“Who knew you were here?” Colin asked out of the blue.
“This is a secluded area. We also took precautions,” Amanda explained. “We’ve never had any supernatural activities take place here before. What are you assuming? And how do we even know whether Zara was behind this?”
“That is absurd,” Aaron snapped. His eyes were glowing like fire with anger. Although I would never admit it, it was cool how his eyes could do that. It was like seeing an animated creation come to life. “We’ve known her for a long time. She’s the one that has kept us safe.”
“I know I’m changing the subject here, but when did Sky start manipulating water?” Victor asked, looking fascinated and in awe.
“Today,” Sky answered. “Don’t ask me how or why…I have no idea.” Her tone was polite, but I knew she didn’t want to be.
“That’s so awesome,” Colin said. “I’m wondering what else she can do.”
“Here is something else to think about,” Aaron intervened. “She blacked out. Did she even know what she did? What if she uses her powers against us if she blacks out again? She could be a ticking time bomb that could explode any time, right?”
Why Aaron would add more worries and unpleasantness to this meeting I had no idea, but he had just pissed me off even more. I would have zapped his mouth if his friends weren’t around. Asshole! Since I couldn’t do what I wanted to, I used my words instead. “Don’t think about it, Sky,” I said, knowing how uncomfortable she felt. Her body tensed up as I held her. “It’s none of your damn business. Next person that brings this up again, you’ll get the shock of your life from me. Believe me. It’s not going to be pleasant.” I was being rude, but I didn’t care. That shut up everyone. And if they wanted to say something about it…well, they could just deal with the consequences!
Noah broke the silence. “O-kay. So, what do we do next?”
Amanda released a heavy sigh. “All my family cares about is bringing Everett home, so I’m in.”
“I’m in just for that,” Nick added.
“Our family is in, but we can’t go tomorrow,” I said. “It’s Christmas Eve. Sky needs to spend at least one day with her mom. She has no excuse for missing Christmas. We’ll go the day after.”
“How do we even start this?” Nick asked. “Do you know where Mt. Hem is?”
“Zara will direct us,” Victor replied. “I’ll let her know what happened. Meet us the day after Christmas at 10 a.m. sharp. We’ll go from there. Make sure to bring supplies. I don’t know what is stored ahead.”
After we agreed, we went our separate ways.
It was difficult to concentrate on the conversation between my mom and Steven when Everett was on my mind. Even though Mason texted me every hour, his texts didn’t have that same energetic, happy feel. Christmas Eve was our family tradition; that was when we opened our presents and got together with our family. However, this year, my mom decided not to meet up with my aunt. I knew the reason was because of Steven. Mom wanted just the three of us together.
Instead of cooking at home, Steven took us out to a fancy restaurant. It was not how I wanted to spend Christmas Eve. When I was little, Dad insisted we eat at home so we could open up the presents right away. I couldn’t help remembering how dad pulled me aside right before we left the lake cabin.
“Sky, I know you’re still reserved, confused, and probably don’t trust me, but it’s almost Christmas and I won’t be spending it with you.” My dad gave me a smile, but my expression held a stone cold look. I didn’t mean to, but I was guarding my heart. I was afraid once I let go of what was holding me back from forgiving him, I would break down in front of him and wouldn’t be able to let go.
What I said next was awful and I knew I hurt him. A part of me wished I could take it back. “It’s no different from any other Christmas you weren’t there,” I said nonchalantly.
He took a moment while my words soaked in. With a soft sigh, he said, “I know, and I hope one day you’ll be able to forgive me. I will do anything to make up for all the time lost. But right now, I need you to accept this gift. I know you won’t take anything from me, so don’t think of this as a Christmas gift.”
Before I could say a word, my dad went behind me, wrapped his arms around my neck, and clipped something on me. I looked down to see a long, beautiful, clear crystal necklace that reflected blue hues from the light. The smooth surface felt cold to my touch. Regardless, it was exquisite.
“I don’t know who or what we will be facing, but this special necklace has its own magic. It will protect you from the magical entity of the dark forces to a certain degree. This crystal is special. It’s hard to come by, so I was only able to give it to you and not the others. Zara had gifted it to me, but your safety is more important than mine. I don’t know what I would do if something were to happen to you. Please, keep it hidden at all costs.”
I didn’t know what to say. I tried to give him a smile…anything, but nothing happened. Why couldn’t I let it go? He was trying so hard—even giving me space so that I could let time heal the hurt—but my heart was too heavy, too thick, and too stubborn. “Thank you.” Finally, some kindness slipped out of my mouth. Then I did what he requested, and tucked it inside my shirt to keep it hidden.
“I have to be honest. I have no idea what it does. I don’t even know if it ever helped me in all these years. Zara told me that it helps block out spells or magic. All I know is that it will protect you. I promise that on this journey, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. You are my first priority.” My dad closed his eyes, opened them with a smile, and placed his hand over his heart. “Heart’s honor.” Then he walked away.
At that moment, my heart dropped to the floor and my eyes pooled with tears, but I desperately held them at bay. Two words…two little words that got me so wired up, it was unnerving. I wouldn’t let it happen, but there was a little girl inside of me that was crying out to be released. “Heart’s honor, Daddy,” I whispered. However, he didn’t hear me; he was already out the door with his people.
