Cassedee couldn't believe it. The woman that they had read about in the case files was standing in front of them--in the same clothes that she had been described in when she vanished. But how?
Ethan's headlight eyes swung around and were shining in Cassedee's face. He looked just as stunned as she was.
She wasn't sure if she should play it off or tell the truth. That this woman had been missing since 1956 and she looked exactly the same as when she disappeared. Well, besides being covered in filth.
Cassedee tried to rationalize what they were seeing. Maybe it was a trick of their eyes--maybe they were just exhausted. Cassedee felt thousands of scenerios racing through her head. What would happen if she confronted this woman? If she told this woman the truth. What if this woman already knows the truth? Did she know how much time had passed? Did she know the world outside of whatever this is was different then how she had left it?
She was scared of the answer.
Cassedee hesitated before taking a step forward. She decided to play it off, hoping that her suspicions would be answered without questions.
Hoping that nothing had to be asked or disrupted. Or disputed, for lack of a better word.
She slowly walked forward, and took a breath.
"Hello there. My name is Cassedee." She glanced over at Ethan. "And this is my friend, Ethan." Her voice shook as she spoke.
She paused, anticipating a response from Emily.
Still stunned that this was the same woman they read about in the case file.
Emily nodded, "I know who you two are."
Cassedee's eyes got wide and she took a second to answer.
"How--how do you--"
Before she had a chance to answer, the beast stepped forward, now only on two sets of feet, standing upright.
The wolf-like-creature let out a howl, which echoed throughout the cave. It stomped on the ground several times before coming to a stop and resting its two back feet down on the ground.
Suddenly, there was a voice. A human voice that Cassedee and Ethan both recognized. It was Nole.
The creature's body was suddenly covered in yellow-looking dust and a cloud began to form.
A whooshing sound swept through the cave, and wind brushed passed them.
Then, there was nothing except another human standing before them. Right where the beast used to be.
Nole.
Cassedee could feel the tears coming, but she brushed them back.
Now is not the time for that foolishness. You have to be brave, Cass. Don't be weak. Cry later, not now.
Cassedee whispered loudly, "Nole! I can't believe it's you! You're alive!"
She ran over to him and hugged him, but there was no response.
Cassedee let go after several seconds--still nothing.
She grabbed Nole's shoulders and shook him back and forth.
Staring into his eyes, she could tell he was out of it. His presence existed but his soul was absent. The light was gone, she could certainly see that.
She whirled around to face Ethan, who ran over.
"What's wrong with him?" he asked, a level of impatience in his tone.
Emily was the one who spoke.
"I'm afraid your friend has been put on mute. A punishment if you disobey Mr. T."
Cassedee could feel the tears streaming now, knowing full well that she could not help it anymore.
Crying out she yelled back, "What have you done to him! What have you done!" she shrieked, her voice carrying throughout the cave.
Emily was surprisingly calm and answered with a monotone voice.
"I did not do anything, dear. It was all his fault, he disobeyed orders. He went outside regulations. He has--"
She pulled something out of her shabby pocket, which was barely even a pocket now.
She looked over a journal--Cassedee could tell it was very old.
"He has two strikes against him. The next one, the third one, he will be cast into the realm of Magnified. Gone from existence, even gone from this world." She placed the journal back into her slummy pocket.
Cassedee could feel her eyebrows narrowing together.
"From this world?"
Emily shook her head. "I have already said too much. Come now, we must take you to meet Mr. T. He will be very pleased I have captured more."
Cassedee's heart started to race and she glanced over at Ethan who was standing there, looking back at Nole then at Emily. More?
Cassedee chose her words carefully, "What do you mean--more?"
Emily grinned, the evil now starting to escape. She quickly brushed it away, returning to her normal gaze.
"Yes, more. Cassedee. Mr. T. also has your--oh what's his name. It's now escaping me." She paused, collecting her thoughts.
"Oh yes! James. James was a foolish one, wandering around the property looking for you two."
She let out a cackle, the evil slowly starting to escape now.
