

### The Sensitive

Mary Coffin

Copyright 2012 Mary Coffin

Electronic Edition

ISBN 978-0-9858453-0-8

First edition 2012

Second edition 2013

Cover Design Copyright 2013

by http://DigitalDonna.com

Electronic Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

# Chapter 1

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Fynn ran as fast as she could. At least, she thought, faster than the porcupine that was chasing her but it was tenacious for such a small, awkward animal. _How can it run so fast?!?_ She didn't know but she sure wasn't going to slow down to figure it out. The thought of those sharp quills piercing her tender skin only made her heart beat faster. Just then, a couple quills shot through the air within an inch of her. The hair on the back of her neck bristled as though it instinctively knew that was a close call. She willed her legs to move faster.

Taking the bus home from school wasn't an option anymore. She couldn't deal with the energy in crowds. She was too sensitive to the harsh vibrations, especially when people were enclosed, jammed together like sardines in a tin can. The vibrations ricocheted inside the bus, buffeting her with punches of invisible energy. It was nauseating. It actually made her puke one time. Unfortunately, it was on the bus driver's back and he had to drive all the kids home while it oozed down his backside and into his pants. Ever since, when he saw her approach the bus after school, he glared at her with such intensity he might as well have thrown a brick wall in her path. She got the message - he didn't want her on the bus - but she enjoyed the brief moment when he feared that she might board.

She felt better in wide open spaces anyway. In most cases, it was easier being around nature and animals than being around people; at least she could breathe. In most cases, that is, if it didn't involve a porcupine. She never understood why she was so terrified of being quilled but the fear ran deep - like an innate warning screaming at her – _Don't get quilled! Your life depends on it!_

She also couldn't figure out why porcupines chased _her_. More perplexing yet was the fact that her mother wasn't the least bit surprised by it – but Fynn never got an explanation.

One time, she made a comment to some kids at school and they looked at her like she was an alien. "Porcupines don't chase people," was all they said. Then they laughed and walked away. She never brought it up again.

Her heart pounded in her chest as her feet beat the loamy soil. She knew the way home better than her own thoughts at times. She crossed the empty field across from school and entered the forest of pine and aspen trees. She walked straight for a short distance until she came to the first large boulder which, by the way, is where she encountered the porcupine this time. There she turned right and followed what looked like an old deer trail until she reached the top of the ravine. After skirting the uppermost part of it, she would cross to the next hill and run down its flank, then cross the meadow and she was home.

She would lose the animal on the downhill flank, where gravity increased her speed. She thought her own legs were short but the porcupine's legs were way shorter. _So how can it run so fast?_ She stole a quick glance behind after skirting the ravine and saw the rodent was gaining. _This is ridiculous! It's got tiny legs!_ As soon as she had that thought, a couple more quills shot through the air and, without thinking, she dodged left and they penetrated the space where she had just been. This increased her motivation all the more!

She scrambled down the hill, paying close attention to her footing. The last thing she wanted was to stumble on a loose rock and fall. At the bottom, she turned to look for the porcupine. She had gained ground this time and knew she would make it home but the little rascal was still in pursuit. _That was the closest encounter yet!_

Fynn was still breathing hard when she entered the kitchen through the back door. Miss Wiggles sat at the table, drinking a cup of tea.

"Ran home again today, I see."

"Yeah," Fynn said. She had no intention of saying why.

"Well, I'm glad you're here, dear. I need to go back to my house for a couple hours. I'll be back in time to cook supper for you both but if you need me before then, call. I'm just next door."

Fynn set her rucksack on the table and headed toward the stairs. "Is she awake?"

"No. She sleeps most of the day now."

The sympathetic look made Fynn want to cry. She fingered a worn dent in the wooden hand railing leading up the stairs to divert her attention. She rubbed this spot often and it fit her finger perfectly, like a built-in worry stone. "I know," she said. "She needs her rest."

Miss Wiggles stood and set her empty cup by the sink. "I'll be back soon."

As her plump form walked to the front door, Fynn couldn't help but think how suitably Miss Wiggles was named as she watched her body wiggle back and forth with each short step. She didn't know her very well but they had no family so Miss Wiggles was being neighborly by helping out.

Fynn continued standing at the railing, now intensely aware of the silence in the house - and the sinking feeling in her gut. _Don't think, don't worry_ , she told herself. Those few minutes felt like an eternity but she pulled herself together and went upstairs.

The bedroom door was open. Curtains fluttered from the soft breeze coming through the window. She tip toed to the bed and quietly climbed in to lie beside her mother. She watched her mother's chest rise and fall with each shallow breath.

"It happened again," she whispered. "I almost got quilled, Mom." Fynn shuddered at the thought.

While her mother, Kay, slept, Fynn proceeded to talk about her day. Before Kay got sick, this is what they normally did. When Fynn came home from school, she and her Mom chatted and usually had a snack together – although Fynn wasn't very hungry these days. Sometimes she would go outside and explore, then did her homework and tried to finish it before dinner. She was sticking with the routine as best she could. It was all she had. It was the only way she knew to deal with it.

# Chapter 2

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Miss Wiggles sat on the edge of the bed and spoon fed soup to Kay, while Fynn and her mother talked. Fynn sat in a chair at the foot of the bed, where Kay could easily see her while they ate together. Her mother looked pale and worn. Fynn could see the life force being sucked right out of her.

"Did you finish your homework?" asked Kay. Her voice was faint.

"Uh huh," replied Fynn as she chewed on some rice and vegetables with thin strips of seaweed. It wasn't just the vibes of other people that nauseated Fynn, the vibes from eating dead animals also made her sick so she didn't eat meat. She saw Miss Wiggles cringe when she asked her to include seaweed in her dinner. Heck, it made most people flinch but Fynn couldn't help it; she liked it. Even though they were far from the ocean, Fynn's mother had always managed to keep a supply in the house.

Kay was awake only for brief periods, which were rapidly growing shorter, so Fynn cherished those moments now.

"I saw a porcupine on my way home from school today." Since Miss Wiggles had her back to Fynn, she rolled her eyes and scrunched her mouth to let her mother know what _really_ happened.

Kay gave a slight nod to acknowledge Fynn's meaning. She held up her hand and shook her head to stop the next spoon being offered. "Thank you, no. Would you mind giving us a few minutes alone?"

"Of course," replied Miss Wiggles. She picked up the tray with the barely eaten bowl of soup and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Kay patted the bed and said, "Come. Sit with me."

Fynn put her food down and crawled into bed. Kay struggled but managed to put her arm around her daughter and scanned her body, like she was looking for something in particular.

"Well, I don't see any quills in you so you must have outrun it."

Fynn smiled. "Yeah." _Barely!_

Her mother's heart was heavy with sadness and Fynn could feel it. Even though Fynn tried to keep up the pretense that she was handling the current situation well enough, they both knew better. Neither of them actually spoke the words but they both knew...Kay was dying.

Kay had wanted to live long enough to return home, to Elione, with her daughter. She was hoping her own will power was strong enough to defy the prophecy. Over the years, she had lost touch with herself and had spent too much energy being like the people of this world. She felt she had to do it, for her daughter, in case they never made it home. She tried desperately to help her daughter fit into this world. _How foolish of me._ Now she realized it was just an excuse for giving up, just like Fynn's father.

Her mind had finally resigned itself to the truth. She realized now that she would never make it home. She had no more energy and knew there wasn't much time left. She needed to use her remaining life force to take care of one last thing so that her daughter and the others, if any were left, had a chance.

"Fynn, I need for you to get something for me, from the closet. You'll need the chair to reach it."

Fynn crawled out of bed, carried the desk chair over to the closet and stood on it.

"Up on the shelf. See those things on the right?" Kay pointed with her hand but then let it fall to the bed in exhaustion. "Move them away from the wall."

Fynn did as she was told.

"Now touch the wall next to the shelf. Just press the wall slightly and let go."

A small square section popped open to reveal a hidden compartment.

"Can you reach inside?" asked Kay. "There's a small box. I need you to bring it here."

Fynn reached and couldn't feel anything. As she moved her hand back and forth, the tip of her finger finally brushed against something. She stood on tip toes to reach farther and pulled the box out.

The box was old, made of thin wood with two tiny hinges that raised a flimsy lid. At one time, it must have been the color of ivory with gold and brown designs but it had yellowed over time. Fynn carried it to her mother and crawled back in bed beside her.

Kay held the box for a few moments and closed her eyes. Fynn could feel her mother's emotions rising to the surface and saw a tear seep out the corner of her eye and run down her cheek.

"Mom, are you okay?"

Kay took in a deep breath and opened her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Fynn. There are things I should have told you long ago. I didn't realize it would turn out this way."

Kay opened the box and took something out that was wrapped in cloth. She held it gently and removed the material. It was a pendant hanging from a chain. In the center was a gold, heart-shaped locket with an intricate design etched on it. Around the perimeter, a layer of fine wire looped and coiled in such a way that made it look like lace. The lace also formed the shape of a heart.

Hanging from the bottom tip of the lace was a metal triangle, with an inverted triangle over it. In the center of the inverted triangle was a small cobalt blue stone.

"Wow," breathed Fynn. "It looks ancient."

"You have no idea," said Kay who gently opened the locket. Inside were old pictures: Kay on one side and Fynn's father, Sully, on the other. Fynn recognized her father only because of other pictures she had seen. He died when she was young and she previously admitted to her mother that she didn't remember him. Her mother assured her that they both had the same deep blue eyes and shared the trait of wrinkling their noses when something struck them curiously. Otherwise, Fynn had her mother's long brown hair and petite physique.

Kay was already awake longer than her energy could sustain. She closed her eyes and laid her head back on the pillow. After a moment, she raised her head and folded the necklace back in the fabric. She reached into the box and pulled out a piece of paper, which she tenderly unfolded. It contained handwriting.

"Your father wrote this out...so that we wouldn't forget..." She spoke faintly, recalling the memory of him sitting at his desk, writing diligently as though the very words on paper would force it to happen. "But he quit believing...and now..."

Fynn noticed the slight shake of her mother's head, as though she felt remorse over how events turned out. Kay set both items back in the box and closed the lid. Her face was paler than before and the shadows underneath her eyes seemed darker.

"Fynn, I need to sleep." She handed the box to her daughter. "You must keep this now. Keep it safe and keep it hidden. If you have to wear the necklace under your clothes, then do so - but carefully. Promise."

Fynn looked into her mother's eyes and knew there wasn't much life left. She couldn't bear the thought of being without her. She had been her best friend – her only friend. She wanted to cry but knew she had to be strong, for her mother...for herself. "I promise."

It looked like a weight had been lifted from Kay's shoulders. Fynn couldn't help but wonder why the contents of the box were so important but her mother was struggling to stay awake and she didn't want to push her too far. She would ask later.

"We've always talked about how things happen when it's the right time for them to happen, yes?" asked Kay.

Fynn nodded her head.

"You need to trust that more than ever now. Trust that what plays out in your life from this moment forward is precisely how it is supposed to be." Her head fell back to the pillow in exhaustion. "Keep the necklace with you. You'll need it."

Kay couldn't find the right words to explain everything and her energy was fading. She waited too long to tell her daughter; she knew that now. She had to trust that the right events would unfold for Fynn, in spite of her own questionable choices. The Gädweg, the source of all life, would prevail.

She knew that Fynn didn't fit in well with others, even though she had asked Fynn to try. Kay now realized that it was an injustice to keep the truth from her daughter; she should have explained why it was hard to fit in...because they aren't from here.

Fynn was incredibly sensitive to energy, to vibrations, to the forces around her. In hindsight, Kay recognized that it would have been better for Fynn had she spent the time teaching her daughter how to improve that awareness in the right way. She didn't demean her daughter's keenness, but she didn't nurture it either. Instead, she focused on helping her daughter get along in this world rather than prepare her for returning to their world.

Over the years, she had observed an inner strength in Fynn and had admired how it came out, in spite of not knowing her true identity. Kay had to trust that strength now and prayed that it would surpass what was to come. It had better. That was Kay's last thought as she drifted into a deep slumber, one from which she would not wake.

# Chapter 3

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Later that evening, after Miss Wiggles tucked her into bed and retreated to the guest bedroom for the night, Fynn turned on the light beside her bed. She opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out the box her mother gave her.

With slender fingers, she opened it like it was a sacred artifact that had just been unearthed. She gently removed the cloth from the necklace and admired the elaborate wire work and the design etched on the locket itself. She studied the pictures of her mother and father inside. She couldn't recall exactly how her father died but thought he was ill – like her mother.

She rewrapped the necklace and set it aside. Next, she took out the paper with the handwriting. She read the first few lines and realized it was a poem.

Out of the earthly crust does rise,

The mystical mountain of the skies.

Hard as one tries to see it clear,

For the weak heart it won't appear.

Shrouded in mist of secrecy,

Its entrance is hidden from all to see.

No thief, no warrior, no princess kind,

No beggar or sorcerer, the path can find.

If pure of heart and receptive are thee,

To the humble one with sincerity,

The path to the Wærs will come and alight,

The way for the seeker who has the sight.

The mist will recede most gracefully,

And the mountain will gently call to thee.

Be cautioned, for two calls there will be.

The first one, ye should wisely take heed,

For the way there is a short pursuit,

If ye come home by way of the flute.

The second call, as sure as it be,

Will take much more of one's energy.

For by then one's power will be much less,

Since one lingered and toyed with the frivolous.

Oh be not dismayed,

For tests there will be along the way.

Be brave and bold and do not forget,

The most important part of this yet.

Try as one might to go it alone,

Dangers and pitfalls would be one's own.

But for the pure of heart, a guide there must be,

To show one the way most assuredly.

Fynn studied the words but couldn't grasp their meaning. She wondered what these words were supposed to help her mother and father remember. She read it again. _What are Wærs?_ She hoped that somehow its meaning would become clear. As she read, she did notice one thing in particular. A strange sensation swept through her body. There was a new energy coursing through her veins and her body tingled. It was a pleasant sensation but it also made her feel even less tired.

She set the box back in the drawer. Quietly, she got up and opened the window, then climbed onto the roof. The trees were brightly illuminated by the full moon which made their shadows look like gnarled wooden soldiers, guarding the night. She sat underneath a large branch that hung over the roof and listened.

After a few minutes, a soft _hoot, hoot_ broke the silence. Then a second _hoot, hoot_ replied from a different spot. She smiled at hearing the owls. She had wanted to see one close up for a long time. Fynn loved animals - except porcupines, of course - but she was particularly fond of birds. She felt as though she could relate to them better than people.

When she explored the mountains around their house, birds often followed her. At first, it was a curious thing but it didn't take long for her to grow comfortable with their company; so much so that she talked with them. She got the impression that they understood what she was saying. Perhaps she just wished they understood but she had learned to keep this belief to herself.

Looking in the direction of the sounds she saw movement in another tree. She stood and walked to the edge of the roof to get a better look but still couldn't see the owl. Oh, how she longed to see one up close.

She took a few steps to the side to peer through the branches at the next tree, hoping to catch a glimpse of movement. Suddenly, there was a _whooshing_ sound and she felt a presence nearby. She stood still and slowly turned her head. On the roof, not ten feet away, was an owl with its golden eyes gazing directly at her. Soft yellow light coming through the bedroom window added sheen to its speckled feathers, making them shimmer. The owl simply stood there and looked at her, as though it was waiting for something. Its big round eyes blinked.

Fynn wondered if she could get closer. She extended her hand toward the owl and took a step. Not realizing how close she had been to the edge of the roof, her foot slipped. She lost her balance and with arms flailing wildly, started to fall. She twisted her body slightly and grabbed for the nearest branch. The owl didn't care much for all that commotion so it turned its head toward the yard, extended its enormous wings and lifted off. Fynn's heart was pounding, not just from nearly falling but also from excitement at seeing the owl. She took in a deep breath. _That was so cool!_

Carefully, she walked back to her window and climbed in. She hoped the ruckus didn't wake Miss Wiggles. She knew she'd never convince Miss Wiggles that her mother allowed her on the roof – or that her mother occasionally joined her – and she certainly didn't want another lecture on how she shouldn't do anything that might stress her mother right now.

Fynn quickly turned out the light and snuggled into bed. She couldn't wait to tell her mother what happened. Of course, she would omit the part about almost falling.

She was too restless to sleep. There were thoughts at the back of her mind that continually fought for her attention – thoughts she didn't want to face, like: _What's going to happen to me when Mom dies? Where will I live? I'll be an orphan! I'll be alone._

It took a while but, eventually, she pushed those thoughts back into the far corners of her mind, from where they came. Finally, she drifted off into a brief, fitful sleep. On a subconscious level, some part of her sensed just how much her life was about to change.

# Chapter 4

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The day after her mother was buried Miss Wiggles drove Fynn to the town of Tungate, to a home for orphans. Dark gray clouds hung in the sky and added to the knotted dread Fynn felt in her gut. The drive took a few hours and Fynn slept to give her overwhelmed mind a temporary break from having to think or anticipate what was to come.

The previous night, she laid awake trying to understand her mother's last words - to trust that everything, from that moment on, would play out exactly how it should - but the idea that she was to live in an orphanage the rest of her life was too much to bear. She clutched her rucksack the entire drive, as though holding it tightly would prevent her life from falling apart. The bag contained very few items; the only one she cared about was the box given to her by her mother.

Fynn woke just as they entered Tungate. She looked out the window as they drove through town, heading west. She had never lived in a town and concluded that it wasn't nearly as interesting as being in the country. At least the mountains were nearby but she already missed being in them. She looked at the buildings, and houses, and cars, and people, who seemed to be everywhere. Most thirteen year old kids would have been thrilled by all the shops and cool looking places but to Fynn there was too much stuff and too little space – not to mention all those vibes. Her heartbeat quickened, just at the thought of it. _How can I do this?!? I'll throw up on everyone!_

They turned a corner and Miss Wiggles had to slow for several people crossing the street. Fynn noticed a cat sitting beside the road. It was dark gray with penetrating emerald eyes and a splotch of white in the middle of its forehead. It stared right at her as they drove past and she saw its mouth move as it meowed. It seemed odd that the cat was focused directly on her but as they continued down the road, she soon dismissed it.

Several blocks later, they came to the town square. A small crowd gathered in one section to watch several street performers. One was a juggling unicyclist; another was a mime in a black suit with white gloves and white face; and a third was a man and woman playing guitars and singing. Once more, Miss Wiggles had to slow for people in the street and when she did, Fynn saw another cat with the exact same color and markings as the last one. Again, the cat's gaze followed her and this time it pawed at the air.

Her nose wrinkled. "That's strange," she mumbled.

Miss Wiggles concentrated to not hit any of the people in the street. "What's that dear?"

"Nothing."

Minutes later they were near the western edge of town. Miss Wiggles turned in front of a large piece of property that sprawled over several acres at the base of a hill. The tall, thick, black iron fence around its perimeter gave Fynn the impression that it wasn't just to keep people out. Her sense was that it was also to keep those inside from getting out. Halfway down the length of the grounds, Miss Wiggles turned onto the dirt road that entered the property and passed through an open gate. A sign announced they were entering _Happy Days Home for Children._

Farther ahead, she noticed a cat sitting on the edge of the road. She feared it was too close to the car's path but Miss Wiggles wasn't correcting for it. The cat looked in their direction, abruptly stood, and turned sideways with its back arched and its tail fluffed out in a playful stance. It pawed at the air. It was identical to the two cats in town. Suddenly, it ran in front of the car and she knew they would hit it!

She slapped the dashboard with her hand. "Look out!"

Miss Wiggles hit the brakes. Tires came to a screeching halt and a cloud of dust surrounded the car. Miss Wiggles put her hand to her chest. "My goodness, child, you gave me a scare!"

"I didn't want you to hit the cat," she cried as she flung open the door and ran to check on it. Fearing the worst, she expected to see it dead in the middle of the road but there was no sign of it. She looked under the car and around the tires. Not only was the cat gone, there was also no blood or fur to indicate that it was ever there.

Miss Wiggles got out of the car. "What cat are you talking about?"

"The cat in the road! Didn't you see it run in front of us?"

Miss Wiggles watched Fynn walk around the car. _The poor girl is just upset._ "There was...no...cat," she muttered to herself. She looked down the road and saw a woman waiting for them in front of the building.

Fynn continued walking around, clearly not accepting that there simply was no cat.

"Fynn, I'm sure the cat is fine." She said it more to humor her than out of a belief there really was a cat.

They got back in the car. Fynn kept looking for it while Miss Wiggles drove the last distance to the building entrance. She parked the car and got out.

"Is there a problem?" the woman asked.

"No. She thought she saw a cat run in front of the car," replied Miss Wiggles.

"I did see a cat," said Fynn as she got out.

The woman studied Fynn for a moment. "There are no cats or dogs inside the fence, I can assure you."

Fynn didn't seem to hear. She stared at the building, not because it was enormous in size or constructed of large, cement blocks that were drab gray. She stared because the ominous vibrations emanating from it weighed heavily on her senses as though it cried out to be saved before the earth opened and swallowed it whole.

She shuddered under the weight; it was a total contradiction to the name on the sign – nothing felt 'happy' about it. The building looked like a giant mausoleum and the sense of dread intensified. She didn't want to go inside.

She looked back at the gate they drove through and, for a moment, considered running for it. But, even if she made it out, where would she run to? She glanced sideways at Miss Wiggles, who was staring straight ahead, purposely avoiding eye contact. She had no choice; she had to go inside.

Fynn promised herself she wouldn't be here long. She didn't know how or when but, somehow, she would find a way out.

# Chapter 5

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The woman spoke. "Fynn, my name is Miss Snipworth. I'm the headmistress here. Shall we go inside?" She held out her arm and motioned toward the door.

Miss Wiggles couldn't find the right words to say goodbye without it sounding like a lifetime sentence. All she could do was to watch Fynn silently follow the woman through the door, with her head down, clutching her rucksack.

Once inside, Miss Snipworth quickly grabbed Fynn's bag before she could react. "You won't need this! We'll have Mr. Herman lock it up. We provide everything you need. Besides, there isn't room in the dormitory for unnecessary items." She set it on the floor against the wall.

Just then a couple young boys ran through the main entryway, yelling and playing boisterously. They stopped abruptly when they saw Miss Snipworth.

"Boys," she said crisply as her cheeks flushed with anger, "what are the rules?"

With arms tucked at their sides, they lowered their heads and repeated simultaneously, "No running or yelling, Miss Snipworth."

"And what were you doing?"

"Running and yelling, Miss Snipworth."

Miss Snipworth stared at the boys a moment longer and then said, "Outside you go." She motioned with her finger for them to turn about. "Toodle loo."

Fynn took advantage of the diversion. She bent down to her bag, took out the box and tucked it under her jacket. She pressed her arm tight against her body to hold it in place. _How am I going to keep it hidden in this place?_

"Yes, Miss Snipworth." The boys turned and quietly walked out the back of the building.

Miss Snipworth turned back to Fynn just as she finished stepping away from the bag. She glared at Fynn, and then at the bag resting on the floor. Then she turned on her heels, like a military officer, and said, "Come with me." As she walked, she motioned to the right. "Boys' dormitory is on that side. The boys eat, sleep and study on that side of the building. No girls are allowed. This side," she motioned on the left, "is the girls' dormitory. You will eat, sleep and study there. No boys are allowed. You may play together outside – that is all."

Her voice had a cold edge and Fynn remained silent. Miss Snipworth led her past the girls' dining hall, past a couple offices, and then they stopped in front of some private bedrooms.

"These two rooms are where your instructors sleep. This one is where the girls' House Assistant sleeps." Just then a girl, not more than 18 years old, appeared at the door. "Fynn, this is Eloise, your House Assistant."

Eloise smiled. "Pleased to meet you."

"Hi," said Fynn.

Miss Snipworth nodded at the girl. "Eloise will finish showing you around." Then she looked at Fynn. "Two things to remember here at Happy Days: obey the rules and be punctual at all times." Then she gave a mechanical smile that never reached her eyes.

Fynn watched Miss Snipworth's face as she spoke. Her brown eyes, which pointedly blinked often, were dark and lifeless. When her lips weren't used for talking, they were tightly pursed together. Her energy reeked of need-to-be-in-control vibes. Fynn wanted to shake off the vibes, like a wet dog shakes after swimming in a lake. Internally, she smiled at the mental picture that had formed in her mind.

As she watched Miss Snipworth walk away, without realizing it, she found herself imitating that rigid expression. _Sure thing, Snipwit._ There were no 'happy days' in those stiff movements.

Eloise's soft spoken voice pulled Fynn's attention back. "Come this way."

Eloise pointed out a small recreation room and two classrooms, each with an instructor and about twenty girls of various ages. The instructors looked to be the same age as Eloise.

As they walked, Fynn realized the inside of the building was even bigger than it looked from outside. They passed the restroom, then turned a corner and entered a huge room.

It had a high ceiling with dirty yellow walls that looked like they hadn't been painted in thirty years. The room contained six rows, each with ten beds. At the foot of each bed, was a folded nightgown. It looked like a military barracks; the beds had metal frames with thin mattresses on top. They were made up with dark, gray blankets folded down near the pillow to reveal white sheets. Next to each bed was a square, metal table that held a small vase containing plastic flowers.

Eloise walked over to one of the beds. "This is yours." Then she pointed to a big white sign with bold, black lettering on the wall. "Those are the rules."

Fynn read.

1. Wake promptly when the bell rings at 6:00 a.m.

2. Beds are to be made before going to breakfast.

3. During meals, talk with quiet voices.

4. Outside play is only in the courtyard.

5. Lights out at 9:00 p.m.

6. No talking after lights out.

7. NO BOYS IN THE GIRLS AREA. NO GIRLS IN THE BOYS AREA.

Eloise saw the look on Fynn's face. "It's not so bad. You'll get used to it."

An image suddenly formed in Fynn's mind of Eloise as a timid, obedient orphan being raised there. _I bet you'd get used to eating dog food if you were told to._

"You were raised here, weren't you?" she asked.

Eloise smiled and nodded. "This is all I've known."

_This is how my life is supposed to play out?!?_ Fynn suddenly felt sick and swallowed hard to keep the bile down.

"Lunch is in an hour," said Eloise. "You can rest in here or in the recreation room until the bell sounds. You must be in the dining hall by the second bell. After lunch you can rest some more since we won't put you in the classroom until tomorrow. We like to give new residents some time to adjust but don't go outside."

Fynn thought she saw Eloise raise her nose, as if giving her an afternoon to adjust to being yanked out of her home and thrown into this stale place was a grand gesture that she should appreciate. Having said that, Eloise got up and walked out.

Fynn stood in place and looked at the sterile room. She shook her head in disbelief and then stepped over to her bed. She made sure that no one was standing near the entrance before slipping the box out from under her jacket.

She looked underneath the bed but saw no options for hiding it. The floor was spotless, with a clear view from one side of the room to the other. There was no drawer in the metal table. She could put it under the mattress but was afraid the weight might crush the frail box and harm the contents. The more she looked around, there seemed to be only one option. Fortunately, the box was thin enough.

She tucked the thin box underneath the pillow and stood back to take a look. If someone was observant enough, it was slightly noticeable that Fynn's pillow sat higher than all the others. For now, though, she had to leave it there. There wasn't much choice.

# Chapter 6

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The girls' sleeping quarters would have been deathly quiet to anyone else. To Fynn there was nothing but noise. The vibrations of forty other girls and their thoughts bouncing around made her head swirl. While they slept, she could hear their thoughts rattling around inside her head. _Will I ever get a new mommy? I miss my dad. I wish we could see the boys more. That Billy sure is cute. Miss Snipworth is mean. She made me clean the toilets again. Will I ever live somewhere else?_

She took in deep breaths to calm herself. It was doubtful that sleep would come. She wanted to go outside and enjoy the quiet darkness, like she did at home. Home. Just two days ago she was home...with her mother. Now her mom was gone - forever. She wanted to cry, to scream out into the night at the unfairness of it all.

She was about to lose it and needed to divert her attention so she slipped her hand under the pillow and pulled out the box. Her movements were slow and deliberate so as not to make a sound.

The light in the hallway was left on for finding one's way to the restroom at night. Unfortunately, it was more than Fynn cared for but, fortunately, it was enough to allow her to see the necklace and to read the poem.