“Skylar?” Hearing my name whipped me back to the present.
I tried my best to look happy and cheerful, but Mom always saw right through me.
“You okay, hun? You’re not getting sick again, are you?” Mom placed her wine glass on the table after taking a sip.
“I’m fine. Maybe a little tired. I just took final exams so, I’m….”
Mom’s brow angled while turning her head sideways. “It’s been a week since your last exams.”
She was right. “I meant—”
“You know how college kids are. After the exams, they party the night away, right?” Steven winked at me, smiling as if I would approve of him taking sides with me. Well, it worked. I watched him shove a piece of meat he had just sliced into his mouth.
“Of course,” Mom giggled. They started talking about their college lives, so I tuned out. Looking at my cell phone, I realized Mason had texted me again.
Where are you?
I’m at a restaurant with Steven and Mom.
I’ll see you tomorrow, right?
Yes. How are you guys holding up?
We’re fine. Don’t worry about us. Just be careful.
I will. And you, too.
I’ll text you later. Have a good time with your family.
I will.
Mason didn’t reply. I could just imagine him pacing in his room or staring at the wall wondering what he could have done to prevent what had happen. Mason was that way. His heart was heavy with the burden of the death of his mother and now this. I knew him well enough to know that he would blame himself for Everett’s disappearance.
Just as I was about to click off, Kayla texted me.
Wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you, too.
Did you get my gift?
Yes, did you get mine?
Yes. I love the picture collage you made.
Thank you! And thank you for my beautiful
scarf. I’m wearing it right now.
Really?
Yup.
Nick told me that he’ll be out of town starting tomorrow, and that he didn’t know when he’d be back. He seemed a little off today. Is Mason going with him?
Yes. He is.
I’m sad we aren’t together for Christmas this year.
Me too, but I’ll see you for the New Year’s party, okay?
Can’t wait. Give my love to your mom.
You do the same. Gotta go. Out to dinner.
Hugs!
Hugs back!!!
“Sky, is everything okay?” Mom asked.
I put my phone back into my purse. “Everything is fine. That was Kayla wishing me Merry Christmas.” But it wasn’t fine. Nick had told Kayla he didn’t know when he would be back, and his words broke my heart. Nick was right; we didn’t know when we would be back, and there was a possibility of neither one of us making it back home. That made me sick to my stomach.
Glancing at my mom, and seeing the way she looked at Steven, made me wonder if I looked the same with Mason. I was pretty sure I did. She was in love and so was I. At least I knew if something were to happen to me, she would have him to comfort her. Hopefully, he was that type of a man. Some men sucked in that department. For this, I would try a bit harder to really get to know him and maybe even hug him back when he hugged me.
“Sky?” Mom called again.
I snapped back to their conversation. “Yes.”
“Steven and I wanted to give you something for Christmas, but since we didn’t know what to get you, we thought that a gift certificate would be the best.” Mom handed me a card.
“Thank you. It’ll come in handy. I have your gifts at home.”
“You didn’t have to get us anything,” Steven said, dabbing his lips with the napkin.
“It’s something small.” I’d bought Steven a tie and Mom a scarf. A very generic gift, but I didn’t have time to shop around. I’d bought Everett and Nick ties, too; Amanda was getting a scarf. But for Mason, I made something extra special. I’d created a mini photo album for him. He seemed to love the idea when he’d seen mine. Inside were pictures of our times together and his family, though I only had a few of those. I even bought some picture frames and put some pictures in them. The first time I was in his room, I hadn’t seen any photos of his family. I figured it was about time that he had some, as a reminder that he was not alone and that he was loved.
“You’re in college so we don’t expect much, but when you become successful at whatever you want to be, then you can get us something big.” Mom giggled. “You know I’m just kidding, right, hun?”
“Of course, Mom.” I smiled, hoping that her teasing could come true…that she would see me become successful in the future. Mom had no idea what was in store for me and there was no way I could even explain it to her, so a part of me dreaded this Christmas Eve, thinking that this might be the last time I’d ever see her.
We never really celebrated Christmas anyway, but it was a drag this time around. It had been barely more than a day since Everett disappeared, but it seemed like weeks. Nick and Amanda moped around the house while I just stared at the ceiling in my room. Sometimes, I would stare at the phone and wait for a return text from Sky.
When I woke up that morning, I found two boxes, neatly wrapped in Christmas paper on my bed. I knew immediately they were from Sky. Our family had never exchanged gifts before. Nick or Amanda must have brought them into my room when I dozed off, even though I hardly slept last night.
When I opened my gifts, an overwhelming feeling of joy filled my heart. Not that I’d expected anything from her, but it was a gift that took a lot of thought and preparation. Flipping through the album that was creatively decorated, I couldn’t help the huge smile on my face. It made me miss Sky even more. Looking at the pictures in the frames made me laugh. One was of Sky and me, and the other one was the six of us. Seeing Everett snapped me out of my euphoria, and my heart became heavy again. Placing the frames on my nightstand, I headed out.
