The Arrival - The Madeline Calderon Trilogy: Book 1

  Chapter 12

  After my shower I dress and head down stairs for breakfast. I am surprised to find my father drinking coffee and engaging in a conversation with Amelia who is cooking breakfast. "Good morning," I say interrupting their conversation.

  "Good Morning Maddie, did you sleep well?" asks Amelia. "You look a bit tired."

  "Yes, thank you. I was up pretty late putting together a plan for the orb ball les, um game," I quickly correct myself. Unsure of what my father will say about my magical tutoring gig, I decide not to share it with him. Amelia picking up on my reluctance prepares to change the subject before my father interjects.

  "Orb ball? You are playing orb ball? My father looks at me skeptically.

  "Yes, it sounds like fun."

  "With whom and where will you be playing?" My father put down his cup of coffee turning his whole body to face me.

  "Hailey, Jessenia, Vanessa, and my friend Sebastian as well as some of his other friends."

  "And who is this friend, Sebastian?" I recognize a sliver of a smile on my father's face.

  "You know exactly, who Sebastian is since his family and yours are quite close. Perhaps you could fill me in on a few things about him," I retort smirking right back.

  "Oh, that Sebastian, yes of course. Well I can tell you that I know he'll protect you well."

  "And how are you so sure of that, father?" I ask.

  "Because he'll have me to contend with if he doesn't," my father says as he stands dropping his cup into the sink. Making a quick exit he makes a move toward Amelia and stops immediately. I smile as she begins to blush.

  "I figured you two out my second day here. No need to hide it now." They both look at me in shock. To ease the awkwardness I take my plate with me out to the den. I sit on one of the rockers and start looking through my social media apps. The truth is I wasn't sure about the two of them but my father's natural inclination to give her a kiss goodbye said it all. I smile thinking about their shocked expressions. Perusing through the various status updates I notice a number of friend requests sitting in my inbox. I click on the icon to check them out. I notice Vanessa, Jessenia, Lance, and Bash have sent me requests. Wait a minute, I think, why hasn't Hailey sent me one? Then I acknowledge an even trickier dilemma. Would it be weird to friend both Lance and Bash. I mean it's not a declaration of a relationship or anything. Mulling it over for another few seconds I shrug my shoulders and approve all four requests.

  I finish my breakfast and head back into the kitchen. I find Amelia cleaning up and offer to clean my dish when she's done.

  "Nonsense dear, I'll take care of it. Um, are you okay?" I panic at her question wondering if something is out of place with my hair or makeup.

  "Yes, why do you ask?"

  "I mean with your father and I. You know being together. I hope you approve," Amelia adds shyly.

  "Of course it's fine. I mean my mother has been gone for years, I would hope my father would have found someone again," I say to assure her. Not sure if my father knows the truth about my mother, I am happy he is able to move on. Amelia smiles back and continues on with her cleaning. "I'll be in the library if you need me."

  "Okay dear, are you researching anything in particular? I single-handedly catalogued the books, so let me know if there's something you can't find."

  "Thank you Amelia." I head to the library completely disregarding Amelia's question. I decide to research the park, hoping to find information on the history of the town. My dream has me in full investigation mode, and I want to start with finding out if anyone else has disappeared in the park my mother and I were playing in that day. I pull out an atlas to look at a map of the state. Realizing the number of parks within the state I slam the book closed. "I am seriously the most archaic college student on the planet. Why on Earth am I not using google," I say to myself. I run upstairs to grab my laptop and bring it back into the library. While waiting for it to power up, I stare at the atlas and think to myself I am also the most lazy witch on the planet. I lay the atlas on my lap, close my eyes, and hover my hands over the book.