As she read, parts of it made sense – something about a mountain with a secret entrance, it would be hard to find unless one was sincere and humble. She still didn't know what Wærs were but it sounded like there would be two calls...but for what? Whatever the call was for, apparently, it was best to take the first one. From the last paragraph it was evident one needed a guide...but to where? The mountain?

She set the paper on her stomach and closed her eyes while giving it some thought. Her body tingled again and brought a surge of new energy. It was a wonderful feeling and gave her a sense of something awakening deep inside – something new but, at the same time, familiar.

Suddenly, a noise startled her and she sat up. It sounded like the cry of an animal. She looked around the room but no one woke to the primal sound; they were all lying down. Again it came. It sounded like a cat...howling? It came again, and continued. One moment it was mournful singing and the next it was more like a cat talking. The words were long and drawn out.

"Rooooowwrr. Mowowrow. Rrrrrrrrummummum."

It came closer and, all of a sudden, appeared in the light of the hallway. It was the same gray cat, with the white splotch, that she saw earlier in the day. It continued singing, or talking, loudly while it made its way toward her and she was amazed that it didn't wake the other girls.

When it reached her bedside, it scooted its body sideways, arched its back and bushed out its tail. "Meowwrrr." It gave Fynn a sideways, playful, glance. Then it took off and ran around the room, underneath and around several beds. Then it sprinted toward her, made a long running jump, and landed on her bed.

She held her hand out and the cat immediately rubbed its cheek against it. She scratched its chin and it purred. Fynn recalled Snipwit saying there were no cats or dogs within the compound. _I don't know how you got in here but I'm glad you did._

The cat walked across the bed to the necklace lying on top of the cloth. Ever so gently, as though it understood its delicacy, the cat touched it with one paw. Then it looked at the poem in Fynn's hand, looked up at her and gave a soft "meow." As if it just confirmed that all was in order, it went beside the pillow, circled a few times and plopped down to sleep.

Fynn glanced around the room again and wondered if she would get into trouble. Still no other heads were raised. She certainly welcomed the friendly vibration of the animal and decided to let it stay the night. She wrapped the necklace in its cloth and put it, and the poem, back in the box.

She was about to slip it back under the pillow when, all of a sudden, she had the sense of being watched. The girl in the next bed was leaning on her elbow, facing Fynn. Fynn knew the girl saw the box that was still in her hand and had to have seen the cat as well. They stared at each other. There was enough light for Fynn to see her dark, beady eyes and pursed lips. _She looks like a smaller version of Snipwit._

Finally, little Snipwit lay back down. Fynn quickly tucked the box under the pillow and lay down next to the cat, which was already asleep. Little Snipwit's face had been expressionless but Fynn didn't have a good feeling about it. Tomorrow, before the others woke, she would put the necklace on to keep it safe.

Fynn fell into a deep sleep; deeper than any she had experienced in a long time.

~~~

Fynn walked with the cat, somewhere in the forest. She had the sense that others were waiting for them. Right before her eyes, the cat transformed into a woman.

The woman's long black hair framed an ivory-skinned face with clear, penetrating, emerald eyes. She smiled at Fynn, a playful, happy smile.

" _Hello, Fynn. My name is Cnāwan."_

At the sound of the name, Fynn wrinkled her nose like she did when something struck her curiously. It was an odd name and sounded like Kenay-won.

The woman giggled. "Cnāwan. It means 'to know.' I'm the one who knows when it's time."

Fynn stared, noticing how the woman's body had light coming from it. "Time for what?"

" _You'll see. You have special abilities that have been lying latent within you, Fynn. It's time to awaken them." She touched Fynn's forehead and a jolt of energy rushed through her body. "Trust the prophecy. The time is upon us so we must prepare."_

Suddenly, Fynn felt something tug at her shoulder. It was annoying and kept trying to pull her away. She tried to shake it off; she wanted to stay and talk with the woman.

The woman changed back into the cat and scampered farther into the forest. Fynn wanted to follow but the tugging was more insistent.

"Fynn. Fynn. Wake up!" Eloise shook her more firmly now.

She woke with a start and, in her sleepy stupor, asked, "Where's the cat?"

"What cat?"

Fynn looked around and located the cat at the foot of the bed. It appeared to have a goofy grin and, with its head tipped sideways, eyed her up and down. "Oh," she mumbled.

Eloise took that to mean that Fynn was just dreaming. "You overslept. You have ten minutes to dress and make your bed before the second bell rings for breakfast. Don't be late!"

Fynn realized that Eloise didn't see the cat or, if she did, she said nothing about it. She quickly jumped up and made the bed. In the process, she discreetly felt under the pillow to make sure the box was still there and breathed a sigh of relief when she touched it. She wanted to put the necklace on but there were others in the room so she'd have to wait. She was afraid if anyone saw it, that they would tell and it would be taken away from her for sure.

Fynn dressed and, on her way to the bathroom, noticed little Snipwit leaning against the wall, watching her. Their eyes met but the girl said nothing. Enough was revealed in the vibes to let Fynn know she had to find a way to keep the box with her – something didn't feel right.

Cnāwan stayed by her side the whole time. It quickly became obvious that no one else saw the cat. Fynn didn't understand how that was possible but she didn't care at this point. She was happy to have a friend.

# Chapter 7

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"Yes, Susan?" the instructor asked.

"I don't feel well. Can I go to the bathroom?"

Fynn turned around and saw it was little Snipwit who had asked to leave class.

The whole morning Fynn had been trying to find a way back to the box. She couldn't believe how tightly they controlled the kids. Before breakfast, when she came out of the bathroom, Miss Snipworth was waiting for her. Eloise must have told how Fynn overslept because she received a lecture on the way to breakfast about rules and, if they weren't followed, there were consequences.

The kids weren't allowed to leave the dining hall until everyone was done eating. Then they were escorted directly into the classrooms. Fynn was told to sit at the front, where she was introduced to the class.

_This place feels like a prison!_ And, now she had the feeling that little Snipwit was up to something.

"Do you want to see the nurse?" the instructor asked.

"No. I just want to go to the bathroom."

"You may leave but come back as soon as you can."

Little Snipwit's eyes darted to Fynn as she stood to leave but then she quickly looked down. Fynn wanted to stop her but didn't want to make a scene. She was trapped. Should she ask to leave class also? She was afraid it would look suspicious.

Something touched her leg. She looked down and saw the cat's paw resting on her shin. Then in her head, she heard the words: _It will be okay. Trust._

Suddenly, the dream, where the cat had turned into a woman, came to mind. Fynn knew she had an ability to hear other people's thoughts, at times, but to hear a cat's thoughts...that seemed too incredible.

I'm not really a cat. I'm just using this body to conserve my energy.

Fynn's brow wrinkled as she looked at the cat. _Cnāwan?_

_Yup. It's me._ The cat's head tipped sideways.

Fynn tried to give her attention back to the instructor and play the part, for now, but the whole time she was thinking – _this is too wild!_

Suddenly, an alarm blared throughout the building.

"That's the fire alarm," the instructor announced. "Line up single file and walk out to the courtyard. Quickly!"

Fynn was more than happy to do as she was told in this case. She couldn't get outside fast enough and welcomed the diversion to have a reprieve from that tomb and all those trapped vibrations.

~~~

Fynn sat on the ground and leaned against a tree. Her eyes were closed and she relished the warm sun on her face but was preoccupied with the box. She hoped the alarm going off meant little Snipwit had to leave the building before she could get to it. She couldn't believe what was happening. She made a promise to keep it safe. It had barely been twenty four hours since she came to Happy Days but, already, it felt like forever.

Cnāwan was curled up in a ball on her lap, also enjoying the sun, and seemingly unconcerned about everything.

A shadow crossed Fynn's face and a voice said, "Hi." She shielded her eyes from the sun and saw a boy standing before her. She glanced around but didn't see anyone with him. Looking toward the courtyard, she noticed the other kids were still playing. The boy was alone.

As it turned out, the fire alarm had sounded because a fire broke out in the girls' kitchen. Apparently, lunch was toast – figuratively speaking. So, the short reprieve outside turned into a longer break. Fynn got as far away from the building, and the other kids, as she thought they would allow. She found the biggest tree and planted herself on the opposite side from the courtyard, out of view. If they really needed to find her, they could. Otherwise, she didn't want to be bothered.

She looked back at the boy. He hesitated, unsure of what to say. He ran his fingers through his blond hair and tried to act casual as he plopped on the ground to join her. She knew he was nervous. When he bent over, she caught a glimpse of something hanging around his neck. He sat back on his heels and a small lump could be seen under his shirt.

"My name is Tibby."

She studied him and then said, "I'm Fynn."

Cnāwan lifted her head and sniffed the air, in Tibby's direction. She jumped off Fynn's lap and walked over to him, sniffing the entire time. She put her paws on his leg to reach his face and sniffed around it.

Tibby laughed nervously and put his hands out to hold her back. "Where did the cat come from?"

Fynn sat upright. "You can see the cat?!?"

Cnāwan was persistent, pushing against his hands to get closer. She sniffed around his neck.

"Sure I can see the cat." He looked at Fynn and frowned at the strange question.

Cnāwan located the bump under his shirt and rubbed her cheeks against it. She purred. Fynn heard the cat. _Mmmmmm. That smell drives me c-r-a-z-y._ Her tongue rolled the 'r' in crazy. _Can I have just a little bit now? Plllleeeeezzzz???_

The cat rubbed her whole head against the bump and her eyes almost rolled to the back of their sockets. Tibby looked around to see if anyone was watching. He was clearly uncomfortable and pushed the cat back.

_Cnāwan. Control yourself_ , thought Fynn. The cat was still purring but she looked at Fynn, pompously raised her nose and sat on the ground between them.

Tibby knew there wasn't time. "Look, I don't know how to say this...but I was told to find the girl with the cat and leave."

"Okay, you found me. Now you can leave."

She clearly wanted to be left alone and Tibby sensed it. It also made him feel all the more uncomfortable about what he was about to say. "No. What I meant was...to leave here." He pointed at the building. "...to escape."

"Escape?" Fynn shifted position onto her side, ready to jump up and run away from him quickly, if necessary. She didn't know what kind of game he was playing but she was guarded.

Tibby noticed one of the male teachers looking around the courtyard. "They're starting to look for us. We have to go now!" He jumped up and grabbed Fynn's arm with a firmness that surprised her. He pulled her to her feet and moved farther behind the tree so the teacher couldn't see them. Even Cnāwan stood stiff like a statue beside them and shifted her eyes from side to side.

Fynn wrenched her arm free. "I don't know what you want but you're going to get us in trouble."

"Shhh," said Tibby. He poked his head around the tree for another look.

Cnāwan did the same thing, as though she enjoyed playing this game. Fynn watched the cat. _What are you doing, Cnāwan?_ No answer came. _Cnāwan??_ The cat looked at her and Fynn heard: _I get to have some fun on this trip. Look, I can't answer all your questions right now. I had to pick one person who could hear me and that's you – you're very sensitive. But you have to remember, I must conserve my energy. Your questions will have to wait._ Cnāwan craned her neck to look around the tree again.

The male teacher was talking with one of the female teachers as he pointed in their general direction. Tibby ducked back behind the tree. Cnāwan did the same.

He grabbed Fynn's hand again and pulled her farther into the trees, away from the courtyard. She was about to resist but reminded herself that he could see the cat when no one else could. The cat – rather the woman - in the dream told her to trust the prophecy, whatever that meant. Then she remembered her mother's parting words – to trust that her life will play out the way it should. _So,_ she thought, _maybe this is my ticket out of here._

"You can let go now."

Tibby's cheeks flushed as he realized he was still holding her hand. "Oh. Sorry." He gazed ahead, hoping she hadn't noticed.

The back of the property became denser with trees. Before stepping into the thicket, Fynn gave a fleeting look toward the courtyard. She saw little Snipwit, sitting by herself, against the building. The box Fynn's mother had given her laid open on the girl's lap.

Her face flushed in anger. "Wait!"

"Shh, they'll hear us. This is our only chance. Believe me; we won't get another opportunity like this."

Fynn studied his face, took another glimpse at the girl, and realized he was right. She didn't want to leave without the box but, reluctantly, decided to follow his lead. They moved quickly and quietly. The ground rose, going up a slight incline, as they ducked and pushed their way through branches as quietly as possible.

After gaining some distance from the courtyard, Fynn asked, "Who are you?"

Tibby held his finger to his mouth and whispered, "I'll explain when we get out of here."

They walked silently for several more minutes. The cat followed behind. It seemed to Fynn that they would never reach the back edge of the property and that black, iron fence. _How are we going to get through that fence? We won't make it. Then we'll get caught and they'll probably lock us up in solitary confinement or something. Then I'll never get the box back. I promised._

"The box! I have to go back. I can't leave it." She started to turn back toward the home.

Tibby grabbed her arm. "You can't. Look, all I know is that we have to leave now. We don't belong here. We'll find a way to get the box back." He turned and resumed walking.

His words caught in her mind. _We don't belong here._ For a fleeting moment, it was comforting to hear it. His words validated what she had felt all along and it was enough to spur her on.

They continued walking and spotted the black fence through the trees. As they approached, they studied it to figure out how to get through.

A thought popped into Fynn's head. _A fence is only as strong as its weakest post._ She didn't recall ever hearing that statement before but thought about it momentarily and realized that it made sense. She scanned the fence and the energy around it when she noticed a shift at one spot. She went to check it out.

In the meantime, Tibby tried to pull a couple iron posts apart, to no avail. Fynn returned to get him and showed him what she found. A decent sized boulder had rolled down the hill outside the perimeter. It obviously had enough momentum to bend the iron fence and weaken a couple posts. Apparently it happened long ago because the weak point was rusty and corroded which had eaten away some of the iron. Small holes appeared where the posts connected with the base of the fence, creating a weak spot.

They found a large chunk of wood and used the post next to it as leverage and broke the corroded posts. They squeezed through the opening, climbed over the boulder and walked along the side of the hill.

# Chapter 8

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After hiking most the day, Fynn and Tibby found an outcropping of rocks that provided a roof overhead and crawled back as far underneath as possible. A fire couldn't be lit to ward off the night's chill or they risked being spotted. Instead, they gathered leaves and debris and created a barrier, which provided some warmth. More importantly, it hid them in case someone came looking for them the next morning before they woke. They settled in for the night and lay on their sides, facing each other, with Cnāwan tucked between as they chatted about the day's events and became acquainted.

"How long were you at Happy Days?" whispered Fynn.

"A couple weeks - the longest two weeks of my life!" Tibby shook his head like he was trying to shake the memory out of it.

"Is Tibby a nickname?" she asked.

He sighed. "Yeah. My full name is Tibernathey." He saw Fynn scrunch her nose in an odd expression so he explained. "I was told that all the guys in my family were given that name but everyone goes by a different nickname. Like my dad's name, Nathe, comes...came from it. My grandfather, who I never knew, was called Berny. Some great, great, great somebody, long ago, thought it was cool. It meant something to someone but I forget why. If I ever have kids, no way am I going to name my son that name."

Fynn giggled. As they talked, she learned that Tibby was a year older. Like most boys that age, he had a ravenous appetite and needed to eat often. He also admitted that he had no will power when it came to food; he couldn't control his cravings.

"So when did this food thing start?"

"Right after I was taken to the home."

He was relieved that she hadn't freaked out on him earlier that afternoon when he made food pop out of thin air. They had been quietly walking through the woods and softly chatting. Fynn watched Tibby as he spoke but then glanced ahead to check her footing. When she looked back, he was mid bite into a triple-decker club sandwich. He gazed at her sheepishly as he pulled the sandwich from his mouth. With mayonnaise oozing from his lips, he gave a muffled, "Sorry."

Shortly after Tibby arrived at Happy Days, and had a couple of their less-than-desirable meals, he found himself craving other foods. One night, while lying awake in bed, he had a sudden desire for French fries. He wanted them so much he could smell them. A couple other boys woke and whispered that they smelled food. Tibby rolled onto his side and felt something warm. He reached for the warm spot and pulled out French fries! He stuffed them down his throat before anyone else figured it out. Ever since, when he craved something, it appeared. He had been eating hamburgers, turkey sandwiches like his mom used to make, and ice cream sundaes, to mention a few.

When they stopped for the night and Tibby produced supper, Fynn explained that she couldn't stomach dead animals. So she asked if he could crave a veggie burger. The sound of that didn't appeal to Tibby's sense of taste. So, with their imaginations, Fynn helped him dream up a burger that looked and smelled like hamburger but was made of mushrooms, peppers and other vegetables. She didn't dare ask him to put seaweed in it.

"So how did you know to find me?" she asked.

Tibby sighed. "After my parents died, I had this dream. A beautiful, tall woman with sleek black hair and eyes that sparkled like gems..." He stopped and looked at Fynn. It was still dusk and he could see her face slightly but he wasn't sure whether he detected a look of irritation. "Oh, sorry." He apologized as though describing the beautiful woman upset Fynn.

"You know, not every girl gets jealous," she mumbled. "Uh, let me guess. This beautiful," she said the word in a long, dramatized way, "woman had eyes the color of emeralds, right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

Fynn pointed to Cnāwan lying between them. "Tibby, meet your beautiful woman."

He looked at the cat. "Huh?"

"I'll explain later. Go ahead. Finish telling the dream."

"Well, anyway, this woman came to me in my dream and told me that I was going to prison. She said not to worry, that I wouldn't be there long, but to seek out the girl with the cat and she'd help me get out. Last night, she was in my dream again. She told me to prepare because today was the day and that we had to act on it. So this morning, I grabbed the only item I came here with," he motioned to the small bottle hanging from his neck, "and knew the only place I could see you would be outside, since they kept the boys and girls separated back there at Herman's Hapless Days for Children."

"Who is Herman?"

"Oh, yeah, you probably weren't there long enough to meet him. He's the headmaster of the boys. What a dweeb."

"Well, the girls' headmistress wasn't any better. It's odd because one of the girls looked like she could have been her daughter. Her name is Susan." Then Fynn recalled the sight of seeing little Snipwit with the box before they left. She shook her head in despair. "How am I going to get it back?"

"That box you mentioned?"

"Yeah. Before Mom died, she gave it to me and told me that I had to keep it hidden and safe. There was no place to hide it except under my pillow. Susan saw where I kept it and, as we were leaving, I saw her in the courtyard with it."

Fynn went on to explain the contents of the box and what little she gleaned from the poem. She also mentioned her dream with the emerald-eyed woman and that her name is Cnāwan and how she was currently in the form of the cat sleeping between them. Cnāwan raised her head when her name was spoken, then she stretched, rolled onto her back and went back to sleep. Fynn also told him that the cat appeared to be invisible to other people.

They talked through much of the night and, by the time they finished, had pieced enough things together to determine they were on some kind of a mission with this prophecy thing. Beyond that, however, they had no clue as to what they were to do or why. They finally dozed and got a few hours of sleep.

# Chapter 9

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They woke to the sound of voices nearby. There was enough light coming through the leaves and debris surrounding them to know that it was daytime. Tibby, Fynn, and Cnāwan held completely still.

"I'm just not seeing anything," said a male voice.

"They couldn't have gone far," said another. "You go farther up the hill and I'll continue in this direction."

The children waited until the sound of snapping twigs and crunching leaves grew distant, then they slowly moved the debris aside and crawled out from under the rocks.

They looked up the hill but didn't see anyone. Then Fynn looked to the side. Several hundred feet away she saw a man through the trees. He had turned and was looking directly at her.

"Down here," he yelled to the man up the hill and then took off after them.

Fynn, Tibby and the cat raced down the hill, dodging trees and boulders along the way.

The man up the hill yelled. "Where you at?"

The second man wasn't far behind them. "Here! Get down here!"

Fynn heard the cat. _Tell Tibby to follow your lead._

"Tibby, do what I do."

"What?!?" he panted.

"Get ready to do exactly what I do."

"Yeah, sure." He had no clue what she was talking about but hoped she had something in mind that would get them out of this situation because they weren't far from getting caught. He'd rather die than go back to the orphanage.

Up ahead was a cluster of full pine trees. Cnāwan said, _Say the word 'sceadu' and then drop to the ground on the other side of those pine trees and don't make a sound._

"Sceadu!"

Fynn ran to the downhill side of the pine trees and hit the ground. Fortunately, Tibby's responses were just as swift. She held her finger to her mouth so he knew to be quiet. They both took deep breaths to slow their pounding hearts but Fynn could still hear her heart thumping in her head.

They heard the man from up the hill catch up with the second man. "Which way did they go?"

They didn't move and, for some reason, were confused. Then the other man said, "Uh, there! Over there! I saw a shadow."

The two men took off again in the direction of the shadow.

"Wait...no...over there. I thought I saw movement." It sounded like they ran in a different direction.

"No. That way. Geez, how many of them are there?"

"There's two."

"There's more than two."

"We need to get more guys out here. I think I saw another one."

The men's voices were farther away now.

Tibby whispered, "How'd you do that?"

Fynn shrugged. Cnāwan looked at her. _Your shadows created a diversion._

Fynn looked at the cat and asked, _Shadows?_

You have three of them. They can be bothersome when they don't agree with each other. But, when they do, it's a good thing.

"I guess my shadows took care of it," she casually said.

Tibby gave her a perplexed look. "Whatever." He stood. "We better get going before they come back."

They continued down the hill in silence. After some time, the forest thinned and the ground leveled off. At the edge of the trees, it opened into a meadow and they could see the town in the distance.

"Where exactly are we going?" asked Fynn.

Tibby looked at her. His eyes got real big. "Oh, god. Not again," he grumbled.

Fynn realized he was looking past her and turned her head to see what he saw. She heard Cnāwan say _Not good!_

They both shouted, "Porcupine!" and sprinted across the open field.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Quills flew past. Fynn suddenly found more momentum and shot past Tibby. They came to a shallow stream. Fortunately, the water was just a trickle but neither of them broke stride as they splashed through it to the other side.

Tibby glanced behind and relaxed at the distance they created but decided they should run farther to increase the gap, for added security.

They found a small park and stopped to regroup and eat. Tibby produced three cheese dogs for himself, fully loaded with relish, mustard, and catsup, and topped it off with a vanilla milkshake. He provided Fynn with a couple tofu dogs and a fruit smoothie.

Cnāwan approached the bottle hanging from Tibby's neck again and started sniffing. _This would be a good time for a little treat, don't you think? Just a wee little taste?_ She rubbed against it and purred.

Tibby held her off and said, "Somehow, I have this feeling that it's too soon. Sorry, Cnāwan."

The cat faced him with a look of defeat. She cackled in protest and, in one swift move, flipped her head over and landed with a thud, on her back. _You're no fun._ With legs in the air, she quickly fell into a cat nap.

Tibby giggled. "A little demanding, isn't she?"

"You're the only other person I know who runs from porcupines," said Fynn.

"Come to think of it, so are you. I got hit by a quill one time. I was so sick I thought I would die. It was awful! Ever since then, they terrify me."

"Me, too. Isn't it strange how they can run so fast with those tiny little legs?"

