out by the pond, just chatting and chilling out by the scenery. The golden sun was slowly setting to the left of us, leaving streaks of pink and purple across the baby blue sky. It almost looked like a painting. Liam faced us, holding onto the zipper near his neck. "Isn't this beautiful?" He asked us.
Confused as we were, we both nodded in agreement to his question. He laughed and turned around. Isabel held me closer and whispered, "Whatever happens, stay close to me, okay?"
I nodded quickly and kept my eyes on Liam's silhouette. I spoke up, catching Liam's attention, "Hey Liam, where is this show we're going to see?"
He slowly turned around and asked, "How did you know my name?"
My eyes widened and my heart dropped. Damn! I forgot he doesn't know us like that! I could feel Isabel's grip is getting tighter. "Um…lucky guess?"
"There seems to be something going on…" Liam said, tightening the grip on his zipper. There was an eerie presence coming about from his stance. I discreetly went for my phone and tried to signal for Chris using my flashlight.
"You see...I may be just a new guy around these parts, but I know everything I need to know. By the time you said Pernoit, I knew you were Chris's friends. I've been keeping a watch on him and his adoptive mother all these years." As he spoke, there was a murky dark cloud that seemed to be coming from the ground he stood on. The outer part of the mist was a bright purple line that was surrounding a grayish-blackish cloud. The grass around his feet started to bend away from him as if there was a strong wind in the air. We felt no strong winds, but we did feel chills and goosebumps all along our bodies. Where's Chris? Has he not received my signal?
Everyone didn't seem to notice. What is going on with them? Why are they not reacting? I asked Isabel, "Why aren't they moving? Are they not seeing this?"
Isabel tried her best at answering my question. "Either he froze everyone here but us or we're trapped in some strange realm where no one can see us! I don't know! I'm not really educated when it comes to magic!"
"Now," Liam laughed, "enter the realm of despair and eternal agony, you humans!" He sent out a wave that blew off his visor, revealing his creepy, bright green eyes and we couldn't hold our balance anymore. We fell off the ground and were plunged into the trees behind us. When we came to, Liam was seen walking toward us, huge black tentacles of mist waving around behind him. His eyes scared me the most: those bright, chilling lights that sat between green and yellow. They looked like they belonged to a snake.
He thrusted his palm toward us and another wave came at us. Suddenly, my vision went black but I could feel a strong pressure against the current. I felt my shoulders being latched real tight and I was then lifted into the air, high enough for my shoes to touch the highest branches. I looked up and saw Isabel looking down at me. She asked, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, you?"
Isabel must've shielded us from the attack using her wings. Smart thinking. Liam looked up at us and growled. I shouted, "Chris! Now's your chance!"
I didn't know where he was or if he saw my signal, but he made it just in time. Liam shouted, "What?"
Before he knew it, a huge flash occurred and Liam was pushed toward the ground. The ground blew up and as the smoke cleared, a silhouette standing tall and proud with his cloak flowing behind him like a flag. Liam got up and looked behind at the smoke. He squinted his eyes and gasped, widening them out.
"Can it be?" Liam gasped.
"So we meet again," the silhouette said with a little sense of pride and madness in his voice. The smoke cleared and there stood Chris Pernoit. His smile and the graceful flow of his hair was enough to fully trust him in this fight. I hope he doesn't go all out again like he did with Arbolisto. That night, I actually thought he was going to die.
Liam turned around and shouted, "So you finally showed up after all these years? So how about it? A hug for a dear old brother?"
Chris started taking steps forward toward Liam and said, "You are no brother of mine. No amount of blood can make me change my mind. You need to pay for what you've done, Liam Fenocles."
Liam made a small gasp. It sounded like Chris struck a chord in Liam's heart, but something felt wrong...why?
Liam raised his hands up to his face, looking at them. Isabel lowered us down, retracting her wings, and we kept our distance. It seemed like a moment between brothers, whether Chris liked it or not. Chris was finally close enough for Liam and Liam shuddered, "Have I really been so cruel? All my life...I was running away from what the tragedy I've caused, and then leaving you and our parents behind…" He looked at Chris when he said the latter part.
He lowered his hands and Chris gently laid his hand in one of Liam's. Their eyes met and something in me just knew this wasn't right. Something else is on Liam's mind. Liam, staring into his brother's eyes, shuddered, "Can you forgive me?"
Chris smiled and said, "We can work on this together."
Isabel held her hand against her chest and said, "Aww...this is so touching. Liam finally realized his own evil."
My heart was racing and my breathing felt heavy. I felt sweat coming down the sides of my head and, beneath my breath, I quickly responded, "I don't think so."
Before Isabel could react, I saw Liam grab hold of Chris's hand and made a full-on turn behind him and jumped into a huge crack of light. The flash blinded us for a moment and when we regained vision and focus, we found that both brothers were gone. Caryn, running out from the trees, shouted, "Where did they go? What happened?"
Em, Jerry and Chikk joined us and we all looked at the spot where we saw the crack of light. Staring for what seemed like an eternity, Jerry broke the silence.
"The Other World."
"So what do we do?" Caryn asked. I looked around and noticed that everyone seemed to be frozen in time. I asked, "Hey, how come we're the only ones who are moving?"
Caryn shrugged. "I don't know. Some magic trick Chris was explaining to us. He said he knew Liam was gonna pull this trick so he made invulnerable to the trick."
"That is quick thinking on his part," I said. I looked at Jerry and asked, "Hey Jerry, do you know where Liam might've taken Chris?"
Jerry shrugged. "Beats me. You see, Liam just entered what was called the Portal: the entrance to any world you want to go to. Wherever Liam went was on his own mind. Our best bet is to try to go to that same world and see where exactly he ended up."
"Well...any guesses?" Isabel asked. We all took a moment to think. Then something told me to check out my phone. I decided to pull it out and saw something glowing in the top left corner. It was a white square and it was gradually blinking. I unlocked my phone and decided to click on the light. Suddenly, it was like the phone had a mind of its own. I held on as best as I could and my friends saw me dancing around with a phone gone haywire. Finally, I was able to tame the cellular beast and a laser as bright as the moon struck out from the top center of phone. My phone was facing ahead, with the screen facing up. My friends backed up and watched the madness take place.
The laser stopped itself in the air and slowly, I drew my phone down until a bright white line was created. I had no idea what to expect next as the line slowly opened itself and became a bright white oblong circle. Jerry gasped, "It's the Portal!"
"That means we can find Chris!" Em cheered. Chikk scoffed, "Don't get your hopes up, spikehead! Who knows where this may lead us? For all we know, we could end up in a completely different world and have to go through X, Y & Z to get where we need to be. Considering that fact…"
Chikk started walking and entered the white light. Em shouted, "Hey, you weren't finished with your sentence!" He ran after him and I tried grabbing for his shoulder, but he was too quick for me. He didn't even use his power and I still couldn't catch him!
Jerry facepalmed and ran after them. He called out to me, "I'll get your brother. You focus on Chris!"
"Well…" Isabel said. "I guess that leaves us." We all looked at each other and back at the Portal. It was our only chance at finding Chris. I have no idea what was on the other side, but I had to take a chance. Putting my phone back in my pocket, I held Isabel's hand and Caryn's hand. Taking a deep breath in and slowly letting it out, we decided to run. We raced toward the light, consuming our vision and letting it take us to where we would be headed.
Soon the touch from my hands began to lose itself and it seemed like I was freefalling into the bright abyss of oblivion. Then my vision went black.