  Going back in time and space

  Bring me back to that notorious place

  As the book opens my hair is blown by the wind created by the ruffling of pages. Seconds later the book stops and lays open to Saddle Brook Park on the border of Saddle Brook and Rochelle Park. That's not far from home at all, and interesting enough it is the same location I chose for tonight's orb ball game. I turn to the laptop, sign in, and bring up google. My first order of business is to check on the history of the area. There was nothing much out of the ordinary there, so I begin looking into local newspapers to find out about any disappearances. The first article that comes up on the Bergen Record's website is about my mother. According to the article the lack of evidence suggests my mother abandoned me in the park. I recall hearing the police question my father and grandmother about her mental state. Investigators operated on the mind frame that she no longer wanted to deal with motherhood, or that she was possibly depressed. I would have thought the same, except a week after she had gone missing I overheard my grams and father talking.

  "I have met with every supernatural leader in the underworld as well as up here. No one has seen or heard of anything concerning Savie's disappearance, but I know she did not just up and leave," my father said with angst.

  "Of course she didn't Xavie, my daughter would never leave her family behind unless absolutely necessary," grams replied.

  "Have you conferred with the witch's counsel? Isn't there some sort of protocol to follow when one of your own go missing?" My father stood up from behind his desk and began pacing around. He stopped at the bottom of a winding staircase. "Let's confer with the book. Surely it will have some answers," my father said hopeful.

  "No, the book will be of no help. It works to guide future magical leaders not give a glimpse into the past," grams added dismissively. My father glared at her like she was hiding something.

  "You know you seem to be making light of the situation. Consulting with the book is worth a shot. What do we have to lose?" father asked pleading.

  "It will not work and the book will be of no help. Just leave it alone Xavie." My grams stood up and headed toward the door. I quickly ran toward the kitchen jumping onto a barstool to eat my then soggy cereal. I never spoke to either one of them about what I heard. But it was one of many conversations that gave me the idea that there was more to the story than I was being told.

  Considering my father's request to speak with the book, I thought he just might have been on to something. Later I would do the same, and perhaps the book can tell me about what it saw for my mother's future. That could also be the key to why someone wanted to take her out of the equation. Looking further down the list of articles, I find one nearly forty years prior to my mother going missing. The details of the case are identical, right down to their disappearance. The story states a woman takes her daughter for a stroll in the park, where she vanishes leaving her young daughter behind. Opening the articles side by side, I take a closer look at the pictures of the two women. They almost look like sisters and I wonder if they are related in some way. In the Wiccan community majority of the natural born practitioners derive from the Castillo or Langston covens, making it likely you could meet a witch or warlock you are related to somewhere down the line. Going further down the list of disappearances I find almost fifty years from the second is another disappearance with the same details. This time there was no picture available of the woman, but I wouldn't be too surprised if the woman looks the same. I take note of her name and continue on with my search.

  After about another half hour I decide to take my research upstairs to the infamous book. Turning to a fresh new page I begin to stroke the binding of the book to awaken it from its slumber.

  "Princess, hope all is well. Have you solved some of my riddles, as you called them, or have you come to t
he realization they are actually vital pieces of information?" I suspect if the book had a full face it would be more obvious that it was smirking and grinning at me.

  "I have actually come with more questions, that will probably lead to more riddles for me to solve, or vital pieces of information, as you call it," I say with a sarcastic tone. The eye of the book stares back at me without so much as a blink. Expecting it to respond with something equally as sardonic I wait.

  "Well?" the book says impatiently. I clear my throat and shoot off my questions. My first is the hardest and most difficult to swallow, because the answer will tell me immediately if my research is fruitless.

  "What did my mother's future entail before her disappearance?"

  "Ooo, finally she puts her thinking cap on. Hmm she was supposed to be an advisor to the most powerful Queen of?well where has yet to be determined." Realizing the book is most likely referring to me, I become anxious at the thought of learning more about my mother leading to learning more about me.

  Operating on the idea that she isn't dead I take a leap of faith and ask, "What does her future entail now?" The eye of the book seems to get wider as it appears to be thinking.

  "Her future, clever girl, is still the same," the book responds quickly. Holy crap, my suspicions are right. My mother is still alive. I take a moment to calm myself down and to strategize. My next question needs to flow toward the direction of all the vanishings if I have any hope of figuring out where she has gone.

  "The area where my mother went missing is also the site of at least two other missing reports over the last 50 years," I state.

