I sighed and was sick of how dramatic people were being. I was annoyed with Brooke for probably lying too. There was something missing from her story. Something that Brooke was leaving out of her story. The story didn’t quite add up.
“So, you’re saying that when the ghosts come back again we have no chance.” I said.
“Yeah, pretty much. We barely survived the last war. How do you think we would survive the war with them again when they are so much stronger?”
“Glad to see you have confidence in our powers.” I replied. For a second I wondered if the ghosts were the problem we were facing, but then thought about what my parents had said. They had talked about sorcerers and definitely hadn’t mentioned any ghosts. “If the ghosts aren’t the ones in this war we have to worry about, then what are they doing now?”
“They definitely aren’t.” Brooke said a little too quickly. “There’s no way they could be powerful enough. Right now they’re probably slowly trying to rise. We may run into a ghost or two on this mission, but nothing overly serious. Don’t worry about them.” I wasn’t worrying about them; I was getting worried about Brooke. She seemed to want to convince us that the ghosts were gone, that they wouldn’t do us any harm.
“How long did it take them to rise last time?” Nat asked. She seemed to be catching on to what I was.
“About twenty years since they had last made their stance, and that time they were not powerful at all. Every time they rise they just keep getting stronger and stronger. There’s no way they could be powerful enough though.” Brooke sounded a little upset again.
“Brooke what are you not telling us?” I demanded.
“Nothing! I told you everything!” Brooke replied angrily.
“Clearly not, because if you did you would not be this mad!” I was getting really annoyed. We had been honest and straightforward with Brooke, but she couldn’t even tell us one thing about her past, one thing that could really help us on our mission. “How are we supposed to go on this mission with you if you won’t tell us anything?” I demanded. I wanted to jump to the front of the car and slam on the breaks. I wanted to throw her out of the car and threaten her with magic until she told us what really happened. I was so upset with her; I wanted to see her suffer.
“Candace, don’t even think about it.” Brent warned and he must have known what I wanted to do. He knew my temper more than anyone since he was normally the one I blew up on.
“I can do what I want, Brent.” I snapped. The rest of the way we drove in silence.
“We’re here.” Brooke finally said. It had seemed like forever and I quickly opened the door and then slammed it shut as loud as I could. I stomped off and walked over to the course as fast as I could. I didn’t know how we’d get on without going through security, but everyone was gone. I wondered if Magic had interfered so we could just easily get through.
“Candace, stop acting like this!” Nat was running after me as I stomped away.
“Like what?” I demanded. I knew perfectly well what she had meant, but I didn’t want to admit it. I wasn’t the one not talking about anything or just being annoying and not sharing things that could really help us on the mission. Nat knew me so well, so she should’ve known what was wrong.
“You know! You can’t expect Brooke to tell us everything right away. We just met her! Can you tell that that is really hard for her to talk about? She already told us most of the story if not all of it, and we don’t want to push her. She’s said more about herself than we have said about ourselves. She told us some crazy story and we just told her why we’re running away.”
“I’m sorry Miss Nice pants!” I snapped. I kept walking and sped up the pace.
“Candace, you’re acting like a baby! You’re graduating from grade twelve in one week! You’re not graduating preschool. Grow up! Brooke is helping us for no cost, absolutely nothing! She’s paying for herself and she’s letting us use her car. You should be nice to her for at least that! Can you not see she wants to be your friend?”
“I am not being a baby! We probably won’t even be at our graduation! It’s in ten days and the chances of us finishing by then are not likely! I do not want to be her friend, so just go away and leave me alone!” I started jogging away. I looked back and no one was following me. I was happy about that, because I needed time to cool off before I did any more damage. I saw Natalie talking to Brooke and Brent. I was so mad at her! I couldn’t believe she would take Brooke’s side and not her own sister’s side. I wanted to scream. I kept jogging and soon arrived at the Olympic rings. “Now what?” I asked the rings, but of course they didn’t respond. I felt so angry so I just plopped down in the fake snow and sat there. I felt like crying and I never cried. I was so upset and frustrated and annoyed. I had never been so angry in my life. It seemed like such a little thing, but there are always those little things that can get someone so upset. So upset that no one can understand why. My temper had never been that bad, but I was so mad at Natalie. Of course she would go over to Brooke and Brent and tell them what happened. Then everyone could be mad at me. I could just do the rest of the mission by myself.