"No kidding!"

~~~

"We don't even know where we're going," said Fynn as they walked through open meadows. They could see the town off in the distance.

"I know. And, we need to be careful because who knows how many are searching for us."

"In a dream, Cnāwan told me to trust the prophecy. Since we don't know what the prophecy says, I guess we have to trust that where we go is where we're supposed to go. Talk about the blind leading the blind. I'm worried about the box."

"We should figure out where we're going first. Then we'll find a way to get the box back. Let's head into town and see if we come across any clues." He thought for a moment. "It would help if we had different clothes," then he looked sideways at Fynn, "and change our appearance somehow."

Fynn caught his glance and her eyes got big. "No way! I'm not cutting my hair off. I've had long hair my whole life. I'll find a hat or something. Don't even think about it!" She shook her head.

"Do you always know what other people are thinking?"

Fynn's cheeks turned pink and she looked down. She had never told anyone that she could sometimes read other people's thoughts. Sometimes was becoming more often since the dream where Cnāwan had put a finger to her forehead but past experience taught Fynn to be discreet about how much she revealed her ability. She was careful not to let on because the minute someone suspected that she knew what they were thinking, they became self-conscious, shut down, and quit talking to her. She didn't want Tibby to do the same.

"No – it's just the way you looked at me. I figured that's what you were thinking." She glanced back at him and suspected that he didn't believe her. Then again, he didn't look bothered by it either.

He took in their surroundings. "I bet there's a barn around here."

"For what? Sheep shears?!?" Fynn didn't like the way the corners of his mouth turned up into a slight grin.

"That's a good idea! Why didn't I think of that?" he mocked.

# Chapter 10

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Tungate, like most towns, had an old, quaint section where the buildings housed an eclectic mix of shops. There were artisans of many types, bookstores, coffee shops and culinary merchants to satisfy the most unusual of taste buds.

The buildings themselves had personality. Some were made of stones, slabs of rock and wood. Some of the slabs were polished to reveal patterns that looked like a lace doily with swirling lines of reds, whites, pinks and browns surrounding bubbly shapes and blotches of color – as though someone took paint on a brush and flung it at a canvas. Many shops had thick, wood doors with elaborate carvings on the face. One could stand in front of the shops for hours just to admire the details of the architecture.

One bookstore in particular – Benjamin Boc Books – was in an old building that contained several shops in a row, and was sandwiched between a coffee shop and an art gallery. In the front window there hung a colorful stained glass picture of a mountain, with a foot bridge connected to it from another mountain. Below that was a display showing popular books for the month.

Once inside, it was like two bookstores rolled into one. The front section of the store contained modern novels and topics that appealed to the general public. The back section housed rare books and specialized subjects, like: _Our Multidimensional Universe – What You Can't See Won't Hurt You_ , _Handbook for Time and Space Travel_ , and _The Unheard Sounds Among Us_ , to name a few.

Benjamin Boc stood six feet tall, with a lean build, and piercing hazel eyes with a hint of blue in them. Those eyes were striking against his tanned skin and dark brown hair. He stood behind the counter and had just completed a book sale to an elderly woman.

"Thank you, Mrs. Wilson. Your business is appreciated."

"I think my granddaughter will enjoy it. I hear that it's popular among children." Then she lowered her voice. "My last choice didn't go over very well with her mother."

As Mrs. Wilson walked out, a gentleman held the door for her and then entered Ben's store with a coffee and bagel in hand.

"Well, Jonathan, my old friend. How are you today?" asked Ben.

"Must you put it that way, Benjamin? I feel very old today." Jon Hieran was a couple inches shorter than Ben, with black hair and blue eyes. The slight bulge in his midsection indicated his interest in food but he never let it get too far out of hand.

Jon plopped on a stool behind the counter, bit into his bagel and sipped his coffee.

"You look younger all the time," smiled Ben as he answered the telephone. "Boc Books. How may I help you?"

While Ben helped the customer over the phone, Jon got up and walked to the back room. He vacantly stared at the old books on the shelves, slightly shook his head and walked back to the front room, where Ben had just hung up the phone.

"Don't you get tired of answering the phone that way? Boc Books. Boc means book so you're saying Book Books. That's like walking around saying I'm fine fine. Or I need to tie my shoe shoe."

Ben studied his friend for a moment. "What's eating at you Jon?"

Jon sat back down, looked at his bagel and coffee and set them on the counter. "Do you realize how long we've been in Tungate, Ben?" Just as Ben was about to think about it, Jon spouted, "Never mind, let me spare you. This week we will have been here for precisely two hundred thirty one years. Don't you miss home?"

Ben's face grew solemn. He glanced at the stained glass picture of the mountain hanging in the window and then back at his friend. "Of course I do."

"I had no idea if we – if I - missed the first call – that it would take so long for the second call to come. After this much time, it's hard to believe we'll ever make it back." He paused and then, referring to home, quietly said, "I almost forget what it was like."

Ben knew, with each passing year, that the anniversary of their arrival in Tungate was hard on his friend. After all, it was partly because of his friend that they were still here, or so Jon believed.

"Jonathan, prophecies don't play out part way and then decide to skip the rest. We have to be patient. We'll get a second chance. She'll come for us, or we'll get a sign or something will happen to let us know it's time to go back."

"I'm wearing down, Benjamin. I'm running out of energy. I think I'm losing my hearing."

"What?" asked Ben.

"I think I'm losing my..." he looked at Ben and saw the smile. Jon knew he was teasing. He smiled back.

"Quit beating yourself up, Jonathan. You've been too hard on yourself all these years."

Jon stood and rubbed his belly. "You're probably right. I think I'll go buy myself something at the street fair. Care to join me?" He picked up his bagel and coffee.

"Who's watching the coffee shop?"

"I hired an assistant." He raised his eyebrows. "She'll be fine without my help for a while. Besides, with a smile like hers, no one would dare give her trouble."

Ben laughed. "You go ahead. I need to stay here."

# Chapter 11

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"Fynn, if you keep playing with it, you're going to draw attention to yourself," said Tibby as they walked through town. "Guys don't play with their hair."

She kept tugging at the short, rough ends, as if she could make it long again by pulling on them. Now and then, she'd rub a spot on her head. "I can't help it. Besides, I can tell by touching that it's a bad haircut. It feels choppy and uneven. Those shears must have rusted for the past fifty years."

"I said I was sorry. I didn't mean to pull your hair so hard but it got stuck. I couldn't find anything else in that old shed. It looked like no one had been in there for that long, too."

"I need a scarf or something to cover it."

"A boy's hat! You're supposed to be a boy now."

They were approaching old town when Tibby spotted a police officer, nailing something to a post. He grabbed Fynn's hand and pulled her back several feet to the backside of a building. He peeked around the corner and saw the officer walk away. Cnāwan sat at their feet. She looked up at them and then poked her head around the corner, too. She liked playing these games, even though she knew that no one else could see her.

After the officer continued down the street, they cautiously approached the post, watching in all directions for more officers. What they saw were pictures of themselves beneath big, bold letters that said MISSING CHILDREN FROM HAPPY DAY'S HOME and to contact the nearest authorities if found.

"Great," mumbled Fynn. She reached up, tore off the sign and tossed it into the trash.

They proceeded down the street, slowly and cautiously, ready to dart into a doorway or down an alley at any moment. They tried to act like they were simply going about their business, in reality, feeling totally exposed. Fortunately, most of the people they passed seemed to be lost in their own thoughts and didn't pay them much attention.

In the middle of the block, a police officer came out of a shop ahead of them. Quickly, they ducked through the nearest doorway and watched, through the shop window, as the officer crossed the street.

"That was close," said Tibby. He looked to his side expecting Fynn to be standing there but she wasn't. His heart skipped a beat as he looked around the shop. It was an art gallery and he spotted her standing near a wall, gazing at a painting. A man and woman were talking at the opposite end of the gallery and didn't seem to notice them.

Tibby walked over and spoke quietly. "Uh...do ya really think it's a good time for this?" He glanced nervously at the two adults.

Fynn didn't respond. She was mesmerized by the painting and felt a deep longing to be standing on the bridge in the painting. Her fingers reached through the air, toward its surface. She detected the distant sound of music and tipped her head slightly, trying to hear it more clearly. The tingling sensation spread throughout her body, like blood pumping through veins, giving vital life force to all parts of it. The feeling started inside her body and spread outward, causing her to involuntarily shudder.

Tibby noticed the distant gaze in her eyes. He waved his hand in front of her face, trying to break the trance-like state. "Yoo-hoo. Anyone home?"

Finally she spoke. "Do you feel something when you look at this painting?"

"Oh, yeah! Like it really moves me."

Fynn put her hands on her hips and gave him a sideways smirk.

He held up both hands in a helpless gesture and grinned sheepishly. "Kidding..."

She stepped behind him, put her hands on his shoulders, and pushed him a couple steps to the side so that he stood directly in front it. "Really look at it."

He observed the scenic painting of mountains. The lighting was subdued and the air was misty, almost foggy. A small amount of sunshine sparkled through the mist and shone upon a bridge that extended over a deep chasm and connected two mountains. The lighting was done in such a manner to show that one was leaving a dark, shadowed mountain to walk across the bridge to one that was lit up.

As Tibby stared at the painting, he noticed an odd sensation in his body. Goose bumps erupted on his skin, as though gazing at the painting was waking cells deep within his inner core. He raised his arm and studied the little bumps on his skin.

"Whoa. That's weird." He stepped back.

"It's called The Way Home," said a woman's voice.

Fynn and Tibby had been so caught up in the experience that they visibly jumped.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," she said.

They turned to look at her and realized they were the only ones in the store. Suddenly, they felt awkward and exposed.

"It's...it's a pretty painting." Fynn looked toward the door, hoping the flush she felt in her face wasn't apparent.

The woman stared at them. The look on her face changed and she intently studied their faces. "I don't mean to stare. It's just that...you look like..."

Before the woman could finish her sentence, Tibby grabbed Fynn's hand and pulled her out the door. They barely heard the woman shout for them to stop but they ran down the sidewalk and turned into a narrow alley. They crossed the next street and continued until they had travelled a couple more blocks.

The following street was lined with tents and stands. People milled about everywhere. It looked like an outdoor market or fair of some type.

"It should be easier to get lost in these people," said Tibby as he glanced back from where they came.

Fynn shuddered at the thought of being in the crowd. "Uh, I don't know Tibby. Maybe we should go somewhere else."

"It'll be okay. C'mon." He walked away before she could object.

They were quickly absorbed by the crowd of shoppers. Tibby kept an eye out for officers and other people that looked too long in their direction.

When Fynn heard Cnāwan say to _breathe_ , she realized she had completely forgotten about the cat. She also realized that she was tense and holding her breath. She started sucking in deep breaths of air and swallowed to keep from getting sick from all the churning vibrations. She tried to divert her attention with conversation. "So, did your body tingle when you looked at that painting?"

"Yeah," he said, "that was really strange. It was like some part of me was waking up for the first time."

"When I read the poem Mom gave me, I felt the same thing. Do you think that painting has something to do with the prophecy?"

"I don't know but we can't go back there. That woman recognized us. She might have called the police already."

"Maybe we should leave town all together," suggested Fynn.

"Not yet. It would help if we could disguise ourselves better...maybe with hats and different clothes."

"Tibby..."

"I know, we have no money but we'll find a way."

"No. We're being watched."

Fynn nodded slightly and shifted her eyes sideways to indicate where she wanted him to look. There was a man in one of the tents holding the sign, like the one she tore off the post, which had their pictures. The man looked at them and then back at the sign. Then he pointed and shouted. "Hey, you! Stop!"

Suddenly, several people looked in their direction so they took off running. Being shorter than the majority of the crowd had its advantage. They moved quickly and got lost in the crowd.

Tibby was in the lead and turned between a couple booths to head down a different street.

Fynn grabbed his arm. "I hate to say it but we're better off in the crowd." She looked up and caught a glimpse of the man who was pursuing them. He was headed their way. "I have an idea." Cnāwan looked up at her. _Atta girl!_

They stood in place just long enough for the man to see them and then took off again. They walked fast enough to stay just ahead but still within his sight. At the end of a very long tent, Fynn cut to the right. Tibby and Cnāwan followed. At the back of the tent, Fynn saw an alley up ahead but instead she cut right again and walked more briskly along the back side to reach the opposite end. She hoped she had timed it just right.

"Sceadu fæst!" She didn't know how she knew the last word but it came out before her mind questioned it. She knew she was telling her shadows to be quick. The shadows scattered in three different directions. One of them ran down the alley and, as Fynn watched from the far corner of the tent, she saw the man run after it.

"It worked," she said to Tibby. They breathed a sigh of relief.

# Chapter 12

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Jon walked leisurely through the market, taking the time to visit with acquaintances while he looked for something he might like to buy for himself. It was a nice break from his routine and his mood was improving.

The market was busy and he sensed excitement in the air as merchants carried out their business with customers. Crowds, as a whole, were energetic and tended to generate restless vibrations. He recalled a time when he was uncomfortable in these crowds. It took much practice before he could be in that swirling vortex of coarse energy without being affected by it.

He stopped at a booth to admire the woven blankets. They were nicely done but he didn't need one. He walked to the next tent and admired the fine pottery.

"Jon, I haven't seen you lately," said the woman in the tent.

He glanced up. "Hello, Sadie." He had always admired her pottery and picked up a piece, turning it in his hand. He didn't want to encourage the attraction she obviously felt for him so he didn't engage her in conversation. She was a nice woman; attractive, too. He liked her gypsy spirit but he wasn't interested.

Sadie approached him, wearing a flirtatious smile. "See anything you like?" She brushed her shoulder against him and lowered her voice. "Maybe you come by my studio. I teach you how to make beautiful things."

He smiled back at her but wanted to create some distance quickly. "I'll keep that in mind. I'm just out for a walk today. It's nice to see you, Sadie." He set the piece back on the table.

As he stepped back out into the crowd, he heard a man shout. He looked around but didn't see who it was. At the same time, he sensed tension nearby but couldn't pinpoint the reason so he continued down the street.

As he walked, he noticed that his body tingled, like it was charged with a new energy. He had experienced it before and learned, at one time, that drinking too much coffee quickened his heart beat and gave him a prickly sensation. _But I only had one coffee. No, this feels different._

He tried to pinpoint the reason for the feeling as he proceeded further down the street. It had been so long since he experienced it that he had forgotten what it was. He felt more alert, like he was being nudged to be on the lookout for something.

In the meantime, he entered a large tent and started looking at the belts. He was only half focused on the belts, while he stood in a corner and tried one on. He kept glancing through the tent doorway, watching the crowd. It was as if some part of him told him to be aware, to observe and look for something different.

A couple kids caught his attention as they passed by the entrance. They were focused and walked with determined purpose which made them stand out from the mingling crowd. A moment after they passed, a man walked just as brusquely several feet behind. Jon had the impression that the man was pursuing the kids. He was about to take the belt off and put it back when behind him, through the tent wall, he heard a language he hadn't heard in a very long time.

A girl's voice said, "Sceadu fæst!" His heart beat quickened with so much excitement that he felt like he had ten thumbs while he tried to remove the belt.

He glanced up and saw two kids enter the tent. They were the same ones that had just passed the entrance a few moments earlier. Once inside, they poked their heads back through the opening and looked out into the crowd, glancing in both directions. Jon finally got the belt off and put it back. He tried to act casual as he watched them walk to a hat rack and try some on.

Suddenly, he saw the man that had been following them poke his head inside the tent and look around. In one fluid movement, Jon pulled out his wallet and dropped some money on the counter. Then he stepped over to the kids, put his hands on the back of their necks, in what appeared to be an endearing gesture, and said, "Those look great on you, kids. Time to go home now. Mom is waiting for us."

Fynn and Tibby felt the sudden, tight grip on their necks commanding them to move. The grasp was stern and not far from hurting. They hadn't seen who had nabbed them but as they walked out of the tent, they saw the man that was pursuing them still looking around and tipped their heads slightly down so the hat brims hid their faces. _At least it's not him_ , thought Fynn.

She was considering how to break away from their captor as he directed them through the crowd to an alley but she didn't want to draw undue attention. She turned her head slightly to see if she could make eye contact with Tibby. It looked like he was trying to do the same. Then she heard the cat. _You'll be sorrrrry._

Half way down the alley, Tibby was just about to kick the man in the shin when the man stopped and let go. He turned to face them.

"I hope I didn't hurt you." He smiled apologetically. Fynn noticed his eyes were slightly wet, like he was about to cry. "Where did you learn that language?" he asked.

Fynn was suspicious and gave Tibby a fleeting look to read his reaction to the man. Tibby caught her eye for the same reason. She thought for a moment about what to say. Even if she felt like answering his question, how on earth could she explain that she learned it from an invisible cat that was really a woman? She still wanted to understand it herself.

Jon sensed her apprehension and offered reassurance. He held up his hands. "It's okay. You don't need to answer. I mean you no harm." He searched for the right words. "I know we're strangers but the fact that you know that language means we're not as much strangers as you think."

Fynn and Tibby glanced cautiously at each other, like they were unsure of whether to believe him or to run for it. They looked down the alley from where they had come and saw their pursuer walk by, still searching for them. Jon saw the man as well.

"We can't talk here. You'll have to trust me when I say that I think we can help each other. Come on." His voice raised a couple octaves with excitement. "Ben and Mel are going to be thrilled!" He turned and continued down the alley.

Fynn mumbled under her breath. "Sure. Why not?"

# Chapter 13

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Jon burst through the door of Benjamin Boc Books. A woman was talking with Ben and they both looked up when the door opened.

"Well, you must have found something to buy because you sure look happy." Ben hadn't noticed that two kids followed Jon through the door.

Jon said, "Better yet, look what the cat dragged home." He motioned with his hands to Fynn and Tibby. They removed their hats.

Fynn heard Cnāwan. _That's actually funny, Jon._

All of a sudden, they all talked at once.

"You can see the cat?" Fynn raised an eyebrow.

Tibby eyed the woman and recognized her as the one from the art gallery. "No, she's going to turn us in!"

Jon turned and asked, "What cat?"

The woman asked, "Turn you in? What do you mean?"

"Cnāwan," answered Fynn.

The conversations came to a halt.

Jon looked like he had been punched in the face. "Cnāwan?"

Fynn gazed at the cat sitting on the floor, in the middle of everyone. She purred and Fynn swore she was smiling. Then she heard: _I'm enjoying this._

"Okay everyone." Ben held up his hands to stop the chatter. "Hold up." He walked to the door, locked it, and flipped the sign in the window so the word CLOSED faced the street. "Let's go in back and talk. I have a feeling this is going to take a while."

Tibby noticed the woman studying him and Fynn again. "I'm not going anywhere. She's probably turned us in already." He turned and grabbed Fynn's hand. "C'mon, let's go."

The woman stepped toward them. "No. Wait! I'm sorry that I keep staring at you. It's just that you look so much like some people we know." She walked closer to Tibby, who had stopped but was still holding Fynn's hand. "You look like a younger version of Nathe Drincan. Actually, I can see Lois in you, too."

Tibby leered at her and let go of Fynn. "How do you know my parents?"

"And you," the woman said as she gazed at Fynn, "look just like Kay Cæge but you have Sully's eyes." When she pronounced Fynn's last name, it sounded like kay-juh.

Fynn corrected her, "Cage."

Ben said, "Actually, Melanie is correct but they probably changed it to Cage to make it easier." He stopped and looked at his friends, a hint of a smile creasing his lips. Then his eyes landed on Fynn and Tibby. "Look. I know your faces are on the posters for the missing children from Happy Days, which means that both your parents have died. Am I correct?"

Tibby nodded from behind suspicious eyes. Fynn looked down. "Yes."

"We're sorry to hear that," said Jon. He, too, looked down at the floor and appeared lost in thought for a moment. "Wow. We started out as eight. Now it's just the three of us...plus you two."

Mel looked surprised. "I didn't realize you were the two from Happy Days, honest. The girl had long..." Mel studied Fynn's haircut through half-squinted eyes.

Fynn shot Tibby a look and put her hand to her head. "Told you it was bad."

His lips pursed into a smirk. "Is that all you can think about right now?!?"

Ben continued, "You have our word; the last thing we want to do is turn you over to the authorities. No, we're glad that you're here."

"That's putting it mildly," said Jon. "How did your parents die?" He already had an idea but wanted to hear it from them.

Fynn hesitated briefly. "My mom got really sick. It was like she just ran out of energy to live. I think my dad died the same way but I was only three so I'm not sure."

"That's what happened with my parents, too," said Tibby.

Ben, Jon and Mel exchanged concerned looks as the news sunk in.

"Maybe if we had all stayed together, they would still be..."

"You don't know that Jon, so don't go there," insisted Ben.

Fynn asked, "What do you mean that it's just the three of you plus us two?"

The room was quiet.

"There is much to discuss but could we please take it to the back room so that we aren't seen through the window?" asked Ben.

# Chapter 14

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Fynn and Tibby were still wary but agreed to talk in the back of the shop. Ben decided the best place to start was with introductions.

"My name is Benjamin Boc. I'm the keeper of the book."

"The book?" asked Fynn.

Jon frowned and appeared frustrated. "Didn't they tell you anything? Geez, it sounds like they just gave up and tried to live as though they belonged here all along."

Fynn caught the stern look on Ben's face as he motioned with his hand for Jon to calm down. Then Ben looked back at them. "Bear with us and we'll explain." He turned to the woman for her introduction.

"I'm Melanie Craft. Either Mel or Melanie is fine. Through my craftwork, I help us remember. The painting you saw earlier...," she looked uncertain, "...well, it's one of the things we want to remember. We'll explain later."

"I'm Jonathan Hieran. I also go by Jon. I'm the one who hears..." He looked down for a moment. "...well, at least I thought I'd hear it." He took in a breath and looked at them. "Anyway, my name was originally Felan because I can also feel things – that are about to happen. But in honor of our friend, Emmett Hieran, who died after we arrived here, I took on his name and his role." He saw confusion on their faces. "We'll explain more later."

Ben nodded at Fynn.

"I'm Fynn Cage." She emphasized her pronunciation of it.

Ben asked, "Do you know what cæge means, Fynn? It means key. Sully and Kay were the keepers of the key."

Fynn frowned. "The key?"

Jon spouted, "They didn't give you the key?!?"

Ben held up his hand to calm Jon once more.

"I don't know anything about a key. All I have..." she looked down and her shoulders sunk, "...had, was a box my mom gave me before she died. It had a necklace and a poem in it."

"The necklace is the key," said Ben. "What do you mean had?"

Fynn looked at the others and then at Tibby. "A girl at Happy Days has it. I saw her with the box before we escaped."

Ben rubbed his chin. "Hmmm. Okay. We can work with that," he said. Then he looked at Tibby, and waited for his introduction.

"I'm Tibby Drincan. So what does drincan mean?" His stomach growled and he held it with his hand, as though that would quell the hunger that was building inside.

"It refers to a drink, or a special elixir," said Ben. "I'm guessing it's in that small bottle you wear around your neck."

Jon smiled. "It's for Cnāwan. She's afraid of heights." He glanced around, searching for the cat.

Fynn wrinkled her nose, like she did when something was strange to her.

Mel laughed. "You look just like your dad when you do that."

"Cats aren't afraid of heights," said Fynn.

She heard the cat. _Believe me. I'll need that drink when it's time._

"You mentioned Cnāwan. Where is the ole' girl?" asked Jon. He tried to sound casual but Fynn detected emotions in his voice. A sharp pain pierced his leg and he reached down with his hand. "Owww!"

Fynn explained. "That was Cnāwan who bit you. She said that's for calling her old. Tibby and I can see her but no one else can; I can hear her, too. She says she's saving her energy. She's a woman, in a cat's body." Fynn shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I'm still trying to understand how that can happen."

"It helps with time-space travel," said Ben.

He said it so casually that Tibby wasn't sure he heard correctly. "Excuse me?"

Ben saw the confusion in their faces. "Okay. Let's back up a bit. Did your parents ever talk about Wærs?" He tried to ease them into the information he was about to drop in their laps.

Fynn asked, "Wares. You mean, like, things for sale?"

Ben wrote on a piece of paper and held it up. One word was written: Wærs. "This character..." He pointed to the æ in the word, "...is pronounced like the letter a in the word at. Wærs. Does it look familiar to you?"

Fynn said, "Yeah, it's in the poem my mom gave me but I don't know what it is."

"Wærs are people who have a keen awareness of energy and vibrations. Wærs can manipulate energy."

"You mean, like, magic?" asked Tibby. His stomach growled again and he held his hand over it. They hadn't eaten since that morning and he was starving. He didn't want food to appear in front of the others so he tried not to think about how delicious a thick, juicy hamburger would taste...but it was becoming more difficult.

"It may look like magic but it's not really." Motioning to all three of them, Ben said, "We're Wærs."

Tibby couldn't control it anymore – his mouth watered and he smelled food. Without warning, a burger, fries and a shake appeared on his lap. He blushed as he looked down at it. He glanced at the others and gave a nervous laugh.

Ben cleared his throat. "You're Wærs, too. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to do that." He motioned to the food.

Jon gave a hearty laugh. "Well, that will come in handy for the trek home."

Tibby shrugged and held up his hands. "But I don't do anything. It just appears when I get really hungry."

"You call it to you with your own energy but we'll..."

Tibby held up his hand and interrupted. "I know. You'll explain more later."

Just then there was a knock on the front door. Ben knew he turned the sign to show the store was closed. He expected it would deter people, unless...

"Everyone quiet and stay out of sight." He poked his head around the wall and looked toward the front of the shop. The second knock was more insistent. "It's the Sheriff," he said quietly to the others and headed for the door.

# Chapter 15

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Reluctantly, Ben unlocked the front door to his bookstore. There were two officers standing on the other side and he recognized one of them as Tungate's Sheriff.

He opened the door. "Hi, Sheriff."

"Ben, is everything okay? You're usually open for business at this time of day."

"I seem to have a touch of the flu." He placed his hand on his belly. "I was just about to head home for the day."

The Sheriff and the other officer studied him. "Does Melanie Craft also have the flu? Her shop is closed as well."

Ben acted surprised. "Oh, I didn't realize her shop was closed."

"May we come in for a moment?" asked the Sheriff.

Ben motioned to his stomach again. "I'm really not feeling well."

The Sheriff wasn't discouraged by his answer. He stepped through the doorway with the other officer behind. "It will just take a moment."

Once the other officer was inside, he immediately began looking around.

"Jonathan Hieran isn't at the coffee shop either."

"Maybe he's still at the street fair. He came by earlier and said he was headed over there." Ben maintained eye contact with the Sheriff but hoped like crazy that Mel and the others were hearing their conversation. He noticed the second officer heading toward the back room and decided he had to do something about it.

"Someone thought they saw him leaving the street fair with a couple kids. They looked like the missing children from Happy Days."

Just as the words left the Sheriff's mouth, Ben waved a hand across the room. "Freosan!" Both officers froze in their tracks, like marble statues. Ben quickly walked to the back room where he'd left the others. He was just about to tell them to get out of the store when he saw that the room was already empty. He sighed with relief.

~~~

Jon, Melanie, Tibby and Fynn sat quietly while Ben went to the front door of the bookstore. They listened intently to his conversation with the Sheriff.

As soon as the Sheriff asked to come into the store, Melanie held a finger to her mouth for Tibby and Fynn to be quiet while she took each of them by the hand and walked over to the wall, where a bookshelf was stuffed full of old books. Jon quickly followed behind, holding Tibby's food.

Tibby thought it peculiar that they suddenly wanted to read a book. Melanie shoved Tibby's and Fynn's hands together, then she took Fynn's outside hand and Jon took Tibby's outside hand. The four of them faced the old books, holding hands.

Melanie moved her free hand through the air and whispered, "Flowan." She and Jon walked forward, pulling Fynn and Tibby with them.

Fynn heard herself gasp as they proceeded to walk through the bookshelf. Mel pulled her more forcibly, through the wall. They stood in a different shop but Fynn recognized it as the art gallery where they saw the painting of the mountain with the bridge.

She and Tibby squirmed as they scratched at their arms and legs.

