Chapter Ten
Haley had finally calmed Gabby down, who didn’t want to sit still at all. She really felt like she learned a lot about being a parent in this one day. She told herself to try to be nicer to her mother from now on, after understanding a bit of what she went through. Gabby kept trying to get up and a few times she said “Leave.” Haley didn’t want to stay there either but she knew it was the safest place for them to be. At least, she thought it was safe. How could she know for sure?
“Building go boom,” Gabby said. She didn't giggle afterwards, like she normally did when saying something like that.
“Boom?” Haley asked, not liking the sound of it at all.
Gabby nodded. “Leave.”
“No Gabby, we can’t leave. Not until Braden finishes and Jack finds his power. Then we can leave.”
Gabby didn’t seem happy with that answer but Haley knew they had no choice. She wished this was all over already. Sure it was great to have powers, but with Uncle Johnny gone, it didn't feel fun anymore. It felt dangerous. It didn't feel like a game like it did before. She had to worry about Gabby and everyone else.
“I am not gone,” Uncle Johnny said. Haley looked around for the doll but didn't see it anywhere.
“Where are you?”
“I can’t explain that. I can talk to you through your mind.
You don’t have to speak, just think, and I will hear you.”
“What happened?” Haley asked.
“The destruction of the doll forced me away. It doesn’t matter; this is better anyway. I can be more useful this way.”
Are you okay?”
“Yes,” Haley said. She wanted to say she felt scared but decided not to. Just because she worried didn't mean Uncle Johnny had to. “What should we do now?”
“Keep doing what you are doing. Trust each other and work together. You’re doing fine.”
“Are you sure? I feel like we don’t know what to do next.”
Uncle Johnny laughed. “No one really does. We just try to prepare ourselves and hope we make the right decisions when the time comes. That’s really it.”
“Gabby said this building is going to go boom,” Haley said.
“Maybe you should listen to her. She has other powers she doesn't even know how to use. But first you need to help Jack find his power.”
Haley turned around and looked at Jack.
Jack walked toward the edge of the building and looked down. It looked like he shook his head a few times. Then, out of nowhere, he jumped…
“Feel it, feel the fear run through you from your head to your toes,” the boy told Jack. “We are all given fear to help protect us. It helps us run faster and make quick decisions when we need to.”
“I’m scared,” Jack said, as he fell toward the ground.
“Good. Feel it.”
As he got more scared, Jack felt his face get colder and colder. He thought it was just the wind blowing against it. This was a little different though. He felt like he dunked his head in ice cold water.
The ground rushed toward him, and he saw a huge multicolored blob fly underneath him and crash into a large group of Gorgons, splattering them with goo.
Jack would land right amongst them if he didn’t stop or someone didn’t save him. He didn’t know why he listened to the boy. It looked like he had made a huge mistake and he got more scared, making his face even colder. It felt like when he stayed out too long in the winter snow. It was so cold it hurt.
Haley saw Jack jump off the building and panicked. Uncle Johnny said something in her head but she didn’t listen. Instead, she grabbed Gabby and in what looked like a streak of light, she bolted toward the edge of the building and sailed off, like a bird.
She raced toward her brother, who fell fast. He was more than halfway to the ground and the Gorgons. Haley didn’t know what they would do if they had to fight the Gorgons head on. They would lose, for sure and she had to find a way to avoid that. The Gorgons were too strong and would easily defeat them in a battle, especially without the help of Braden and Jillian.
She told herself that wasn’t going to happen.
With a mixture of confidence and good old fear, Haley streaked through the air toward Jack with gabby holding on to her neck tightly, laughing the whole way.
Before Haley got to him, Jack felt a surge of coldness run through his whole body.
“Good, you’ve got it. Now, let it go.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re going to crash, Jack. It’s going to hurt worse than anything you’ve ever felt before. You’re going to let everyone down.”
“No!” Jack yelled, feeling anger replace some of the fear.
He saw something coming at him from the side. He couldn't tell for sure but it looked like Haley. Then, he felt her arm around him. He turned to look at the Gorgons, who saw him coming and got ready. Most of them were covered with slime and looked ridiculous.
Two blue bolts shot out of Jack’s eyes and went directly toward the Gorgons and another Galaxy Slime ball heading toward them. The bolts froze everything in their path. The Gorgons that got caught in the bolt’s range stopped in their tracks, and were then knocked over by the frozen Galaxy Slime ball Braden had launched at them. The Gorgon army was cut in half by the attack and the rest retreated about a hundred feet away. Jack’s face felt normal again.
Haley landed softly, with Gabby and Jack in her arms. This leap wasn’t really a leap, it was more like flying. She didn’t know where it came from or whether or not she could do it again. She hoped she didn’t have to.
“Good job,” the boy said to Jack.
Jack didn't respond in front of Haley but felt proud.
“What were you thinking?” Haley asked.
“It was the only way I could get my fear power to come out.”
“You almost hurt yourself bad.”
“It was a risk I had to take,” Jack said, repeating what the boy had told him.
"I don't know what you mean by that, but we better head back to the others. We might have fought them off this time, but I don't think the Gorgons are done with us yet."
“Haley and Jack are in trouble,” Jillian said. “So is Gabby.” “What do you mean,” Braden asked.
“I can feel it. Something’s gonna happen. The Gorgons are coming for them.”
Though he couldn’t feel it exactly the way his sister could, Braden did sense something bad would happen. In the distance, he could see the three of them. They walked right between the two buildings. He wanted to call out to them to get them to escape but he knew they couldn’t hear.
“You have to go to them,” Uncle Johnny said in Braden’s head. “It’s going to be up to you this time. Otherwise, they’ll be trapped.”
“Uncle Johnny, you’re back!”
“Not exactly. But I can see what is going on and I can talk to you, at least for now.”
“What should I do?” Braden asked.
“Who are you talking to?” Jillian asked.
“Uncle Johnny, shh.”
“Uncle Johnny? He’s back?” “He’s in my head,” Braden said.
“And yours too, Jillian.” Uncle Johnny was now talking to both of them. “You can’t bring your cousins over here.
You have to fight the Gorgons over there.” “But how?” Braden asked.
“That’s up to you. I can’t help there. Just find a way to combine your powers and defeat the Gorgons here once and for all.”
“They are not ready,” a voice said, the same boy’s voice Jack had heard before.
“We will never know,” Uncle Johnny said, “and now is not the time to argue about it.”
“You can’t send them in there unprepared.”
“I prepared them the best I could.”
“Did you? I had to help Jack find his other power, and
Jillian doesn’t know hers yet.” “Who are you?” Jillian asked.
“Not the time for that, Jillian,” the boy said. “But
I promise to properly introduce myself after this is all over.”
“They have to make a move now. Braden, it’s up to you. Haley and Jack and Gabby are about to get ambushed. You can’t let that happen.”
Braden thought for a minute. “Maybe I do have to let it happen.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll see.”
“They are not ready,” the boy said again.
“We’ll just have to find out,” Braden answered, “won’t we?”