Moiya tapped her foot impatiently, her eyebrows knit together in frustration. Soraya had never seen her friend look so hurt before. Guilt rose within her chest at the realization that she was the one who had caused the pain.
I knew I should have confided in her sooner.
"I-I'm sorry for not telling you that I had magic," the girl whispered. She was still fully aware of the other sleeping students inside the dormitory and didn't want anyone else waking up and overhearing their conversation.
Lightning rippled across the black clouds, followed by a thunder clap echoing across the heavens. Soraya winced at the loud noise, but her friend ignored the weather. Although the rain was pelting down in thicker drops, the girls were kept dry from an overhanging wall sheltering the balcony.
"It's illegal for you to have that!" Moiya cried in exasperation. "You could go to prison!"
"I know," Soraya lowered her voice even more. Moiya was about to say something else, but stopped. Instead, she took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly.
"I'm sure you have a good reason for having it," Moiya continued in a calmer tone. "You could have told me, you know?" she said, her emerald gems brimming with tears. "You're one of my best friends. Do you not trust me?"
"I do trust you," Soraya insisted, her voice filled with sorrow. "I can and will explain everything." She cautiously stepped forward and showed her friend both of her hands. "All I have left is a little Water Magic. I wanted to tell you much earlier. I'm sorry you had to find out this way. Can you forgive me?"
Her friend hesitated and glanced at Soraya's crestfallen face.
"Yes, of course I will forgive you. I just need to know what's going on."
"There is a lot to tell you," Soraya extended her arm towards her friend. "It would be much faster and easier if I showed you. Can you hold my hand?"
Moiya frowned. "If it means that much to you, then yes," she clasped her fingers firmly around her friend's.
"I'm going to show you a lot of things, and you're going to feel everything I've felt. Is that okay?"
Even though she was still upset, Moiya managed to laugh. "Are you a psychic or something? What are you even talking about?"
"Do you give me permission?" Soraya asked again. "I need to know."
Moiya glanced suspiciously between their hands and the girl's face. "Okay... sure."
Soraya closed her eyes and gently squeezed Moiya's palm. "Slevautza."
Moiya gasped when her friend turned translucent and sank into her body. There was a bright light, followed by a loud crack like a whip, before silence took over. Their transformation was masked by another rumble of thunder from overhead.
"What the!" Moiya exclaimed and looked down at herself. She saw her dark skin, but noticed her hands no longer looked or felt like her own. Instead, her gloved fingers were slightly longer, and the tips were more calloused from additional violalin practice. "What is going on?"
"I'm sorry you had to find out this way," Moiya heard Soraya say inside her head. "But you'll understand why in a few minutes, I promise."
True to her word, Soraya poured her memories into Moiya's mind and didn't leave out any details. Their body shivered together when they thought about Mülock, tears formed behind their blue and green eyes at Tishva's violent episode and Adonia's death, and their heart sank at Rhys' childhood memories. When Soraya showed Moiya her beach date with Rhys, they became filled with joy.
"Oh my gosh, you had the best date with Rhys ever!" Moiya squealed ecstatically. Soraya brought a finger to their lips, and Moiya lowered their voice. "Alright, I understand where you're coming from, and I'm sorry for yelling at you."
"Your anger is justified. I'm sorry too."
They couldn't hug as a fusion, so they held their hands together instead.
"How long are we going to be like this?" Moiya asked curiously.
Soraya shrugged their shoulders. "I don't even know, to be honest, but it doesn't seem to last too terribly long. I wish I knew how to control it better."
"We should set a timer," Moiya mused. "I'm curious to find out what your average length is."
Soraya grinned. "You and Rhys are both so practical."
Their face glowed. "Thanks, Soraya. I appreciate that."
Another thought popped into their head, one they cooked up at the same time. "We need to tell Ujuu about everything. He shouldn't be left out."
At that moment, a pit formed in the center of their stomach. Soraya fell away from Moiya and landed on the deck of the balcony with a soft thud.
"Alright!" Soraya laughed. "Now we can go to bed."
"We should work on pushing you to your limits," Moiya whispered, her green eyes glowing. "If you're part demon or angel, that means you're using a different magic system. The more you know, the better in control you'll be of yourself."
