‘How come?’ She heard Lincoln’s voice.
Kristine sighed; ‘She is going to test us one by one by using what we desire the most, so we have to keep our thoughts in check.’
‘What about the madness like you call it?’ Susan asked her.
‘Like Anna and Sonia can help us, because of what they may have noticed, we have to help each other to leave here alive together in one peace.’
There was silence for a while before she turned to her dad and asked him.
‘Dad, do you think she will be stopped.’ That was her biggest wish.
He kissed her forehead.
‘I know, my baby can do anything she puts her mind to.’
Then she heard Lincoln’s mom. ‘Lin. You’ve not said anything since we got here.’
He shrugged, and then turned to Kristine. ‘do you think our dreams can be influenced?
She shook her head.
‘I don’t know. I don’t know what she is capable of.’
‘Did you dream, Lin?’
‘yes, mom.’
‘What did you dream about?’ Susan asked him.
Because, if he had been thinking in his sleep, he couldn’t be dreaming. And that doesn't happen.
‘About our engagement?’ Susan asked him making Kristine roll her eyes.
And the parents chuckled.
‘I dreamt of Kerry Perry and Kristine, why do they look so much alike?’
‘I don’t know.’ Her father answered.
‘She can also appear in your dreams, so be careful of your thoughts.’ Kristine told her.
George settled down to sleep. ‘Who wouldn’t dream of her in conditions like this?’ Then they heard a crack. He stood up and checked the blankets under him.
He rose up what looked like a snail cold in ice, he threw it into the fire and the fire came up in flame.
‘This is how it would be like, as you united as you stand, you will be torn apart like this snail, broken into two and unable to fix each other back together. Love is a weakness, it never prevails.’ They heard Kerry Perry’s voice like an insect; crawling on her skin.
Kristine sat up.
‘The storm is coming.’ She said as they began to pack, they took their touches and brought put their farming tools with Annie and Anna, Jack, Grey and Sonia closely by them.
‘It won’t be easy.’ Mrs. Copeland said.
‘But we will be ready.’ Mr. Copeland said clutching his rake.
Kristine could see the mountain ahead of them and he heard a crocked voice.
Lincoln put on his touch and pointed it to the direction he heard the sound; there was a man sitting down with a touch and a cutlass in his hand; when he saw the light, he immediately stood up and behind moving towards them and behind came shadows; like they walk right from his back, they turned slightly into real men with rake and hoes, diggers and axes.
‘What do you want?’ George asked them standing in front of his family, with Lincoln and Mr. Copeland beside him.
‘Give us Kristine and we will leave.’
‘What?’ Came Lincoln’s voice immediately she gasps.
She moved immediately behind and then placed the children in what appeared like a circle Lisa in front and Jack behind.
‘No, I want to see.’ Jack was saying before she moved away from them.
‘I want you to protect them; can you do that for me; Jack, Lisa.’
They nodded their heads frightened; Lisa just held Jack’s hands, guarding the younger ones; she look at them one last time; she had mark a circle in her mind was going to keep this man from getting to them.
She turned to him. What he has done;
She looked round; there were sound of slashing and slitting and snatching; her father and mother; were trying to protect each other and so was Mr. and Mrs. Copeland; but Susan was behind Lincoln most of the time.
By the time, she closed her eyes and opened it; they were gone like a flash; Lincoln just stood looking at her with a shocked expression on his face.
She turned to look at where they went; she is pushed back, she fell to the down and by the time she turned, she was too late; they were taking the children; she point at them and from nowhere; an electric current came out of her finger and towards the men; they stumbled back in force as they let go; the children fell stumbling to the ground unconscious.
She looked only to find Susan and Lincoln beside her; trying to help her up but the men were gone and so were their parents.
Anna woke up with a start, she was standing onto a hill and she looked round, it was as if there was nothing else.
Then she woke her sister beside her.
Kristine stood as she looked round. ‘We are here.’