"It tickles at first but you'll get used to it," whispered Melanie.

~~~

Ben walked back to where he previously stood in front of the Sheriff. He passed his hand through the air and said, "Thawian." Then he continued, "I'm sorry, Sheriff. I haven't seen him...or the missing kids."

He watched the other officer step into the back room and look around. When he returned, he gave the Sheriff a slight shake of his head. Behind the officer, Ben saw Jon suddenly appear in the back of the shop as he tiptoed across the room to the other wall. He wore a mischievous grin on his face and Ben tried not to smile.

Knowing he had just walked through the adjoining wall to the coffee shop, he added, "Are you sure he isn't in his coffee shop? The girl he hired is new and," he lowered his voice, "she's not real bright."

The Sheriff looked at Ben, not sure whether he was being played. "We'll go check again. Thanks for your time, Ben."

The officers walked out of the shop and Ben watched them go next door. He quickly locked the door and turned to see Mel and the kids standing in the doorway of the back room. Fynn and Tibby scratched at their arms.

"That was quick thinking, Mel. Now...we need to get you two out of here."

# Chapter 16

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"It's okay. You can come out now," said Ben as he drove toward the foothills. "We're almost there."

After the Sheriff left his store, Ben watched until the officers left Jon's coffee shop and then got his car and pulled up to the back door of the book store where the kids waited.

Fortunately, there were blankets in his car, along with empty boxes from his last book order. He was glad he hadn't disposed of the boxes yet. He had Tibby get in the car and lay across the back floor, pulling boxes over himself. Fynn crawled all the way in back, under a blanket, near the hatch. Ben tossed a few other items around for a cluttered effect.

As they drove behind the shops, Jonathan ran out the back door of the coffee shop and hopped in the front passenger seat. Melanie had agreed to catch up with them later.

When Ben gave the okay, Fynn and Tibby removed their coverings and made room to sit in the back seat, where Cnāwan settled in between them. Ben turned off the pavement onto a dirt road.

"There are no houses around here," stated Fynn. "You don't have any neighbors?"

"That's right" replied Ben. "I have a large piece of property so it offers privacy. They're going to continue looking for you two but it should be safe here, for now. We don't have much time."

The road curved and climbed a hill. Bushes lined both sides and it was only wide enough for one car. Ben stopped and Fynn saw there was nowhere to go. The road abruptly ended, in the bushes. It was as if the bushes had suddenly decided to grow across the road and meet up in the middle, cutting it off. They were at a dead end!

Fynn rolled down the window and heard a few birds singing as they fluttered about but, otherwise, it was perfectly quiet. She and Tibby glanced at each other, perplexed by their surroundings.

"Uh, you live here?" asked Tibby.

"It's a dead end," said Fynn.

Ben rolled down his window and said, "Open."

Suddenly, the bushes started changing. The leaves rearranged themselves and moved into different positions while, at the same time, scattered off to each side of the road. Fynn and Tibby watched in amazement at the transformation. It sounded like dried leaves blowing in a fall breeze but there wasn't a breeze strong enough to blow them about. Within moments, there was a mass of leaves on each side of the road but their shape was completely transformed. They were now in the shape of two large majestic lions...covered in leaves.

As the car crept forward, Fynn stared in awe outside her window at the bush that had transformed into a lion. If she hadn't known better, she would have sworn that the lion bowed its head to her as they passed.

"Scyttan," commanded Ben.

The bushes scampered back to their original positions and sealed off the road.

Tibby said, "That's it? Open and shuttan? No secret word? Nothing like abracadabra or shazaam?!?"

Ben smiled. "Nope. That's it. But it only works if you're a Wær."

"What do you mean we don't have much time?" asked Fynn.

Ben looked at them in the rear view mirror and then glanced at Jon. With the car idling, they turned around from the front seat to face the kids.

"We aren't from here," said Ben. "Wærs live..." he hesitated, unsure of how to proceed.

Jon blurted it out more directly. "Wærs live in another time and place. Well, to be accurate, it's not far from here but it is in another dimension. The fact that you two and Cnāwan showed up means we have a chance to get back home now."

Ben braced himself for their reaction.

Fynn looked out the window. "I'm not from here." She quietly mumbled it as though she were trying it on for size. As she milled over this new information, she realized that it explained a lot of things about her life. It was certainly a pleasant thought, just like when Tibby stated that they didn't belong at the orphanage. She wondered if he truly realized the full meaning of his own words.

Relief flooded Ben. It appeared that there wouldn't be a reaction.

Tibby asked, "Is this the prophecy thing?"

"You know about the prophecy?" Ben eyed him in the rearview mirror.

"Not exactly," said Fynn. "Cnāwan told me in a dream to trust the prophecy. That's all we know."

"Yes, it is the prophecy," said Jon. "We only have a small window in which to go back, otherwise, we'll die here like..." He caught himself and lowered his voice. "...your parents."

Ben looked at him and cleared his throat. Jon turned back around in the seat and faced the front.

Ben slowly continued up the road as he explained. "Each one of us has something that will help us get back home. Melanie's part has been to help us remember home. We've been here so long we probably would have forgotten it by now. Jon can sense things coming through energy so he'll help us anticipate - issues or problems – on the way home. Cnāwan is our guide. The bottle hanging from Tibby's neck contains something that will help her on part of the trip. I'm the keeper of the book. Opening the book activates the gateway between here and home. The necklace is the key that opens the book. Eight of us came here. Each person, or couple, had a role. Your parents' roles have now been passed on to you."

Fynn thought for a moment. "What about the eighth person, the guy you said died, what was his role?"

Ben said, "He was the original hearer before Jon took over that function."

Jon squirmed in his seat.

"What was he supposed to hear?" asked Fynn.

"A flute," said Ben as he looked over at his friend. "It's okay, Jon."

Fynn gasped. "A flute?!? The first call is a flute."

Jon grew more uncomfortable.

"So you do know about the prophecy," said Ben.

"My mom gave me a poem. I didn't know it was the prophecy. The first call is a flute and it's better to take the first call."

"Okay already," said Jon. "Can we change the subject, please?"

Tibby asked, "If we are the second call home, then that means the first call was missed, right?"

"Geez," said Jon. "I thought I would be able to hear it. I thought I could step into Emmett's role and hear the flute. It came and I missed it. Okay?"

"How?" Fynn asked.

Jon didn't respond at first. Then he quietly said, "I thought it was my neighbor practicing her clarinet. It didn't sound like a flute, okay? And, because of that, we've been stuck here for two hundred thirty one years."

"Two hundred thirty one years?!? No way," said Tibby.

"Yes way," said Ben. "Actually, we're younger than that, according to our dimension, but who's counting...right Jon?" His friend just gave him a smirk. "Wærs don't age the same as people here."

They rode up the hill in silence. A million questions flooded Fynn's mind. Finally, she asked, "If you...if we...aren't from here, then why did you come here?"

Ben said, "We like to visit other dimensions now and then; something different to do. But there's always a risk."

"What do you mean?"

"For every force in this world, there's a counter force – opposites. For day, there's night. Love and hate. Good and bad. That's how this world stays in balance. You do something good and before long something bad happens. When we visit other dimensions, there's always a counterforce to our energy – but it takes different forms depending on where we're at. In this dimension, there are two things that can bring us down: porcupines and forgetting who we are. Actually the latter can hurt us no matter what dimension we're in."

Fynn and Tibby looked at each other. "Porcupines?!?"

"Yes. They're exceptionally drawn to us." Ben giggled, "It is incredible how those awkward little bodies can suddenly move when we're in the vicinity." Then he got serious and gazed at them in the mirror. "Their quills are poisonous to us. That's how Emmett died."

Tibby shook his head. "Wow. No wonder it felt like I would die when I got hit by one."

Fynn's nose wrinkled. "How can you forget who you are?" She caught the shared glance between Jon and Ben.

Jon said, "When you're in another dimension long enough, it's very easy. After a couple hundred years, you start to forget about home. You start living your life like everyone else in that dimension. You forget the Gädweg and the payment for that is that you lose your energy. That's how your parents died. They ran out of energy; they must have been discouraged and gave up."

Fynn's nose wrinkled even more. "What's the Gädweg?"

"It's the source of all life," said Ben. "At least, that's what Wærs call it."

They reached a level area on the side of the hill and stopped in a flat grassy area in front of a tall house. Ben shut off the car and turned around. "We'll have more time to talk. For now, we have work to do. We need to train you for the journey home and," he looked at Fynn, "to get the necklace. You are the keeper of the key now, so it must be you who gets it back."

Fynn's stomach suddenly felt like it was full of butterflies, all struggling for space to fly around.

Jon sensed her nervousness. "Don't worry. It will be like taking candy from a baby."

# Chapter 17

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"The first thing to know is that everything vibrates with energy. Objects may look solid but they aren't. That's why we can manipulate them. But it takes discipline." Ben tapped his head. "Up here. That's what these exercises will teach you...discipline."

"It's simple," smiled Melanie. "First, clear your mind and then focus your thoughts."

Earlier, she had stayed in town to keep her shop open longer. It was good she followed that hunch because the Sheriff came back to ask questions. She managed to satisfy his curiosity but knew that it would only be temporary. As soon as she could, she drove to Ben's house to join the others.

They stood in Ben's back yard. Mel and Ben were instructing Fynn and Tibby when Jon came out of the house with his hands full of gear.

"Here. This is all I could find. Fynn's might be big but it will do." Then he set bows and containers, full of arrows, on the ground.

They were given thick jumpsuits, goggles, and strange caps that fit snuggly on their head, covering their ears and cheeks. The caps were made of thick rubber with small holes all over, to make them less hot.

They put the gear on over their clothes. Tibby looked at Fynn and laughed. Her small frame was lost inside the jumpsuit.

"Hey, dufus. You're not exactly Prince Charming, you know." She looked down at her jumpsuit and held her arms out to the side. The sleeves dangled beyond her hands. Mel helped roll up the sleeves and pant legs while Jon tied a rope around her waist to hold the suit in place.

"Why do we have to wear these for shooting arrows?" she asked. "It's not like we're going to shoot each other."

Jon handed her a bow. "No," he said, "but you might shoot yourselves."

Fynn looked at Tibby and he shrugged. _How can I shoot myself? I can't even point this thing at myself._ "Yeah, right," she mumbled.

Ben and Jon moved back toward the house to watch. Mel picked up an extra bow and an arrow and faced a target hanging on the side of one of the trees. She explained how to hold the bow and arrow and how to position their bodies.

"...and then all you do is pull back on the string and..." Swoosh. The arrow swiftly cut through the air and with a soft thud, hit dead center on the target.

"Now you try, Fynn," she said.

Fynn pulled one of the arrows out of the case, held it between her fingers and notched it on the string. She was just about to pull back when she looked down at the tip of the arrow and noticed something odd.

"I think my arrow is broken," she said. "The end is flat."

"It's not broken," said Melanie. "It's so you don't get hurt."

"But how are we going to..."

"Just shoot it, Fynn," said Mel.

Fynn pulled back with the arrow between her fingers, lined up her sight and let go. She lowered her bow to see where the arrow went but couldn't see it anywhere.

"OUCH!" She reached for her butt but couldn't feel what had hit it so hard. On the ground, behind her feet, was her arrow. She was totally baffled as to how her arrow had switched directions and looped around to hit her from behind.

Tibby laughed so hard he could barely get the words out. "How...did you...do that?!?"

Fynn's face turned crimson. She faced Melanie with her hands clenched by her side. "These are trick arrows, aren't they? That's why the end is flat."

"No, it's not a trick. The arrows respond to how focused you are. Your focus drives them to the target more than pulling back on the bow string. If your thoughts are scattered, they let you know," said Mel. "Relax, Fynn. Clear your mind. Then see the arrow hit the target."

Fynn rubbed her butt again and heard Tibby snicker. She gave him a sideways glare. She took another arrow and lined it up with the target. _I'll show him._ She let go of the string. The arrow headed toward the target. _Beat that, dufus!_

Suddenly the arrow changed directions and turned on her. She quickly ducked and barely avoided a hit in the head. The arrow turned faster yet and slammed into her upper arm before she could react.

"OWWW!"

Tibby turned his head away from her so she couldn't see his snicker.

Mel said, "Pain will be a great motivator in this case. You'll catch on quickly just to avoid getting hit. Your disciplined thoughts are critical to getting home safely. Now that the Gädweg has awakened in you both, you can't just let your thoughts or emotions run wild. Once we cross to our dimension, if anger or fear gets the best of you, for example, it could be our downfall. It will come back at you, like a boomerang. Tibby, you try. Let your focus guide the arrow to the target."

Tibby pulled an arrow from his container and held it the way Mel showed them. He tried to clear his mind and did his best to focus and to tell himself that he really wanted his arrow to hit the target. He was concentrating so hard his head started to hurt so he let go.

He lowered his bow and realized he couldn't see his arrow anywhere. It didn't hit the target. He thought about what happened to Fynn so he quickly turned to see if it was coming from behind but it wasn't there.

Thud!

"OW!" he cried. His arrow had come from the side and hit him in the head. Now his head really hurt.

"Not as easy as it looks, is it?" Fynn gave him a smug face.

Ben said, "That's why you have to wear the gear and that's why the ends of the arrows are flat. Keep practicing and we'll call you when it's time for supper. Remember, it has more to do with your focus than it does the mechanics of shooting an arrow."

Ben, Jon and Mel headed toward the house.

~~~

Fynn and Tibby were exhausted by the time they were called to supper. At least they were getting a little better, maybe one arrow out of twenty actually headed toward the target – but none ever hit, not even close.

Once they were told to remove the gear, they expected to see bruises all over their bodies from where the arrows hit. They were sore but fortunately there were no marks. They walked inside and Jon handed them each a cup of liquid.

Fynn sniffed at it, thinking it was tea. Her face scrunched up and she turned her head away from it. "Ewwww! That's awful!!"

Tibby sniffed and had the same reaction. "What is that?"

"It's a Wær tonic," said Jon. "It will help with your soreness."

Fynn took a sip and looked like she was about to throw up. "It smells like moldy, mint-covered stinky socks and tastes even worse."

"Then hold your nose, if you have to," said Ben. "You need to drink the whole thing. We must move quickly through your training and this will help to expedite things."

Tibby and Fynn looked at each other. They plugged their noses and gulped as fast as possible. Fynn pushed the cup into Jon's hand, then mockingly opened her mouth and pointed her finger down her throat, like she was gagging.

In spite of the horrid taste, a warm sensation spread throughout her body. The soreness instantly vanished and she felt rejuvenated. Cool!

She noticed Mel studying her. "What?"

"It's time to do something about that hair." Mel held out her hand. "Come on. I know where there's a pair of sharp scissors."

# Chapter 18

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"One of us has to stay with you at all times," said Ben. "Not just to keep your training going but to also make sure the Sheriff and his deputies don't find you." Then he gazed at Fynn for a moment and smiled at her new haircut. "I didn't know Mel had it in her."

Fynn reached for her head and rubbed her hand down through her hair. It was the shortest she had ever worn it but it felt smooth. She smiled back at Ben.

Tibby stared at her from across the table. He couldn't help but notice how her short hair revealed more of her deep, blue eyes which appeared to be more penetrating than before. He quickly looked away before she caught him staring.

They sat opposite each other at Ben's kitchen table and practiced with a retriever ball – a gold colored ball slightly larger than a golf ball. For the most part, it had a smooth surface but specific lines were etched in it. A line divided the ball in half. Then above and below the line were double–ended arrows that went all around the circumference. One end of each arrow pointed toward the line in the middle of the ball and the other pointed to the apex at each end where there was a small circle.

While they talked with Ben, they played a game to practice their skills. Keeping their hands behind their backs, the objective was to knock the ball off the table onto the other's lap using energy to push or pull the ball. Ben knew they were ready to move onto something else since they could do it fairly well while holding a conversation. Their training was going well.

"What makes you think they'll find us? This place is really hidden," said Tibby.

"Well, it's a funny thing. Wærs have a more refined energy than people in other dimensions. This place, in particular, has a coarse energy, which is why it can sometimes nauseate you."

Fynn looked at Ben. "So that explains why it's hard to be around people sometimes, especially in groups."

Tibby took advantage of her diverted attention and pushed the ball over the edge of the table, into her lap. Being that the nature of a retriever ball was to retrieve itself, the ball immediately jumped off her lap and back onto the center of the table.

Fynn looked sideways at Tibby and raised one eyebrow at his last move. She reached out with her foot underneath the table and lightly kicked him. It caught him by surprise and she managed to dump the ball in his lap. Ben smiled at their interaction.

"Yes, that's why it can be hard. But as we mentioned before, there is a counter-force for every force in this world. Other forces come into play to contradict us. So, as we get closer to leaving this dimension, you'll see that more energy is put into motion to try to stop us. It can't be helped but my concern is that the authorities might be the ones to play that role this time."

All of a sudden, Cnāwan sang out. It was similar to the night she came to Fynn at Happy Days. One moment it sounded mournful and melancholy; the next moment it sounded like the cat was trying to talk in words.

"Roooowwwrrr. Mmmmummmmrummm. Mowww. Mooowwrr."

Fynn whispered, "I guess she's at it again."

"She'll be doing this off and on until we leave," replied Ben.

As soon as Fynn, Tibby and the cat had arrived at Ben's house, Cnāwan went into a different mode. She quit talking to Fynn with words in her head but Fynn could hear her outwardly, like an ordinary cat. Still, only Tibby and Fynn could see her but now the others could hear her feline expressions.

"Sometimes it sounds really sad," said Tibby.

"It's not," replied Ben. "She's just singing tales about home. She's been sleeping more to build up her energy and the singing, when she's awake, helps her remember home. It needs to stay strong in her mind so that she can lead us to the gate."

Cnāwan cried a sound that Fynn found humorous. She slapped her hand over her mouth so the cat wouldn't hear her giggle. She and Tibby had laughed once when the cat sang. Cnāwan stopped abruptly and stared at them. Jon told them that apparently it hurt the cat's feelings when they laughed so they had to laugh quietly because they didn't want to discourage it.

"Okay," said Ben, "let's try something different now. I'm sure you're familiar with the tag game. Instead of tagging the other person with your hand, you'll tag them with the ball. The person being pursued can use the energy to avoid the ball. This game seems to accelerate skills. The house is free rein, just don't break anything."

Tibby grabbed the retriever ball. "I'll be it, first." He stood.

Fynn immediately noticed the mischievous look in his eyes. She stood, raised her eyebrows and started backing out of the kitchen while keeping her eyes on him and the airborne ball. Then she ran into the living room and up the stairs as fast her legs would move.

At the top she stopped and looked over the railing to the first floor. There was a narrow opening where she could see that he was following. She crouched down against the wall that led down the hallway and poked her head around the corner to see him standing at the bottom of the stairs. The airborne ball was ahead of him, about a foot in front of his face.

Fynn waited until he climbed a few steps. Then she concentrated, snuck another look around the corner and gave it all she had. She used the energy to push in the opposite direction in front of the ball. Tibby was so focused that he didn't see it coming. The ball slammed backwards and hit him between the eyes.

"Hey," he hollered. "You're cagey, Fynn Cage." He caught it in his hand, after it bounced off his forehead, and soon had it airborne again.

Fynn burst out laughing and ran down the hall into one of the bedrooms. She slipped behind the door and hugged the wall.

As Tibby followed, he decided it was better to let the ball go farther ahead of him. That way, if she tried to push back again, he had enough distance and time to react and counter the push.

Half way down the hall, he could see the shadow of her feet underneath the doorway. An idea came to mind. He let the ball go farther ahead until it went past the doorway to the room where she hid. He stopped and held still for several minutes, and waited. He focused on keeping the ball in the air but motionless.

Fynn heard a floor board squeak. It sounded like Tibby was nearby but then there was silence. She waited...and waited some more. Still, there was no sound. Finally, she assumed that he had gone in a different direction. She stepped quietly from behind the door and crept to the doorway. She peeked around the door frame to see Tibby standing in the hallway. He simply smiled at her. He enjoyed the momentary look of confusion on her face in the instant right before the ball hit her on the back of the head.

"Tag, you're it," he calmly said. He giggled and then took off running back down the hallway and down the stairs.

Fynn stood with the ball in her hand. She had to admit, that was a good move on his part. She understood why this game was good for developing skills. It meant that she had to keep all senses alert at all times.

# Chapter 19

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The next morning, Jon came to the house for their training so that Ben could go to work in the bookstore and give the appearance that everything was normal. In the back yard, Jon taught Fynn and Tibby how to gather energy and concentrate it into a ball. Once they mastered that, he planned to show them more creative uses for the balls and how to transform them.

"What do you call home?" asked Tibby.

"We call it home," Jon teased.

Tibby saw the corners of Jon's mouth turn up slightly. "Cute," he said.

"Its formal name is Elione."

"What's it mean?" asked Fynn.

"Some believe it means illumination. Some think it's the name of the person who first found it. I honestly don't know which is correct. It's a very big mountain. Sometimes we just call it the mountain," he explained dryly.

Cnāwan had been curled up in a sunny spot in the yard while they played with the energy balls. Fynn noticed Cnāwan's head pop up as soon as they spoke of home. The cat sat up, sang for a few minutes and then watched the others.

Fynn held the gray ball of matter she had formed and played with it. It was light as a feather, and looked solid from a distance, but up close it pulsated like it was made up of individual tiny particles that danced and vibrated in union with each other. She threw it at a tree trunk, thinking it would bounce back like an actual ball. Instead, when it hit, all the separate particles spread out and dissipated. "Weird."

She looked at Jon and wanted to ask something but didn't want to make him uncomfortable by bringing up a sensitive topic.

Jon returned the gaze. "Go ahead. Ask."

"How would a flute have gotten you home?"

"Well, there's a gate between this dimension and Elione. It's more like a tear in the time-space continuum. Anyway, once the flute sounded, we had exactly three days - in this dimension's time - to finish up loose ends and gather everyone together. Once we're all gathered our vibrations are stronger. It's like turning on a beacon for the gate to locate us. It would have come to us and opened. We would have stepped through and been home, in one easy step, with very little energy expended."

"Interesting," said Fynn. "So why does the second call take more energy?"

Tibby listened to the conversation while he tossed an energy ball into the air. He focused to keep it airborne and then let it fall and kicked it. Millions of glistening particles scattered throughout the air. "That is so cool," he said.

Jon watched him play. "There's always a risk with exploring. The greatest risk is that you might not make it back home. If a Wær doesn't return home with the first call, then it becomes more challenging. You don't know when or exactly how the second call will come. It might take hundreds of years before it comes. Because you've spent so much time away, your energy starts to drain. You forget what home was like. If you aren't careful, your vibration weakens."

"Like our parents?" asked Tibby.

"Exactly," replied Jon. "With the second call, we have to find the gate and manually open it; it won't come to us. It's kind of like a test to see if we really do want to return home or whether we want to stay in the dimension we visited. If one hasn't already died here by the time the second call comes, then our remaining energy is used to get to the gate. But it's important for all of us to be thinking about home in these last few days. It's not only important for Cnāwan but the more we all think about it and picture it in our minds, the more it will help us be drawn to the gate."

Fynn asked, "But if we've never been there, how can we think about it?"

"Mel's paintings. You saw one that called to you, remember? You felt it in your body."

"Yeah," said Tibby, "that was strange."

"I'll have her bring a couple paintings here to help you picture it."

Cnāwan walked over and sat in front of Jon. Fynn watched and wondered what the cat was up to. Then she heard the cat's words in her mind for the first time in several days.

He has to let go of the guilt.

Jon noticed Fynn frown as she stared at the ground in front of him. "What is it?" he asked.

Fynn asked the cat: _What do you mean?_

He has to let go of the guilt if he is to make it home. He's spent a lot of his energy feeling guilty about missing the first call. He must forgive himself and let it go so he can use that energy to get home.

Fynn looked at Jon and cleared her throat. "Uh, Cnāwan says you have to let go of the guilt. You have to forgive yourself and let it go so you have the energy to get home."

A look of pain crossed Jon's face – emotional pain. He turned away and Fynn knew those words struck a sensitive chord in him. He took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. Then he turned back and looked at the ground in the vicinity of where Fynn had looked.

"I know," he said. "I'm trying. It's just that we lost five people."

Fynn knew he was talking to the cat, even though he couldn't see her.

They made the choice. They knew the risk.

Fynn repeated Cnāwan's words to him. Jon nodded his understanding and Cnāwan walked away. She found another sunny spot, curled up in a ball, and went to sleep.

Tibby and Fynn continued practicing in silence. It was obvious that Jon was considering Cnāwan's words and they wanted to give him the space to do so.

Several minutes passed. Jon stood and stretched his body. He rubbed his belly. "Anyone hungry?"

"Sure," said Tibby. "What do you want?"

Jon knew Tibby was willing to make the food appear. He shook his head, "Sorry but we have to do this the old fashioned way. I'll get us something. You need to use your energy to practice – not to manifest food. There may be a need, however, for your help on the journey home."

# Chapter 20

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"I'm heading to town," said Ben. He stood from the kitchen table and set his breakfast dishes by the sink. Mel and the kids were still eating. "Be alert, Mel. They're watching us. I'm not certain but I may have been followed part way home last night."

"Did you let Jon know?" she asked.

"Yes, I told him. Do what you can to speed up the training." He motioned toward the kids, whose backs were to him. "We might have to move sooner than I originally thought."

Mel nodded in return. She understood his meaning. They needed to get the necklace back soon so she had to finish training Fynn.

Ben left. Mel stood and walked around to find the right spot. She needed to start with a simple wall; one that had no objects on either side. From there she would build Fynn's confidence so that thicker, concrete walls were no problem.

As she stepped into the living room, she realized a small part of the kitchen wall she had just passed was bare. She looked in the living room. There was a chair, a lamp and a small table against the wall. She quickly moved the furniture out of the way and went back into the kitchen.

"Okay, you two. Let's get started."

Fynn and Tibby joined her near the kitchen wall. "What are we doing?" asked Fynn.

"You're going to walk through this wall."

Fynn suddenly felt nervous. "You mean like we did at the bookstore?" She didn't know exactly why it made her nervous. It was an involuntary reaction – like falling into deep water and instinct says: Don't breath or you'll drown.

"Yup, except this time, you're doing it on your own. When Jon and I held your hands and we were all connected, we created a circuit that allowed you to do it. Now you need to learn to do it on your own. I remember hearing you gasp as we went through the bookstore wall, Fynn. It was fear, and fear will stop you dead in your tracks."

"I thought I would suffocate or something," she replied in her defense.

"You won't suffocate. It looks solid but it really isn't. Just clear your mind and relax. That's the most important part of it. Once you've done that, say the word _flowan_. Don't think about it. Just walk forward and you'll feel the momentum pull you through. If you think about it, you'll pop back out."

Fynn looked at the wall and then back at Mel. Tibby could feel her tense up and wished he could help her.

"Want me to go first?" he asked.

"Good idea," said Mel. "Go ahead."

Tibby stepped to within a couple feet of the wall. He closed his eyes and took in a couple breaths while he cleared his mind. "Flowan." He opened his eyes and stepped forward. He didn't even hesitate. Fynn heard him giggle on the way through.

"I did it," he shouted from the living room. "That was awesome."

"Good job. Come back through," said Mel.

Fynn stared at the wall and first saw Tibby's foot poke through as he was mid step. The rest of his body followed and he stood in the kitchen with a big smile on his face, while he scratched at his arms and legs. "That was fun."

Mel looked at Fynn. "You can do it, Fynn. It's one of the easiest things you'll ever do. You just have to believe you can do it. Trust the Gädweg."

Fynn gave her a perplexed look. "The wha...oh, yeah. The source of life, right?"

Mel nodded her head. "You're a Wær, Fynn, and the Gädweg is awake in you. Your mind is used to seeing things as solid and permanent but they aren't. Nothing is as it appears. So, you have to get past your mind and trust the energy of the Gädweg; it can do things that our limited minds cannot."

Fynn stepped to the wall. She closed her eyes and took several slow breaths, then opened them and quietly said, "Flowan." She didn't feel relaxed but took a step forward anyway. Her foot went through the wall and the rest of her body started to follow. Just as her face was about to pass through, she gasped. The momentum suddenly reversed and kicked her out. She almost lost her balance but Mel grabbed her by the arm to steady her.

"Try it again."

Fynn shut her eyes and listened to her rapid heartbeat. She took several deliberate breaths to calm it. _Okay, I'm a Wær. I should be able to do this. It will be okay. Relax._ She opened her eyes and said, "Flowan." She slowly stepped forward and her foot led the way into the wall. _Don't gasp. Just relax._ Her upper leg made it through now. _Don't think, just relax._ Her upper body started to go through it. When her face passed through, she stopped and looked around. She didn't see wood, electric wires or plasterboard; she saw everything at a molecular level. She saw all the tiny, miniscule particles of the wood...moving around! On one hand, it was kind of cool; on the other hand, it scared her. She gasped and was thrown backwards and landed hard on her butt.

"You were almost there. What happened?" asked Mel.

"I don't know. I just saw all these little things moving and it startled me."

"Fynn, you're focusing too much on the wall itself. Don't think about the wall. Don't think about what you're doing. Don't think – at all."

Fynn stood and brushed off her bottom. "That's easy for you to say."

"You're making this harder than it is." Mel thought for a moment. "Tibby, stand on the other side of the wall." He stepped through it as easily as walking through an open doorway.

_Show off_ , thought Fynn.

Mel put her hand on Fynn's back as she talked. "Step up to the wall." Fynn took a couple steps and stopped. "Now close your eyes and breathe. Think of Tibby standing on the other side of the wall. He's facing you. You're simply going to walk up to him, like you're going to hug him."

Fynn opened her eyes and looked at Mel with a bashful grin. Mel lowered her voice. "Just pretend, Fynn. Close your eyes. In your mind, picture him standing in the living room. Then when you're ready..."

Fynn took a couple more breaths. _I can do this. It's easy._ She pictured Tibby in her mind, standing in the living room facing her. She opened her eyes and said, "Flowan."

She took a step. Suddenly, Mel shoved her. _What the...?_ Fynn lost her balance and gasped. She had already passed through the wall so the momentum didn't reverse on her but Mel had pushed a bit too hard and Fynn tripped into Tibby's arms. He caught her.

Fynn looked up as Tibby smiled. Suddenly she felt self-conscious about being in his arms. Her cheeks reddened. She quickly composed herself and shouted to Mel. "Hey, what'd you do that for?"

Mel joined them in the living room, "Sorry. I wanted you to do it before you had a chance to think. I didn't mean to push that hard."

Tibby realized that he didn't mind one bit. In fact, he enjoyed catching Fynn. Thinking about it made the smile return to his face.

Mel walked to the fireplace. "Come over here."

On the floor, leaning against the wall, were two paintings. They had seen one of them in the art gallery. It was the picture of the two mountains, with the bridge between them. It still made their bodies tingle when they stared at it. Even though they had never been to Elione, it was like their bodies somehow knew the place, on a cellular level.

The second painting was large. It had to be because it was of a city built in a caldera, the crater of a volcano, but this one was obviously inactive. The volcano was huge to contain the enormous city, which took up the whole basin all the way to the outer edges.

It was a colorful city and there was no need for street lights. Most of the buildings were made of a gold substance and radiated light as the sun was setting, low on the horizon. The rooftops were made of precious gems, smooth and glassy but colorful: there was ruby red, dark purple – like amethyst, and a brilliant sapphire blue. Gardens, containing beautiful flowers, spread throughout the city.

Mel said, "I know you haven't been there but this is your home – your real home. This was home to your parents. They wanted to return but now they can't. You can, though. They would want this for you more than anything else."

"What's it like?" asked Fynn.

"Words don't do it justice. You'll have to experience it. But none of us will get there without the key. This is our last chance. Keep these pictures in mind...both of you...and trust that the Gädweg will lead us there. Let this be your motivation to do what is needed to get back. If we stay true to the task at hand, then we'll find the gate."

Fynn thought about her mother and how she said she should have told her some things long ago. Elione must have been one of those things. Fynn looked at the painting and tried to picture her mother and father there. She wondered how anyone could forget about such a stunning place.

After the pep talk, Tibby and Fynn spent the rest of the day walking through walls. With repetition, Fynn's anxiety lessened. By the end of the day, she was walking through the outside walls of the house with no hesitation.

That night, as the house fell into silence, Fynn lay in bed, wide awake. She had a difficult time settling her mind. She turned on the bedside lamp and looked around the room. Then, wondering if she could climb out the window and sit out on the roof like she did at home, she climbed out of bed and opened the window. The backside of the house dropped straight to the ground, so there was no place to sit, but the breeze was refreshing. The curtains fluttered in response to the gentle wind and caught her attention.

She reached over and felt the fabric between her fingers and was instantly taken back to her mother's room. The fabric of the curtains was the same fabric as the curtains in her mother's room. It was a heavy cotton weave with traces of colorful threads interwoven throughout the material. The memory of her last conversation with her mother filled her mind; her mother's frail state, the box with the necklace and the poem...her promise.

She tried not to think about how the weight of retrieving the necklace fell on her shoulders alone. No - she had to stay focused and keep the right attitude. She couldn't allow herself to entertain the idea of what would happen if she failed. Not only would she let the others down but it felt like she would be a disappointment to her mother and father, even though they were both dead. They wouldn't really know but the truth was that she would know...and the burden of living with that felt worse than shouldering the responsibility of retrieving the necklace.

# Chapter 21

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The night was so black that Fynn was blinded; she couldn't make out any shapes. The others had accompanied her to the outside of the big cement building that housed the orphans of Happy Days Home for Children. They hid in the trees and waited for her to do her job. From there, she had to go alone, with one exception - the cat joined her.

It was a cool night but she perspired as though it was noon and ninety five degrees outside. Nerves. She wasn't very skilled at calming her nerves in a tense situation. Internally, she was a wreck and felt a burning knot in her gut.