I sat in the snow trying to think of what to do, and how to deal with my anger. Unfortunately Natalie, Brooke, and Brent soon arrived at the rings and I just sat in the snow ignoring them. “Candace we need to talk.” Of course she wanted to talk. She wanted to be the big person and talk about our problems, but that wouldn’t help me. I didn’t want to talk about our problems like little kids. I didn’t want to talk.
“No, we have a mission to complete so talking will just waste time. I’m not going to wait. If you guys won’t help me then you should just leave, because I don’t want to wait. We should just go, because I want to be at my graduation if I can be. Every minute counts.” I heard Brooke sigh. “If you want to apologize to me go ahead, but that won’t make a difference. I’m not going to accept your apology, so it would be a waste of time and if you want an apology you most certainly are not getting one.” I was content with my little speech, but obviously Brooke wasn’t.
“No Candace, we need to talk now. I’m not going to go on a mission with someone who won’t even talk to me. I wasn’t going to apologize anyways, because I didn’t do anything. I’m not going to continue with this mission until we can talk. You’ll have no idea what to do next and you’ll be here for ten days just trying to figure that out.”
“If you don’t help me I will take out our clones. I don’t care about getting in trouble or missing our graduation. Brooke and Brent you two probably care, well Brent you definitely do, so unless you want to miss your graduation and have people wondering about how suspicious you are then I would suggest you do what I say.” I threatened.
“Candace, you can’t.” Natalie said and of course she had to ruin my plans. “The clones can only disappear when they’re touched by the person who created them. So you can’t take away my clone unless I touch it, or if it’s been over a month.” My heart sank. I had known that, but completely forgotten it. Now my plans were gone and I had to start from square one again, but normally when I was at square one I had Natalie on my side, this time I didn’t.
“Please can we just keep going? This is a total waste of time. I’m not in the mood to waste my time so can we please just go? Can you just tell me what to do? If you guys don’t want to come then fine, don’t come, but I will do this mission by myself if I have to!”
“Let the time waste away then. Just talk to us Candace.” I didn’t say anything.
“Fine, if you’ll be that way then fine! Disputatio,” Talk, Brent said. Brent cast his first spell before I could do anything. I tried to resist the spell and at first I felt no urge to talk, but I suddenly felt the urge to talk and I couldn’t fight it anymore. I couldn’t not talk to them, I had to. They were my friends after all. They needed to know my innermost secrets. I had to help them in any way I could.
“Candace, why are you so mad?” Brent asked. Mad? I could never be mad at them. I loved everyone; I would never get mad at them!
“I’m not mad! I love you guys! You’re my best friends.” Brent looked really confused.
“This spell will sometimes make people spill their secrets. It depends on the person and their mood. Candace was really upset and the spell makes her gentle and nice, but it totally depends on the person.” Brooke said.
“Okay, Candace why were you mad?” I frowned as I tried to think of why I could possibly be mad at these wonderful people. Then I remembered and my good mood evaporated instantly and a scowl came across my face.
“Because Brooke isn’t telling us anything and she’s being a jerk! I don’t want to tell her anything if she’s going to be hiding stuff from us! If you’re not honest with us, then I will NOT be honest with you.” Brent took a step back from me as if he was scared of me.
“I’m not hiding stuff from you, Candace.” Brooke said. She sounded hurt, but I knew that she was covering up. She was trying to be innocent, but she wasn’t. I wouldn’t be fooled.
“I’m not dumb! Don’t think I am. I can tell when someone is lying to me. I can tell when someone doesn’t finish a story. You want to know how?” I didn’t wait for an answer. “I have done that many times myself and I am now very good at telling when a story is incomplete or improvised! You improvised the ending. Something happened that you’re not saying and that something is very important!” I smiled to myself. I was very happy with what I had just said. I could see a look of horror on Brooke’s face as if I had just discovered her deepest darkest secret. She looked very upset in the dim light.
