Pure Souls (book 1) : Light Withering Away

E

Shelby's P.O.V

As I stared at my ceiling, I felt a chill. Which was odd, because my room was really warm, I probably should've had my fan on. I shivered a little. Although, that... that laugh hadn't come back. In fact, today wasn't too bad after the drea- oh dang it I jinxed it AH FRICK IT'S BACK. 'I will never leave your mind, Shelby. Never.'

"I'll make you leave," I said aloud.

'Hm. You can try.'

"SHELBY, C'MON WE'RE GOING TO JOEL'S VILLAGE!!" I heard Scott scream. I picked up my backpack and left the room. Everyone stared at me as I descended the stairs. "You feeling better?" Callum asked.

"Yeah," I smiled.

"Good. Now let's go I'm getting bored."

The place was in ruins. The Evil destroyed everything. In a bid to look for us, I bet. They still don't know where our base is. "Joel, I... I'm sorry," Lizzie hugged Joel.

"I grew up here," Joel said sadly, tears gleaming in his eyes. "My family has been here for generations. We know that because my parents were big on studying genealogy."

"Ooh, that sounds cool," Sasha said. She walked over to a broken down house and moved a bit of rubble. A boy in a panda hat burst out of the ruins. "Thank you!" he exclaimed. "I thought I was as good as dead in there!"

"Oli?" Joel walked over.

"Joel! Thank Heavens you're okay!" Oli hugged Joel.

"Guys, I found something," Max interrupted the moment. We looked to him standing over top of a destroyed market stall. He picked up a piece of paper wedged between two planks of wood. Coming back over to the group, he unfolded it. His eyes widened as he cocked his head. "What is it?" Jess asked.

"I... don't know?" Max turned the paper around to reveal a pretty graphic picture of a fox holding a dead rabbit it its mouth. I gasped. "What the heck?!" I exclaimed. "The poor rabbit! Why would anyone draw that?!" I felt tears in my eyes, and I could see that a few other people did too. I wiped my eyes. 'Ugh, it's a freaking drawing.'

'Of a dead rabbit! Do you have any mercy?!'

'Nope. And if you're going to be with me, you aren't either.'

'I'm not with you.'

'Mhm, sure...'

I rolled my eyes. "What is there to roll your eyes about?!" I could see Jess was crying; she had a few tears rolling down her cheeks. Yammy also had an arm around her, and was looking at me sternly. "I... um..." I spluttered in reply.

"There's a dead rabbit on a piece of paper!"

"I'm not rolling my eyes about that." 'I'm rolling my eyes at you for crying about it.' "Shut up!"

"Don't tell me to shut up!" Jess took a step towards me.

"Did I say that out loud? Jess I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to you."

"Who else would you be talking to?"

"I... my stupid thoughts."

"Why would you be talking to your thoughts?"

"U-um..."

"Jess, just leave her be," Cory said. "It's obvious she cares." 'No she doesn't.' Cory's eyes widened. "Shelby, did you... say something?" he asked.

"No. Why?" I replied, baffled. Could he hear the voice in my head?

"Oh, nothing, I just thought I heard something."

"SUP LOSERS!" an evil man screamed as he jumped in with a bunch of other evil men amd women and eagles. "AaaaaAAAAaaAAAAAAAaaA! Eagles!" Yammy screamed.

"I'LL DEAL WITH THE EAGLES! YOU GUYS DEAL WITH THE OTHERS!" Sasha shouted.

Everyone watched as Sasha turned into an eagle and went to the evil eagles. They began talking eagle. "I can speak eagle too," Jess said. "No lipstick sounds unpleasant it is spicy like cars."

"I don't think they're saying that," Cory said.

Jess shrugged. "Okay can we fight now?" An evil man said.

"Sure."

A man and woman charged towards me, but I sent a beam of light at them, blinding them. I went over to them and pushed them off their feet. I helped Callum with a few people, distracting them while he gathered the strength to shake the ground. They tumbled to the ground, and Callum lifted up the ground they were on and tossed it into the woods. Jess let a strong breeze knock some people on the ground, and Lizzie washed them into the woods before they could get up. Sasha landed as the other eagles flew away. Max threw a flame at a man trying to sneak up behind Cory. Cory shot a beam of darkness to a woman sneaking up behind Max. Scott, Lauren and Yammy were engaging in sword to sword combat with the enemy, and Joel and Oli watched on in wonder. Lauren knocked the final villain out and Jess blew him into the forest. "Wow... that was awesome!" Oli exclaimed, grinning.

"Okay, who even are you?" Cory asked.

"I'm Joel's childhood friend."

"Oh."

"ANYWAY... while I was kicking BUTT, I was able to snag a message orb from a fighter, which was holding a message," Max announced as he held up the navy orb. "How do we activate it?"

Scott walked over and took the orb. He closed his eyes, hands cupped around the fairly big orb. Soon, a voice came from it. "Hey... whoever is hearing this, I just wanted to ask if you know where my cousin and bestie went. They ran away and I haven't seen them since... if you come across them, please, bring them..." the voice cracked, "to the Jalice City Gates. Thanks."

Hold up. "Ross?" I took the orb and hugged it. "M-Max... we have to go, come on!"

Max gave a sharp nod in reply. "How do we get there?" he asked.

"We can't all go, but I know where to go," Cory said.

"I'll come along too," Jess chimed in.

"Alright, the rest of us will head back to base. Plan?" Lizzie said.

"How do we communicate if necessary?"

"I'll come with. Us mentors can communicate with each other through mind links," Lauren said.

"Okay. That's our plan. See you later?" Scott said.

"Yep."

We seperated.