Annie was crying as Anna bent close to her.
‘Where is grandma, Anna?’ Kristine had to hug them to stop their tears, when everyone had gotten a grip of themselves, they began walking; before noon, they were there; and they still had time to stop Kerry and find their parents.
Soon as they approached the cave, just as they decided to stop, they were surrounded and captured.
The men who looked half dead took them inside and soon they saw; the Queen Kerry Perry; sitting on what looked like a throne.
When Grey saw it; he smile and tugged Jack’s hand; ‘I told you; it existed.’
‘The chair of minions.’ Jack muttered.
‘It is probably a fake.’ Lisa added; she was the best history student in her class last year; she was a quiet person. She didn’t talk much on the journey but she could do anything for her cousins.
‘She is rich, so one can say she didn't buy it.’ Jack added.
Lisa disagreed. ‘This chair was owned by the god of Egypt, you think a lady like her can…..’
‘Enough, my lads.’ Kerry said as they stood in front of her; given the teenagers to get a good look at it.
‘I reckoned this chair that has a lot of power.’ She said as she pat the hand of chair.
‘What kind of power?’ Lisa asked curious.
‘I am not sure it is not the power of the king of Egypt.’ Jack told them;
Kristine exchanged glance with Lincoln; she was enjoying this but if it went on long enough; they could find the star, find their parents and get out of here.
‘This isn’t a movie, this is real, children.’
‘How real can it be; you are not really real.’ Sonia told her.
Kristine with a smile on her face looked at the lady; she shifted on her seat; maybe she was thinking of way to cut their tongues.
‘Besides, ever since we started this adventure; I could have sworn I was in a movie.’ Jack told her; smiling at his brother.
‘All this is just in our mind; once we wake up; we would realize it was just a dream.’ Lisa added.
They were infuriating her and displacing her purpose for bringing them here.
‘Shut up!’ she yelled at the children; and the caves shook; the children quiet; they looked even more scared than they were when they woke up.
But there was a laugh and she wasn’t surprised at the source.
‘They can’t help it., especially when they have been queening up these questions for so long. Besides they are children.’
Kristine saw her look-like smile; then she concluded she looked nothing like her.
‘Your grandma has not stopped talking about you. She said; Kristine will save me, will save the world.’
Wow! Grandma really knew a way to kill her before she begun to live; since she knew this; Kerry was definitely going to kill her; before that ever happens.
‘My grandma is alive?’ Kristine asked.
But Kerry didn’t answer; she stood up with her staff in her hand in a standing position; Kristine looked at her; like her grandma Ella said; she was the same one but her heart is evil.
‘Do you want an introduction?’ She asked as she made a move of her hand and different cages behind moved to them and then stopped; it was their parents and the Copelands.
And she brought a wide cage and with a wave of her hand; she opened and the wave of her staff towards the cage; she pushed them all in and jammed the padlocks. Kristine wondered why she didn’t just kill them…..now?’
‘Yes. I will but be patient.’ She heard Kerry.
She looked at Lincoln and at the children and Susan. Did she hear her thoughts out loud?
‘I want you to see how I am going to destroy your family before your very eyes.’ She said and took her seat.
‘That is crude! How can you be like this!’ Susan shouted for her to hear.
‘Life is cruel, Susan. You had to watch your boyfriend pick someone else over you; he had never truly loved you; do you blame life or the circumstance life has placed you in. lost your entire family….in the fire. That is cruel.’
Susan swallowed. She hadn’t expected her to say anything.
She scoffs and relaxed on her chair. ‘Now let’s me make the ultimate introduction; before I get on with moon.’
She looked behind her and pulled something; they didn’t see what she was pulling with; it was like she was performing a clown show.
Then they saw grandma Ella as old as she was, seated on a wheel chair with no plan of escape; weak with a box on her lap.