Cassedee sucked in a breath, bravery might be stupid but doing nothing also will have its consequences. She couldn't stand by and watch her friends die. This is it, Cass. You either get sucked away into the realm, gone forever or you standby and watch as this mysterious Mr. T. takes all of what you care about.
Her gaze met his and she nodded.
They had to escape. Somehow. But how?
Cassedee thought for a moment.
She wondered.
Hey, Ethan? Can you hear me?
Nothing.
She tried again., this time feeling what she was thinking.
She concentrated, only on the Emotion of Purpose.
Her thoughts raced and she collected herself. The Emotion of Purpose? Then the emotion came through, slowly. Focus, Cass. Do it for Nole, for James. For all of those who have vanished. You must save them. It's now or never.
Suddenly, there was a response. Not from Ethan but from another person? Thing? She wasn't sure. But whatever it was, answered her.
She could feel it was a male presence, cautioning her not to trust this Emily. Telling her that Nole was trapped in the manor, with everyone else. That there was no time for James, they had days at this point.
It was only a matter of time before they were sent to The Gorde. A place where the collected souls are sent, for Mr. T.'s world. There was so much more they didn't know and Cassedee hoped that James had the answers. She hoped that he had figured it out by now.
The mysterious Mr. T.
And this Emily?
She sensed it--what the Emotion of Purpose was. It was a special ability only those destined to be The Creators of Savior. This was a rare ability, only happening to those who entered this world once every five-hundred years. And she was the chosen one. It wasn't going to be James that saved them, no. It was going to be her. She could feel it, deep in her core. In something that she never felt before.
Her head started to pound. She knew what she needed to do. Pretend just long enough to make her escape from the clutches of this evil being. And save Nole. Somehow.
Suddenly, Emily clapped her hands twice together and a flame appeared in the palm of her hand. It snapped Cassedee out of her concentration, hurling her back into reality. Wherever that was.
A magic trick. Right before their very eyes.
Emily glanced over at Ethan, "You can turn those off now, sweetie."
Ethan blinked and the light in his headlight eyes faded away until all that was left was the flame in her palm--glowing against the stones in the cave walls.
Cassedee looked quizzically at the both of them.
She spoke softly, "Why--why did you want Ethan to turn off his headlights?"
Her face got solemn for a second and returned with a smile.
"We have to be careful of Mr. T."
Mr. T.
Then a face appeared in the flame, a man's face. His eyes were sunken in and his smile was more of a grimace.
Cassedee could see his sharp teeth, his long snake tongue stretching out of his mouth. His eyes. They were black, with silver flicks shining off of the gray rocks. The darkness in the cave seemed to make it more menacing.
Cassedee waited a few seconds before answering.
"Mr. T?" she asked quietly.
Emily gave a weak smile, her eyes clicked at the mention of his name.
"Yes, dear. Mr. T. Our savior from that nasty world you two came from. You see, we have been watching you for a while." She glanced over at Nole, who was panting and sitting on his back feet.
Emily's face glowed against the flame, her evil intentions becoming clearer now.
"Poor sweet Nole. He never saw it coming. Now he is trapped here." She cackled a little, her eyes turning black and dark smoke started to swirl around her. "In wolf form forever."
Then, she began to rise in the air, still holding the flame in her palm with Mr. T. The wind slowly picked up and soon enough, it was swirling around them. Dust kicked up and was getting in their faces.
Cassedee shielded her eyes but it was no use. The dirt and debris grazed her face, her eyes now stung from the pain. She put her hands over her face and ducked down. The wind was strong, the rocks that lay dormant now rattled.
Suddenly, a deep voice began to speak, it echoed through the cave, the flame from Emily's palm illuminated the darkness around them. They were finally able to see.
Carvings and messages lay written on the walls. Red lettering coated all around them. Dates were carved into the stone--Cassedee could see it stretched for miles.
The flame grew higher and the face in the flame started laughing an evil laugh Cassedee had never heard before.