I sauntered down the hallway to gather my family. With backpacks in their hands, they were already by the door waiting for me.
“Let’s go get our brother back.” Nick wrapped his arm around my neck with a tight grip to intensify his intentions, and wrapped the other arm around Amanda.
“Whatever it takes,” I said. “First, we need to pick up Sky at her dorm.”
“Let’s go. Let’s do this.” Nick released his hold and handed me my backpack. “Remember this? Here we go again.” Then, he opened the door.
Victor and his people were waiting for us at the same spot on the beach, each with their own backpack. Good. We didn’t have to share our supplies. This time around, Zara was there, too.
Sky tensed up against me. She always seemed to be like that when she was around her dad, and I could understand why. Sky didn’t know how to act natural around him. I could just imagine all of the mixed up emotions she was experiencing since I would be the same way.
Zara stepped closer to us, out of her protected circle, and the breeze tousled her red hair. I had to admit, I had never seen such beautiful hair in my life. Her skin was paler than I remembered. Maybe it had been the florescent light in the dining hall that had given her a different look.
“I’m sorry about your brother. I was hoping my premonition was wrong. Whoever is behind this has been planning it for a long while. They’ve known about Sky, and they are ready. Of course, I’m only assuming, but it makes sense. Now… are you ready?”
“We are, but where are we going?” Nick asked.
“I’m going to open a portal. It will take us close to Mt. Hem. It’s not going to be an easy journey.” Zara waved her hand in a circular motion and mumbled some words I didn’t understand.
A tiny light sparkled and jetted out from the palms of her hands to the ground. It changed from white to blue. The light grew—expanding and stretching—and the wind started blowing. At first I thought it was from this world, but it was coming from the portal. “Jump in after me. Hurry, before it closes.”
Zara went in, then her people followed. I kissed the back of Sky’s hand and held it tightly. I didn’t know what awaited us or where we would land; all I cared about was that Sky and I weren’t separated. I would take every precaution to be sure she was safe. After glancing at each other, we stepped in.
Although I felt like my body had been sucked into a vacuum, I landed hard but steady on my feet with Sky next to me, still hand in hand. The first person I saw was Victor. I knew he was worried about Sky, but he didn’t say a word. It was the way he watched her and his body language.
Up ahead, the sun beamed through the thick clouds. When I gazed in the direction everyone else was staring, icy chills pricked every inch of me. I’d heard of a forest that was dark, even during the day, but I thought it was only a myth. Now, it had become my reality.
Nick cleared his throat nervously. “By any chance, that’s not the Night Forest, is it?”
“Whatever it’s called, I don’t want to go in there.” Amanda grimaced, shaking her head. “It creeps the hell out of me.”
“It’s okay,” Noah assured Amanda, moving to stand next to her. “I’ll protect you.”
Amanda’s sour expression quickly disappeared. “Well…in that case, I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Her flirty tone was enough to have Nick’s eyes rolling.
“I’ve heard that the trees swallow you up,” Nick continued.
“They’ll slice you up first, of course,” Sarah added, showing off her sword. That girl needs to get off her high horse. She might think she’s tough, all armored up, but with one zap of my bolts, she’d be knocked out.
“See if they can pass me!” Colin gloated. His ego was just as big as Sarah’s, but maybe I was being too judgmental. Our family was full of self-admiration.
“Don’t worry so much. I’ll scorch them if they dare to touch us.” Aaron flickered his fingers, showing off his fire.
&nbs
p; “Nonsense.” Zara waved her hand like she was swatting a fly. “Stick with me and you’ll be fine. This entrance is the only way to get to Mt. Hem.”
What was she talking about? There was no entrance. There wasn’t even a space for a small animal to pass through.
Zara started walking in first. The trees slithered away, as if the branches knew she was there…or did she use her magic to untangle the unfriendly path? I had no idea, but it opened up when it had been tightly closed just a second ago.
Walking further in, I continued to hold Sky’s hand. Every once in a while she would look at me, but she didn’t say a word. I knew that look. She was checking up on me, trying to read my thoughts. I hadn’t spoken to her once since we got there. I was too busy scanning the surroundings for any freakish activity. Once inside, it was dark except for the miniscule rays of sunlight seeping through the cracks up above. Lucky for us, the sky was cloudless.
Sometimes the sunlight would highlight Sky’s hair, making her look like an angel, and sometimes it would hit that perfect spot on her iris, making it twinkle. In both instances, she was a beautiful vision in my eyes, and I would do anything to protect her.
Black branches weaved tightly together, reminding me of the swamp’s trees. I felt like I was inside one of the massive trees, fighting my way out. Bare branches tangled with adjacent branches, so I couldn’t tell where it started or ended. It was pretty quiet, except for the shuffling sounds of our footsteps, but every once in a while, I heard rumbling sounds from high above. The sudden change in temperature not only gave me goose bumps, but it was getting difficult to breathe, as the air became thick and heavy…or was it just me?
I don’t know how long we’d walked, but my legs started to ache, and they hardly ever ached. I knew Sky’s were hurting, too, by the way she was walking, even stumbling a couple of times. I didn’t mind catching her fall, though; it was a good excuse to hold her close to me.