  "Is there a question in that statement? If so I missed it," the book says in a snarky tone. Someone clearly is not okay with being outsmarted.

  "Were the other women who went missing also witches?" It was a mundane question but I was hoping it would buy me time to consider an approach that would lead back to my mother.

  Completely ignoring my question the book retaliates with a riddle. "The course of each are necessary and true, return or not is not up to me or you." Right, I think to myself. This is clearly going downhill.

  "Is it the individual's decision to return and fulfill their future?"

  "I am so glad you realize the future represents the past, but when dear Princess will you start to focus on your future?" The book presents a good question, but how could I focus on myself when I have a mother to find and a mystery to solve.

  "My future is shaped by the events of my family's past. I want to understand how and why so that I can make informed decisions about my future. With that said, does each witch make the decision to return?"

  "As you wish Princess, but be careful of questions you may not really want the answers to." The book was really starting to annoy me. "Yes, the decision is theirs and only theirs to make," the book says finally answering a question. And as usual it is right. I feel my heart breaking. My mother has had the option to return to me and she hasn't!

  Not wanting to show the book just how upset I really am, I close my notebook, and say, "thank you for your time and wisdom. Oh and holding back on the riddles."

  "Princess I am here to assist you just as I have the other women of the Castillo family. Use the information you have learned wisely, and remember despite what you uncover it is your future that is most important right now. Your future affects more people than you know." And with that the book closes its eyelid and I place it back on my normally hidden book shelf. I pull out an even larger book that holds my family's history, recipes, and spells. The first five pages consist of our family tree dating back 500 years. Looking back the past hundred years I find the names of the two other missing women. Both related to me and bear a striking resemblance to my mother and me since my looks favor her. I wonder if this is a rite of passage for every woman in my family. I think it is time for the interview portion of my research. I have to call my grams and make her lay all the cards out on the table. It is well after 1pm and my stomach is growling. I decide to head down to the kitchen to grab some lunch before making what is going to be a tense call.

  After making a sandwich and a refreshing glass of iced green tea, I take advantage of Amelia's absence and wash my own plate and cup. Drying my hands, I head back upstairs to call grams and see what information I can get out of her. Listening to the ringing I wait anxiously.

  "Hello you have reached Gwendolyn Adams-Mendez, I can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name, number, and a brief message I will get back to you as soon as possible.

  "Grams it's Maddie and its urgent. I love you and need you and your honesty more than ever." I throw the last bit in not only because it is true but also because I know she will feel guilty and call me sooner. Hanging up the phone I lay down across my bed and start thinking about what I have learned. It is almost three and I plan on meeting everyone at the entrance of the park at five. The confirmation of my mother still being alive hits me like a ton of bricks and completely exhausts me. Before I know it I am fast asleep.

  Running through the woods trying to catch my breath I look behind me to find a little girl sporting a wide smile, and soft curls streaming down running behind me. "Momma wait for me," she yells in between her giggles. I think to pick up my speed as she gets closer and then I take in our surroundings. We are here, at the park where it all happened so many times before. No one will take me from my little girl, I think in my head. Instinctively I go into momma bear mode turn toward my daughter and scoop her up in my arms. Smiling at her to prevent any alarm I swing her around. "Yippeee, momma, again, again!" she exclaims. Feeling myself getting too dizzy I stop and drop to the ground lifting my little one so that she falls on top of me. "Are you going bye bye, momma?" she asks with sadness in her voice.

  "No baby, why would you say that?" I hold my daughter close trying to fill her with assurance.

  "Well isn't it time?" She turns her head to the side and looks over my shoulder.

  "It is time for momma to go but she will be back sweetheart," says a familiar voice. I turn to find Bash coming up behind us. I quickly get up guarding my daughter from him. "Babe, what are you doing? I know this is hard, it's hard for me too. I can't tell you enough how much I'm going to miss you."

  "You are not taking me away from her, I am not going anywhere," I shout.

  "Maddie what are you talking about? You must. We discussed this over and over again. I don't want you to go either, but this is a rite of passage for every witch. More so for the Queen!" Bash looks at me with love, understanding, and sorrow in his eyes. "I will take care of Sophia and before you know it you will be back with us. Honey you are not your mother," he says catching me off guard.

