Rudy tried to keep his voice low, but found himself yelling anyway. Sybil was calmly answering his questions, without hesitation, as quickly as he asked them. Rudy suspected she was reading his mind.
Frustrated, a curse slipped out before he could stop it. "Sorry, but you must have some idea where they would take Lucy."
"None at all, sweetie. I am hardly friends with those two." Sybil tipped her nose skyward, indignant at the suggestion that she would know the habits of Edgar and Allen.
Now Kate jumped in. "Was it you sending the images to Anne?"
"No, no, of course not."
"Then who did?" Kate asked annoyed.
Before Sybil could answer. Anne began to quiver and let out strange, little whimpering noises, trying to suck air into her lungs. She was lost in a vision. It was horrifying. Flames lapped her legs, creeping up her body. Her clothes were on fire. Soon she would be completely engulfed, burned. The flames were sucking all the oxygen from the air. She was suffocating.
Ethan wrapped his arms around Anne to try and calm the shaking. Kate tried to break through the vision by talking to her. Rufus and Rudy leaned in, but felt helpless. Only Georgie stayed back, watching.
While Rudy was distracted, Sybil shot Georgie a smug look. He ignored her, instead watching her twin. Vera had not spoken since they had returned from Edgar and Allen's bedroom and reunited with the others. Everyone that is except Griffin, who was either missing or hiding out. Vera's expression was blank, but her eyes never left Anne. Anne was slapping at her clothes, her mouth gaping. Georgie saw Vera copy her twin's smirk. Georgie had an idea.
Suddenly, Vera yelped and jumped sideways, hitting her sister and knocking them both off balance.
"What the..." Rudy turned to see what the commotion was.
"That little twerp just pitched an orange at my head!" Vera screeched, rubbing her forehead, then pointing at Georgie. Never one to be outdone in the irritating department, Georgie shared his most irritating smirk with the twin sisters.
"Yup, I did." Georgie bowed. "Please note, Anne has stopped reacting to whatever they were doing to her. She," He pointed at Vera, "is the one sending the visions to Anne."
"You have no proof of that. Ouch!"
A second orange flew from the bowl on the counter and hit its target, Vera's nose, then bounced harmlessly into her lap.
This time it was Anne that Georgie spoke to. "How are the visions now?"
Anne gave him a weak smile. "Gone. Thank you, Georgie."
"Owww. Stop it!" An apple smacked Vera in the eye.
Rudy was furious now. He had lost control of his group, he had been lied to and manipulated, but worse, Lucy was still missing. He could no longer contain his rage. Rudy turned on the twins, Sybil and Vera, and let the fury take hold of him. He drew himself up to his full height, his eyes began to glow amber. His physical shape began to change. He hunched over, his eye teeth became long and thick. Instead of ginger fur, his coat was orange, thick, with stripes in white and black. Muscles pulsed beneath the fur.
Sybil and Vera cried out, pressing themselves back into the sofa.
Lucy could hear the others, but was bound so tightly she couldn't even tap her heels. There was a cloth in her mouth, forcing her to take shallow, sniffing breaths through her nose. She was parched and sore. She had no idea where she was only that she hadn't seen the brothers, Edgar and Allen, since they carried her away. She also realized because she could hear the others that she had never left Rudy and Kate's pod. And wherever she was it was inky black, with no light allowed in at all.
Kate put a hand on Rudy's shoulder. His transition from human to a Siberian tiger was almost complete. The twins were not the only ones spellbound and terrified by his transformation.
Kate knew she had to calm Rudy's temper. She clenched the fur at the nape of his neck and led him toward the outside door. If he wouldn't go with her, she would be forced to transmit him to another location. She couldn't take the chance that he wouldn't kill someone in his present state. "Ethan, you're in charge until we get back." She yelled over her shoulder on the way out.
Ethan nodded.
"I got your back, buddy" Georgie puffed up his chest. The twins glared at him. Georgie responded by whipping a couple pieces of fruit at them. "Better tell us where Lucy is or we'll bring Rudy back and he can rip you to shreds." Georgie threatened, drunk on his new image as a tough guy.
"Georgie, you keep an eye on these two while Rufus and I search the pod again."
"No need." Griffin popped up beside Ethan.
"Whoa, man, give a guy some warning." Rufus clutched his chest like a ninety year old cardiac patient.
Griffin smiled at his new friend.
"Sorry. Ethan, I have searched every square inch of this pod. There is no sign of Lucy or the brothers. What is their power, anyway?"
Sybil and Vera pinched their lips refusing to help.
It was Anne, who finally freed from her horrible vision answered. "Belive it or not, they both have super senses. That is how these two threaten them. Vera bombarded them with sensory overload until they were almost mad. She only let up when they agreed to do what she wanted. It has been a nightmare for them living in this pod."
"I don't recall inviting them to live here." Sybil said in her most arrogant voice. Georgie pummeled her with the remaining fruit. Her yelps brought a smile to his normally sullen face.
"You've enjoying this, you little..."
"Anne, can you see Lucy?" Ethan asked gently, interrupting the twin's whining .
Anne's eyes glazed over. Ethan laid his hand on her shoulder.
Georgie and Rufus kept a close watch on Sybil and Vera.
Griffen had an idea. "Back in a minute." He disappeared.
"Edgar and Allen are gone. They snuck out of the pod while you were all searching for Lucy." Anne announced. "I can't seem to connect to Lucy which is odd because..."
Ceiling tiles started dropping on their heads.
"Ouch!
"Whoa!"
"What the.."
Griffin's face appeared in the hole. "Hi" He smiled. "I've found Lucy."