"Wonderful, Emily. You've brought me more souls. Not exactly adults, but it will have to do."
Then, Cassedee remembered something. Something in the case files or was it something James said? She couldn't remember the source, but she knew what it was.
Mr. T. only collected those who had wronged--they hadn't done anything. Yet.
"Who do you think placed the camera in the woods?" Emily cried out, her voice now shrill.
"We were hoping your foolish friend would find it. And he did. We were hoping you would press the button on the camera. And you did."
"You are exactly where you need to be." She smiled at them sweetly and extended both arms out. Her hair now wild, more then ever before. The wrinkles on her face now visible and her eyes were a charcoal color. There was no life--no light.
"Come hug, mommy. Dear" The wind began to increase, the small pebbles whipping past them, pelting them.
Cassedee shouted against the tornado of dirt. "No!" She yelled as loud as she could.
"We don't belong here. We don't belong to you!"
Emily's face suddenly became twisted. Her eyebrows arched together and her teeth grew inches sharper.
Dark green smoke bellowed from her mouth and circled them. A large fist came at Cassedee and swirled around her. Picking her up, she could feel her feet rise off the ground.
Her pink converse barely visible against the debris that encased her.
She was terrified. She tried to wiggle but couldn't. She tried to breathe, but couldn't. Then, she heard the voice of her mother. Her brother, her father. Her friends.
She had another vision, this time it was her own funeral.
Tears began to form in her eyes and she could feel them falling down her face. The only thing that was cleaning the dirt off of her cheeks.
Why, she thought. Why are you doing this?
The voice of what she assumed was Mr. T. spoke. A dark malicious presence. No body and no soul. Just being.
"Because I can, my dear. You are stuck here forever, you are my soul now. You will never see your family ever again!" He slithered the words out, his tongue clicking as he spoke.
Cassedee glanced over at Ethan, and in that moment, he knew exactly what to do.
Ethan stood as tall as he could make himself and opened his eyes as wide as possible. He made himself get angry, made himself be frustrated. That stupid camera and now his friends were in trouble. Cassedee had never seen him like this--so full of rage.
His eyes began to get white and sharp beams of light shot out from them. He let out a loud scream and the light grew stronger and stronger.
Suddenly, a white horse appeared with a knight. The knight came swinging out of Ethan's eyes, a cloud forming fast as the horse came charging through. The knight was dressed in blue, with a silver helmet. Cassedee remembered that James had said a knight in blue resembled hope.
Did Ethan have the gift of hope?
Trampling through the air, the light swung at the green fist.
A dragon emerged. Breathing fire at the knight.
Cassedee could feel the flames, hot against her face.
The dragon and knight struggled, the knight flinching as the dragon blew more fire.
Cassedee didn't even need to concentrate to get her powers. She could feel the surge as she struggled to reach a hand out to Ethan.
She tried again to communicate, not with words but with feeling.
She felt it. The feeling.
Ethan knew.
She pushed her arm out with all her might, ignoring the pain of her broken arm.
She winced against it. She felt for a shoulder-- it was Ethan's.
She let go and could feel them lifting up off the ground.
Was this real? Was she actually doing this?
She focused on where they could go. Suddenly, she got a vision. An open field. Without hesitation, there was a loud snapping noise.
Emily tried to reach for Cassedee's ankles, but she kicked her away--punching her in the face.
She fell to the ground, an animalistic sound escaped her mouth. The smoke followed them through the air and up the walls of the cave.
Cassedee searched for a way out--then a small opening.
She could see the skyline.
That's where they'd go.
The knight came roaring passed her, fighting off the smoke, the dragon soon behind.
Cassedee charged at the opening, squeezing through just barely.
_________________________________
Guys, are you excited! You'll finally meet the infamous Mr. T and learn all about the dirty little secrets James, Cassedee, Ethan and Nole's town had been keeping from all of them. All these years later.
Are any of you surprised to learn that Emily is evil? And was like this all along?
How will they find James now?
How will they rescue Nole?