The Search For Peace

Chapter 20

Ultima couldn't believe her eyes. Not only did the lot of them just run into the two idiots that they were looking for, one of those idiots had also managed to make the ever-so-strong Kevin cry.

"Ugh, mah nhose!!" He wailed through the hand covering half of his face. You could tell Sanjay was holding back a roar of laughter, the way he was pursing his lips, while Juliet was staring at him like bugs were coming out of his mouth. No, seriously. She looked like she was going to pass out. Again.

It was only when Alyssa pushed herself onto her that she came back to reality. "Juliet~!" She hugged her with great force, her jacket covering up her face as she patted her back in response. "I'm so glad you came for meee~!"

While the two best friends had their moment, Harmony passed a tissue to Kevin remorsefully. "I'm actually, so sorry, Kevin." She flinched when he snatched it from her, making it clear he wasn't going to forgive her anytime soon.

Ultima rolled her eyes. "All things aside," she started with a perked brow at Harmony, "aren't you guys supposed to be in jail?"

"Oh, we were, trust me." Alyssa started to boast, gesturing towards the brunette. "But Harmony busted us out like a pro!"

Sanjay blinked. "She...what?"

As if realizing his presence for the first time, Harmony's cheek reddened, notable even in the dim light. Her gaze darted this way and that, and Ultima couldn't help but smirk. "It wasn't that big of a deal. I mean," she scoffed, an action that did not suit her, in Ultima's opinion. "Who doesn't know how to pick a lock with a bobby pin and steal a key from a sleeping guard, right?"

Now they were all looking at her like she had horns growing out of her head, Kevin even forgetting about the blood dripping from his nostrils for a second. "You're....weird." Juliet stated bluntly.

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As they walked through the tunnel, Ultima tried to figure out the layout of this weird building they were in, whilst the others argued over who was better off holding the torch. She knew the place they had found Alyssa and Harmony in was the tower part of the building, given the twisting stairs that swirled upwards. And since they were going back the way they came, they'd end up in the same place they fought Katy in. She dreaded that fact, but it's not like they could go any other way. For all they knew, someone even more dangerous might be waiting for them.

When they finally made it through, they lined up behind the railing, and gazed down at the floor beneath them. Squinting in the darkness, Ultima looked at the cracked wall where Katy should've been. "She's...gone."

"Who's gone?" Harmony couldn't help but ask.

Juliet scowled. "That eyepatch lady. We left her here, and she was too injured to even stand. Which means..."

"Someone else is here with us." Kevin finished gravely, his eyebrows furrowed. Being the one with the torch, he turned on his heel, leading them to stairs. "We need to get out of here, asap."

The ugly hole in the wall next to them was the first thing Harmony noticed when they made it down to the floor, and she grimaced at the sight. "What kind of idiot did that?"

With a cough, Kevin passed a hot glare in her direction.

"Oh." She blurted, unable to retort at the moment. After hitting him the way she did, she'd best be at his mercy for a while.

An eerie silence fell over them, and Ultima couldn't shake off the feeling that they were being watched. Juliet, however, couldn't care less. "Well, what're we waiting for?" She strode towards the dark tunnel in front of them, not wanting to waste any more time in this awful place. "Let's just go back the way we came and get this over with."

"On the contrary." Uttered a little girl in a breathy, crisp voice. It was as if she had appeared out of nowhere, standing in between them and the tunnel firmly. Juliet took a few careful steps back and drew closer towards the rest of the group, suddenly not so confident. They held their breaths as a bony hand stretched out of the mucky brown cloak the tiny girl was wearing, reaching for the hood covering her dainty face.

Alyssa half expected the disoriented face of a ghost to be revealed from behind, but to her relief, it was rather normal. With strands of yellow blonde hair draping her soft, pointy features, the girl that seemed to be half their age gave them a solid glare. "You are not going anywhere." She spoke in an almost classical way, her accent old and refined, her words clear and concise.

"Precisely." Another voice said, this time from the other side. They all half turned to meet the second hooded figure, a boy just as short as her with round glasses and the same coloured hair. He wore the same hooded cloak, his face already visible.

"Okay, how scared are we supposed to be of these guys?" Alyssa whispered to the group, finding it hard to understand why they were all eying them like they were actually dangerous. They were just kids, though? Right?

She realized how wrong she was, however, when those kids suddenly multiplied, until dozens of that one girl circled them from one side, and dozens of that same boy circled them from the other. She rubbed her eyes with disbelief, unable to believe there could be so many versions of one person. "Uhh, what's going on here?"

"I knew it." Harmony spat, taking in the clones around them, one by one. "They're from the Gemini Clan."

"That is correct, Member of the Leo Clan." Alyssa's heart pounded when all those clones suddenly spoke at once, their raspy voices booming through the area. And to add to her horror, their little hands suddenly showed a spark of flames, like a dozen torches had been lit.

Ultima gasped, the fire swarming about in their fingertips reminding her of her own. "Oh no."

"The Taurus girl taught us well." They all said in unison, the flames dancing about, casting shadows in all directions. "Let us show you what we have learned."