Chapter Eight
“What are we going to do?” Haley asked when she saw Jack holding the doll’s head. “Uncle Johnny was supposed to be the one to help us, now he is gone.”
No one said anything at first. Instead, they all tried to fight back the fear they felt. It was bad enough that they had to fight the evil Gorgons, creatures they never even heard of before, but to have to do it without their guide? That seemed near impossible.
“Maybe this is part of the test,” Braden said.
“What test?” Jillian asked.
“The test Uncle Johnny kept talking about. Maybe this is part of it. Maybe we are supposed to see if we can work together without him.” It made sense to Haley, but she couldn't fully believe Uncle Johnny planned on having the doll destroyed. She wanted to think he was okay, and watching them from somewhere. She just couldn't do it.
“He’s right,” Jack said, “this part of the test is to probably see what we do when things look bad. And this looks pretty bad.”
“You have a point. So, what do we do now?” Haley asked. She'd go along just to make everyone feel better, that they worked together.
Braden and Jack didn’t have a quick answer to that. In the distance, they heard a rumbling sound, coming from behind the buildings. It almost sounded like the buildings were going to come crashing down it was so loud.
“I think they are getting ready for another attack,” Jillian said.
Jack remembered what the boy had said to him. “We don’t have much time. We have to do something, and do it fast,” he said.
Everyone nodded. Haley thought about what to do. Then, it came to her. “We have to find a way to work together. That’s what this test is all about. We have to combine our powers and win this battle.” “How?” Braden asked.
After thinking for a moment, it became so obvious to Haley. “You and Jillian are brother and sister, and so are me and Jack. We should try and combine our powers that way first. It makes the most sense to me.”
Considering no one else had a better idea, there were no arguments. Jillian had a question, though. “What about Gabby?”
“I think she’ll use her power when the time comes for that,” Braden said. That, too, made sense to everyone. It must have made sense to Gabby as well because she giggled.
“Like Jack said, we don’t have time," Braden said. So Haley, you and Jack should leap and run over to those buildings and see what we are up against. Then Jillian and I will come up with a way to combine our powers and launch an attack on the Gorgons. What do you say?”
Jack shrugged his shoulders. “Why not? You okay with that?” he asked Haley.
“Like you said, why not?”
Jack and Haley took off, Jack kicking up dust and dirt behind him and Haley leaping into the air like a superhero. That left Braden, Jillian, and Gabby alone. For a moment, Braden started to rethink how good his plan was.
If you’ve never seen a Gorgon up close, and not many people have, it surely isn’t a pleasant sight. Gorgons are tall, and hairy. On top of that, they have no visible lips, so their teeth are always showing. Those teeth are big and pointy, too. They are almost as funny looking as they are scary, but it certainly isn’t recommended to let them know that.
Haley noticed this when she landed on the top of the building on the right. The Gorgons couldn’t see her but she could see them. She saw three groups of six of them. All of them held big wooden clubs, and one group controlled the big air gun they had used earlier. The gun had a long silver barrel. It reminded Haley of something she saw in history class, a cannon like the ones used in the Civil War, only this one was bigger.
Jack saw the Gorgons too, and he nearly froze when he did. From the ground, they looked huge. Each of them wore space suits made out of animal skins. It looked funny, these big creatures in space suits. The clubs they carried were almost as big as Jack himself and he decided right then he didn’t want to be hit by one of them.
Jack looked up and saw Haley on the roof. She motioned to him that they should go back and he had no problem with that plan. He raced back, trying to beat his sister to safety.
Braden saw his cousins approach and he couldn’t wait for them to get to him. He and Jillian had come up with a plan. It might not have been perfect, but he figured it was the best they could do under the circumstances.
After he told them the plan, Haley said, “That just might work. But what are Jack and I going to do?”
“While we launch the attack, you take Gabby and start thinking of how to get Jack’s other powers to come out,” Braden said. "He hasn't found others like my energy blasts and your bubble."
“Other powers?” Jack asked.
“I know what he is talking about. The anger and fear powers Uncle Johnny said we have to be careful with,” Haley said. She didn't know if using those powers was a good idea or not. She did know, however, that they had to do something, find some way of fighting the Gorgons off, and maybe those powers could help. At this point, she'd try anything.
“Now might be a time when we are supposed to use them,” Braden said.
“But I don’t know what mine is,” Jack said. He felt left out, not discovering his powers like the others had. He didn't even know how he could activate them. So much of this dream world confused him, and he wondered if the others felt the same way at all, or if he was the only one.
“That’s what we’ll figure out.” Haley turned to Braden. “You guys get into position. I’ll take Jack and Gabby to the roof of the building on the right. I saw the perfect safe place there. I’ll let you know when we figure out Jack’s other power.”
“Okay. It’s time to move,” Braden said. “Do you remember the stuff you are supposed to make appear, Jillian?”
“I think so. Galaxy Slime?” Jillian said.
“Galaxy Gemstone Slime, the stuff I yelled at you for opening last Christmas.”
“Oh, that slime. I remember that. It had sparkles in it.” She recalled that Christmas well. She thought the present was hers and felt disappointed when her mother said no, it was for Braden. She liked things like Galaxy Slime too.
“That’s the stuff,” Braden said. "I'll try to think of it."
"Don't try. Do it. Be sure of yourself and make it appear.
I need you right now, Jilly."
Jillian liked hearing that. Certainly, her brother didn't say he needed her often. She hoped she wouldn't let him down so he would need her again sometime soon.
“Okay guys, we all know what to do,” Haley said. “Good luck.”
“Good luck,” everyone replied, and they went their separate ways, hoping that what Uncle Johnny had told and taught them was enough.
Without saying it, each one worried about Uncle Johnny, wondering where he might be at what was the most dangerous time of their lives.