‘Is that?’ Kristine asked, looking at what they have been walking miles for, what they walked through angry nature to get; what they left their comfortable homes to find was in Kerry’s grasp.
So the walking, adventure, losing her family has been all for nothing.
‘Yes, it is. Do you know how long I searched for this?’ she said as she picked it up from her laps and placed it in the air; in front of her.
Kristine looked at her grandma; she had been tormented several times with magical that was why she was unconscious; there was no grandma would give her the box without a fight.
Kerry opened it and the brightness covered the entire cave and Kerry moved closed to it; she stretched her hand to collect it from the box, her hand absorbing the light and suddenly, the light was gone; with a smile; she brought it out but it was now dark and nothing.
She smiled at Kristine. ‘Are you surprised?’
Kristine didn’t answer.
‘You should be.’ She said putting it back into box; since it was no longer relevant and she release it from the air into one of her men’s hands and the man moved to a fire and threw it inside.
‘Let me explain.’ She said sitting back on her throne.
‘Titan was killed, so in gaining back his empire; I killed him; it was so easy because… he was ancient, I have learnt to live in this new world….I like it here and I want to stay.’
Kristine shook her head and turned to them. This couldn’t be over; the fate of the world can’t be given to a woman like this.
‘What do we do now?’ Susan asked her.
But she had nothing; no idea.
After a brief silence; Kristine heard her niece say. ‘We love you.’ And so did Annie and Anna.
Then Kerry turned back to face them and suddenly she was in front of their cage; Anna and Annie gasped.
She looked at them; smiling at the tensed expression and then she took a long look at Kristine, before moving her gaze to Lincoln; her mouth curved in a small smile. Lincoln looked at her and then looked at Kristine; wondering what to do.
‘Why are you afraid to say it? Are you scared that she won’t succeed, believe me, she won’t succeed.'
Susan looked at him and watched as Kerry began moving towards her throne walking this time.
‘Your love for her won’t get you anywhere.’ She said walking slowly.
‘What is she talking about?’ Susan asked him.
Suddenly he realized the answer to the riddle; he turned to Susan and touched her shoulders; ‘Susan, I’m sorry.’
Susan heard as he quickly moved from her side, to meet Kristine; who looked at him surprised.
‘Love doesn’t die fast, it keeps us living, if you love me back, we can stop this, we are not defeated by this hatred.’ He told her as he closed the space in between them.
The children stared as they watched.
She looked at him; was it now; he realizes that he love her this much?
‘I do…..’
He didn’t wait for her to finish, he held her closer and kissed her fully on his lips, something began to shine on her chest; it was the necklace he had bought for her and it was in the shape of a star;
‘We have to do this, now or never.’ She heard him whisper.
She nodded.
Kerry turned at the sound of the cheering of the younger ones as Kristine pulled off the necklace and held it in her hand.
Kerry looked at her and what she was holding; she panicked when she saw the brightness in her hand in between her fingers. In attempt to collect it, using her magic; instead the magic burst them out of the cage and then she saw Kerry raised up with her star in her hand and somehow; she was up in the air with Kerry; she opened her hands; the brightness increased.
She could see them escaping.
‘Kristine!’ Her mother called.
‘Go, I am right behind you.’ She shouted back.
In the air, amidst dust and sand, Kristine held the necklace; as it became bigger in her hand.
‘I may look like you but I am nothing like you.’ She said as the staff fell from her hand and the dark magic; that was ineffective round Kristine encircled Kerry round her trapping her.
‘How did you get that?’ she asked as her skin began peeling
‘Love is the word, it unites, it stands and believe it prevails.’ She said as the darkness close in on her tearing off more of her skin; leaving her in red sharks and then Kristine; raised her hand and drew an Egyptian word in the air close to her melt body. She waved the magical symbol to her and her body cover in blue glow.
‘Rest in peace.’ Then that was the end of Kerry Perry.
Kerry was no more and so were the suckers.
3 months later.
She stood close to her grandma’s grave Ella’s grave.