  "What are you talking about?"

  "I know you are afraid of doing to Sophie what your mother did to you, but Maddie you are not your mother and I am not your father. I will take care of our daughter." I feel like I am hit with a ton of bricks. He said our daughter. Does this mean I have chosen the dark? Am I Queen of the Underworld? No this can't be right, I think to myself.

  "No, you are wrong. I don't know what you are talking about and I am not leaving MY Daughter I emphasize. Holding Sophia tighter I begin to run. Bash is running behind us yelling for me to stop. I push on looking ahead forcing myself not to look back. I can see a clearing and I pray it is the exit to the park. As I draw near it is the cliff, the same cliff I last remember seeing my mother.

  I wake up panting and finding it difficult to breath. Was that a dream or a premonition? Once I'm able to catch my breath I look over at the cable box to check the time. I have enough time to take a quick shower and head to the park. Sitting up in bed I take a moment to think about my dream. My dreams seem to be trying to remind me of things that I already know. This must be what the book's riddle about asking the right questions is all about. My thoughts lean toward the idea that everyone is lying to me. Perhaps what's really going on is they are
waiting for me to make my own discoveries. I am looking forward to wrapping up tonight's lesson so I can get home and go back to sleep. It is becoming more evident that my dreams hold the knowledge of my mother's disappearance and my future.

  With a deep sigh I climb out of bed and head into my bathroom. Showered and dressed I double check my bag for supplies, grab my black leather jacket, and head out. Saying goodbye to Amelia, I thank her once again for the idea and head out the door. Once in my car I choose a radio station and pull out the driveway. The park is only about a mile from home but it is one of the largest in the area. The map shows the park is an expansive 577 acres, perfect for tonight's festivities. Ten minutes later I enter the park and park my car next to Bash's blood red Charger. Just as I turn off my car Bash is opening my door. "Good evening Princess, perfect night isn't it? Bash's voice is smooth like silk and sends shivers down my body. I instantly feel a pang of guilt as I think of Lance and how his voice feels like home.

  "Hello Bash, I actually think it's a bit chilly. How are you?" I add cordially in an attempt to mask my interest.

  "Princess, every minute I am with you is perfect, certainly you must know how I feel about you. There's no use in trying to deny our feelings, although I sense your hesitation. I suspect it has something to do with the blood sucker," Bash says in a very matter-of -fact tone.

  "What do you mean?" I ask trying to feign ignorance.

  "Well I see the way he looks at you, and your heart rate accelerates when you see him. And I have had dreams. Dreams as you may well know are very telling. But the most prominent piece of proof of his intentions is the fact that he is here. I assume you extended an invitation to him? Bash's glint of annoyance was starting to anger me.

  "He's here?!? No, I didn't invite him," I respond sternly.

  "Perhaps we should inquire as to why he just happens to be in the park at the same time as we are." And with that Bash grabs my bag and my hand and marches over to where Lance and Hailey are standing. I pull my hand away and give Bash a "behave" kind of look. I couldn't help notice the flash of anger in Lance's eyes as Bash and I approach. Hailey on the other hand has a very knowing look on her face, and I suspect she is the reason why Lance is here tonight.

  "Well hello there, Maddie, Bash," Hailey says nodding to the both of us. "Bash you know Lance, right?"

  "Yes, I've seen him around." Bash barely looking at Lance, says, "Hello."

  "Hey, Lance," I said moving to the center of the group. "What are you doing here?" Bash smiles at my annoyed look.

  "I was invited to play along. Although I have to admit I was hurt you didn't invite me yourself Maddie." I could see the disappointment in his eyes, but the thick cloud of tension swirling around us was exactly what I was trying to avoid.

  I turn toward Bash, "where are these students?" Just as I finish my question a Hummer SUV comes speeding into the parking lot blaring Ludacris's Get Out the Way. Attempting to stifle a giggle I turn to give the girls a look. The music shuts off as the five guys whose orb ball prank I demolished start pouring out of the truck. Being the shortest of the group, the guys turn to Hailey expectantly.