Her face hardened as she folded her arms over her chest. "We can't let Mülock control you. You're right to be afraid of him, he could use you to hurt everyone."
"Exactly," Soraya agreed. "And I need to find a new way to sneak out of the school undetected," She and Moiya both looked out over the fog together. "That holy place is the only sanctuary I have from him."
Moiya placed a hand firmly on her friend's shoulder. "We'll figure something out. Four heads working together is better than two. Now, let's rest."
* * *
"Geez, all three of you look so exhausted."
Moiya, Soraya and Rhys were slumped in their seats at their workstation. They all had drooping, dark bags under their eyes. Whenever one yawned, the other two followed suit.
"Sorry," Soraya struggled to speak. "Didn't sleep well."
"I can see that," Ujuu smirked. "My bro here kept wandering to the balcony throughout the night. He was quiet, but I still heard him slip out several times," he lightly shoved his twin's shoulder. "What are you three up to?"
Soraya glanced over at Moiya and Rhys before speaking. "We'll tell you, but we have to be somewhere private to say."
Rhys' eyes widened for a split second as he looked at both girls in surprise. Moiya gave him a tiny nod of her head, and he replied in the same manner.
Good. They both know that the other knows.
"I have something to tell all three of you too, actually, so that works out perfectly."
The frying pan hissed when Ujuu gently lay several pieces of thick, apple smoked bacon into it. "I got Zaruna's letter last week..."
The boy's voice was barely audible over the sizzling strips of meat. Soraya picked up on that and realized the Shadelkin was using the loud noise as a cover-up.
"She told me about some happenings outside of our country, news we're not privy to in Azakua..." Ujuu paused when Mr. Trog slowly passed by them, then continued again after their teacher was out of ear shot. "I'll tell you more on our forty-five-minute break."
Soraya blinked in surprise at the unexpected information. Both Rhys and Moiya perked up and straightened themselves in their seats, their eyes more awake and alert than before.
"Sounds like a plan," the girl said nonchalantly.
Ujuu nodded and turned back towards the stovetop, whistling while flipping the bacon over with a pair of silver tongs.
Breakfast came and went, along with the first two classes of the day. Despite having a burning curiosity for hearing Ujuu's news, Soraya was struggling to keep her eyes open. It didn't help that the most private place they could all speak with one another was at the very top of a tall spire.
"So, what's this... news... you wanted... to share?" Rhys asked between deep breaths once the door was closed behind him. All four friends were heavily panting and winded from their long trek up to Darkwood Academy's radio room.
Rather than answering immediately, Ujuu checked the volumes for all the microphones and made sure they were muted. He then dug out Zaruna's letter from his pants pocket and carefully unfolded it.
"Chemi viata dragoste," he read aloud wistfully, his cheeks turning the same color as his eyes.
Moiya giggled as Rhys and Soraya stared at him in confusion. "It means, love of my life, in Rosinkin," she clarified for them.
Soraya awed aloud while Rhys rolled his eyes. "You dragged us all the way up here for that?"
Ujuu's blush faded. "I wish," his eyes scanned down the letter before he turned the parchment over so his friends and brother could see what he was pointing at.
"She made a word puzzle for me in Azakuin. It took me a few days to solve the message, but once I decoded it, I understood why she was being so careful," the younger twin cleared his throat before reading the deciphered portion aloud.
"Missing native girls isn't new, nor is it only happening in Azakua. It started about thirty years ago in the southern provinces of Casmerah. Native girls are starting to go missing both in Vorea and Calgreenzia, and my family fears Rosinka will be next."
Chills ran down the children's spines upon hearing the message.
"I'm afraid for Zaruna," Ujuu whispered, his hands shaking. "I want to move her and her folks back to our country since they still have blue cards allowing them to work here, but I can't afford to bring them all over. Plus, they don't have enough Lari to move right now."
Soraya's heart sank within her chest. Ujuu feeling helpless made her think about her father and how she couldn't help him with his memory loss.
"No wonder she coded that," Rhys murmured. "The Azakuin government picks what information is leaked out to the public. If everyone was aware of this, then it would throw off the election. Stefawn Zabok's strongest anti-immigration argument ties in with native Azakuin girls going missing. If it's happening all over the world, then it undermines his entire campaign."
