Ben
"Did you see the way Mona rocked that dress yesterday?"
I look away from him and lie. "I hadn't noticed."
"Yeah right, if you say so."
Just as I'm about to respond, I hear the soft, silky voice of Abigail Hunter calling my name. I turn in her direction.
"Hi, Ben."
"Hello, Abigail."
She giggles. "I've told you to call me Abbie. All my friends call me that. Abigail is just so formal."
I hear Mona calling me. There's panic in her voice. "Sorry, Abigail. Mona needs me."
I leave her standing there, mouth agape in shock as I jump away in the direction of Mona's voice. I land beside her and put my arm around her shoulders. She flinches at my touch and I can feel her heart pounding.
"Mona, it's okay. I'm right here. What is it?"
She relaxes only a little when she realizes it's me. "Where's John? Something is terribly wrong. We have to find John and warn him."
Lucy arrives and wraps her arms around Mona, trying to comfort her. "It's okay, we're here."
She looks up at me. "What's going on?"
I shake my head. "I don't know. She was like this when I got here."
"I'm sorry, Lucy. I don't have time right now. Ben, we need to find John."
I give Mona a supportive squeeze. "He should be in his office. Have you checked there?"
"No, I just got the feeling. We need to get there now."
Before I have a chance to say another word she turns and runs out of the cafeteria, leaving me to run after her.
* * *
Mona
As we arrive at John's office, I see Lois coming out and I stop running. "Is John in there?"
She looks confused at the urgency in my voice. "Yes."
She opens the door but doesn't follow us inside. John's secretary looks up from her computer as the five of us hurry through the door.
"I'm sorry, but Mr. Lockhart had to take a call and has asked that he not be disturbed. It might take a while, but you are all welcome to wait."
I ignore her and head straight for John's door. "There's no time to wait."
His back is to the door when we enter the room. He starts yelling at his secretary about the disruption as he turns around. As soon as he sees my face he stops screaming and ends the call.
John hurries around his desk and puts his arm around my shoulders as he leads me to the couch. "Mona, what is it, sweetie? What's wrong?"
I think for a minute, trying to figure out how to express this feeling I am having. "I don't know. It's just so quiet. It's never been this quiet before. It's like everyone is just in range for me to hear them, like a whisper."
Nobody says anything, they just sit there waiting for me to continue. I take a deep breath trying to contain the panic I feel building inside me. "One minute their thoughts were all clear and everything was normal, the next minute nothing but whispers. And then I just got this overwhelming sense that something horrible is going to happen. Like when the police came looking for Marco. Only this time it's different. I feel like it's something much more dangerous than the local police coming. It doesn't make any sense to me. Why can't I tell what's happening?"
Just then I hear Ben think my name. I look up and he's staring at me. "Don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt you. I'm right here and always will be."
I'm suddenly not afraid anymore. I stand and walk over to him, our eyes never losing sight of each other. I can hear his heart beating faster with each step I take. When I get close enough, he reaches out, takes me in his arms, and pulls me against his chest. Everyone is quiet for several long seconds while I stand there, wrapped in the warmth and security of Ben's arms.
* * *
Ben
Almost as soon as my arms are around her, she calms down enough for me to try and get to the bottom of this. I look at my dad over the top of her head.
"What is going on here? She's obviously terrified. What could be coming here that would do this to her?"
He looks thoughtful for a minute. "Lucy, tell all the teachers we have a Code Thirteen. Ben, take Mona back to her room. I need to call the Council and find out if they've heard anything. Once you have Mona safely back to her room, make sure all the entrances are secured, then meet me back here."
My grip around her tightens. "Sorry, Dad. I'm not leaving her alone. Not until we know exactly what is going on. Send Marcus and Andy."
"You're right. She shouldn't be alone. Lucy, get Marcus and Andy to secure the school while you are making notifications. Please try not to create a panic. The last thing we need right now is for things to get out of control."
Lucy nods. "Yes, sir."
As soon as Lucy is out of the room I scoop Mona up in my arms, holding her close to my chest I hurry back to the safety of her suite. When we arrive, I take her straight to her room and attempt to lay her down on the bed. She hesitates to let go of me. I am just as reluctant to let her go. So instead I stretch out on the bed next to her with my arm protectively around her like I've done so many times when we were kids growing up. But this time it feels different. There is a sense of desperation in the way she holds me. As if our lives depend on us never letting go.
