The New Candidates, New Dangers

By Fallen Angel

Chapter 7

      “There has to be another way”, Chris said, “We can’t take Lilly’s life.” “I know”, Crystal said. Her eyes started to fill with tears. “I don’t want to do it either”, Crystal said, “But it has to be done.” Tears started to flow down Crystal’s cheeks. “I almost had to do this once before”, she said crying, “And I don’t want to do it again. You don’t know how hard it was for me to fight my own sister. I can do it when it’s for fun and I’m not meaning to hurt her. But when I have to fight her and try to come close enough where she’s not dead, but barely hanging on to life. It’s way to hard for you to understand because you don’t know Lilly as well as I do.” “If we destroy the gem”, Jason asked, “Will it stop?” “It might”, Crystal said, “But I tried once before. It wouldn’t work.” The shaking increased. “At this rate”, Crystal continued, “She’ll have this planet destroyed in about five minutes.” “Is that enough time to stop her”, Chris asked. “No”, Crystal answered, “Unless...” An idea hit Crystal. She got her Shadow Bow loaded with an arrow and aimed for Lilly. “If I miss”, Crystal said, “I want you to go and grab the gem. Break it. I don’t care what you have to do to. Just make sure it can’t be used again.” “Are you aiming for the jewel”, Chris asked, “Or is your target Lilly?” “It’s which ever one I hit”, Crystal said pulling back the arrow. She made sure her aim was right and shot. The arrow hit the gem and shattered it. The glowing stopped and the shaking began to stop as well. Lilly fell back to the ground. Jason caught her right before she hit the ground. “What now?”, Chris asked, “The gem is shattered.” “I...need...a...little...break”, Crystal said in between breaths. She started to sway a little bit. Then her bow and arrow slipped from her hands as she fell to the ground, exhausted from everything that had happened. Chris caught her before she hit the ground.

      “What are we going to do?”, Chris asked his brother, “We can’t leave them here by themselves and the others are still missing.” “We’ll have to let them rest”, Jason answered laying Lilly back on the bed, “There isn’t much we can do until Lilly recovers.” “Your right”, Chris said. He carried Crystal over to the other bed and laid her there. “I think one of us should go to the village and ask if they’ve seen the others”, Chris said, “They might have seen where they were or where they went off to.” “I’ll go then”, Jason said, “It’s your turn to watch Lilly and now Crystal.” “Fine”, Chris said, “Hurry back.”

      After Jason left, Chris sat outside waiting for him to come back. “How did I get into this”, Chris asked himself quietly. “Easy answer”, someone said, “You met Lilly and Crystal.” Who’s there”, Chris asked, “Show yourself!” “Now why do you need to be so hostile”, the person said, “You should take an anger management class.” A girl of about fifteen stepped out of the forest. She had dark purple hair and eyes. She had a dark purple cloak on, so Chris couldn’t see what she had on underneath. “Who are you”, Chris asked the girl, “What do you want?” “My name is Mariah”, the girl said, “I came here to seek the help of Lilly Hamiya and Crystal Hamiya along with their friends.” “What do you need their help with”, Chris asked. “My village has been taken hostage by some weird people from space. I came here because word has spread that two others from space, Lilly and Crystal, had come to Zion along with some others.” “So you want Lilly and Crystal to check it out?”, Chris asked. Mariah nodded. “Sorry”, Chris said sitting down, “But Lilly and Crystal can’t help you right now. Lilly is sick and Crystal is suffering with extreme exhaustion.”

      “I can help them”, Mariah said, “I can help Crystal for sure, but Lilly is another story.” “How”, Chris asked, “How are you going to help Crystal?” “I’m a master in the medical field”, Mariah said, “I can tap into the person’s mind and heal them from there. It doesn’t take long and the results are guaranteed.” Chris showed her to Crystal. “This should be easy”, Mariah said, “I can tell from the way she is sleeping and laying that this is her first time and it isn’t serious.” She placed her hand on Crystal’s forehead. Crystal started to glow slightly, then stopped. She jerked up. “What happened?”, Crystal asked confused. She noticed Mariah. “Okay”, she said, “Someone has some explaining to do.” she looked at Chris. “You ask her”, Chris said, “She came looking for you.” “I need your help”, Mariah said, “My village is under attack by some weird people from space. They said something about bands and Lilly and Crystal. I asked around and the people I talked to told me to come to this village.” “Victim”, Crystal said under her breath. “Huh?”, Mariah asked. “Nothing”, Crystal said, “I would like to help you, but I can’t. My sister is ill and I won’t leave her behind by herself.” “I see”, Mariah said, “If I go back to my village and tell them this, later can I return here and help Lilly recover? All of my medical supplies is right outside the village in my under ground cave. The trip shouldn’t take me more than one day to make.” “Sure”, Crystal said, “Just don’t hurt yourself and don’t fight with the people from space.” Mariah left.