His ruby eyes grew wide in shock. "It could mean that those in higher positions may have a hand in what's happening." Rhys turned to face his brother. "Ujuu, do you remember what Dad had said? About why he immigrated here from Casmerah?"
"Jai," Ujuu placed a hand on his hips and stared at the floor. "He said someone had warned everyone in his village to leave, that they had to go before the Casmerahn army arrived. Anyone who stayed behind would be killed."
"That's what I remember father saying as well," Rhys stared at the younger twin. "Do you think that's somehow related to the Casmerahn girls going missing?"
"It sounds like it could be," Moiya chimed in shakily. "I didn't realize that was happening everywhere, even from where my parents came from..."
While her friends whispered with one another, Soraya couldn't stop thinking about Zaruna and her parents being stuck in Rosinka.
They need more Lari to move, and they need to live in a place that's affordable...
"Ujuu?" Soraya interjected. "Rivinsdeep is where I spent a good part of my childhood. It's a lovely community, and it's cheaper to live in than the bigger cities," a grin spread across her face as an idea popped into her head. "I can help pay for Zaruna and her parents to come over. Papa has a lot of Lari saved up. I can ask him if we can chip in."
The mouths of all three of her friends dropped open in surprise.
"Wow. That's very generous," Ujuu gaped. "I understand if your father says no. Moving countries is not cheap."
"Well, what's the point of having Lari if you can't use it to help others?"
Rhys smiled, his eyes glowing with adoration for her. "If only more Etherians thought that way."
"I'll call Papa today!" Soraya continued with pure enthusiasm in her voice. "I'm sure he'll agree to it. And there are plenty of neighbors who would be willing to give Zaruna and her family a place to stay. I always worked on their farms in exchange for food and supplies, and there's lots of businesses that would hire them too."
The girl could hardly contain her excitement and started bouncing in place. "Maybe, Zaruna could be here for the Matumi Beach Concert!"
Ujuu's face lit up at the thought of seeing his girlfriend again so soon. "That all sounds wonderful!"
"Don't forget, we have something to tell Ujuu as well," Moiya reminded Soraya gently. "We only have a few more minutes before we have to get going to Biology."
"Oh yeah!" the girl gasped.
"What's up?" Ujuu grinned.
"Well, er, um..." Soraya faltered. I probably shouldn't fuse with him since we don't have a lot of time left, but will he even believe me?
"It's about something I can do..."
"Are you part Shadelkin like Rhys and I?" Ujuu guessed, the edges of his candy apple eyes crinkling with amusement.
"No, I'm part of something else entirely..." Soraya took a deep breath in and ignored Ujuu's inquisitive stare. "I have demonic powers."
Ujuu laughed aloud, but quickly stopped when he saw how serious his brother and friends were.
"Soraya told me this morning," Moiya spoke up. "And we all decided you needed to know, too."
"Wait, for reals?" Ujuu sounded confused. "What?"
"It's true, bro," Rhys patted his twin's shoulder. "I actually fused with Soraya twice, and I think I have a photographic memory like hers now."
"Qua?" Ujuu's eyes grew wide in shock. "Num est ka?"
"Jai, num est," Soraya nodded. "Really. We're not lying, I promise. I'll show you this weekend. We can all go to a Thousand Steps Beach altogether."
Before the younger twin could reply, all four kids froze in place. They heard it at the same time; a small scream erupting from the corner of the room.
Ujuu whipped his head around and stared at a small, black box sitting on the desk. It had a long, silver antennae sitting on the top and had several black dials and switches jutting from its front. He cautiously approached the school's scanner and carefully turned up the volume.
"Ra aris lucrurile acelea?" a woman's voice cried in horror.
"Gaiketsi! Ar gacherde!" a man screamed.
"What are they saying?" Soraya whispered fearfully, her heart pounding loudly in her chest.
"What are those things? Run. Don't stop," Moiya translated.
Rhys, Ujuu and Soraya turned to face their friend, whose face had turned as white as a blank sheet of paper.
"I think..." she gulped. "The kidnappings in Rosinka have begun."
*2,457 Words