_With arms outstretched before her, she approached the cement slabs at the front of the building. She couldn't make out any details in the dark but the weight of the structure pressed heavily upon her senses._ Relax _, she told herself._ Breathe. Jon said it would be like taking candy from a baby.

_She wished the cat would say something – anything – to help her calm down. Cnāwan sat on the ground a couple paces ahead and stared straight ahead. Then the cat stood and walked through the wall. The cat's urgent words filled Fynn's mind:_ It's time. _Fynn closed her eyes and concentrated on relaxing and clearing her mind._ It's now or never _, she told herself. She opened her eyes and said, "Flowan."_

_She took a step forward and her foot went into the cement block. The rest of her body followed. Even though she couldn't physically feel the slab against her skin, her senses knew it was cold, hard and unforgiving._ How horrible it would be to get stuck in here. _As soon as she had that thought, the momentum stopped pulling her through the hard cement but it didn't push her back out either._

Her body felt heavy and she could barely move. It was like trying to wade through a neck-deep pool of mud. She hollered. "Cnāwan! Help! I'm stuck!"

The cat's face appeared before her. It changed into the woman with black hair and clear, emerald eyes. The woman said, "No you're not. It's not real. Get yourself unstuck." Then the face disappeared.

Fynn woke with a gasp and sat up in bed. She sucked in several breaths before realizing it had only been a dream. The light coming through the window revealed the dawn breaking but the house was silent; the others were still asleep.

The dream left her on edge. It was simply an indication of how nervous she felt. _Like I need a reminder! Tonight's the night we go to get the necklace – that I get the necklace._ Her heart was still beating fast. She needed to get a grip on her thoughts and emotions.

Quiet time, outside with nature, was always calming - it helped her relax. She dressed, snuck downstairs and headed out the back door. There were lots of trees to choose from and she found one that was easy to climb and straddled the bottom branch.

She watched, and listened to the quiet, purposely not thinking but simply observing. Why was it so easy for her to stop thinking in situations like this but not when she had to walk through a wall? Her brain struggled yet with the concept that things weren't really solid but she didn't want to go there right now. She just wanted to sit in the silence.

After a few minutes, she felt herself relaxing. Then she thought about her mom and how so much had happened over the past week. It suddenly dawned on her that she hadn't had much time to think about her mother. At that realization, she felt sad. She missed her mother terribly. She also felt bad about not keeping the necklace safe. She had to get it back. She promised.

Fynn closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She knew that someplace deep inside she had the strength to discipline herself and to calm her mind. She knew that somewhere within was the ability to trust, like she had never trusted before. She reasoned that being a Wær meant she already had the innate skill to master the use of energy, but first she must contain her own thoughts and emotions – she must direct them, not the other way around. Otherwise, what would be the point? The Gädweg was not stupid. With quiet determination, she tried to get a hold of herself. She had to; otherwise, she might fail.

She thought about the girl at Happy Days who took the box. Little Snipwit. Fynn recalled the look on her face that morning before the fire alarm sounded. She recalled seeing her outside in the courtyard with the box in her lap as she and Tibby began their escape. Thinking about all of this angered her... _the nerve of the girl._ _She had no right to take it!_ Fynn felt herself getting warm with anger. She pictured herself taking the necklace back and realized she would enjoy it.

She was preoccupied and didn't notice a crow land in the tree next to hers. Soon a second one landed next to it. They both perched on the branch and stared at her. After a moment, they made quiet cawing sounds as though they were whispering to each other...in crow talk. A few more landed in the tree and joined in. Before long, the whole tree was full of crows. We all know what happens when a large group of whisperers get together...they get louder just to be heard above the whispers of all the others. As more crows landed in other nearby trees, it turned into yelling. Caaw! Caaaw!! Caaaw!!!

The racket caused Fynn to open her eyes. She had never seen so many crows gathered together. She flung her arms out in front and said, "Shoo. Go on." None flew away but they stopped cawing and stared at her.

Once again, she closed her eyes and took in several breaths. The chatter started again but, in spite of it, she felt herself calming once again. She thought about the training she had received over the past few days and wondered how she would put it to use for retrieving the necklace.

Then she thought about the building and the cement slabs she had to get through. Her dream came to mind and the fear she felt from being stuck in the suffocating concrete resurfaced. Her breathing quickened and her heart beat a little faster at the thought of it.

As soon as the fear returned, the crows responded by cawing even louder. Fynn let out an exasperated grunt.

"ENOUGH! All of you be GONE!" she cried as her arms flung through the air in their direction.

In an instant, hundreds of crows took to the sky, screeching and scrambling over each other to catch flight. With so many trying to occupy the same space at the same time, each one bullied its way past the others but none would retreat.

Suddenly, Fynn saw nothing but a black mass of feathers and claws coming her way. She needed to get out of the tree, fast! She swung herself to the underside of the branch as her feet desperately searched for the first foothold to start the climb down. Something sharp pierced her hand and she shrieked.

In a split second, she was dangling by one hand from a branch that was too thick to be grasped single handedly. She glanced up and saw two crows, in a gritty battle, right next to her hand – which was slipping. She looked down. The ground was too far to jump without breaking something and she hadn't mastered the use of energy well enough to help herself but none of this mattered. Her hand slipped and she fell.

She squeezed her eyes tight. She didn't want to know when she was going to hit. Just when she expected to feel the harsh impact, her body jerked slightly as something broke her fall. Opening one eye to sneak a look, she found herself several feet above the ground, for no visible reason.

She let out a sigh, not realizing she was holding her breath. She noticed Ben standing by the tree, a knowing grin on his face, and the others were on the back patio. She crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"You can put me down, now," she said.

"A little nervous, are we?" asked Ben.

"What do you mean?"

"Your nerves put out a vibration that attracted the crows. Heck, they probably thought they were being called by the mother crow of them all."

"Pffff," she said in disbelief.

He walked closer to face her. Because she dangled so far above the ground, they were nearly eye to eye.

"Fynn, you've been given all the ammunition you need. We gave you the basics. It's up to you and your imagination to make them work to your advantage. Getting the necklace back can be very simple. Or, you can make it hard by allowing your emotions to get in the way." He tapped his head. "This is your only obstacle – nothing else."

Fynn looked away and a tear appeared in the corner of her eye.

Ben motioned through the air. "Slaw dropa."

Fynn was gracefully lowered until her feet touched the ground. He pulled her into a hug and let her cry.

"It's okay, Fynn." After a moment, he let go and examined her face. "Do you want to talk about what's really bothering you?"

"I feel like I've let my mother down. I didn't protect the only thing she gave me."

He studied her for a moment. "You'll get it back. It's going to be so simple. You just have to trust that what I'm saying is true. You'll see." He turned his head so that he looked at her sideways, through the corner of his eye. "What else?"

Her lip quivered and she sucked in a breath. "If I leave here, I leave my mother forever."

He hugged her again and let her cry some more. Then he put his hands on her shoulders. "Not true. When we get to Elione, you can learn more about your mother and father than you would ever learn here. The archives have all our history."

Fynn perked up at hearing this. With the back of her hand, she wiped the wetness from her eyes and sniffled. "Archives?"

He nodded. "We're all in there. Once we get back, I promise to take you there."

# Chapter 22

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Jon handed Fynn a cup. "Here, drink this."

"If that's the moldy-stinky-feet-tea...no thanks."

"It isn't. It's a pleasant tonic that will help you with your mission."

"Really?!?"

He nodded.

Fynn took the cup and drank. It was warm and sweet. She handed it back. "Thanks." She didn't catch Mel's knowing glance at Jon or the playful smirk on her face.

Earlier that evening, Fynn and Tibby had been allowed to sleep for a few hours before Mel woke them shortly before midnight. They were all going together, at midnight. Even Cnāwan.

The plan was to park the car in a remote spot, previously picked out by Jon. Then they would hike the rest of the way to the back side of the home. By the time they arrived, it would be almost one o'clock in the morning. Everyone at Happy Days should be sound asleep at that hour.

Ben drove, with Mel in the front seat beside him. Jon, Tibby and Fynn shared the back seat. As Fynn crawled inside, she noticed several backpacks behind the seat. She settled in the middle and Cnāwan curled up on her lap.

They drove in silence. After going down the hill from Ben's house, they headed toward town but he turned onto a rural road before entering Tungate proper. The three-quarter moon in the sky allowed them to see their surroundings fairly well.

They passed a couple farms surrounded by open meadows and fields of crops. Ben turned onto a dirt road, drove for a distance and then pulled into an open field. Ahead was an old building, worn and weathered from years of neglect. He parked behind it so the vehicle couldn't be seen from the road. There was a cluster of trees not far away, next to an equally run-down, abandoned house.

"Remember this shed?" asked Tibby.

Fynn studied the building as she subconsciously reached for her head. She remembered how much those rusted shears pulled her hair. "Yeah. The worst haircut of my life."

Tibby mocked a hurt look on his face as she grinned back.

They got out of the car and Ben, Jon and Mel put on the packs.

"It should take about thirty minutes from here," said Ben. He adjusted the straps of his pack so it sat evenly on his shoulders. "We'll take the most direct path." He looked around to confirm that they were alone. "Keep your eyes open for signs of other people. Talk as little as possible."

~~~

The moonlight reflected off the black iron fence up ahead. Ben was in the lead and, as they approached, he softly said, "Flowan." Each person repeated it as they stepped through the barrier into the trees on the back edge of the courtyard. Fynn and Tibby shared an uneasy glance and then stared at the building across the moonlit courtyard.

Tibby leaned over and whispered. "Feels strange being back here, doesn't it?"

She nodded. He didn't want to be there any more than she did.

Ben rested his hand on her shoulder. "We'll be right here. Cnāwan will go with you."

Jon whispered, "Remember, it's as easy as taking candy from a baby. Drinking the tonic was added assurance."

Fynn nodded her understanding, although the relaxed warmth she felt after drinking it was quickly being replaced by anxiety.

Ben shot Mel a questioning look and mouthed the word, "Tonic?"

Mel held a finger to her mouth to indicate that now wasn't the time. "You'll do just fine, Fynn."

Fynn turned to face the building. A butterfly feeling passed through her gut and she took in a breath. During their hike, she had time to think. The dream about getting stuck in the concrete wall was still fresh in her mind so she chose to walk through the back door instead. It felt less restrictive to step through a thin door than those condensed, heavy slabs outside the building.

Mel told her that the concept was the same, whether she walked through marble walls or a piece of paper. The only restriction was that her mind didn't believe how simple it really was. Fynn still struggled with that concept.

Cnāwan walked ahead of her as they crossed the courtyard. They reached the back door and effortlessly stepped through. Once inside, Fynn stopped and listened. She didn't want to encounter anyone in the hallway and, fortunately, it was dead quiet.

# Chapter 23

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Cnāwan sat on the floor beside her, waiting for her to make the first move. The cat looked up in anticipation.

Fynn knew the cat wouldn't say anything, unless it was absolutely necessary. Instead, Cnāwan stood and rubbed against her leg. She was glad for the company and appreciated the silent encouragement.

She walked straight to the hallway that led to the girl's side of the building. She passed the rooms for the instructors and, Eloise, the house assistant. The doors were closed and she was glad for that. She continued down the hall and, at the end, poked her head around the corner to see the room of sixty beds. Most had bodies in them. Apparently, more girls had already been taken in since she left. She watched for a moment, to make sure there was no movement. The vibrations swirling in the room struck her awareness, like the scent of a skunk suddenly filling her nostrils.

Facing the room, she passed her hand through the air and quietly said, "Freosan." At least that would calm the vibrations for a while. She watched to make certain that no one moved. Using the light from the hallway, she proceeded to the bed in which she last saw little Snipwit. There she lay, face up, frozen in sleep - as still as a corpse.

Fynn didn't expect the box to be lying out in the open but knew there weren't many options for hiding places. She put her hand underneath the pillow and felt around.

No box.

She looked under the bed and at the underside of the mattress.

No box.

She felt around in the bedding, on all sides of the girl.

No box.

Maybe she's wearing it. She checked the girl's neck.

No necklace.

She was beside herself. She looked around the room and didn't see any other reasonable hiding places. It was the last thing she wanted to do but, after some thought, she decided to unfreeze and wake the girl.

In the air, directly above little Snipwit's body, she created a ball of matter and kept it airborne as it spun and pulsated. She passed a hand over the girl. "Thawian."

The girl returned to normal sleep. Fynn gently nudged her. The girl's eyes opened and immediately went wide. She was about to scream so Fynn slapped a hand over her mouth. Little Snipwit's eyes darted back and forth between Fynn's face and the ball of matter directly overhead. Then the girl looked at Fynn and visibly relaxed at recognizing her.

Fynn bent over her face and whispered. "If you scream, I'll make sure you never speak again. Understood?" The girl nodded. "I'm going to move my hand. Don't scream, or else!"

The girl remained still. "How...where..."

"Where's the box with the necklace?"

"Wha..."

"The box. You took it from my bed the day I left. Where is it?!?"

The girl thought about it...and kept thinking about it. After several moments, her face took on a sad expression and she quietly said, "It's important to you, isn't it? The necklace, I mean. Did someone special give it to you?"

Fynn couldn't believe it! The girl wasn't the least bit afraid. Nor did she show any remorse for taking something that didn't belong to her. Fynn was momentarily thrown off guard and the last thing she came here for was conversation. She gestured with her hand toward the ball of matter. It grew and formed into the head of a lion. It grumbled a deep, guttural growl.

"Where is it?!?" she demanded.

Even though she gazed at the lion, the look in little Snipwit's eyes was distant, as though she had just ventured off to visit a distant memory, and didn't even see the lion. "I suppose it is important, or you wouldn't have returned. I had a necklace. It was my mother's...but it was taken from me when I came here." Then, as if she suddenly returned, she looked at Fynn. "You could get it back for me!"

"No. Give me the box or it will eat you alive!" The lion bared sharp teeth and gave a fierce hiss.

The girl startled as though she just noticed the lion for the first time. For a brief moment, her face registered fear but then a smile slowly formed on her lips. "If it eats me then you'll never get your necklace back." Giggle. "If you get my necklace for me, I'll give you yours."

Fynn sighed in exasperation. She looked down at Cnāwan for help. As the cat returned the gaze, Fynn saw her mouth turned at a slight angle, as if Cnāwan had just said, _Hmmm. Interesting._

Fynn rolled her eyes and looked back at the girl as she dispensed the ball of matter with a flick of her wrist. "Where's your necklace?"

The girl excitedly sat up. "In the vault – upstairs – in Miss Snipworth's office. I'll come with you." Little Snipwit described the necklace to Fynn. Then she went off on a tangent of how the necklace was a gift to her mother and how beautiful it looked on her, especially with her ivory dress. "Oh, how I miss my mother. I bet you miss yours, too. We all do. It's so sad how things happen. I remember the time when my mother took me to..."

Fynn didn't have time for this. She swung both hands through the air, in a circular motion, and said, "Haldan."

The blankets on the bed suddenly came to life and wrapped around the girl, like a cocoon from the neck down, and held her in place.

"Hey, wha..."

Immediately after, Fynn waived a finger. "Freosan!"

The conversation abruptly ended and there was silence, once more.

# Chapter 24

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If someone had cut the Happy Days' building in two, going right down the center of the stairs, there would be two identical halves. The location and purpose for the rooms on both sides, upstairs and downstairs, was identical. The only exception was that girls were on one side and boys were on the other. Miss Snipworth lived upstairs on one side and Mr. Herman lived on the other.

The center of the building and the courtyard in back seemed to be the only neutral territory where both sexes encountered each other. At the top of the stairs was a closed door with a sign: Nurse. As Fynn crept upward, she had the sense, once again, that this place was more of a prison than a home; it was a sterile environment.

She resolved that it wouldn't hurt anything to give little Snipwit what she wanted. If retrieving little Snipwit's necklace made her happy and Fynn got her own necklace back in return, why not provide this small favor for the girl? At first she was angry that little Snipwit took her locket but, after thinking about it, she understood. The girl simply wanted to have something unique, something special, to call her own. Who wouldn't want that in an unfeeling place like this?

She made an assumption that Snipworth's office would be to the left, above the girls' side of the building, and Herman would be to the right, above the boys. She turned left and encountered an unmarked, closed door.

"Flowan."

To save time, she poked her head through the door to look around before entering. Bingo! It was an office and she saw a vaulted door behind the desk. Just as she was about to step through, she heard a gurgled sound in the hallway, almost like someone was choking.

She pulled her head out of the door and looked to her right. Snipworth stood in the hallway in a nightgown; her face drained of all color, like she had just seen a ghost. She must have seen the headless body standing at her office door.

It took a moment for her brain to recognize Fynn. She pointed a shaky finger. "You! How did you..."

Fynn observed her face as she tried to make sense of it. Before Snipworth could find her next words, Fynn waived a hand through the air. "Forgietan."

She watched as the expression on Miss Snipworth's face went blank, and then return to shock at seeing Fynn standing before her as though she was seeing her for the first time.

Snipworth startled at the sight. She slowly raised her arm and pointed a shaky finger. "You! How did you..."

Fynn giggled at the instant replay. "Forgietan." She watched as the blank expression turned to shock once again. As Snipworth's eyes widened and she raised a pointed finger, Fynn cut her off. "Freosan."

Snipworth looked like one of those pale mannequins, posing in a store window, but with a freakish expression on her face. Fynn stepped up to her and wondered about something. She put her fingers to both corners of Snipworth's mouth. She was able to bend her mouth into an awkward smile, in spite of having been frozen. Then she took the finger that was pointing, bent the arm slightly, and stuck the finger in Snipworth's ear.

Fynn stepped back and giggled at the sight. Then she leaned in close to Snipworth and said, "You should see yourself. You might even laugh." Then, as she turned back to the office door, she mumbled, "You need to get yourself a sense of humor, lady."

Fynn stepped through the door and looked at the vault. It was huge, nearly the size of a bank vault, which meant it had a thick door. She took a deep breath, told herself to relax, and walked through.

Inside were shelves, crammed full of stuff. At least Snipworth had categorized the items. One area was nothing but stuffed animals. Another section had books. Various toys occupied more shelves. There were a few hats and some small books that looked like diaries or journals. As she stood there, she started to get angry at the thought of how all these personal items had been taken from kids. A part of her wanted to empty the vault and take it all downstairs to give back to the boys and girls but there wasn't time and there were too many things.

She felt the cat's paw on her leg and looked down. "I know. Stay focused on the task."

It looked like Cnāwan smiled back at her.

"You know, for a cat, you sure have lots of expressions."

She spotted a section with jewelry and walked over to it. It only took a moment to recognize little Snipwit's necklace. She scooped it up and walked out of the vault. She was just about to walk through the office door and into the hall, when she heard a male voice.

# Chapter 25

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"Greta. Are you all right?"

Fynn poked her face through the door just enough to see. A man stood next to Snipworth and stared at her. He tentatively reached out and poked her in the arm.

"Greta? What's wrong?"

_Oh brother_ , thought Fynn. _Could this get any more complicated?_ The man, who she assumed was Mr. Herman, reached for Snipworth's hand with the finger stuck in her ear. Just as his hand wrapped around her wrist to try to pull it away, Fynn froze him. Now it looked like Herman was forcing Snipworth to stick her finger in her own ear.

Fynn stepped out through the door. "Hold that thought," she said to the two statues. She quickly descended the stairs and stopped at the bottom.

She formed a ball of matter, flicked a finger, and it became an old-fashioned timer set for ten minutes. With an upward wave of her hand, the timer slowly floated through the air, heading back up the stairs. This was one of the tricks that Jon had taught her, to use an energy ball to perform the task of unfreezing them so that she didn't have to do it herself. Turning the energy ball into a timer was her own idea. Once again, it looked like the cat smiled at her, this time for her creativity.

They quickly scooted down the hall to the girls' room. Fynn went beside little Snipwit's bed. "Freo." The blankets fell onto the mattress. Then she unfroze her.

Fynn held out her hand with the necklace. The girl grabbed it and held it close to her chest. "Thank you!" Then she got a strange look on her face. "Wait...how did you do that? We were just talking and..."

Fynn didn't have time. "Give me my necklace...NOW!"

The girl stopped talking and nodded her head. She was a bit shaken by how Fynn suddenly had her necklace but it also jolted her into obedience. She climbed out of bed and walked to the last row of beds – all were empty. In the middle of the row, she reached under a pillow and pulled out the box. Fynn rushed to her side and grabbed it.

"Now, you need to get back to bed and hide your own necklace!"

Fynn knew anything she said to the girl at this point was useless. Once the girl was back in bed she would be frozen and her memory erased. There was a good chance little Snipwit's necklace would eventually be taken from her again but, for the moment, she was happy.

Fynn knew there was barely enough time to get out of there before Snipworth and Herman came to life. There would be lots of confusion when that happened and she didn't want to be around.

She froze little Snipwit and erased her memory. Then she hurried to the hallway, formed an energy ball and turned it into a bright yellow sun with a smiling face. She whispered instructions to the sun. It nodded its understanding and then went about its work, dropping a ray of warmth and unfreezing the girls, one by one.

Fynn turned to go back down the hall and out the back door to the courtyard. Suddenly, the house assistant's door flung open. Fynn stopped in her tracks. There wasn't time to hide. Quickly, she faced the wall to the girl's restroom and stepped into the bathroom just as Eloise stepped into the hallway.

Fynn held her back to the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close," she whispered to the cat.

# Chapter 26

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All of a sudden, it dawned on Fynn that the house assistant was, more than likely, coming into the bathroom. _Smart move, Fynn!_ She looked around for a place to hide. The odds of Eloise going into the last toilet stall were minimal – at least, that's what she told herself - so she rushed to it just as the bathroom door swung open.

The back wall of the bathroom was also the back wall of the building. It was thick to accommodate the plumbing for the restroom as well as the cement slabs outside. Fynn really didn't want to walk through it. She stood on the toilet seat with her back against the cold tile and held her breath.

She heard Eloise's slippers shuffling across the floor. The door in her stall was still swinging from having just walked through it. She reached out to stop the movement when she heard Eloise.

"Who's there?"

Fynn reacted as fast as she could. It was awkward but she tried to move her feet to the opposite sides of the toilet and face the wall. Her foot slipped and splashed into the toilet water. She grunted, pulled her dripping shoe out and said "Flowan." She stepped forward and into the wall. She hadn't anticipated that first step, coming directly off of the toilet seat. For a moment it felt like falling and she gasped. In the next moment, she was thrown backwards into the stall where Eloise was pressing on the door to see who was in it. Fynn tripped over the toilet and slammed into the door, pushing it shut and hurtling Eloise to the floor onto her butt. Eloise screamed.

Fynn stumbled to get up and opened the door. Eloise saw her and took a breath for another scream. Fynn passed her hand through the air and said, "Flowan! No, I mean thaw..." She stomped her foot in frustration. "Freosan!!" Eloise froze, mid scream. She had a terrified look on her face and her mouth was gaping wide open.

Fynn paced the floor nervously and ran her hand through her hair. "What do I do now, Cnāwan? I've really messed this up." The cat sat on the floor and watched her walk back and forth but said nothing. Fynn stopped at the sound of footsteps running down the hall.

"I think it came from the girl's bedroom," said a female voice.

"It sounded closer than that," said another.

Fynn ran back into the stall, steadied the door so it quit swinging and balanced on the toilet seat facing the wall. She was about to go through the wall when she realized she couldn't leave Eloise frozen, mid scream. She rose up on her toes and leaned backwards on the stall to pass her hand through the air over Eloise. She wasn't tall enough to see over it but figured her hand waved in the general vicinity. "Thawian."

Eloise resumed her shriek and looked around fretfully but couldn't see Fynn. Fynn startled at the harsh screech and almost fell off the toilet. She stood back upright and was about to go through the wall. "Oh." She leaned backwards again and waved her hand through the air, "Forgietan."

Eloise's scream suddenly dwindled. She couldn't recall why she was crying out. Just then, the door burst open and the instructors ran to her side.

"Eloise, what is it?" asked one of them.

Eloise was dumbfounded at the fact that she was sitting on the bathroom floor, crying out.

The instructors lifted her upright. One of them asked, "Are you okay? Did you fall?"

"I...I...don't know," stammered Eloise. "I guess I was dreaming."

Fynn quietly said, "Flowan," and took the step, knowing she was in for a big drop. This time she was ready and let the momentum carry her through. She popped out of the wall in the courtyard and ran for the trees.

Half way across, bright flood lights lit the open yard. Fynn was curious but didn't dare turn around. She sprinted as fast as her legs allowed. As she neared the edge of the trees, she considered turning around to see if anyone saw her. Suddenly, a voice shouted.

"There! Over there!!"

Ben and Jon grabbed her and pulled her into the shadows. They scurried farther back into the trees, away from the light's reach, and stopped. Fynn was gasping but quickly slowed her breathing.

"I saw someone running. Over there." Fynn recognized the voice as Miss Snipworth.

Herman asked, "Are you sure? I didn't see anyone. Besides, you do seem a little confused tonight."

"I know what I saw!" countered Miss Snipworth.

"Yes, of course. I didn't mean..."

"Well, aren't you going to go check it out?!?"

"I'm in my pajamas. What do you expect me to do?" It was quiet for a moment, and then he said, "Okay. Okay."

The others heard footsteps across the gravel, coming close to the trees. The man faintly called out, "Is anyone there?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, George! A lot of good that will do. Get back here! We'll report it to the police."

"Yes. That's a good idea," he said as he walked back toward the building. Another moment passed and the floodlights shut off.

If Herman had been alert enough to look down, he would have noticed the wet prints of a left foot as it bee lined for the trees.

# Chapter 27

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They quickly left the grounds and started the trek back to the car. Finally, Ben spoke.

"Was everything all right back there? It took a long time and then we heard screams."

Fynn sighed. She had wanted it to go more smoothly inside Happy Days than it did. She explained what took place.

Jon said, "It sounds like you used a lot of creativity."

"I've never been that quick of a thinker before. Once I got inside, solutions just presented themselves to me, one right after another. I couldn't have gotten through it without that tonic."

"What's this about a tonic?" asked Ben.

Jon put his arm around Fynn's shoulders. "Fynn, the tonic didn't help you get the necklace back. You did it all by yourself."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You just needed extra help in believing that you could do it; a confidence booster, so to speak. What I gave you was just a relaxing herbal tea. There was nothing special about it. You succeeded all by yourself."

Fynn was surprised to hear it. "Huh. Really?" He nodded and, as that news sunk in, he could tell she was pleased with herself.

A few times on their walk, Jon had hushed everyone. He had the feeling that they were about to encounter trouble. They decided to walk the rest of the way in silence so that he could listen to his senses. He took the lead.

They traipsed through the meadow, not far from the abandoned house and shed where the car was parked, when he stopped them once again. There was movement up ahead so they dropped to the ground under cover of tall grasses. Jon poked his head up and looked toward the shed. Small lights moved about in the darkness, like huge fireflies flying back and forth. Ben and the others also watched.

Jon whispered, "Sheriff."

Ben took his backpack off and placed it on the ground. He unzipped it, pulled out several objects and began assembling something. After a moment, he had put together a tripod with a long lens attached to it. He set it on the ground and put his backpack on. "Now we go to plan B. You'll be okay here tonight?" He looked at Jon for confirmation.

"Yes, we'll be fine. It's only a few hours. Are you sure you can get the rest of the gear put together?"

Ben patted Jon on the back. "It's already done. I just need to load it into the car. I'll meet you at the cave as soon as I can." He glanced at Mel and then back at Jon. "No turning back now, my friends. See you later." Then he stood, with the tripod slung over his shoulder and walked toward the car.

Jon motioned for Fynn and Tibby to stay hidden. They heard Ben say, "Ule, fleoge." Then he proceeded to whistle as though he didn't have a care in the world.

No one spoke as they watched him approach the car. All the great fireflies converged on him. The police had been searching the darkness with flashlights and all lights were now aimed at Ben.

~~~

As Ben walked, he pretended to be unaware of the men near the car and continued whistling. He wanted to announce his presence to them; otherwise, they might get startled and do something stupid.

When the lights shone on him, he put up his hand to shield his eyes. "Hey, what's going on?"

Headlights from three cars turned on, lighting up a larger area. Out of all the officers, Ben recognized the Sheriff.

"It's him," said a deputy.

