The Incorruptible Bond

Chapter 28

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Auri questioned as the two made their getaway to the cave. Ember could sense the reservations from her twin.

"Of course it will, no one saw us," she tried to reassure. Secretly, Em kept looking behind them.

Auri heaved an exasperated sigh. "I'm not used to skipping school like you, Miss Delinquent!"

"Excuse you? If I'm a delinquent, then...then you're a drug dealer! I'm not alone in our criminal ways here." Ember fought back. How dare she say such cruel, untrue things!

"A drug dealer? Not likely." It was at this time that the two reached the road. They slowed to check the traffic, then continued across quickly. Soon they faded into the now familiar woods. The twins sped back up to make up any lost time.

"Where are we going?" Ember questioned after they had been jogging for a while. "This place doesn't look familiar." Both girls stopped to catch their breath.

"What do you mean? You're the one who lives on this side of the forest," was Aurora response. She kept herself down from a panic, but her red haired twin wasn't as good at self-control as her.

Ember's breathing escalated, but this time it wasn't from physical exertion. "I've never come from school, usually just my house. Now we're lost. We won't make it in time, maybe not at all! It's all going downhill and we're just gonna-"

"Ember!" The only way to catch her sister's attention was an elevated voice that quickly dropped to a whisper. "I think I heard something, over there."

Em followed her point. Between the trees she swore she saw a flash of red and white hair, perhaps a hat? Either way, they couldn't be caught. Aurora recognized this as well.

"This way," she directed and the two reversed their route. Surprising enough, they soon found themselves in the familiar clearing of the cave.

Ember gasped. "What's that in front?"

"It looks like..." Auri started.

"Our parents!" After finishing her twin's sentence she rushed forward. There laying in the dirt at the mouth of the cave were the very two people they had come to meet. Still in their same outfits from the previous day, the difference came from their faces. It was clear that they were unconscious, and that a struggle had occurred. Dried blood on the twin's father's mouth and bruises on their mother's cheek were the tell tale signs.

"Look, they're tied up," Aurora pointed out calmly. Behind their backs, rope was tightly coiled around the parents' wrists. Each child chose a parent and untied them.

"What do we do now? Mom's forehead feels hot," Ember voice was laced with concern. Aurora could sense her panic and placed a hand down at the same time. As soon as both of them touched their mother, her eyes shot open. The constant swirl of silver and gold switched between both girls. Realizing what they did, Ember yanked Auri's hand to their dad's cheek and he too awoke to sit up.

"This isn't good," he stated as he sat up.

"There's danger, but I can't recall quite..." Their mother inhaled sharply. Ember and Aurora gave each other a look--things were strange.

"How did they get like this?" Ember was questioning. "And why did they suddenly become so frozen in..."

Auri seemed to understand her immediately. "In fear."

Behind the parents, the shadows near the front of the cave started moving. The shades of black appeared to twist and twirl around itself until it separated into two forms that were each second becoming more human-like. Richard stepped out of the left, a frightening smirk present on his face. From the right, Charlotte. A dark glint in her eyes sent bad shivers down both the girls' backs.

"Mighty well you two showed up. We were beginning to think you'd forgotten," Richard taunted. Ember blanched. Here was Pitch, both forms together, and they were all facing off.

"What do you want?" Aurora stepped up and demanded. Em was grateful--she didn't think she had the nerve to reply at the moment.

"Tisk, tisk, and here I thought I'd taught better manners." Charlotte's expression never changed as she tilted her head to the side slightly. Ember was amazed as her twin wouldn't back down; in fact, she squared off against the woman that raised her.

"Did I stutter, mother?" Auri asked rhetorically.

The eyes of both forms in front of the twins, the two halves of Pitch, darkened at that moment. They were being tested, not feared. Ember found that through her sister's courage, she could find her own. She stepped up right next to her and look Richard dead in the eyes.

"Does she need to repeat her question?"

The two girls wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery, but Pitch had gone suspiciously silent. What were they hiding? Ember spoke up to try and push this conversation to a close.

"What are you doing here?"

"You know exactly why we're here," Charlotte pushed, stepping closer. Em had to resist the urge to coward back.

"We can sense the power, thought it might be the jewels." Richard opened his hand and on his palm sat the red and blue gems from inside the cave. Sensing the presence of both twins, they started twinkling, but soon disintegrated from the evil aura of Pitch. "As you can see, it wasn't. Tell us your power source--"

"Or we'll finish off your parents," Charlotte finished just as the twins' parents cried out in pain. They clutched their heads as if an excruciating force were ripping through them.

"No!" Em tried to rush forward, but Aurora held her back with a shake of her head. The message was received, it wouldn't help anything.

"Children, time is growing short," Charlotte mocked.

"We don't know what you're talking about," Auri insisted.

"Of course you do! Quit lying!" Richard's voice had grown to a roar. The twins scrunched their eyebrows at his words. Neither had a clue what he was speaking of.

Both halves of Pitch stepped closer to each other. "One way or another, you will comply. The powers will be used to heal us."

"But our powers aren't ones that can help you!" Ember pointed out.

Aurora agreed. "And we seriously have no clue what you're talking about!"

Charlotte and Richard gave each other a look. She nodded. "Why the ability to control time of course. Either one or both of you can do this."

"No we can't," Em squeaked. There wasn't anything they could do. The overwhelming sensations of fear radiating off of Pitch rendered their powers useless.

"Hmm," Charlotte hummed, "guess you don't care about your mother and father." She flicked her finger and more groans of pain came from the two adults on the ground.

Auri was concerned. "Please, we don't have what you're asking for," she begged Pitch to believe them.

"They're going to kill our parents!" shrieked Ember.

"No!" A voice called out from behind the twins. Crashing could be heard, like someone falling through the bushes. Thud! The twins turned around quickly to see the intruder.

"Who...?" Em trailed off.

Phoenix stood up and started tried to brush off dirt quickly. When he looked up and saw all eyes from the twins and Pitch staring at him, he laughed awkwardly while scratching the back of his neck.

"лунный свет!" he started, "Uh, hey guys. About that thing I needed to tell you..."