  "I am not your teacher you pubescent imbeciles. Maddie is the powerful and patient one," she says while pointing at me. They all turn toward me and look at each other with a lack of confidence. Well if controlling and demolishing an orb ball while not disrupting class wasn't impressive enough perhaps they need another Demonstration of my capabilities.

  Turbo Consumere

  Only over here

  I shout out the spell while channeling my energy around the boys. A blue line surrounds them as fear grips their inner core. The line expands turning into a glowing, all-consuming, cyclone. Each begin to yell as they are swept up in the tunnel and rising into the air. Everyone else bursts into fits of laughter. Once I feel the boys have had enough I yell, "tranquill!" And with that they each come tumbling down to the ground just to land softly on their feet.

  "Whoa, that was amazing, can we do that again?" tallest one asks.

  "I'll think about it, but first why don't we start with introductions," I say with a smirk.

  "Don't mess with your teacher, kiddies," Hailey chimes in boastfully.

  "Hi I'm Brandon waves the giant, and this is Carl, James, Neil, and Anthony. Thank you for taking the time out to teach us. We will be loyal, responsible, and attentive members of your coven. Your acceptance means more to us than you know." Brandon appears to be the leader of the group and very well spoken.

  "First of all guys we are not a coven, just a good group of friends. I turn to the girls as they beam smiles at me. Secondly, we are happy to help teach you the basics, and work to find a coven for you to join and continue to learn from. In the meantime if you have any questions or problems you should contact one of us. You must be careful when practicing on your own. You do not want to be seen and most importantly you do not want to get hurt or hurt anyone else." The guys each nod in acceptance except for Neil. The look on his face says he is struggling, I take a peek in his mind and discover he did not trust us and he most certainly did not trust Bash.

  Apparently Bash made promises he didn't fulfill. I will have to find a way to get some alone time with Neil to find out the story behind that. "Okay, today we are going to start our lesson with a game. I know from experience you all know how to create an orb ball, but do you really know how to control them? Tonight's game is called Orb Ball and it is similar to a paintball challenge. There is a blue and red flag placed in the center of the park, we will break up into two teams and the goal is to claim the flag of the opposing team. Getting to the flag is where the challenge and lesson lie. You must not only create and execute non-damaging orbs using nature in the hopes of delaying your opponents but you must also defend yourself from getting hit."

  "Is there really such a thing as an orb that doesn't cause damage?" Neil asked cynically.

  "Yes, Neil there is. It begins with learning to control your energy. Once you have done so you can use the energy from anything around you to form the balls. It takes a lot of patience and discipline. Two things you will find hard to maintain while trying to protect yourself from getting hit. Tonight, we will use the dirt to make the balls."

  "Why can't we just use our own energy?" asks Neil.

  "Because there are going to be situations where you're power is not your greatest weapon. The elements, nature, everything you find around can help save you from a threat. In addition you need to respect your environment and when you do you will have more of an appreciation for the powers that lie within." I wait for Neil to come up with another snarky question or remark. When all remain silent, I continue on with the lesson.

  Ladies, Bash, and Lance please create a small orb," I look around at my friends and join in creating an orb of my own. "Great, now take a look around at the different color orbs each of us has created." Looking toward the five boys I say, "notice the difference in brightness, size, and stability in each of our balls." Anthony begins to snicker.

  "She said look at their balls, ha ha." Brandon smacks Anthony on the head with his available hand. I smile briefly, but realize if I wante their attention and respect I had to be more commanding.

  "Focus!" I yell. Anthony frowns and continues to monitor the spheres created by my friends. I distinguish my orb and everyone else follows suit.

  "Okay, Brandon, you first. I want you to visualize yourself pushing your power to the back of your mind. Look down at the ground and watch the energy from the dirt fly toward you forming a small sphere." Brandon takes a deep breath and stares intently to the ground, and shortly after his gaze goes into his orb. After a few seconds his orb becomes a little smaller and goes from a dark purple to lavender.