“I’m sorry.” Brooke sniffed. “I don’t want to put you guys in any danger! I can’t tell you what really happened. He did leave me when he could’ve killed me, but something else happened that I can’t say. If I say it then the spirit of the ghost’s king can enter your body at any time. He can enter me. He can consume me and take over my body. He can control which way I walk and what people I talk to. I couldn’t put you guys in that kind of danger.”
“You’re lying again! Something else happened and that wasn’t it. I know that you’re lying. If that had been true, you would’ve just said that early to avoid telling us the whole story, or most of a false story I should say. Brooke I’ve already told you this. I’m-not-dumb.” I said very slowly.
“It is possible and I’m not lying Candace! It happened to me! I would know better than you, because it has happened to me.”
“Sure, what exactly happened? How does it feel to be possessed?” I said in a mocking tone. I assumed the spell had been lifted, but I didn’t care. I was now on a role.
“I can’t explain it. You don’t even know what’s happening to you. It’s like you’re drunk, you don’t know what you’re doing. When you wake up, you don’t remember what you did.”
“I’m sure you know. I don’t believe you.”
“I told you Candace! I don’t want to hurt you! I was hurt that night and was never the same person again! For the last time I’m not lying! That ghost hurt me and continues to hurt me every day!”
“Does he really?” Brent asked. That’s when I remembered Brent and I turned to him. I got up off the ground and walked right up to him. I shoved him against the ramp and pinned him there. Of course after a few seconds he shook me off since he was so much stronger, but I didn’t care.
“Brent Brown, you will never do that to me again. If you do, you don’t want to know what I will do to you. You do NOT want to see what I can do!” I threatened.
Brent shoved me back into the snow. “I’m stronger than you, Candace. You can’t hurt me.” I glared at him and grabbed my wand out of the air.
“You want to bet?” I asked and raised my wand.
“CANDACE!” Nat yelled. “Think just for a second what you are doing.”
I thought. “I’m challenging Brent.”
“Can we just finish this conversation and then you two can figure this out later?” Nat asked. That sounded good to me. I would get the chance to prove Brooke wrong and I would be able to beat Brent up later.
“So Brooke how has this king ghost possessed you before?” I asked.
“Natalie will probably remember this. One time we were doing a pyramid and I was standing on the top of it. It wasn’t a huge pyramid, but the ghost king suddenly possessed me and I fell from the top of the pyramid. He was trying to kill me.”
“I always wondered what happened. You’re lucky you didn’t get hurt! You didn’t even have a bruise on you. I have no idea how that happened.” Nat replied.
“The ghost king’s spirit entered my body for just a few seconds and I could’ve died. I just don’t want to hurt you. He can hurt you for just being in you for a few seconds.” I rolled my eyes. Brooke really needed to stop lying.
“That’s awful.” Brent was saying.
“Duratus” Freeze, I said. I was pointing at Brooke, but of course Brent stepped in the way at the exact wrong moment. The spell hit him and he suddenly froze on the spot with his mouth half open. It actually worked out well that I hit Brent and not Brooke. I was still mad at Brooke, but I had a great excuse to freeze Brent.
“CANDACE!” Nat yelled. She sounded very angry and I was glad the light was fading so I couldn’t see her angry face.
“Yes, Natalie? How can I help you?” I asked politely.
“Turn him back now!” She ordered. I didn’t see why she couldn’t do it, but maybe that was another spell that you had to undo, and no one else could.
“No, you can’t tell me what to do. I do what I want. He cast a spell on me so I’m just getting him back.”
“Candace you know you were trying to hit me. You might as well not lie about it.” Brooke said.
“Says you.”