      “What was that about?”, Crystal asked. “Like I know”, Chris answered, “How are you feeling?” “I feel like I have all the energy in the world. How’s Lilly?” “Her condition hasn’t changed”, Chris said, “Jason went to the village to see if the others are there.” Crystal got up and walked outside. Chris followed her. “What’s the matter?”, Chris asked. Crystal was staring at the sunset. “I feel so helpless”, Crystal said looking at her hands, “Lilly and I have always helped each other out and now I can’t do anything.” “You should stop beating yourself up about it”, Chris said placing his hand on Crystal’s shoulder. Crystal turned around. “There was nothing you could do”, he said, “It was an accident. It’s not your fault and it’s not Lilly’s fault.” You’re right”, Crystal said, “I guess I should stop worrying so much. When did Jason leave?” “He left a little bit after you collapsed”, he said, “He should be back by now.”

      They saw a small black dot coming from the direction of the village. Soon they could make out a person. “There’s Jason”, Chris said, “It’s about time he got back.” Jason saw that Crystal was up and quickened his pace. “So”, Chris said, “Are they there?” “No”, Jason answered, “The villagers haven’t seen them since they passed through the village. They said that no one had entered the village the rest of the day.” “They can’t still be at the house”, Crystal said, “They might be staying there for tonight. I sort of did want them to stay there for the night. There, they’ll be better protected.” “It’s starting to get cold”, Jason said, “We should get back inside.” They went in the tent. Jason started a fire and they sat around it. “What are we going to do tomorrow?”, Crystal asked them, “I won’t leave Lilly here by herself, but I want to make sure that the others are okay.” “I have a better idea for right now”, Chris said, “Why don’t we eat dinner first then worry about what we’re going to do tomorrow?” “Good idea”, Jason said laughing, “We have some fish and some vegetables. I can cook them together. Does that sound good?” “Yeah”, Crystal and Chris said. They chopped the fish and vegetables in pieces. Then Jason started to cook them over the fire. Soon, the smell of fish and vegetables was in the air.

      “It’s done”, Jason told the others. He sat it, laid out, on a huge plate and divided it up into three piles. Then he got three other plates and scooped each pile on a plate. Chris and Crystal took the food and started eating. They got done fairly fast and washed the plates. Crystal gave Lilly her dose of medicine. “I hope she recovers quickly”, she said, “Then she’ll be able to help us out.” Chris and Jason looked confused. “With the problem at one of the other villages”, she said. “You mean you’re going to help Mariah?”, Chris asked. Crystal nodded. “Why shouldn’t I”, She asked, “If her village is in trouble, I’ll help. Besides, I know who is behind it, so I have to go. It’s up to you if you want to come along. I’m not going to make you come.” “I don’t even know what you’re talking about”, Jason said, “So would someone like to clue me in?” Crystal told Jason everything she knew, then Chris told him everything he knew. “I’m in”, Jason said. “If Jason’s in”, Chris said, “Then I’m in too. Are you staying here tonight?” “I guess”, Crystal said, “It’s too late for me to head back, and I’m not leaving Lilly.” “We don’t have an extra bed”, Chris said. “No problem”, Crystal said, “All I need is a corner. I sleep in a hammock near the ceiling.” “But how are you going to put a hammock in the wall”, Jason asked, “And so close to the ceiling?” “It floats by its self”, Crystal replied, “Watch.” She clapped her hands twice and held them with the palms facing up. A small circle started to take form. As it grew larger in size, it began to expand. It finally looked like a hammock after a few minutes. “I guess your power has increased since the last time we met”, Chris said. “You haven’t seen half of the stuff I can do by myself”, Crystal said, “With Lilly helping me, I can do a whole more tricks.”

      “Well”, Chris said yawning, “I’m going to go to sleep. Good night.” “So am I”, Jason said, “What about you?” “I’m not tired”, Crystal said, “But you can put the fire out. I’m going outside.” Jason put the fire and Crystal went outside. When she got outside, she noticed that there was a full moon out. She stood at the edge of the cliff staring at the moon. “Why”, Crystal asked herself quietly, “Why is all of this happening to me and Lilly?” A wind started up around Crystal, comforting her slightly. “That’s easy”, she said answering herself, “We have the bands. But if Lilly is out, does that mean that Star is out also?” “No”, someone said, “Star is fine.”