The Sheriff walked up to Ben. "What are you doing out here, Ben?"

Ben motioned to the tripod and lens flung over his shoulder. "Owl watching. There's a big nest over that way." He pointed beyond the field he just walked through.

He couldn't see the Sheriff's face well enough to determine his expression but he felt the suspicion directed at him.

"Owl watching," repeated the Sheriff, "with that thing." He pointed at the lens.

"That's right," replied Ben. "Is there a problem?"

"I don't think I've ever seen an owl in this area," said one of the deputies. His body posture revealed his cocky attitude and his words were more of a challenge than a passing comment.

The Sheriff motioned with his hand for the other man to be silent. Just then, there was a screech and a huge bird flew overhead. They heard its wings slicing the air. It came so close the Sheriff and his men ducked, thinking it was going to hit them. Ben was the only one who didn't cower. He knew it was coming. He's the one who called it.

"What the heck was that?!?" asked the man who made the challenging remark.

"An owl. Now you can say you've seen one in this area," Ben commented dryly.

The man shone his flashlight on Ben's face and examined it for signs of sarcasm. He saw no expression.

"May I examine your backpack?" asked the Sheriff.

"Have I committed a crime, Sheriff?"

"We're still searching for the missing children from Happy Days. At this point, everyone is a suspect." He held out his hand. "Your backpack, please."

For a moment, Ben thought about disputing the request. However, he concluded that the sooner he cooperated, the sooner he'd be home making other preparations. He set down the tripod, took off his pack and handed it over. The Sheriff set it on the ground and unzipped it. One of the deputies shone his flashlight inside while the Sheriff rummaged through it.

The Sheriff started a conversation. "I haven't seen your friend, Jon, lately. Have you?"

It was a ploy to get Ben to talk. "We had coffee together a couple days ago."

"I trust he's doing well?"

"Sheriff, I've been out here for several hours." He yawned. "I'd really like to head home and get some shut eye."

The Sheriff looked up at him. The items he found in the backpack were of no significance to his search for clues. There was a flashlight, a book on owls, a rain poncho, a bottle of water and a couple energy bars. The Sheriff put the items back inside, zipped it up and handed it back to Ben. "Drive safely."

Ben took the pack, slung it over one shoulder, and rested the tripod over the other. "Good night, Sheriff."

~~~

"I'll take the first watch," said Mel.

It wasn't long after Ben left the area before the Sheriff and his deputies drove away. Mel and the others hid in the grass until they were sure all cars were out of sight. Then they walked to the back side of the run-down house at the edge of the meadow.

Jon had previously put some blankets in the abandoned house in preparation for this moment. He told Fynn and Tibby that they would rest there, until first light. Then they would hike several hours to a cave and wait for Ben.

The kids were told to get some sleep while Mel and Jon split the time so that one person was always on the lookout for visitors. Now that they were committed to finding the gate, to leaving this dimension, they both felt the counter forces getting stronger.

Fynn grabbed some bedding and picked a spot on the floor. It was filthy in the old place but she didn't care. She took the box out of her waistband, set it on the floor and then lay down next to it. She was exhausted and fell asleep right away. Cnāwan curled up next to her.

"We're not going back, are we?" asked Tibby.

"No," Jon replied.

"Are we going to the gate?"

"That's the plan," said Jon. "It might take a few days to get to where we think it will be so you should get some rest."

"If you don't know exactly where it is, how will we find it?"

"When we arrived, many years ago, this area is where the gate put us and we never left – that is, Ben, Mel and I never left. So, we know we're close. Cnāwan will help us get to the right spot, farther up in the hills. Get some sleep while you can."

# Chapter 28

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Jon woke them just as the first hint of light brushed the sky. Fynn rolled over and realized that Tibby had slept beside her.

She smiled. "Hi."

"Hi," he smiled back as he casually stretched his body.

Breakfast consisted of bottled water, granola bars and some fruit. Tibby craved something more substantial, like a big plate of pancakes smothered in syrup with sausage on the side, but Jon made him promise not to manifest food until they asked for it.

Afterward, Jon proceeded to explain their plan. "While we hike, be as quiet as possible. We don't want to give ourselves away to unsuspecting company...people or animals. There are cabins and ranches all throughout these mountains. We also don't want anyone to recognize you two and notify the Sheriff. We'll have some help but stay alert and tuned into your senses."

"What help?" asked Fynn.

The corners of Jon's mouth turned up slightly. He raised his eyebrows. "You'll see."

Mel added, "Also, after Ben arrives and we leave the cave, remember to keep Elione in your thoughts as much as possible."

Fynn and Tibby nodded their understanding.

"We'll carry Cnāwan to the cave to save her energy for the rest of the trip." Jon looked at Mel. "I think that covers it."

She nodded and looked at Fynn and Tibby. "Do you have any questions?"

Fynn looked like she was considering something. "I'd like to carry Cnāwan to the cave."

"Are you sure?" asked Mel. "It will take a few hours to get there."

Fynn nodded her head. By the determined look on her face, they knew she was serious.

"If you get tired, I'll help," said Jon. "Oh, I almost forgot. Ben is bringing some tonics that will help with our energy and soreness. We'll be glad to have them. Let's be on our way then."

They walked out the back door. Jon and Mel looked in all directions as they circled around to the front. Jon looked up to the sky. "Hafoc, fleoge. Wæcce."

Within moments, Fynn heard the screech of a hawk. She looked up and watched it circle overhead; then it landed on the roof of the shed, where Ben had parked the car the night before. As they walked beside the shed, the bird chattered softly and watched them walk past.

Jon looked up and said, "It's good to see you too, old friend."

Fynn quietly asked, "Did you just call that hawk?"

Jon smiled and nodded. "I call her Misha. She's helped us on many occasions."

"She's the help?" asked Tibby.

"Uh huh. She'll be an extra pair of eyes."

"Cool!"

Just then, the hawk made some more chatter and took flight. They crossed the road and headed into the hills.

~~~

After hiking for a couple hours, Jon noticed the weight of the cat taking its toll on Fynn. She hadn't said anything, and he admired her determination, but he decided she could use a break. Mel was in the lead and he followed behind the kids.

"Mel, let's hold up for a bit."

Fynn put the cat down and sat on the ground next to her. Tibby joined them. Mel took some water and snacks out of her pack and gave them to the kids. Jon walked a few feet away and held out his arm for Misha to land. He spoke to the bird and then raised his arm and the hawk flew off.

"Where did she go?" asked Tibby.

"I sent her ahead to scout the area."

Just then, the clatter of horse hooves could be heard coming from the opposite direction. They weren't near any trails so it took them by surprise. They jumped to their feet but there wasn't time to hide.

"No one move!" said Jon. He swung his hand over the group. "Trēow."

Fynn felt strange all of a sudden. Even if she had wanted to move, she couldn't. Her feet were stuck and her body felt heavy and stiff. She realized her eyes were closed so she opened one, slightly. A group of four men on horses trotted through the woods and were headed in their direction.

She looked down and was startled by what she saw. Where her legs used to be there was a tree trunk, covered in dark bark with deep crevices. _This is weird!_ She looked to the side and saw branches covered in leaves. _This is an illusion, right?_

Something tickled and her first impulse was to reach over and scratch it but Jon told them not to move. She snuck a peek at the men. They looked down as they rode, like they were searching for something. The itch was getting stronger. It was hard to resist scratching.

She looked in the direction of the sensation and saw a bird on a branch – one of her branches. It was cleaning itself and rubbed its beak against the branch. With her partially opened eye, she saw that the men were closing in but they had angled to cross in front of them. Fynn told herself not to move; just hold on a bit longer. The men on horses were about five feet away, passing to the right.

_Just...a little...bit longer._ The men had just passed, heading away from them. Fynn glanced back at the bird. She had to scratch. She couldn't resist it any longer. She willed the branch next to the bird to move. It scared the bird away. She rubbed the two branches together. _Oh, that feels good._

Jon saw, and heard, Fynn's movement. He extended one of his branches and slapped hers. The last horseman stopped at the sound of rustling trees and looked around. There was no breeze that would have caused the sound.

Fynn closed her eye and listened. The whole area was unusually quiet. One of the other men turned his horse around and saw that the last one remained behind. He trotted back to check on the man.

"What is it?"

The first man said nothing at first but kept looking around. Finally, he spoke. "I heard something. It feels like we're being watched."

The second man scanned the area as well. "We haven't found any human tracks yet so maybe it was an animal. There's mountain lion up here. Maybe you look tasty to one of them, eh?" His horse was restless and he had to maneuver it back in place. "You're the one whose senses we're following. What do you want to do?"

The man thought for a moment. He took off his hat and scratched his forehead. Fynn barely raised an eyelid and watched. The one with his hat off was the younger of the two and looked like he had barely reached twenty years of age. As she studied him, there was an odd sense of familiarity. She couldn't pinpoint why and, since the only people she knew in Tungate were with her – except for Ben – she dismissed it.

The man put his hat back on. He continued scanning the area while he spoke. "What makes the Sheriff think Boc is involved with those kids anyway?"

"Jon Hieran was seen with them the other day. Hieran, Boc and Craft are all friends. All three of their businesses are closed and no one has seen them, except that Boc's car was spotted this morning heading into the mountains but they lost him. They don't know for certain that he's involved but it all looks suspicious. They have no other leads. Besides, you're the one who is so hot and bothered by this feeling that they're up here somewhere. I'll be darned if I know how you do it but it's your so-called _feelings_ that get us all our tracking work so, come on. Let's do our job."

They kicked their horses into a gallop to catch up with the other trackers.

# Chapter 29

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As dusk slipped into blackness, the cave felt even more chilly and damp. Fynn, Tibby and Mel shared a blanket across their shoulders, huddling close for warmth. Cnāwan curled up with them.

No one wanted to sleep and Jon paced back and forth from the cave's entrance to where they sat, farther inside. They saw his silhouette from the moonlight outside the cave and certainly heard his continuous footsteps. He was concerned, after overhearing the conversation that morning, and realized that he had underestimated the Sheriff's persistence. Knowing that trackers were hired was disturbing, especially since one of them was following a sense that he had. Jon had a strange feeling about it and couldn't quite put his finger on the exact reason for it.

Since learning that Ben had left home that morning, they expected him to arrive by now. Jon worried that he may have been caught. Misha was perched in a tree outside the cave. The hawk had flown a great distance that day but wasn't able to locate Ben's car.

The kids were exhausted but had difficulty relaxing, especially since Jon refused to sit still. As he paced, he considered how long they should wait for Ben when he had the sudden realization that he wasn't doing a very good job of trusting the Gädweg. _For all the times I've reminded the kids to trust, I'm not heeding my own words, am I?_

Mel finally spoke up. "Jon, get a grip! He'll get here as soon as he can. Maybe it just took a while to throw them off our trail."

"I hope you're right," he mumbled. He walked away from the cave entrance to join them.

Mel stood to give Jon her spot. "Try to get some rest – all of you. I'll keep an eye out."

Jon planted himself in between Fynn and Tibby. He wrapped the blanket around his arms and draped it around the three of them like a cape. He leaned back against the wall and they rested against his shoulders and closed their eyes.

Mel stood at the cave opening and stared out into the night. She thought about Elione and wouldn't allow herself to entertain doubtful thoughts about making it back home. She envisioned them each taking that first step through the gate and onto the bridge. Once they reached that point, they weren't home free, by any means...but they were closer.

Wærs don't think of things as good or bad. To them, everything is simply an experience from which to learn. In spite of that, she still wondered how they would be received after so much time away. She thought about her mother and how she had always, unquestionably, supported Mel's adventures but none had kept her from home for this long. They had been in Tungate for two hundred thirty one years, which was the equivalent of about seven of Elione's years, called gears.

She was imagining the rejuvenating feel of soaking in Elione's hot springs and was so caught up in it that she didn't hear the sound of rustling bushes. Suddenly a light cut through the cave opening. It momentarily shone on her face and she knew she had been seen. Still, reaction took over and she dropped to the ground and rolled off to the side of the entrance.

A figure, carrying a flashlight, stepped into the cave. Judging from the size of the person it appeared to be a man. Mel was just about to pass her hand through the air and give the command to freeze the intruder when she heard her name.

"Mel. Where'd you go?" He shone the light around the cave, looking for her. "Mel?"

She recognized the voice. "Ben?"

He shone the light on his own face so she could see it was him. Without warning, footsteps ran across the cave floor and before he could pinpoint what was coming at him, a pair of arms wrapped tightly around his waist. He moved the light and saw that it was Fynn hugging him.

"You made it!" She squeezed harder and he involuntarily grunted.

Jon and Tibby also approached. Ben put his hand on Fynn's back. "Easy there. Of course I made it."

Mel thought she saw something when the light was on Ben's face. She took the flashlight and cast it on him. "You're bleeding!"

Ben felt their concerned stares. His face and hands had cuts all over, many of which were caked in dried blood. His shirt and a pant leg were torn.

Jon took him by the arm. "Come and sit down. You look exhausted." He lifted Ben's pack off of his back and set it on the cave floor.

"It's not as bad as it looks," said Ben. "I'm okay."

Mel took a bandana and poured some water on it and started dabbing at his face. He winced at her light touch. "What happened?" she asked.

"The Sheriff is smarter than I thought. When I got home this morning, I loaded our stuff into my car. I left shortly after sunup. It didn't take long to see that they have people posted everywhere – not just uniformed officers either. I couldn't come directly here so I drove for a while until I was fairly certain that I had thrown them off."

Jon interjected, "Early on, we came across plain clothed men on horseback that were tracking us."

"Did they see you?"

Jon shook his head.

"Trackers...unbelievable!" replied Ben. "Well, since they know my car, I had to find a replacement. You remember that old jeep that Marty Johnson had for sale...you know, that old codger outside of town?"

Jon nodded.

"I hitched a ride out to his place, bought the jeep, drove it to where I hid my car, transferred all the gear and set out again. I wasn't sure whether the jeep was going to make it. The only place that bucket of bolts belongs is in an antique museum."

Mel rummaged through Ben's pack for one of the Wær tonics. She found it and lit a small stove to heat it.

Ben continued. "Anyway, it still took a while to make sure I wasn't followed. I parked a couple miles from here. It's well hidden and I put the shield around it so that if they get close, they won't see it – as long as they don't run into it. Shortly after I left the vehicle, I heard horses and dogs." He looked down. "They picked up my scent right away. I had to invoke the shield around myself so I could hike invisibly. But, as you can imagine, that didn't contain my scent. The dogs were hot on my trail. I ran but it was getting dark. I misjudged my location and went right over the side of a steep hill. I tumbled down it until I hit the bottom of a ravine."

"So that's how you got all cut up," said Mel.

Ben tilted his head. "Mmmm...partially. Then there was the encounter with the owl."

"An owl did this?"

Ben nodded. "It wasn't its fault though. The dogs were on my heels so I called the owl to help divert them. I forgot, however, that it couldn't see me since I was inside the shield. It dove toward the dogs but I was in the way. The owl was as startled as I was and we were in a tangled mess before it broke free and chased them away."

Mel handed Ben a cup of the tonic and he gulped it without even flinching at the hideous taste.

"Thanks." He handed her the empty cup. "Thought I was out of danger at that point but then I encountered a porcupine. I couldn't see very well in the darkness and didn't want to use a flashlight until I was farther away from the men on horseback. I heard quills flying past me through the air. I was closer to some rocks than I realized when I dodged the quills. That added to this mess," he said as looked at his arms.

"Thank goodness you don't have any serious injuries." She eyed the long gash in his sleeve.

He ran his fingers through his hair. "It's been a long day. There's something I don't understand, though. We knew there would be resistance to our leaving but it's like these guys are a couple steps ahead of us. How's that possible?" He looked down at the cave floor, as though he could find the answer there.

Jon said, "I've been trying to understand that myself. We overheard the trackers talking. They're being led by a guy who can sense us. They said he has a feeling that we're in these mountains."

Mel asked, "How can that be possible for someone who isn't a Wær?"

"That's what I'd like to know," replied Jon. "Anyway, he seems to be the key to their successful work as trackers. He's not much more than a kid!"

Fynn thought back to how the guy seemed familiar to her. She wondered if she should say something but figured it was pointless. Lots of people seem familiar at times and it's often just because they remind us of someone else that we know...or so she tried to convince herself.

"We'll tell Misha to keep an eye out for them," offered Jon.

"Definitely."

Mel said, "We can't very well hide in the shield the whole way there. It would take too much of our energy. We'll have to use it sparingly. For now, though, we should get some rest before light comes."

# Chapter 30

_______________________

They were almost to the jeep. The stillness of the early morning provided no sounds to block out their footsteps. They walked as gingerly as possible, carefully choosing the spot for every step, knowing the hike would take longer than was planned. Getting to the gate was one objective but the more immediate goal was to avoid the trackers.

They cut straight through the forest, staying clear of trails and roads. Through the trees ahead, they glimpsed the dirt road they needed to cross. Ben said there was a cluster of huge boulders on the other side with trees and bushes around it. That's where the jeep was hidden, inside the shield.

Before leaving the cave, it was decided what signal Jon would give if they needed to invoke the shield around themselves, as well. He would raise his arms over his head and cross his arms at the wrists.

The screech of Misha's warning cut through the quiet and Jon instantly halted them with his hand. They froze in their tracks and listened. Fynn watched as Jon turned his head in different directions until he found a particular spot, like an antenna honing in on a signal. He sensed something. Shortly after, she heard footsteps on the dirt road coming from the direction in which he looked. It sounded like several people but, after a moment, she realized there were people and horses.

Jon raised his arms and crossed his wrists. They each whispered, "Scield," and became invisible where they stood, including Jon. As a precaution, each person moved next to a tree for extra cover. Jon took a couple steps forward. On the dirt road, between them and the jeep, were two men he recognized as trackers; one was the guy who was able to sense them along with a second man. Jon tiptoed a couple more steps to get closer yet. The men stopped.

He heard the second man whisper, "I don't see them."

The sensitive guy held his finger to his mouth for the other man to be still. Then he whispered back, "They're here. I know it."

The second man looked at him like he thought he was losing it and spoke louder when he said, "C'mon Jimmy! No one's here."

Jimmy ignored the other man's comment.

Jon looked up and spotted Misha circling over the area. He whispered, "Hafoc," and held out his arm. Misha couldn't see him but felt from where the call came. She allowed herself to glide through the trees. When she reached him, Jon raised his arm to meet her talons and she grabbed hold.

Jon whispered to the hawk. He didn't realize that the man called Jimmy had watched the hawk land, in mid air. Jimmy stepped into the trees where he could get a better look at Misha and his footsteps caught Jon's attention. Jon raised his arm and whispered, "Fleoge!" Misha took flight. She turned on a dime and flew toward the tracker. She let out a piercing screech and went for his face. Jimmy dropped to the ground and avoided the sharp talons. Misha continued past him and went for the other tracker, still standing on the road holding the reins of both horses.

The bird was so quick that the man hardly had time to cover his head with his hands as he bent down. He cried out as claws scratched at his hands and shoulders. "Ouch! Geez! Help!!"

The horses reared up on hind legs, pulling the reins from the man's hands, and ran off. Their frightful whinnies and the cries of the man didn't deter Jimmy. He knew something was going on and continued staring in the direction where, just moments before, the hawk had landed on something in mid air. He studied the empty space.

Jon watched Jimmy. He could tell that the man detected something. Jon knew that when the shield was invoked, it made them invisible, but to Wærs, when one was paying close attention, a slight ripple across the very fabric of space could be detected when there was movement. Jon couldn't help but think that Jimmy saw it, so he stood perfectly still...for the moment.

Then, as if a signal had gone off, the whole group moved as one. Cnāwan was at Jimmy's feet. First she hissed, which startled him into realizing that something was nearby. He turned in several directions to see what made the animal sound. Next she clawed at his shin.

He reached for it with his hand. "Ow!" He looked down at his raised leg and saw his pants were torn and he had a small cut that was bleeding. He was off balance, on one leg, so Tibby knelt on the ground behind him while Fynn gave a hefty shove into his chest and he tumbled over backwards.

Tibby and Fynn skirted out of the way. Ben, Jon and Mel moved in. Ben tied a bandana around the man's mouth while Mel bound his ankles and Jon tied his hands. The man squirmed to try to free himself and was trying to talk, in spite of the gag.

Jon pulled out another bandana for tying it around his head so that he couldn't see anything. Before he put it over the man's eyes, Fynn studied his face. Again, she noticed an odd familiarity about him but still her mind couldn't give reason as to why she would know him.

Jon, Ben and Mel rushed the man cowering in the road. Jon called off Misha while the others bound and gagged him. They dragged him off the road and lay him in the trees, not far from Jimmy. He was frightened and whimpered.

Now that the two trackers couldn't see them, they each whispered, "Baec," and their personal shields disappeared. Ben walked over to the jeep and removed the shield around it. No one spoke, since the trackers could hear them but they knew their footsteps were heard. Ben motioned for them to get in the jeep. He started it up, and they drove farther up the road.

After several miles, he spoke. "That was too close."

# Chapter 31

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"What now?" asked Mel.

"We'll abandon the jeep farther up the road," Ben replied.

The jeep barely held together as it bounced and rattled its way up the mountain. They drove in silence, hoping like crazy that they didn't encounter any more trackers along the way.

Fynn sat in the back seat, between Mel and Tibby. Cnāwan was in the front passenger seat, on Jon's lap. They thought it might be less of a rough ride for her but every so often, she let her feelings be known. She would cackle a protest as her claws dug into Jon's leg.

"Holy cow, girl! I need that leg! Don't worry, I've got you." Then he'd pull her closer to his body, hoping it would help her feel secure. Ever since they bound the trackers, Cnāwan made herself visible to all of them.

Fynn had the necklace out and was intently studying the pictures of her mother and father inside the locket. She felt Tibby's gaze and looked at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head. She didn't want to talk at the moment.

They had travelled a couple more miles when Ben said, "Hold on tight. This is going to be rough."

Fynn quickly tucked the necklace in the box and put it back in the pack that Ben gave her. She held onto the handle that was attached to the back of the front passenger seat, along with Tibby, and wondered how long the handle would support them before it broke.

Ben turned off the dirt road and cut across uneven land, dodging trees and boulders as best he could. After a short distance, the jeep's nose tipped downhill. Fynn closed her eyes. She couldn't see the ground in front of them and it made her nervous. She knew it was there only because of the tree tops that were ahead. Then the jeep leveled out. Ben hit the brakes and shut off the engine. Fynn opened her eyes and let out a small gasp. All she saw ahead was blue sky. It appeared they were on the edge of a cliff.

"Everyone out. We'll go on foot from here so grab your packs."

Fynn didn't have to be convinced to leave the vehicle and almost pushed Tibby out the door. They moved swiftly and, once the jeep was empty, Ben reached inside and put it in neutral. Jon knew he wanted to force it over the edge of the cliff.

"The sound of that is going to echo through these hills, Ben. If they don't know where we are right now, they will as soon as that thing hits the ground."

"Yeah, you're right." He put it back in gear and walked around to the rear of the vehicle. He took a tool out of his pack, removed the license plate and tossed it over the side of the rock face.

Jon and Mel retraced their path since turning off the road and covered over the jeep's tracks. When they returned, Ben and the kids were waiting. Cnāwan was stretching and Fynn heard her.

That ride was worth, at least, two of my lives.

Fynn repeated her words and they all chuckled.

Jon said, "Oh, you're just getting soft in your old age."

Cnāwan turned up her nose. "Meoowf!"

"I think there was a time when she appreciated your humor more, Jon," smiled Ben.

"Just trying to lighten things up a bit," replied Jon.

Fynn quietly said, "Something's wrong, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" asked Jon.

Fynn looked at the three adults, like she was waiting for an explanation.

Ben decided to be honest. "Leaving this dimension has been more of a problem than what we normally experience. Usually we're a couple steps ahead of whatever force is opposing us. This time, for some reason, it hasn't gone that way."

"It doesn't make sense," offered Mel. "Something is different."

"The guy that's leading them - Jimmy - he seems to have special capabilities, similar to Wærs." Jon eyed his friends.

Fynn didn't want to say anything but decided she should, even though it made her uncomfortable. It also burst the perfect image she held in her mind about her father but she couldn't come up with any other explanation. "He looks like my father."

She saw the brief look of surprise on their faces before they gave it some serious thought.

"I thought he looked a little familiar," said Mel.

"Hmmm," said Ben as he rubbed his head, "now that you mention it..."

"That would explain some things," offered Jon.

Fynn stuffed her hands in her pants pockets and looked down at a rock, half buried in the ground, while she kicked at it. "My dad left my mom once. It was before I was born. She never told me exactly what happened. I had the impression he was gone for several years. All she would say was how he had a good heart and that he came back. She also said that, even though people go through the same experience together, you never really know how differently each person responds, inside."

Mel searched Fynn's face.

"What?" asked Fynn.

"Is that hard for you to accept?"

Fynn shrugged. "Stuff happens, right?"

Mel prodded a bit more. "What do your senses tell you, Fynn?"

Fynn looked off into the distance for a moment. She had been thinking this since they first saw the trackers but it felt different to actually put it to words and say it out loud. She looked at Mel. "That he's probably my half-brother."

# Chapter 32

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"I saw some wild strawberries a short ways back. Can I go pick some for us?" asked Fynn.

Ben looked up at her from his spot on the ground where he was preparing lunch. Jon stood several feet away and was talking, with Misha on his arm and Cnāwan at his feet. They had been hiking for two days and crossed several more mountains. So far, they hadn't seen any other people.

They stopped to rest and eat. Mel was brewing some Wær tonic so they could stay energized and to soothe their sore muscles.

Fynn thought Ben was about to tell her to stay put. "Please? I love strawberries!" She smiled coyly at him. "Besides, we haven't seen anyone for a couple days now."

He smiled back. "Which is all the more reason we need to stay alert," he retorted.

"I'll go with her," offered Tibby. "We won't go far."

Ben studied them momentarily as he weighed the consequences. "You have ten minutes. No more. We eat and then leave. Understood?"

They nodded vigorously and ran off. At the first sight of strawberries, they stopped. Tibby was glad to have some time alone with Fynn. He had enjoyed their initial time together when they escaped from Happy Days. Since then, there hadn't been time to simply hang out.

"Do you really think that guy is your brother...I mean, your half-brother?"

"I think so. It feels like it." Fynn knelt on the ground to pick several berries from a cluster of plants.

Tibby walked a few yards to another patch, beside a particularly large tree.

"It sure kills the image I had of what my father was like, though."

"I'm sorry," said Tibby. "Wow, after thinking that you had no more family here, I bet it feels weird to know that you have a brother...half-brother." As soon as he said that, he wished he hadn't stressed that point.

Fynn had walked farther away to another cluster. "Yeah."

She offered no more conversation so Tibby picked berries in silence, thinking she needed some space to think about things. After a few minutes passed, he had picked all the berries he could hold. He stood up.

"C'mon, Fynn. We better get back." He looked where he had last seen her. "Fynn?" He was about to shout for her when he noticed her standing farther away, in the shade of a tree. She held her finger to her mouth for him to be quiet. Tibby listened. He heard the sound of someone, or something, walking across the earthen floor. He quickly ducked back behind the large tree.

It suddenly dawned on him that he and Fynn were separated by a fair amount of distance. The steps were getting much closer now and he risked being seen, or heard, if he ran to her. His heart beat more rapidly at that realization. He listened intently and decided it sounded more like people than animals. Perhaps two, maybe even three people – but they weren't talking.

He snuck a peek to his right but other trees blocked his sight of Fynn. He heard footsteps to his left. He watched through the branches of a young pine tree and saw three men \- correction, three trackers. One of them was Jimmy. They were headed toward Fynn's location but were spreading themselves farther apart, to cover a wider area. He had to do something!

He crouched down between the big tree trunk and the small pine tree growing next to it. "Sceadu, fæst!" Then he added, "Sund!" That way his shadows made the sound of feet running across the rich soil so the trackers would hear.

The tracker nearest to Tibby looked to his left and caught sight of movement. He pointed. "There!" He and the tracker next to him ran in pursuit of the runners.

Tibby stood in place, waiting for Jimmy to go with them but he stayed where he was.

Fynn heard a couple guys run off. She wasn't certain whether that was all of them so she remained silent and motionless. After a moment, she heard the crack of a twig nearby. "Sceadu, fæst!"