“Fine you know what? If you’re going to be that way then fine. Duratus,” Freeze, Brooke said. I was frozen. I couldn’t move. It was the weirdest thing I’d ever done. My body was frozen and it couldn’t move, but my mind was awake and processing everything that was happening. I couldn’t hear anything for some reason, but I could see everything. I was also very cold. I had no idea that Duratus could actually make you cold too, but I did. I felt like a Popsicle lying in a freezer. I didn’t realize how cold I could get. I wondered if it was unhealthy to be that cold. I could think of anything while I was frozen. It was kind of nice not having to listen to Brooke for a few minutes.
Then, to my dismay, I could hear people talking again and I tried to move, I could. Brooke must’ve unfroze me.
“Will you turn him back now, or would you like to be frozen again? I can arrange for that.”
I thought about it, and the only reason I hesitated was because I wanted to block out Brooke again, but I decided that I didn’t want to be that cold again. “Fine, I suppose I’ll turn him back. Regelo,”Unfreeze, I wasn’t happy with the fact that I’d pretty much lost the fight, but it hadn’t been evenly matched. Three to one, not fair at all.
“That’s really cold!” Brent’s teeth were chattering. I hated the sound of teeth chattering, so I decided to make him warm.
“Tepido,” Warm, I said. “Now Brooke tell us what to do. We talked like you wanted to, so now we need to keep going.”
“Well it’s actually quite simple. All you have to do is say ostendite, which means-”
“We know what it means!” I cut broke in. I didn’t know why she always tried to say the spells meant.
“Right sorry, I keep forgetting that you know that. You have to touch one of the five rings with your wand, then whatever’s supposed to happen, should happen.”
“Alright and that’s it?” I asked. I had to make sure we knew everything.
“That’s all I know of. I woke up before anything else could be done, so that’s all that happened in my dream.”
“Okay,” Then I turned to Nat. “Nat are you made at me?”
“Um, no why?” She asked, and she sounded very confused.
“Okay, I was just wondering. Duratus,” Freeze, I cast the spell on Brooke and then quickly followed with Brent. I had to freeze them. I had to get rid of them. Freezing Brooke was the only way to get rid of her and I had to freeze Brent too, because he would try to stop us from going on if I didn’t freeze him. It had been a spur of the moment decision, but I wanted to go and those two were making things way too difficult. I was definitely regretting taking Brooke.
“CANDACE!” Nat yelled at me. I wasn’t very mad at Nat anymore, so I decided I could change her name from Natalie to Nat again.
“WHAT DO YOU WANT?” I yelled back. I decided to try to make it a joke, but I could tell Nat wasn’t buying it.
“Unfreeze them now!” She demanded. I could hear the anger and her voice and rolled my eyes. Since when did she get so protective of Brent?
“No! I’m sick of them and they’re slowing us down. I can tell Brooke’s up to something, and she’s totally lying to us! Can you not see that? I don’t believe any of this ‘I don’t want to hurt you’ crap!”
“Okay, but why freeze Brent?”
“Because he wouldn’t have gone along with it. He would’ve stuck up for Brooke and he would’ve tried to stop us. I had to stop him before we ran into more problems.”
“Candace, can you just turn them back? If Brooke’s lying, well who cares! If Brent could have done something, who cares! Just please turn them back.”
“Are you going to try to argue with me until I turn them back?” I demanded.
“Yes!”
“Fine then. Durat-” I started, but thankfully Nat interrupted. I didn’t want to freeze her, but I would go to the extreme to get my way this time.
“Wait! Fine, I’ll help, but first you have to unfreeze them.”
“I will unfreeze them if we can make them forget and if we can put them to sleep. I will not listen to Brooke on the drive to wherever we’re going, so I’m driving and she is sleeping in the back seat. I will not listen to her and Brent.” It probably seemed dumb that I didn’t want to listen to Brooke or Brent, but I was just so angry with them and so sick of them. I couldn’t deal with them anymore, and even though I had just met Brooke, I didn’t like her. She was the exact type of person that I avoided.
“If they remember they’ll be furious.” Nat said. I knew she was trying to trick me into not doing that, but it worked against her.
“Perfect! Then maybe they won’t come on the mission at all. Wouldn’t that be great? They don’t like me now so I don’t care what they think of me!” Nat should’ve known I never cared what other people thought of me.