  "Perfect. Anthony you next." Anthony begins to squint as he tries decreasing his orb, however he started to have the opposite effect. His sphere grows and goes from orange to an almost crimson color. "It's okay
Anthony," I say as he looks at me with fear. "Close your eyes," he looks at me hesitantly, "trust me it's okay." He closes his eyes. "Think of the last time you had a good laugh, and my guess is 2 seconds ago when I said the word "balls" is going to come to mind." It works and Anthony chuckles while keeping his eyes closed. "Good no pressure, just fun and relaxation. Now try envisioning your orb getting smaller and dimmer." He takes a little longer than Brandon but his orb decreases a sea in size, returning to orange, and then eventually to an even paler shade. "Great job Anthony!" He opens his eyes in excitement and pride.

  "Yea, great job bro, I knew you could do it," said Brandon encouragingly. They high five each other and I look over at Neil who is rolling his eyes.

  "Alrighty Neil, you are up." He looks annoyed and while maintaining his glare at me he creates a small ball in a surprisingly pale blush. "Well done," I say curtly. "Carl now you." We all wait expectantly as Carl takes a deep breath and attempts to change the medium sized forest green globe he went ahead and created, into a smaller, lighter sphere. Instead the orb just disappears. Looking disappointed, Carl starts to blush. "That's okay, try it again, this time when you are creating your orb visualize the soil coming together to form the ball. You don't want to hurt anyone so you just want something like the size of a lime." Carl is taken aback by my description but he nods, closes his eyes and gives it a try. In no time Carl creates a cantaloupe sized lime. "Okay, a little bigger than a lime, but at least you won't kill anyone." I say with a chuckle. I turn to face the rest of the group as they gawk at me wide-eyed. Alright, last but not least, James let's see what you've got."

  James keeps himself slightly hidden behind Neil with his head down. I walk over to Neil and James. "James I know you don't know me, I know none of you know me, but I am honest about wanting to help you guys. I was very young and scared when my powers began to strengthen and I had just lost my mother. Luckily for me I had my grams, you guys, you all have each of us. I turn pointing at my friends. We will guide and protect you to the best of our abilities. But in order to learn you have to trust us and believe in yourselves. I reach out my hand to James. He looks nervously at me, but extends out his hand anyway. "Take a deep breath." James did so and closes his eyes. After unleashing a state of calm over him, I place my hand under his feeling his energy as he brings a small orb to fruition. His orb grows from a light brown walnut size to a grapefruit sized ball. He is able to maintain the light color which does not surprise me, but when against someone looking to harm him he's going to have to shake the nerves. James opens his eyes and they are bright with excitement. His joy gets the best of him and his orb grows to the size of a watermelon. "Whoa, buddy, just relax." James immediately brings his ball back down to a decent size. "Great job everyone, I am glad to see I am not working with amateurs." I beam at the group and even Neil gives a smile that almost reaches his eyes.

  I break up the group into two teams with Bash as the leader of one and myself the captain of the other. We divide the boys putting Brandon and Carl with Bash, and Neil, James, and Anthony with me. Vanessa and Hailey join Bash, and I take Lance and Jessenia. Lance has a snarky smile on his face as he moves closer to me, whereas Bash is seething. My mind is solely on the boys and what is best for this lesson. I will have to deal with the testosterone battle later. My team has the blue flag and Bash's team has red. I give each team ten minutes to come up with a strategy. Once the time is up we are off, dodging and releasing orbs. Once each person is cloaked by the night and trees the fun begins. I can see in the distance Neil and James attempting to hide behind the same tree. This will get them hit instantly, so I skulk my way toward them. Coming from behind a tree directly behind them I whisper, "You guys shouldn't?

  "Aahhh," they yell in unison.

