Fina bit on her bottom lip as she wondered how they were going to save Xavier.
He was completely limp on the bed.
"We don't have much time" Shelly said "How good are you?"
"Well, I did learn martial arts and ballet when I was little so my balance is okay."
Shelly looked at Zo.
"I am nowhere near balance but I'm good with protection spells" Zo said
"That will do" Shelly said
Shelly and Fina lifted Xavier and made him lean on them.
Zo took his ring from him and opened the door.
"Tyrell won't be long with Kit" Fina said "So, we have just three minutes to get out of Aries."
They hid when they saw students moving to and fro in the hall.
Fina brought out her wand.
"What are you doing?" Shelly asked In a whisper.
"Invisibility spell on us all" Fina replied.
"Oh" Zo said
When they made sure they were completely covered, they stepped out of hiding.
They made it ten steps before they saw Jessica and Tyrell coming out from the lift.
Didn't Xavier asked for Kit?
Fina and Shelly dragged Xavier back into hiding before they could see them.
"What is Jessica doing here?" Zo whispered
" Isn't Jessica is in Capricorn?" Shelly asked.
Zo nodded furiously.
"Why are we hiding when we are protected from their sight?" Zo asked
"They can see us. You don't know how good they are" Shelly said
"Xavier can't see us" Fina said "I have a feeling they can though"
Xavier groaned in pain and Fina was quick to cover his mouth but they heard it anyway.
Jessica and Tyrell stopped.
They began to walk towards them.
Fina wrapped her hands tighter on her wand as they came closer.
Zo kept casting protection spells but protection spells don't work when you are scared and Zo was beyond scared.
"SESAMISABILICUSDISIM" Fina said with a twist of her wand.
The spell had came easily to her as if she had done it before.
A white light appeared on the tip of her wand and they disappeared into the wall.
Shelly and Zo was extremely befuddled.
"What just happened? Fina. How? I… What was that?" Shelly stuttered
Fina shrugged.
"I don't know. It just came to me" She replied
"Where are we?" Zo asked as she observed her surroundings.
The place was dark and was constructed with red old bricks.
"Elfina? I had say we are underground" Fina said, taking a look around her.
"Underground? Like the lowest part?" Zo asked shakily
"Yes" Fina replied, still staring at the red bricks as if they represented something.
Red brick walls.
Just brick walls. Nothing else. The ground was rough. Stones littered everywhere.
Old stones.
Fina picked one up and inspected it.
It was smooth at a side and rough at the other.
She looked at the red brick wall again. Then, she noticed a hole, her eyes settling on it.
"Check the bricks. How many holes can you see?" Fina asked
She made Xavier leaned on her while Shelly went to observe.
"There are seven holes altogether." Shelly said as she studied the bricks.
"Look for half rough, half smooth stones." Fina said
Shelly and Zo moved to and fro searching for the rocks.
Fina turned when she heard a sound.
"Hurry" She said "Put the stones in the holes. Make each side opposite one another" Fina said
The sound of something crumbling made her glanced back.
Shelly and Zo arranged the stones in a hurry.
Nothing happened.
"Come on. Come on" Fina whispered repeatedly.
Something clicked inside the walls and it separated.
Shelly helped Fina in balancing Xavier and they hurried into the open wall.
Her eyes glanced at a small figure approaching before the walls shut together.
Steps.
There were lots of it. Spiraled moving staircase. A hundreds of them.
Fina glanced through them all.
Each one represented something.
Good or bad. Lucky or unlucky. Safe or unsafe.
Shelly glanced at her.
"One of them will lead us to Mr Walker's" Fina said
"Which one?" Zo asked
"I don't know" Fina said, confused.
The walls behind them clicked.
Fina released Xavier to Shelly and turned to the wall.
With determination, she wrapped her hands tighter on her wand and raised it to the wall.
"ELIPSISELIPSISKEMATOSELIPSIS!"
The red bricks turned into hard glass.
"I don't know" Fina said when she turned back.
"I…..didn't say anything" Shelly said, confused as ever.
"Now, how do we solve these mystery?" She asked
They looked at the spiraled staircase again.
The staircase floated in the air, merging into one another.
"The middle one" Shelly said suddenly.
Fina glanced at her and she shrugged.
"Worth a try" Shelly said
Zo hopped on the stairs while they pulled Xavier on it.
The stair moved up and in the wink of an eye, they were somewhere else.
"Don't ask" Fina said to Zo.
They were in darkness. Total darkness.
"Meow"
"That's not a cat, is it? Cat doesn't meow. They yawn" Shelly said
"That's a cat. And we are in Zedler's territory" Fina said, horrified.
Zo swayed.
"We just have to avoid the cat" Fina said
"Meow" The cat meowed in a hoarse voice as if transforming.
They might be shrouded in darkness but they could still see figures.
The cat screamed and grew bigger and bigger.
The girls stepped back in fear.
The cat shadow grew to the top of the ceiling and the girls eyes widened in horror.
It shouted at them and they wavered to one side.
Something flew past their head. Thrice. As Fina tried to lower Xavier to the ground, something sharp grazed her on the cheek.
"How about we send Zedler's cat to the monster's world?" Shelly asked sharply.
"You wouldn't" Fina warned "She mustn't even know we are here"
"Just saying" Shelly said
Everything became silent at once.
Fina held her breath, multiplying figures on her head.
She turned her head to look at what was going on.
Fina gurgled a scream down her throat as she met Zedler's monstrous cat's eye.
She shifted backward and the cat moved forward.
It sharpened it's long sharp claws at her and with a swipe of its hand, attacked them.
Fina's wand met with its claws and broke in two.
The cat screamed as if been bitten. Then, with a scream of frustration, lunged at them.
Fina opened her eyes when nothing happened for five seconds.
Her eyes met with the disapproving ones of Walker's.
"You girls have a lot of explanation to do" Walker said with cold eyes.
The cat meowed at Walker's feet and hissed at them, glared at Walker then began to lap at its hand.