      “Hello Emily”, Crystal said without turning around, “What do you want this time? Have you come to warn us about something that is about to happen or something that has happened?” “I only wanted to tell you something about Lilly”, Emily said. Crystal turned around surprised. “You should know that Lilly will get better sooner than you think”, she said, “Then you must avoid the people that are coming for your help. They will bring misfortune to you, but it is not on purpose.” “Is it victim that took her village?”, Crystal asked. “Yes”, Emily answered, “That is why you must not help her.” “I will”, Crystal said, “Anyone who needs help dealing with victim I will help. No one will stop me or stand in my way.” “Even if your sister tries to stop you?”, Emily asked, “Will you take your own sister’s life to help someone with their troubles concerning victim?” “I will not need to”, Crystal replied returning her attention to the moon, “Lilly feels the same way I do about victim. We both agree that victim must be stopped in order to bring this world back to the state it belongs to.” “How do you know that”, Emily asked, “Has her attitude changed since the last time you fought victim?” “I guess I’ll find out when she comes to”, Crystal said, “What do you know about our past?”

      “I don’t know anything about your past”, Emily said, “Nor do I know anything about Lilly’s past.” “You do know something”, Crystal said, “I know that you know something about our past that you’re holding back.” “Even if I did I would not tell you”, Emily said. “Why is that”, Crystal asked, “Don’t I deserve to know my own past?” “Yes”, Emily said calmly, “But you will find it out soon enough. Lilly will make sure of it.” “Fine”, Crystal said angrily, “I don’t even know why I thought of asking you. You never give a straight answer anyway.” “You have lost trust in the ones around you”, Emily said, “Am I right?” “Why do you care?”, Crystal asked, “Until you can give me a str- Hey how did you know?” “I can tell by the tone of your voice”, Emily replied with a laugh, “I have remembered one other thing I wanted to ask you.” “What is it?”, Crystal asked growing impatient. “I will train you and any others you wish”, Emily said, “I can give you the same training that I took. I’m sure combined with the techniques that you already know, you will be quite an opponent.” “What’s the back side to this”, Crystal asked, “I know people all too well. There’s always a catch when it comes to free stuff.” “There is no catch”, Emily said, “I will await your answer along with a list of the people that you wish for me to train.” Emily disappeared.

      Crystal didn’t look at Emily as she left. When she had left, Crystal went back inside. She found Chris asleep near the back and Jason sleeping sitting up near Lilly’s bed. “Figures”, Crystal whispered to herself. She found a blanket and tucked it around Jason. I’ll have to talk to Lilly about the training, Crystal thought, She’ll probably want to go through with it, but I don’t know if the guys will. She sat her hammock in the corner above Lilly. She fell asleep quickly after getting into the hammock.

      “Hey Crystal”, someone yelled from far away, “Crystal get up! Come on!” The world started shaking. Crystal sat up rubbing her eyes. “What is it”, she asked after she yawned, “Did you know it’s bad for your health to yell so loud in the morning?” “Yes”, Chris said, “But you would yell too if you knew what happened.” Crystal got down from her hammock. “What are you talking about?”, Crystal asked. “Lilly’s gone”, Chris said pointing at the bed Lilly was sleeping on last night, “We don’t know where she went off to.” “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”, Crystal asked furious, “When did you notice her missing?” “Just now”, Jason said walking in. Crystal bit her lip. “We have to find her”, she told them, “We still don’t know where the others are and now Lilly is missing. We’ll have to start by finding Lilly. Then we’ll find the others.” They left and began to search over the area.

      After a few hours, they returned to the house, each having the same story. “If we can’t find Lilly”, Crystal said, “We’ll have to assume the worst.” “Which one is that?”, Chris asked. “That she has been taken by victim”, Crystal said, “But if that’s the case-” “I would have known about it”, Jason finished for her. Crystal nodded. “I haven’t picked up any unusual signs lately”, Jason said, “What if she has been taken by victim?” “I don’t know”, Crystal said shaking her head, struggling to remember anything that would help them, “I’m brain dead right now.” Then she remembered what Emily said to her last night.

      “It can’t be”, she barely said. “What are talking about?”, Chris asked. “I think I know where Lilly is”, Crystal said, “Follow me!” She started running through the forest. Chris and Jason had a hard time keeping up with Crystal. She continued running for a while. When she finally stopped, Chris and Jason nearly ran over her. They fell back on the ground when they tried to stop. “You need to tell people when you stop”, Chris said sitting up, “Why did you stop suddenly?” Crystal walked a little further. On the horizon, there was a girl. Crystal immediately recognized who it was. “Hey Lilly”, Crystal said waving, “Lilly!” The girl stopped moving and started to run toward Crystal. As she came closer, she became more recognizable. It was Lilly. “When did you leave”, Crystal asked Lilly when she got closer, “You scared all of us.” Lilly noticed Chris and Jason still on the ground. “I left this morning”, Lilly said, “I felt too energized to stay still. I am so hungry!” Crystal started laughing. “Let’s go and get you something to eat”, Crystal said, “I’m sort of hungry after that run.” They helped Jason and Chris up and started back.

_____________________________________

You can send questions or comments to:
kizna_13@yahoo.com.