  "Ssshh, be quiet," I warn, but it is too late. Suddenly light red, grey, and lavender balls are coming our way. I pull the two boys down with me and serve as a shield. I allow my defenses to go up and cover them with an invisible armor. The orbs land and dissipate before hitting us. "Okay guys, you have to separate slightly. Especially if you are going to hide behind trees. Now stick to the plan and keep heading straight and stay along the river." The two nod in agreement. "I will cover you guys while you make your way to the shadows of that section over there," I say pointing toward a small clearing. I turn toward the direction of the attack and catch a glimpse of Brandon and Bash. Just as quickly as I can generate a light blue orb I am releasing it in their direction. I aim low and at Bash hoping to keep him distracted while Neil and James run for the clearing. Not realizing I have taken a shot at him Bash is hit unexpectedly. "Go," I say to the boys.

  I continue shooting orbs in their direction as Neil and James approach their destination. I briefly get a glimpse of Bash's dynamic smile as he changes locations leaving Brandon in his spot. I turn and crouch down behind the closest tree, close my eyes and listen in for any footsteps. Knowing Bash well I figure he will try sneaking up on me. Sure enough I can hear rustling of leaves even though there is no wind. He chooses an attack from above. I search for his vibrations and can sense he is two trees away slowly making his way closer. As he jumps to the tree closest to mine I unleash four small sky blue orbs in his direction. Thump, went Bash's body as he lands on the ground. "Ugh, well played Princess," he says giving me that jaw dropping smile. I rise and begin to head over toward him, when he is struck by a light red orb the size of a pumpkin. "Aah," yells Bash. We turn and find Lance leaning against a tree looking too delicious, and laughing hysterically.

  "That was completely uncalled for Lance," I shout.

  "Do not concern yourself Princess, I can take care of this blood sucker," Bash says with confidence. Bash attempts to get up but falls right back down.

  "Come on you are hurt, stop being stubborn." I hurry over to Bash and help him stand up, propping him up against a tree. In sheer annoyance I create a marine blue orb the size of a melon and shoot it Lance's way. Just as it is about to hit it grows excessively bigger and slams into him. The look of shock on his face is gratifying, that is until it changes to a look of hurt. My need to defend Bash is telling, or at least to Lance it is. I can't take any more of the triangle I currently stand in. I turn and run toward the clearing to catch up with the rest of my teammates. Let the two of them slaughter each other. It will certainly make my decision a lot easier.

  Reaching the river I can see Jessenia, Neil, James, and Anthony in battle against Hailey and Vanessa. I watch with pride as the three boys work to strategically unleash their orbs while using the available hand to deflect the ones coming their way. It is amazing what they are able to learn in the ten minutes we took out to practice. Sensing someone coming up behind me I turn to find Lance. "So I guess your reason for not wanting to continue kissing me was because of the Demon. You care for him, don't you?" Lance looks angry and hurt. His eyes gaze deeply into mine. As much as the truth will hurt him further, I feel like I owe it to him.

  "I do have feelings for him, but I am not sure what they are or if I am even interested in acting on them." This statement seems to mollify him and he moves closer to me.

  "I'd like to take another shot at jogging your memories." Thinking he is going to use telepathy or something similar I do not budge as he invades my personal space. My body quickly reacts to his close proximity, more so especially when he pulls me in his arms and fiercely kisses me. At first I tense up not sure if I should go there before making my final decision, but his scent, his touch, and longing for me to remember him got the best of me. I open my mouth and allow his tongue entry. His hands travel down and just as we work to deepen our kiss, a bright ivory orb catches my eye. I use all my strength and weight to knock Lance down and out of the path of the orb.

  "Get your hands off of what's mine," Bash said venomously.

  "Excuse you!" I yell. Before Bash can respond, a red fire ball is coming his way. Bash dives out of the way an
d releases a dark almost grey ball in response.

  "You want to play bloodsucker, bring it on." Bash stands up and Lance squares his shoulders to match Bash's stance.

  "You guys need to stop this, right now. What kind of example are you setting for the five boys, seriously this has to," and suddenly I'm struck by this burning sensation and tossed 20 yards from the guys. I am in and out trying to hold onto the voices around me. My eyes are open but all I see is a bright light and a bunch of shadows floating around me. Growing tired and dizzy of the ring-around-the-rosy routine being danced around me, I close my eyes and embrace the darkness.