“You are so impossible Candace! Did you know that?” I smiled, but Nat couldn’t see that. “This will be better than everyone being mad at each other anyways. So whatever, I don’t care anymore.” I knew I could change Nat’s attitude. She always gave into my willpower.
“Thanks Nat. I’ll lift them up and you can move them, then I’ll unfreeze them and you can put them to sleep, and then I’ll make them forget. Sound like a plan?”
“Yeah sure. Let’s just get this done.”
“Leva,” Lift, I said.
“Amoveo,” Shift, Nat said right after me. We walked over to the car and then we put Brooke down, but I didn’t unfreeze her just so we could get her and Brent back before we did anything. We went back for Brent.
“Leva,” Lift.
“Amoveo.” Shift, Nat said right after me again. We moved Brent to the car and sat him down the best we could beside Brooke.
“Ready Nat?”
“Yeah I am.”
“Okay, you do Brooke and I’ll do Brent.”
“Alright.”
“Regelo.” Unfreeze, I said. Brent suddenly collapsed in the seat. “Somnus,” Sleep, I saw the anger on Brent’s face and had to go fast. If he got up, I wouldn’t stand a chance. “Oblitus.” Forget, Brent was sleeping in his seat in the car. I put his seatbelt on and then looked at Nat. She was waiting for me and I shut the door as quietly as I could. I doubted Brooke or Brent would wake up, but I didn’t want to take the risk.
“Good job Nat, I am very impressed with us!” I said.
“Yeah I’m so happy we did this.” Nat said sarcastically.
“Nat, I know you’re happy we did this. Admit it, you’re glad that we did it and that we can do this part by ourselves.”
“Okay, fine. I’m happy that they’re gone and out of the way.” Nat admitted.
“I knew it.” I was very happy that Nat finally admitted her true feelings about Brooke and Brent. I was glad to see that she didn’t like Brooke or Brent any more than I did.
When we reached the rings I took a deep breath. “Nat, the mission is really going to start here. It’s really beginning.” I was really excited for it all to begin. I had thought that my whole summer would just be finding a job and then being lazy. It would have been a boring summer. To have plans and to get away from home, even if it meant missing graduation was exciting to me.
“You do the honors Candace.”
“Okay thanks Nat! Ostendite,” Show, I touched one of the rings with my wand and at first nothing happened. My mood dropped instantly. I thought that had been a lead. “I guess it was fake.” I stared to walk away.
“Candace, look!” I turned around and saw that the rings were glowing. I ran back over to them and waited. There was suddenly a pop that hurt my ears because it was so loud. The rings were glowing intensely now, and a voice filled the air.
“Candace Brown and Natalie Genstine, you have a big destiny. You must complete this mission, but it will not be easy. You will have a very difficult road ahead of you that has been paved with lose and pain beyond anything imaginable.” That didn’t sound too promising.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I am known as Magic to most. I will lead you on your mission, and guide you when I can. You must go to Cairo, Egypt and follow the path of the dark magic. I do not know what awaits for you in Egypt, but it will be dangerous. The sorcerers are there. You will find clues that will lead you to the next, and at each point, something that is essentially important will happen. It will not be easy, and you will be fighting for you lives.”
“Wait you’re magic? You came to talk to my parents earlier?” I asked as I remember Mom had said something about Magic coming to talk to them. At the time I had thought it was a lower case m, not a capital m.
“Yes I am. I’m sure you remember what your mother told you. This mission has the theme of ‘Improvisus,’ unforeseen. I cannot see what is happening in Egypt and I do not know where you will be going, but it will be dangerous and only one of the four will come home. One will betray you and two will die.” That didn’t sound very good, but I had a good guess who would betray us.
“Who will die?” I asked.
“Remember the theme. We may not speak again. Now go, you have a destiny to fulfill, but know that you two are the most important magicians of all time. You have been in prophecies since magic was created, since it all began.” Suddenly there was another pop and the rings stopped glowing. We had to go, but I worried about my fate. I had a bad feeling I would be one of the two to die.