‘I will miss you very much.’
After Kerry was destroyed, everything went back to normal her grandma got sick and the Copelands went home and they went home to the city and taking Grandma Ella with them.
Finally, she was gone and in peace, what would have happened if she hadn’t destroyed Kerry Perry. After these months, she changed. She had no idea it was for good or bad.
‘Hello.’
She turned back.
‘Hi.’
‘How have you been?’ she watched his posture as her eyes roam over him, he was dressed in black and with hands in his pockets; he must have come for the burial and she hadn’t noticed. Ever since, Grandma Ella died and everything went back to normal; he had kept his distance or maybe she had kept distance.
What had happened that night; must have just been an intuition; if it will work or not but it did and she was glad he thought of that but did he mean what he said or was it just to win the fight and get back to the real world.
But if he didn’t mean it, why was he here, was it to give his condolences?
She nodded her responses to his question as she move away from Grandma Ella’s grave.
‘Annie and Anna are going to high school now; they just told me.’
She smiled at him. ‘They want to be like you; strict and serious.’
He walked with her to the car waiting for her.
‘Strict and serious? I was just …just doing that because ……’
She chuckled. ‘Definitely, you have to be strict and serious; it makes you more interesting that way.’ He nodded. Maybe he wasn’t going to convince her like this.
‘How is Susan?’ she haven’t seen Susan ever since they got off the island.’
‘She is fine, according to her; she is trying to forget everything like a bad movie.’
Kristine laughed. ‘I wish, it was a movie.’
He move in front of her and stopped her from walking.
‘Kris, everything, I said that night wasn’t to create or invoke such powerful magic to stop Kerry but I said it for that reason and because I meant it.’
She looked at him; this is coming from the same man who said ; he loved her two years back on national television and proposed to her and at the engagement break up with her because he had a commitment with other woman.
They’ve been together for two years; a healthy relationship and they were both in love; what happened, he chose the rich girl over his fiancée.
‘Lincoln, I don’t think….’
He took her hands, stopping her from continuing. ‘I do know, it took me a long time to realize it but I don’t want to let you go, I am not ready to let you go.’
She shook her head. ‘Lincoln, I’m….’
‘Please, Kristine. I really do love you not because of Susan isn’t in my life this time but I want to spend the rest of my life with you.’
‘Lincoln, I’m sorry, seriously I can’t go through this again, you gave me hope and you shattered it, I don’t want a reoccurring event, I want to move on.’
‘And we can do it together.’
‘Lincoln.’ She said as she tried to pull her hands from him.
‘Please, Kris, give me a second chance, I will make up it to you.’
Kristine looked at him. ‘This was the very first time, Lincoln asked sometime of her; something she couldn’t give or promise to give. She could try to but she couldn’t she loved him too much to do.
‘Lincoln, I don’t think , I can live through another break up.’
He smiled. ‘I promise, there won’t be a break-up, not from me,’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t think, I can start again.
‘I can help you; I love you so much, I can help you.’ She heard him; but she shook her head; she wasn’t sure she was ready to be in a relationship right now after what happened. She needed to learn how to live for herself and for her family,
He looked at her. ‘If you think we can’t go back to the way we were, why can’t we be friends, I can’t bear the thought of you hating me or hurting because of me.’;
The truth was she always hurt because of him and she couldn’t bring herself to hurt him because he hurt her.
‘Alright, friends. That is a second chance.’ She told him; he let her hands go and pulled her to him for a hug.
Friends could hug each other, right? He didn’t move away from her for a while.
‘Lincoln, I am going to be late for mom’s opening.’ She told him.
He moved away from her and cleared his throat. ‘can you give me a ride there; I have no vehicle yet.’
She nodded as they both entered the car but her eyes did not leave her Grandma Ella’s grave until she was out of sight.
At least she had her life to fight and live for. She had her family, friends and most of all she had her love…..probably.