As we lay here, her body begins to relax and her breathing slows. It seems she's fallen asleep. I take the opportunity to try and slip away and go talk to my dad, but as soon as I start to move my arm she tenses up. "Don't go."
"Shh. It's ok. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. Everything is going to be just fine."
* * *
Mona
I am lying on the ground with Ben's strong, warm arms holding me tight. It is pitch black all around me, and the ground is cold and hard. I roll over onto my back and look to my right. I can hear his heart beating fast and he is breathing very slow, holding me as tight as he can without hurting me.
His thoughts are clear to me here in this quiet, peaceful place. I'll never let them hurt you. I love you too much to ever let you go.
He keeps repeating it over and over in his mind.
I look at his face and can see tear streaks down his cheeks. Although he isn't now, he has been crying. I reach up and stroke his cheek. His eyes flutter open and meet mine.
We lay there on the ground for what feels like an eternity, staring into one another's eyes. The ground starts shaking as the sky fills with a bright orange glow, and we hear a loud rumble in the distance. Ben throws his body over mine and shields my face with his arms. After a few minutes pass, he pulls away enough to look me over and make sure I am all right.
We scramble to our feet just as a second explosion rips through the air. He grabs my waist and pulls me close to him so fast that my head falls back and I'm forced to look up at him. Every inch of my body is pressed against his.
I try to keep the fear and panic out of my voice. "I'm okay."
Our eyes meet and I see all the love and passion in the world there. He bends his head down to mine and lets his lips brush across mine. Electrical shocks travel through my entire body, and time stands still. At this moment nothing else matters-we are alone in the world.
We are surprised by shouts coming from the edges of the clearing. We survey the area, looking for the source of voices or a way out. It's useless. They have us surrounded.
A man steps out of the shadows. He is dirty and has a crazy look in his eyes. "Let the girl go and no harm will come to you, boy."
I can feel Ben's arms tighten around my waist. "Stay close to me. Don't listen to anything they say."
I just stand there wondering who these strange people are. They're covered in dirt and are carrying weapons I think I recognize. One is a basic dagger, four inches long from tip to the hilt with a jagged surface on both sides of the blade. It shimmers like crystals in the moonlight. Another appears to be made out of the same material, but is about twenty-four inches from tip to the hilt and is slightly curved.
"I said, let the girl go, boy! She belongs to us. You can't keep her hidden here on this rock forever." The man is getting impatient.
Ben's eyes flash with anger as he spins around to face the man addressing him. "Who are you and what do you want with us?" I can hear the tension in his voice.
"Who I am is simple, boy. I am Abaddon. What I want is even simpler. I want the girl. She belongs to us and always has. And now that we have found her, we have come to take her home."
Ben stares at him for a moment. "You get the girl, whose name is Mona by the way, over my cold, dead, decaying body."
Abaddon doesn't seem to mind this prospect. "As you wish, boy."
The circle around us closes in tighter and tighter until they are within arm's reach of us. They grab my arms and pull me away from Ben. I scream and fight as hard as I can, but it's useless. They are much stronger than I am.
If they wanted to hurt me, I'd be dead already. They are just restraining me.
I stop struggling and plead with Ben. "Ben, please get out of here!"
But he won't, he just keeps fighting them to get to me. He grabs the men and tosses them across the clearing as they lunge at him.
Abaddon steps forward, and his men stop fighting and back away from Ben.
"Boy, if you leave now you will live to see another day. But believe me when I say if you take one more swing at any of my men I will let them have your head."
Please go, please! I would never be able to live with myself if anything happens to him because of me.
Ben turns slowly in a circle until he is facing me. He stares deep into my eyes.
"Mona, my love, I'm so sorry."
He finishes circling and comes to a stop when he is once again staring Abaddon in the eyes. He crouches down to the ground as if he is going to jump out of the ring and get away. And for a moment I think he might have heard my silent pleas.
That is the last thought I hear from him as he springs right at Abaddon. I see the glint of the knife too late, and I scream as the blade infiltrates Ben's heart.