Her three shadows appeared but only one of them ran quickly, like she commanded. The other two stood before her, in disagreement as to which one would run in which direction. They stood face to face, having a wordless argument. One pointed in the direction the other one was to run. The other stood with its arms stubbornly crossed over its chest and shook its head in refusal. Fynn couldn't believe what she was watching! She didn't know what to do but, when she heard a few more steps from her pursuer, she knew she couldn't be seen. "Scield!"

She remained in place but was now invisible. Her shadows on the other hand were quite visible. Under other circumstances, she might have found their belligerence humorous. They began pushing each other and were almost in an all-out physical fight when her pursuer took one more step and was completely in Fynn's sight.

She observed Jimmy as he watched the shadows feud. They looked like silhouettes of two people struggling with each other – without sound. The expression on Jimmy's face let her know that he was amazed by the sight. He moved his hand through the air, thinking it was a phenomenon created by the light. As he moved around the shadows, Fynn feared he was getting too close and didn't want him to bump into her. She gently took a step backward to keep the tree between her and Jimmy. Her movement wasn't as silent as she had wanted. He looked right at her; or rather, right through her.

"I know you're there," he said calmly. Then his nose wrinkled in that curious way and he asked, "How do you do this?" He was referring to the shadows. One had just pushed the other so hard it landed on its butt and then quickly jumped to its feet with fists extended. Jimmy laughed.

Fynn took several steps backwards and stood away from the tree. If he knew she was there, it didn't matter whether she was next to the tree or not. Jimmy continued to watch the shadows and Fynn realized there was no fear in his eyes; he was genuinely curious about them. She looked around to see if Tibby was nearby. She didn't see anyone. It appeared to be only her and Jimmy – so she decided to risk it.

"Why do you pursue us?" she asked quietly but with all the confidence she could muster.

Jimmy's eyes never left the shadows. "It's what I was hired to do. I'm very good at finding people." He looked in her direction, even though she was still invisible inside the shield. "I always succeed!" The look of curiosity in his eyes changed to determination with his last comment. She sensed arrogance and didn't know whether to like him or hate him.

"I suppose that's a quality you inherited from your father," she countered.

The pupils in his eyes grew big, making them look black and angry. "I don't have a father!"

"What, did the stork bring you?" she chided. "Everyone has a father!" She wondered how far she should push. "I bet his name was Sully."

Now his eyes glared and it scared her. _That confirms it, then_ , she thought.

In a low, demanding tone, Jimmy emphasized every word when he asked, "How do you know that?"

# Chapter 33

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All of a sudden, something came from behind and hit Jimmy in the back. It was totally unexpected. He dropped to his knees and fell, passing right through the shadows like they were ghosts. This caused them to disperse and vanish.

Fynn looked from where it came and saw Ben and Jon standing behind some trees. She didn't know what they threw but Jimmy was now lying on his back on the ground. He looked stunned, or rather like he had been frozen, and his blank eyes stared upward. There was no visible wound that she could see.

Before she walked away, she waved her hand through the air and said, "Forgietan." She wanted Jimmy to forget their short conversation or that she knew his father's name. She also didn't want the others to know that she talked to him.

As she ran to join Ben and Jon, she said, "Baec," and the shield disappeared.

"Are you all right?" they asked in unison.

"Yeah," said Fynn. "Where's Tibby?"

"He came to get us," said Jon. "He's with Mel."

They heard voices coming their way. The other two trackers were returning.

"Jimmy, where are you man?" asked one of them.

"Boyd, he's not going to believe this when we tell him that the thing just disappeared when we touched it."

"I dunno. You're talking about Jimmy. Heck, he'll probably tell us what happened! Jimmy, where are you?"

Ben and Jon pushed Fynn ahead of them as they ran back from where they came. Mel and Tibby had already packed everything back up and handed them their packs as soon as they returned. No one spoke as they put them on and quickly left the area.

After a while, Mel offered Fynn some snacks to eat while they walked. She shook her head.

"Will he be okay?" she asked.

"The tracker?" asked Ben.

"Yeah. Is he badly hurt?"

"No, he's just stunned. We threw a fizzle ball at him," said Ben.

"A what?"

"He'll come around in a few hours, Fynn. It will give us a head start," explained Jon.

"Will he forget what happened?"

"He won't know what hit him," said Ben, "but a fizzle ball doesn't erase the memory. It just stunned him into a suspended state. They won't get any sounds or response from him for a while."

"Oh."

Ben asked, "What happened back there?"

"We were picking berries and suddenly I heard their footsteps. Two of them took off after Tibby's shadows but when I invoked mine, only one ran. The other two stayed and argued and I didn't know what to do."

_That's the risk of using the shadows_ , offered Cnāwan. _It doesn't happen often but it can be a real nuisance when it does. There's not much you can do about it._

This time, it was obvious that everyone heard her response to Fynn, since they stopped and looked at the cat. Fynn replied out loud. "Gee, thanks. Now ya tell me."

"Did you talk to him?" asked Ben.

Fynn kept her gaze down as they walked. "He knew I was there."

"He could have been bluffing," replied Jon.

"No. He knew." Fynn hoped they didn't press any farther. She didn't want to admit that she conversed with him and confirmed for him that she was actually there.

No one spoke. They all seemed lost in thought about the situation. Cnāwan took the lead. She trotted along, just like any ordinary cat on a stroll. Once in awhile, she sat and sniffed the air in several directions. Her ears constantly moved about, listening for something. Then she'd start off again, in a slightly altered course.

Finally, Jon spoke. "I suppose I owe you all an apology. If I hadn't detained Misha in conversation, she might have alerted us that the trackers were nearby."

"It's okay," said Mel.

Ben patted Jon on the back. "It just means that we can't let our guard down with these guys. We must stay alert at all times." Ben thought for a moment, and then said, "Cnāwan, if it's along the way, we might want to stay in that cave behind the waterfall tonight. That might give us a little reprieve. Since the water purifies the vibrations, it would be more difficult for them to track us. But only take us there if it's on the route."

Cnāwan acknowledged his request. "Meow."

# Chapter 34

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Since they only spoke when necessary, it gave Fynn a lot of time to think. She wondered if her mother knew about Jimmy. She recalled many times, while growing up, wishing for a sister or brother. She always felt like she didn't belong in this society and wondered whether having a sibling would have helped.

Now that she knew why she didn't fit in – because she truly wasn't from here – it seemed pointless to give it further consideration. On the other hand, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have Jimmy as a brother. In her brief encounter with him, she saw many emotions reflected in his eyes. Clearly he was angry about his father leaving. _But would he feel differently if he knew I'm his half-sister? Maybe I should have said something. Maybe he wouldn't track us if he knew. Then again, maybe it would drive him harder._

By late afternoon Cnāwan lead them around the side of a mountain. Fynn could tell they weren't far from the top because, as she looked up, blue sky appeared through the trees. They followed a rock face and, as soon as they neared the end of it, Fynn heard the waterfall. The terrain became steeper; it was difficult to get a foot hold. At times, they had to grab hold of trees or shrubs to keep from sliding downward.

Fynn was grateful when a narrow grassy ledge formed. Her feet were sore from playing mountain goat. Misha called out to let Jon know she would wait in a nearby tree. The grass ledge then turned into a natural rock walkway which allowed them to proceed upright as they entered the large opening directly behind the falls. It was noisy but the spray of water on Fynn's face was refreshing after the strenuous hike.

Once inside, Mel, Jon and Ben used flashlights to take them deeper into the cave where it was quieter. They all plopped to the ground in exhaustion. Cnāwan pawed at the ground, circled several times, and lay down. She fell right to sleep.

"I'm getting too old for this," blurted Jon.

Ben eyed his friend. In between pants, he said, "You're just out of shape. We all are. Maybe the trick is to do this more often." He smiled playfully.

"If this adventure doesn't kill me first, I'll be happy to coordinate another one right away." Jon let his arms fall out to the side as he toppled backwards. The coldness of the stone floor was a welcome change for his sweaty body. "Aaahh. That's more like it."

After resting a bit, Ben pulled a small battery operated lantern from his pack. He turned it on. "Fynn, walk with me."

At first she wasn't sure her body would move. He saw the hesitation and held out his hand to pull her up. As they walked, she realized just how large the cave was and was awed by its size. The cave angled slightly and, as soon as they followed it, any remote sounds from the waterfall were gone. It was like the darkness swallowed the noise.

Ben sat and leaned against the rock wall. Fynn did the same. She knew he wanted to talk. He rested his head against the rock and sighed. He was tired, as were the others.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

"I'm ready for some sleep."

"We'll get a longer night's rest here." He looked at her and Fynn saw concern in his eyes. "How do you feel about having a half-brother?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it must come as a surprise to learn about a family member you didn't know you had."

"Yeah. A big surprise."

"I imagine he's been in your thoughts a bit."

She didn't respond. She had a sinking feeling about where the conversation was headed.

"The more you think about him, the easier it will be for him to continue following us."

Fynn frowned in confusion, so he continued.

"Remember, everything is energy, even thoughts. Wærs are sensitive to energy. Even though Jimmy is only half-Wær, he obviously senses it." He let her ponder it for a bit, hoping she would reach the conclusion on her own. He certainly didn't want to tell her what to do but he wanted her to better understand the situation.

"Do you think I'm the only reason he's able to track us?"

"No, not at all. Just the fact that he's half-Wær makes him good."

"But my thinking about him makes him more successful."

Ben nodded.

"I know Mel said it's important to keep Elione in our thoughts."

"Yes, it is. It increases our ability to find the gate."

She rested her elbows on her knees and let her head fall into her hands. Several minutes passed before she spoke. "I need to choose, don't I? Jimmy or Elione."

Ben appreciated that she saw the situation more clearly. He empathized with her - both her and Tibby - for they had clearly been through some tough situations in a short period of time. He didn't doubt that it was forcing them to grow up more quickly than they might have otherwise.

He didn't feel like he needed to offer any more insight. He simply put his hand around her back and squeezed her shoulder.

# Chapter 35

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The rain came and washed everything. They woke to bright flashes that lit up the cave. At the same moment, a thunderous clap announced a lightning strike nearby. Jon, Ben and Mel were visibly happy about the cloudburst.

Once the storm subsided, sunlight trickled through an opening in the clouds. Tibby asked, "Won't this slow us down?"

"Oh, I suppose a little," said Jon.

He watched their faces for signs of disappointment but there were none. "And this makes you happy because...?"

"The storm helped us," said Mel. "It recharged the atmosphere with fresh ozone, which means any traces of our energy leading to the cave have been wiped out." She smiled.

"So this will help us increase the gap between us and the trackers," offered Jon.

"Assuming," Ben added, "that Jimmy didn't recover too quickly from our fizzle ball and track us to this area before the rain came."

Jon mocked a hurt look. "You question the strength of our fizzle ball? Awww, Ben. That one would have dropped a bear to its knees."

He smirked at the humor. "Perhaps, but we're talking about a half-Wær. Let's just say I'd rather take the approach of being cautiously optimistic."

While the others talked, Fynn watched Cnāwan walk to the cave opening. Her ears rotated as if they were searching for a signal. Her head rose and fell as she sniffed the air. She broke into a song, rather loudly, and the others stopped talking. Then suddenly, Cnāwan stopped singing. She jumped to her feet, arched her back and tossed her head back in excitement. "Meowwww!" They heard her say: _We are getting close. I can feel it!!_

"Really?" asked Jon.

"Mmmmmowfff," was the reply.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Jon kicked up his feet. "Let's get moving."

"Easy there, Jon, we're not out of the woods yet." Ben thought about what he just said. "I guess that's both literally and figuratively speaking." He smiled at his own play of words.

They gathered their gear and followed Cnāwan to the opening, where the cat stopped and sniffed some more. The others watched and waited to see which way they were headed. After a few moments, Cnāwan walked to the right, which meant they were going out the opposite side from where they entered the cave.

The abrupt angle of the ground, combined with the wet vegetation from the rain, made it slippery. Even Cnāwan looked like she was struggling a bit but she certainly had an advantage over the others; four small legs were sturdier than two. The rock ledge that led them into the opening from the other side of the cave was above them on this side. Water trickled down its surface and crossed their path.

After her chat with Ben the night before, Fynn had been so exhausted that she fell asleep as soon as they finished eating. She didn't have the energy to think further about their conversation and the choice she faced. Now, knowing they were close to the gate, there was a sense of urgency to decide...Elione or Jimmy.

Both of them were unknowns. She didn't know what Jimmy would be like as a brother or whether he would even want to be her brother. Was she just clinging to some old desire from the past to have a sibling?

Elione looked beautiful in the paintings but she didn't know the place and wondered what she would do if she didn't like it. Would she be able to return to this dimension? All she knew, in her short life, was where she grew up...and her mother. So, if she came back, what would she be coming back to? Her mother was gone. She hadn't made any other friends and had no other family. It would only be for the remote possibility of developing a sibling relationship with Jimmy. The idea of it appealed to her...but would he want it?

She recalled Ben telling her about the archives, where she could learn about her parents. She remembered the tingling in her body as she gazed at the painting and read the poem, like a call to her innermost being. She tuned in more deeply to that sense. As soon as she did, it became obvious what she needed to do.

She walked, with Ben behind and Tibby directly ahead of her. Mel and Jon were in front of Tibby, following Cnāwan's lead. Fynn considered the events that had unfolded since she met these people – and the cat. She gazed at Tibby's backside and appreciated how comfortable she was with him. She had never experienced that with anyone else. She was at ease with the whole group, for that matter.

She turned to look at Ben, walking behind. Their eyes met and he smiled. As she turned back to watch her footing, she noticed movement behind Ben. She raised her arm to point.

"Lookout! Porcupine!!" she shouted.

# Chapter 36

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Misha swooped down from above at the same moment that Ben turned to see two of the rodents on their trail. The commotion was so close that it startled Fynn. Her foot slipped and she tumbled down the hill.

"Everyone, down!" shouted Ben.

Misha was on the ground in front of the first porcupine with her wings spread, squawking wildly. Jon and Mel dropped flat. Tibby followed suit, even though his first impulse was to run like crazy but it wasn't exactly easy terrain for running. Cnāwan crouched behind a rock.

Ben lay on his side and took advantage of Misha stalling the porcupines. He formed a concentrated ball of energy. His hands molded and shaped it, like someone packing a snowball. It was so dense it looked solid and turned bright yellow.

Quills flew through the air overhead. Misha clawed at the first animal. Ben tried to gauge the distance to the second porcupine. He didn't want to hit Misha. While on his side, he lobbed the yellow ball through the air. His aim was perfect and it came down directly on top of the critter. On contact, the yellow ball dissipated but the porcupine flopped over on its side. It was stunned, with eyes wide open.

Tibby looked down the hill and saw Fynn grasping a tree branch, struggling to pull herself up. He couldn't see the lower half of her body and realized she was dangling over a ledge. She needed help, fast! He saw that Misha was still fighting with the porcupine.

Ben had formed another yellow ball and was ready to throw it. He gave the command for the hawk to fly. Misha appeared to have difficulty as she rose a few feet above the ground so he quickly threw it.

Tibby acted just as fast and slid down the hill on his butt. He bent one leg and kept the other straight to use as a break. His hands were at his sides, ready to grab hold of branches as needed. He dug the heel of his extended foot into the ground to slow himself as he approached Fynn.

Jon saw Tibby go over the side and thought he had fallen, until he saw Fynn farther below.

Ben hit the other porcupine just in time before Misha lost altitude. She dropped like a rock and landed on top of the stunned rodent. She flapped her wings awkwardly but one wing hardly moved. She was injured.

Jon took rope out of his pack, slung it over his shoulder, and used Tibby's method of sliding down the hill. He knew the rope wasn't long enough from their original spot so he slid down a short distance and tied it to a tree.

Tibby stopped himself just above Fynn and inched closer until he could reach her hands. He dug both heels into the wet ground and bent forward. Fynn let go of the branch with one hand and reached for Tibby. He took her hand in both of his and held tight.

"Can you swing your legs up?" he asked. He didn't want to drag her over the sharp edges of the rocks. He also didn't think his foothold was solid enough to support the effort but he pulled ever so slightly to help her momentum.

Fynn labored but the forward movement was just enough to get one leg up.

Jon slid toward them as he played out the length of the rope. He started thinking he tied it off too soon. It wasn't going to reach. He slowed himself as he neared the end of the line and was still about fifteen feet from reaching them. He watched Tibby help Fynn get her legs up over the ledge but it appeared that one leg was injured.

Jon took off his rain jacket and tied the rope around the end of one sleeve. It gave him several more feet, so he lowered himself to the end of the other sleeve.

Tibby and Fynn were on hands and knees but Fynn was only on one knee. Her injured leg was extended. She couldn't crawl. After several attempts, Tibby told her to climb onto his back. He started to slide under her weight but grabbed a branch.

"If you were any bigger," he panted, "we'd be in trouble."

He fought to stay on hands and knees while he dug his toes into the terrain and moved them upward, inch by inch.

Jon dangled from the end of the other jacket sleeve and extended his arm to reach for them. When Tibby got close enough for Jon to grab Fynn's hand, he carefully rolled her off. She used her good leg to push herself closer to Jon while he pulled. Then he helped push her up to the rope while she pulled with her arms.

He did the same thing with Tibby. Once they got to the rope, he untied his jacket and put it back on. He tied the rope around Tibby and then tied the end of it around himself.

"Can you wrap your arms and legs around me if I walk up, using the rope?" he asked Fynn.

"I think so." She climbed onto his back but couldn't bend her injured leg so she held on with both arms and one leg. Everything ached from the fall, even her arms, but she tried not to think about it.

Jon slowly got to his feet but hunched forward because of the steep angle of the hill. Tibby did the same and they used the rope to climb.

It took much longer to climb back up than it did to slide down. At the top of the rope, they saw that a second rope had been thrown down from above. Ben was at the top, pulling up the slack, as they trudged the remaining distance.

They collapsed, breathlessly, at Ben's feet. Jon gently rolled Fynn off his back. Her pant leg was torn; her knee, cut and bleeding.

Fynn saw Mel tending to Misha. The bird let out a soft cry.

"Sorry, Misha," said Mel. She applied ointment to the areas where Misha took quills in the muscle tissue of her wing. Mel also had an eye dropper, which she used to give the hawk some tonic. "You'll feel better soon," she offered.

They asked Fynn if she could continue the hike. With their help, she stood but faltered on the first step. Her knee was already swollen.

Misha couldn't fly and Fynn couldn't hike. They decided the best thing to do was to return to the cave while they thought it through. At least, the water fall would hide their energy-trail from the trackers, for the moment.

"I'm sorry," said Fynn.

"For what?" asked Ben.

"For causing trouble."

He picked her up and started walking back to the cave. "If you hadn't alerted us to those porcupines, it would have been much worse."

Jon put his arm around Tibby's shoulder. "That was very brave of you, Tibby. I'd hate to think of the consequences if you hadn't acted so fast."

Tibby grinned slightly as he looked at his fingernails, blackened with earth, but said nothing. He didn't want to think about what would have happened if he hadn't gotten to her in time.

# Chapter 37

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Ben and Jon left the cave to move the two porcupines to a different location. They didn't want them anywhere near the path when they came to their senses.

Before leaving, Jon set Misha on a tree branch outside the cave so she could rest. He spoke softly to her and thanked her for the help. In response, the bird gently nuzzled his cheek. Since she was given the tonic, he knew she would be healed by the time they were ready to set out again.

Inside the cave, Fynn lay on her back with eyes closed, while Mel cleaned her wound. Tibby sat next to her and watched Mel work. He felt a hand on his and saw that Fynn's eyes were open. She smiled faintly.

"Thank you," she said as she squeezed his hand.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

She nodded. "It doesn't matter whether your knee hits a rock or a rock hits your knee, the rock wins every time." Then she closed her eyes again. After a moment, she added, "At least the pack stayed on my back." She was grateful that she hadn't lost the necklace.

Mel retrieved a small bottle from her pack and unscrewed the cap, which contained an eye dropper. She filled it with liquid.

"Here, Fynn. Take this."

Fynn leaned up on her elbows. "What is it?"

"It's an extract that will put you to sleep while it heals your leg."

"I don't want to go to sleep."

"Fynn, we aren't going anywhere until your leg is healed. It's a strange feeling when it goes to work, like something is crawling on your skin, or in this case, your leg. There won't be anything on your leg – it just feels like it. It's important to remain totally still while it works. It's better if you sleep. Trust me on this."

Fynn was too spent to argue. She took the extract and lay back down. She reached for Tibby's hand again and promptly drifted off to sleep.

~~~

Fynn woke to the sound of voices. The extract induced a deep sleep and she was disoriented at first. She had been moved farther into the cave, where it was quieter, and couldn't figure out why there was such a weight on her stomach. Once she managed to fully open her eyes, she looked at her midsection and saw Cnāwan, lying on her gut, staring at her with a sideways glance. Fynn heard a faint "meow" come from the cat, like she was saying "hi."

The others huddled nearby and appeared to be in a serious conversation. Fynn saw somber faces but couldn't hear what they said.

Her knee was tightly wrapped but it didn't hurt anymore. She tried to shake the grogginess from her mind and vaguely recalled images from a dream. It included Jimmy, and the others, but she couldn't remember details. She watched the others talking and suddenly it hit her.

"Hey." Her voice was a raspy whisper. She cleared her throat and called out. "Hey! We have to go." She tried to get up as they approached and Cnāwan jumped off.

Jon put his hand on her shoulder. "Careful, now. Let's have a look first."

Mel knelt down and removed the wrapping. Through the tear in her pants, there was only a small scar where before she had an open wound that bled. "Looks good."

She rested on her elbows and looked up at them. "We have to go. The trackers are coming. Jimmy's coming."

"That's what we were just talking about," said Mel. "Jon and Ben saw them when they were out. How did you know?"

"I had a dream," replied Fynn. "We have to go now or it will be too late."

Jon, Ben and Mel glanced at each other. Jon held out his hand and helped Fynn to her feet. Her leg felt normal – like nothing had happened.

"Cool," she said. She took several steps to ensure it was healed. "It feels fine."

"What do you mean or it will be too late?" asked Ben.

"In the dream, he beat us to the gate and blocked it. He's got more men with him."

"Then let's get going," replied Ben.

They slipped on their packs and set out, once again. Cnāwan led them in the same direction. They passed the area of the porcupine encounter and, fortunately, there was no sign of the rodents.

Knowing they were close, and that the trackers were in the area, prodded them onward. With a new intensity, they were focused and driven.

Cnāwan led them laterally around the side of the mountain. It seemed like they had travelled about half way around it when the cat abruptly sat. She looked down the slope and perked up, as though she were listening. She visibly took in a breath and let out a sigh.

Jon and Ben were nervous, like they expected to see someone pop out into the open at any moment. Even Mel and Tibby appeared on edge.

_Do you feel it?_ asked the cat. Everyone nodded. Their bodies tingled with a heightened awareness. _We're here_ , Cnāwan sang.

"I can feel it but I don't see anything," said Fynn.

"It's here," said Ben.

Cnāwan stood and walked around the vicinity, honing in on the exact location.

"Mel, keep an eye on Cnāwan while we get ready. Tibby, you'll want to get that bottle ready to give Cnāwan a taste as soon as the gate is opened. Fynn, take the necklace out. The bottom portion, with the two triangles, is the key. Jon can help you remove that section. I'll get the book out."

Jon sighed. "What a wonderful day for going home."

# Chapter 38

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Fynn stared at Jon. "What did you say?"

Jon smiled. "It's a wonderful day for going home."

All of a sudden, Fynn felt like everything was in slow motion. She gazed at Tibby. He had the top off the bottle and was holding it, ready to give some to the cat, while he watched it walk around the area. Ben removed the book from his pack and caressed the leather cover. Fynn noticed the center of the front cover had a design etched in it, which was the exact shape of the triangles hanging from the necklace. Jon was in the process of gently removing that section from the wire lace around the locket.

Jon noticed the puzzled look on Fynn's face. "What is it?"

"Déjà vu," whispered Fynn. "This has happened before." Her eyes shifted back and forth as she tried to recall why the situation was so familiar; then they went wide, as the memory surfaced. "The dream I had back at the cave..." She looked over at the next hill and, through the trees, barely made out some movement. "They're coming! It's Jimmy. Over there."

Jon and Ben looked in the direction where she pointed. They watched as numerous forms came into sight and then disappeared again behind trees. They were far enough away to not be heard but close enough so that, if any one of them looked, they might spot Fynn and the others.

While Ben watched the men, he asked, "Cnāwan, how's it coming?"

The cat didn't respond.

"Cnāwan?"

If you'd all quit talking, I might be able to hear the vibrations easier.

Fynn was nervous. She watched Ben and Jon. Then she whispered, "If we're in the vicinity, can't we just open the gate?"

"We have to be directly in front of it. If we approach it from an angle, we could be thrown into a different dimension. It must be precise," Ben murmured.

She looked across at the search party being led by Jimmy. Fortunately, it didn't appear as though the men had spotted them...not yet anyway. Then she turned and looked in the direction from where they had just come around the mountain. Jon saw the concern on her face.

"What else was in that dream of yours?"

Fynn faced him and swallowed hard. "Porcupines," she whispered. "Three of them."

Jon handed her the triangular key with the cobalt blue stone in the center. "Here. You're the one who has to do this." Then, using both hands, he made a fizzle ball. Fynn watched as he packed the energy into a concentrated form. Once it was bright yellow, he let go with his hands and focused on it momentarily to keep it suspended in mid air. He proceeded to make another.

Tibby looked nervous, as well. He caught Fynn's eye and shrugged his shoulders, like he was asking what he could do to help besides stand there, waiting to give a cat a drink of some elixir. She gestured with her upturned hands to let him know she had no clue.

Suddenly, a quill flew past them through the air. Everyone instinctively dropped low. Another one landed in between Jon's feet and lodged in the soil. They didn't see the rodents yet or he would have thrown a fizzle ball. A moment went by before one of the porcupines came around a bush and was in plain sight. A couple more quills shot through the air as though they were ejected from a dart gun.

Jon had two fizzle balls suspended before him. He grabbed one, stood up and tossed it. It barely caught the nose of the rodent and dissipated. It was enough of a hit to stun the animal momentarily but it wouldn't knock it out of commission for as long as a direct hit.

Ben observed the men on the next hill. Once Jon threw the fizzle ball, it caught the attention of one of them; he saw the bright yellow form fly through the air. Ben still couldn't hear their voices but saw the man stop and talk with a second man. The man pointed in their direction. Through squinted eyes, Ben saw that the second man was Jimmy.

# Chapter 39

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_This is the spot. The vibration is the strongest here._ Cnāwan sat.

"Just in time, too" said Ben. "We've been spotted."

Fynn watched Jimmy give instructions to his men to break up into several groups. He pointed for two groups to approach from the left and right sides while another group, led by Jimmy, was using the direct approach to run down their hill and then straight up the steep slope to where Fynn and the others were.

A second porcupine came into sight and Jon threw the other fizzle ball. It struck the ground to the side of the animal and the particles scattered but it had no effect on the porcupine. Jon proceeded to make another fizzle ball while several quills sliced the air. Fynn felt the hairs on the back of her neck bristle at the close proximity. Obviously, the others did too, and everyone crouched lower still.

The porcupine was on the move, heading directly for them, so Jon had to estimate the new distance. He tossed the ball higher into the air and, on its descent, the animal stopped to sniff something on the ground. Fynn feared it would be another miss but as the rodent continued moving, the ball came down on the lower half of its back and instantly stunned it.

Misha let out a cry to let Jon know she was there to help. With three groups of men approaching, he wasn't sure what good it would do.

Tibby extended his arm to the cat. "Do you want this now?"

The cat gave him a casual glance, as though it didn't have a care in the world. Then he heard _Not yet._

Jon quickly weighed the situation. The group flanking on their right would most likely come up behind the gate. If that was the case, then the gate would offer them a small amount of protection once it was opened. He looked at the group being led by Jimmy and saw that they were making headway going down their hill but he knew the climb up would slow them down, even if they were in good physical shape. He decided to send Misha toward the third group.

"Hafoc, floege," and he motioned in that direction with his hand. "Slaw!" He commanded for the bird to slow that group down. Knowing he wouldn't see the bird again, he quietly said, "Good bye, Misha. Thanks for your help." She gave one last squawk as she flew in that direction.

Ben held the book flat in his hands so that it would open toward Cnāwan. "Now, Fynn! Use the key!"

Fynn gave a fleeting look at Jimmy's group and saw they had reached the bottom of their hill and crossed an open area. They were about to start the climb upward. She looked at the key and then at the book cover to determine how it fit. Her hands were shaking as she reached over and placed the triangular piece into the cover. She turned it slightly and it dropped perfectly into place.

At first, nothing happened. Fynn looked down the side of their hill again and saw that some of the men were struggling and couldn't keep up with Jimmy but he was making fast tracks.

A flash of blue caught her eye and she glanced back at the book. The cobalt stone was glowing and a small band of blue light shot into the air and descended back into the stone. The cover of the book slowly rose and the pages glowed so brightly, she had to look away. The light projected from inside and illuminated an invisible surface in the air behind Cnāwan.

The lit surface, in the shape of an arch about eight feet tall and half as wide, had no depth to it. Fynn quickly saw that behind it, everything looked normal, with trees and vegetation spread across the mountain.

The opening was as flat as paper but inside the gate, however, there was depth. There was a sunlit footbridge made of wood slats with ropes for handles. As Fynn gazed into the gate, she saw a dark space framing the inside edges but it wasn't solid. The dark was actually a gap of space between the gate and the footbridge. The space around the edges must be what Ben referred to as the cause for mistakenly entering other dimensions.

Tibby was on his knees, the bottle still in his hand. The sight before them totally captured his attention. "Wow!" All of a sudden, a sharp pain pierced his upper leg and something grabbed his hand. "Owww!"

Cnāwan, with claws fully extracted, had climbed onto his leg and reached out with paws to grab the hand holding the bottle. _Now would be a good time!_

"Hey, that hurts," said Tibby. "All you had to do was ask."

_What do you think I've been doing? You didn't hear me._ She pulled his hand down to get closer to the bottle.

"Okay. Okay." The cat opened her mouth and Tibby tipped the bottle and let a couple drops come out.

Cnāwan smacked her lips like she just finished eating lobster or some tasty fish. She licked her paw and stroked her face a couple times. Then she looked at the bridge on the other side of the gate and back at the bottle in Tibby's hand. _More!_

He let a couple more drops fall into her mouth. She licked her chops. _Let's go!_ Cnāwan was the first through the gate. She sat on the bridge and looked back at the others. _C'mon. Hurry!_

Mel went through next with Tibby directly behind her. Ben walked through it but had to carry the book in an open position until everyone got through.

Jon looked at Fynn and said, "You're next." She started to stand when she spotted something behind Jon.

"Lookout! Another porcupine!" She crouched back down.

Jon kicked himself for forgetting that Fynn's dream had a third rodent in it. He told himself that he needed to take her dreams more seriously from now on. She was more sensitive and receptive to the Gädweg than he realized.

While quills shot all around them, he formed another fizzle ball. The longer one packs the energy, the stronger the effect, but he knew he didn't have the time to make one so concentrated.

He quickly formed a ball and threw it. It fell short. More quills flew past and Fynn heard him grunt. He formed another one and tossed it at the critter. It caught the edge of its body and stunned it slightly. The rodent lay down and was slightly dazed but still conscious. It shook its head like it was trying to clear it of grogginess.

Jon reached over to push Fynn up. "Go! Now!"

As Fynn stood to run to the gate, she caught a glimpse of movement on the hill below her. Jimmy had outrun his group and was almost to the top. His face was beet red and he had slowed to a trot but was still pushing onward.

Jon got up with Fynn but he limped when he stepped on his leg.

"You're hit," said Fynn. She pointed to his calf where a porcupine quill stuck through his pant leg.

"I'll be okay," he grabbed her arm and just as they stepped through the gate, Fynn screamed and stopped.

Jimmy had caught up with them and had a tight hold on her other arm. He was too busy catching his breath to talk but he was trying. Jon grabbed Fynn around the waist with one arm and used his free hand to pry Jimmy's fingers off of Fynn's arm.

The others stood on the bridge and watched, helplessly. There wasn't much room to maneuver and Ben had to keep the book open until Jimmy's arm was clear of the gate. Jon's energy was weakening fast and he couldn't loosen Jimmy's grip so he reached through the gate and gave one good push in his chest. Jimmy had to take a couple steps backwards to keep from falling down.

Jon pushed Fynn ahead of him and they stepped back from the gate.

"No. Stop!" shouted Ben.

Fynn looked back at the gate and saw that Jimmy was just about to pass through it.

"You'll die if you come over." Ben held his palm up. "Believe me; your energy won't be able to sustain the vibrations here."

Jimmy hesitated. He was unsure of what to do. His breathing had slowed but thoughts were racing through his mind. He looked at Fynn. "How do you know my father's name?"

"You weren't supposed to remember," she whispered.

She studied his face, still trying to glean some understanding of what kind of a person he was. She stepped in front of Jon and stared at her half-brother, on the other side of the opening. She wasn't sure at this point whether to make something up or tell him the truth. Clearly, his emotions were taking him on a rollercoaster ride.

Finally, she blurted, "We have the same father." She watched as confusion and shock registered in his eyes. She didn't mean to torment him and thought the truth would be best but she couldn't think of anything else to say that might help Jimmy.

Ben slammed the book shut and the gate disappeared.

# Chapter 40

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It happened so fast it startled Fynn.

Pffft!

The gate vanished into thin air and was replaced with the other end of the footbridge that led to a different mountain.

"I'm sorry," said Ben. "We couldn't let him come through."

Fynn turned to face the others but was perplexed by how Jimmy remembered their conversation. She had erased his memory. So how did he remember?!?

She didn't say anything as she turned to face Jon and the others. Cnāwan was already at the other end of the bridge, waiting. Mel and Tibby were on their way across.

"It doesn't work with Wærs," said Jon, as he took a step toward Ben and faltered. He grabbed the rope to steady himself.

"What?" asked Fynn.

"Forgietan," mumbled Jon.

Ben immediately saw why his friend struggled. He handed the book to Fynn. "Here. Carry this." Then he grabbed Jon's arm and slung it over his shoulders. With his hand around Jon's waist, he helped him walk but, by the time they got to the other side, Ben was carrying him. He lay Jon down on the ground.

Cnāwan, the cat, immediately became Cnāwan, the beautiful emerald-eyed woman. She knelt by Jon's side and placed her hand on his chest. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Hey, don't wimp out on me now, ya hear?"

Jon tried to smile.

"I kept my word," she continued. "Now you have to keep yours." She took his hand in an unusual position. Her hand held the inside of his wrist and he lightly closed his hand around the inside of her wrist in a bonding hold. He gave a slight nod of his head and then closed his eyes.

Cnāwan gazed at Ben, who was kneeling on the opposite side of his friend. "Keep him alive! I stashed supplies near here before I left. I'll be back as fast as I can." Her movements were graceful but quick. She disappeared into the woods.

Mel and Tibby stood next to them. As Fynn approached, it suddenly dawned on her what Jon was saying. It didn't work to erase Jimmy's memory because he's a Wær - a half-Wær, to be precise. So, that's why he recalled their conversation before he was struck down by the fizzle ball. Forgietan had no effect on Jimmy.

She looked down at Jon. He didn't look well. Her voice quivered. "Will he..." She had difficulty getting the words past the emotions that surfaced and she turned away.

Tibby saw that she was on the verge of crying. "Will he be okay?" he asked.

"It depends on what supplies Cnāwan brought and whether she returns right away," said Mel.

"Help me get him over to that tree where we're," Ben scanned the area as though they weren't alone, "less exposed."

They moved him about ten feet and, as they lay him gently on the ground, he moaned. Ben produced a blanket from his pack and covered him.

"I guess we should explain the ymbgang," said Mel.

"Oombjang?" asked Tibby.

Just then, the ground shook and it was accompanied by a loud roar. Birds in the area took flight.

Tibby yelled, "Earthquake!"

Ben and Mel were perplexed but they, obviously, weren't as frightened as Tibby and Fynn. Tibby watched them as they stood and looked around for the source.

The footbridge they had crossed provided access over a deep gorge that snuggled between two mountains. The gorge was dry, with no water flowing through it. Mel's gaze rested at the top of the gorge.

Tibby followed her line of sight. "Oh, my..."

Farther up, a billowy wall of water was crashing down the valley, demolishing everything in its path.

Ben asked, "Okay, who's afraid of water or flooding?" Ben's tone was calm and casual, as if he was asking: who forgot to turn off the light?

Tibby was shocked. "Who isn't afraid of that?!? We've got to get to higher ground!" He pointed at it. "That's HUGE!"

That answered Ben's question. "Tibby, look at the wall of water and say wigle to it."

"What?!?"

"Just say the word, like you're calling the water a bad name. Wigle." Ben acted like they were playing a word game.

Tibby was apprehensive and felt foolish at his request. He looked up the canyon and the wall of water had grown and was only moments from crashing into them. It tore at the canyon walls, taking trees and boulders with it. He glared at Ben, feeling his heart pound in his head, fighting his instinct to flee, but as he studied his face he saw that Ben was serious. There was nothing to lose at this point – there was no time left to get out of the way anyway. He faced the turbulent force, pronounced it like he heard it, and put all his energy into it, as though his life depended on it, which it did.

"Weejul!"

The gigantic swell hung in the air, as though it was gathering its last remaining force before crashing down onto the bridge, and tearing them off the face of the mountain. As soon as the word left Tibby's mouth, the thunderous sound ceased and the wave instantaneously dissipated into tiny particles, just like the fizzle balls did when they came in contact with another object. Everything the water had destroyed in its path was back to normal, like the destructive force never touched a thing. All was quiet.

Tibby's mouth hung open as he stared in disbelief. "What was that?"

Fynn was just as shocked and her eyes looked twice their size.

Mel said, "Okay, it's time to talk about the ymbgang. It's a two-mile wide belt that surrounds the base of this mountain. This is how Elione protects its borders. It's a belt of illusion. Most everything that occurs in this two-mile stretch is a leogan – a lie. It's not real...that is if you're willing to call its bluff. But, if you buy into the illusion, it can be very real."

Ben stepped in to help. "And, the illusion is based on our emotions. In other words, whatever we fear, or hate, or want the most is going to show itself in this two-mile wide belt that we have to cross. These illusions are meant to deter or sidetrack any intruders."

"A wigle is magic; it's a sly trick," added Mel. "So, when you call its bluff – by calling it what it is – it has to go away. Only Wærs know this."

Tibby's mouth still hung open. After a moment, he managed to say, "Whoa. What is this place?!?"

# Chapter 41

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Cnāwan returned with a backpack and duffle bag full of gear. They carried Jon further into the trees and erected a lean-to for more protection. Mel and Cnāwan worked on Jon while Ben built a fire. They cut the leg of Jon's trousers open and Mel removed the quill. It didn't take long for Jon to develop a fever and become incoherent. Cnāwan made a poultice, from special leaves that she brought, which she then heated over the fire.

At one point, Ben discreetly asked. "Do you think he'll make it?"

Cnāwan was focused while she worked and, at first, Ben didn't think she heard his question. Then she looked him in the eyes and replied, "I don't know how much energy he has left." She didn't have to say any more. Ben nodded his understanding.

A lot of Jon's energy was spent in Tungate, being caught up in that life for so many years, and even more energy was required to leave that dimension. She didn't know if he had enough left to heal. His friend suddenly appeared very fragile.

Ben thought back to all those years that Jon blamed himself for missing the call of the flute and how it drained him back then. He wished he could give him some of his own energy, to help him get through this.

Tibby was called upon to generate food for everyone since there wasn't much left. He was happy to finally be helping. It was better than sitting around worrying.

Fynn assisted where she could but she mostly stayed out of the way. Emotions were riding high inside. She recalled the look on Jimmy's face – the look of confusion and shock. She wondered if she made the right choice. Should she have stayed with him? Or should she have kept her mouth shut and not let him know he had a half-sister?

She worried about Jon. These people were her family now. She had grown fond of each one and, to be honest, she needed them. She didn't know if she had the strength – after losing her mother – to now deal with losing Jon.

The days since her mother's death had been so full: from the moment she was taken to the orphanage, to escaping with Tibby and hooking up with the others. Then there were several days of training, getting the necklace back, and a few grueling days of trying to reach the gate before the trackers caught them – not to mention, learning that she had a brother. In spite of it all, she made it...they all made it. So, it didn't make sense that after all they had gone through together, that this might be the end of the road for Jon. After two hundred thirty one years in Tungate, she refused to believe that he wouldn't make it to Elione.

Her heart ached. She really missed her mother now and wished she could talk with her. Fynn's mother always had a way of helping her see things more clearly. She walked a few paces away and sat on a rock. She was almost to Elione – where both her mother and father originated – and it gave her a sense of being close to her mother. All of a sudden, she wondered about the locket. Events transpired fast before they came through the gate and she couldn't recall what happened to it after Jon took off the key. Hopefully he still has it, though she'd have to wait to find out.

It felt as though someone was watching her. She turned, expecting to see Tibby or Ben or one of the others but it was none of them. She was totally unprepared for what she saw.

"Mom?"

Her mother stood before her with arms outstretched to welcome her. She smiled. "Hello, Fynn."

Without hesitation, Fynn jumped up and into her mother's arms. It felt so good to be hugged by her again. She needed it more than she even realized: that warm, loving embrace that made her feel that everything would be all right. For a fleeting moment, a thought flashed through her mind. Perhaps this had all been a dream; maybe once she opened her eyes and stepped back, she would be awake and back home with her mother.

A thought tried to push its way through her emotions, to the surface of her mind, to remind her that this is what she was warned about. But she wanted so much for this to be real that she wouldn't allow it to reach her awareness.

"I've been waiting for you, Fynn. I'm glad you're finally here."

"But how..."

"I'll explain another time. Let's walk a bit." Her mother took her hand and they began walking and talking – just like they used to do.

Fynn explained all that had transpired since her mother's passing. Her ability to use reason and logic took a back seat to the strong sentiment, which is why she never questioned how her mother could actually be physically present. She focused on her mother's soothing voice. Oh, how it comforted her. It always had.

She was so caught up in the moment of her mother's company and their conversation that she wasn't paying attention to where they walked, or how far from the others they had gone. Soon they were on the footbridge, walking across it to the mountain on the other side. Her mother was in the lead and kept Fynn engaged with different topics. As soon as her mother stepped off the bridge onto the other mountain, Fynn finally noticed where they were. She stopped.

"Where are we?"

Her mother turned to face her. "We're almost home, dear."

Fynn heard the answer but as she looked at her mother's face, she saw coldness in her eyes that hadn't been in her voice. She realized that she hadn't looked in her eyes until now. Her mother held out her hand for Fynn to follow.

# Chapter 42

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Suddenly, Fynn had a sinking feeling and some part of her knew that the moment she stepped off the footbridge and onto the other mountain, there would be no going back. She looked around and realized they were at the place where they came through the gate, even a bit beyond that point. It hit her like a hammer. She had been duped!

"This is an illusion," she muttered as she slowly stepped backward.

"No. Of course not, dear."

Fynn came alert and noticed the change in her mother's voice. It sounded distant, with an edge of impatience. The comfort was no longer there. Maybe the edge was there all along; maybe she heard exactly what she had longed to hear.

The palm of her hand went to her forehead. _What was that word? Wiggle? Wijjy?_

"Come dear, I've made your favorite snack. Your father is at home waiting for us." The voice became more insistent. Her mother stepped back onto the footbridge and grabbed Fynn's hand. She started pulling.

The word finally surfaced. She spoke it with all the contempt she felt for this apparition – this lie! "Wigle!!" She closed her eyes and said it even louder, with more emphasis. "Weeeeejullll!!!"

The tugging on her arm ceased so abruptly that she nearly toppled backwards but caught herself on the rope handles. She ran back across the bridge and stopped on the other side. She could hear the blood flow in her ears, rushing loudly as she took in her surroundings. She was alone. Fear rose in her throat like a dry lump. She took deep breaths to overcome the impulse to vomit.

"Don't panic, Fynn," she told herself. She played out in her mind the events that occurred when they first came through the gate, hoping to recall their steps and get back to the others.

"Okay, we moved Jon to these trees." She stepped over to the exact spot. "Then we..."

She heard a sound, like someone was trying to get her attention.

"Pssst."

She turned. Standing near some bushes was Jimmy. He waved at her.

She almost fell for it but then said, "You're not real."

"Yes, I am."

"How did you get here then? I saw the gate close and you were on the other side."

He took a couple steps toward her. "It started closing but I jumped through at the last minute. I saw that your friend is hurt. Will he be okay?"

If he knew about Jon, then could this be real? The thought of Jon made her look away. "I don't know." Then she faced Jimmy and asked, "Why did you come here?"

He studied her for a moment while he calculated his answer. "You said we have the same father. That means that you're my sister."

"You shouldn't have come. Ben said you would die here if you came through the gate."

"I couldn't help it. I wanted to talk with you."

"And risk your life?" Fynn observed his face.

Jimmy cut in quickly. He pointed behind him, further up the hill. "There's a spot up there that I found...some nice rocks, overlooking the gorge. I found it when I was looking for you. Why don't we sit and talk for a bit. No harm in that, is there?"

She noticed that his eyes kept moving, not resting on any one thing for long. At first she thought he was nervous but as she watched more closely, she realized why he wouldn't look her in the eyes.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Wigle!"

Jimmy's form turned into millions of particles that shimmered in the sunlight as they fell to the ground and disappeared.

Fynn rolled her eyes and scolded herself for being so gullible. "I am so naïve." She shook her head and then searched the area to regain her bearings. She headed off in the direction that she and the others went earlier.

After walking for a few minutes, she heard the sound of an animal. It wasn't a growl but was more like a grunt. Then a different type of sound drew her attention to the tall brush nearby. She stepped over to it and peeked around.

There was a black bear eating berries off the bushes. Fynn squealed and jumped back. The bear sniffed in her direction. It rose onto its hind legs and growled, apparently unhappy about her intrusion on its feeding grounds. It stepped toward her and revealed even more teeth with a louder roar. It was angry at her presence.

She looked around for a place to hide or to run to before she had a thought. "Wait a minute." She looked back at the bear and said, "Wigle."

The bear took a couple more steps in her direction and was about to charge, when all of a sudden, a bright yellow light flashed through the air and hit the bear square in the chest. It fell onto its side, as though it had just been shot with a heavy dose of tranquilizer. It lay still; its eyes stared straight ahead.

Fynn turned to look where the fizzle ball came from and saw Ben standing by a tree. She ran to him but stopped abruptly.

"I've been looking for you! Are you okay?" His face showed genuine concern.

She stared at it and studied his eyes. Then she spat the word. "Wigle."

"I'm real," he said and held out his arms.

She hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry. I know you warned me but I fell for it, for my mom. She was taking me across the footbridge to that other mountain before I realized something was wrong."

"It's a good thing you didn't leave the bridge. You would have been lost, for sure, in the land of deceit. Come on. Let's get back to camp."

"How's Jon?"

"Too soon to know but we've done all we can for him. The rest is up to him."

On the way back, she told him how she was duped by the illusion. "It seemed so real."

"That's the whole idea behind it, to make you think it's real so that you get sidetracked and go off and live in that illusion or, worse yet, die. Elione doesn't need an army to guard its borders. The ymbgang – the belt – is sufficient."

"Have you been duped by any illusions?" she asked.

"Yes, in the past I almost got caught by one. But, as you mature in your disciplines, it will be easier to pass through the belt with no problems."

# Chapter 43

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When they walked into camp, Tibby glanced up from where he sat next to Mel. The look on his face showed relief and, without hesitation, he stood and ran to Fynn. Suddenly, as if his mind had just caught up to his body and told him what he was about to do, he stopped before reaching her. He looked down at the ground and a slight blush appeared on his cheeks. Fynn was quite happy to see him so she took the last step and wrapped her arms around him.

At first he was surprised by her action but just as quickly settled into the embrace. "What happened?" he asked.

While they walked to the fire and sat next to Mel, Fynn explained how she had been tricked.

"Welcome back." Mel hugged her. "Those illusions can be nasty, can't they?"

Fynn rolled her eyes. "Hmmmph. When will we be through the oomgu...the umbu...the belt?"

Mel pronounced it for her. "The o-o-m-b-j-a-n-g." She motioned toward Jon sleeping under the lean-to. "It all depends on him."

Cnāwan sat next to Jon while he slept. Her arms wrapped around her calves and pulled her long legs tightly to her chest while she rocked to and fro on her butt. Her long black hair was tied into a knot but strands had fallen loose onto her shoulders. She seemed physically tired but began to hum a melody. The tune sounded familiar, almost like one of the songs she sang back in Tungate, when she was in cat form. This time, however, there were words. The others listened as she sang about when two people met, in Elione.

Cnāwan's voice was lovely and melodic. Fynn had the sudden realization that the song was referring to when Cnāwan and Jon met.

She tapped on Mel's arm and whispered, "Do they...are they in love?"

Mel smiled. "Yes. They were to be joined in a mæcca." She stopped at the perplexed look on Fynn's face. "In some dimensions they call it getting married."

"But they didn't?"

"They decided to wait until he returned from this last adventure. She promised that she would come for us if we missed the first call to return home." She glanced at Cnāwan and sighed. "And she did."

Hearing this gave Fynn a whole new appreciation for what Jon must have gone through in Tungate and why he was so hard on himself for missing the fluted call. She looked at Tibby. At hearing this, he raised his eyebrows and mouthed, "Wow."

The sun was lower on the horizon and the shadows on the ground lengthened. They ate supper while it was still light. Tibby was quickly becoming a culinary artist. Once he learned how to use his imagination to conjure up mouth-watering dishes, they nicknamed him Chef Tibby. His own tastes were wandering away from fried, junky-type food and the others appreciated it. He found that, by creating healthier food, he didn't have to eat as often as he once did.

"Night time can be a particularly difficult time in the belt," explained Ben. "The mind and imagination become more active. I suggest that you two," referring to Fynn and Tibby, "sleep between Mel and me. Stay in the moment and don't let your thoughts run wild. No one goes anywhere tonight! Understood?"

The kids nodded. The four of them lay close together, next to Jon and Cnāwan.

~~~

Evening settled in with very little light except for that provided by the fire. Ben and Mel kept it fed throughout the night. A couple of times, when it dwindled to glowing embers, Fynn woke and admired the stars in the sky. They were brighter and appeared larger than what she recalled in the other dimension.

The second time she woke, she saw a quarter moon appear above the trees. As she looked at the stars around it, she saw a second moon, also only a quarter full. She rubbed her eyes thinking they were just blurry from having just awoken. The two moons were still there. How odd!

Tibby stirred.

She whispered, "Are you awake?"

He looked at her. "Yeah, I thought I heard something. Must have been dreaming."

"Look." Fynn pointed to the sky.

"Are there two moons?" he asked.

"Yeah. Strange, huh?"

"Yeah."

Cnāwan cried out. "Jon, NO!"

Everyone sat up.

"What is it?" asked Ben. It took a moment, but the sight before them registered in his brain.

Jon was sitting up, reaching out. Cnāwan sat next to him, trying to get his attention.

"Jon, that's not me. She's not real." She hit her chest with her hand. "I'm here, Jon."

Next to him, an apparition that looked exactly like Cnāwan was handing him a cup from which to drink. The real Cnāwan shook Jon.

"I don't know what to do. His fever is causing him to hallucinate. He thinks I'm giving him something to help him recover but if he drinks that, it will kill him for sure. I don't doubt the negative forces would consider it a notch on their belt if the ymbgang claimed the life of a Wær."

Ben jumped to his feet and restrained Jon. He pushed him back to the ground and held him down.

"Jon, say wigle. Say it, Jon. Say weeejull," demanded Ben.

Jon muttered incoherently and tried to reach for the cup again.

"Cnāwan, since that's a leogan and you're real, maybe it will work if you say it. Try it! You're as much a part of this as he is. Call it!"

Cnāwan looked at the illusion with anguished eyes and cried out. "Wigle!!"

The form looked like sparkles from fireworks as they exploded in the air and burned themselves out. Cnāwan threw herself onto Jon's chest and let out a big sigh. Ben backed away and sat next to Fynn.

They appreciated the graveness of how close Jon had come to sealing his own fate. Sleep came in brief spurts the rest of the night. Slight sounds or movement caused them to wake. They were relieved when dawn came without further incidents.

Jon was the only one who was still asleep as daybreak came. During the night, Cnāwan had rested her head on his chest with her arm and leg draped over him. In case she dozed, she wanted to know if he moved. As the others started moving around camp, she sat up and looked at him. She put her hand to his forehead.

"His fever is gone. Ben...Mel...his fever is gone!" She smiled.

Ben and Mel knelt beside him.

"Looks like we might be out of the woods, so to speak," offered Ben.

"That was a close call last night," said Mel.

Cnāwan nodded vigorously. "Yes, it was! I'll be relieved when we get out of here."

"That's for sure. I thought I saw two of you last night," spouted Jon.

They looked down and saw him smiling.

"You're awake!" Cnāwan put her hand on his leg.

"Who can sleep with all of you gawking over me?"

~~~

Jon was given a double dose of the rescue tonic. After a few hours of rest and some soothing soup from Chef Tibby, color had returned to his face. He was still weak but growing restless.

"C'mon, Ben. I know I can make it. You all want to get going – I can feel it," he said. "Well, so do I. How far have we travelled?"

"We're only about half a mile into the ymbgang," replied Ben. "After what you've just been through, you're seriously ready to go for a hike? Don't you want a little more rest?" Jon gave him a deadpan face so Ben looked at Cnāwan to see if she had any reaction. "You don't have anything to say?"

"When it comes to you two, I stay clear of conversations like this." She smiled.

Jon put it up for vote. "I'm heading out...how many of you are with me?"

The kids observed their interaction and decided it was best to stay out of the conversation.

After a moment, Ben gave in. He picked up a pack and tossed it to Jon. "Then I don't want to hear any belly aching." He tried to put up a front that he was serious but Jon noticed the corners of his mouth were turned up.

Jon mocked a shocked look. "Have you ever heard me belly ache?" He saw that everyone had their eyes on him. He slung the pack on his back. "On second thought, don't answer that."

Ben slapped him on the back. "It's good to have you back."

# Chapter 44

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"Just relax. Think about Elione. Picture it like you saw it in the painting. Embed it in your mind." Ben brought up the tail end of the group with Mel. Fynn and Tibby were in the middle while Cnāwan and Jon took the lead.

Suddenly, a small brown furry thing darted across the path ahead of them. Along with it came a high pitched, nasally "Ooouuueeeee. Yip! Yip! Yip!" It took a flying leap and dove behind a bush.

Fynn and Tibby jumped.

"It's okay." Ben tried to assure them. "Just keep Elione in mind and act like you belong here."

"That's easy for you to say," mumbled Tibby. He stared straight ahead.

"But what are they?" pressed Fynn.

Another one jumped from behind a tree onto the path directly in front of them. It stared for a moment, like it was trying to assess the situation. Jon and Cnāwan didn't let it slow them down and the creature had to jump behind a tree to get out of the way. As it did so, there was another high pitched "Ooouuueeeee. Yip! Yip! Yip!"

Fynn looked at it as they walked past. The animal, or whatever it was, peered from behind the tree. When she made eye contact, it took several rapid steps and leapt behind a bush. It was a brown fuzz ball, only a foot wide and slightly taller, with pointed ears and short legs that moved with amazing speed. It reminded her of how the short-legged porcupines moved so fast. All the more surprising was its ability to jump. Two small, insignificant wings were extended as it ran, probably more for balance than flight.

"They're called Creatura Aemulus. They were imported from another dimension. We call them Craemulus for short. They were put here as a last fail-safe for intruders trying to get through the ymbgang. They're very sensitive creatures – they pick up our vibrations," explained Ben.

"In other words, they know – from our vibrations – who belongs here and who doesn't," added Mel. "They were trained to weed out trespassers."

Fynn spotted a smaller one eyeing her from between two bushes. She stopped. The critter looked at her with big brown eyes and unexpectedly its long fur, which had been puffed out around its round body, parted on top and hung lifelessly. The ears folded down and its eyes took on a sad look. It whimpered.

"It looks so sad," she said.

Ben put his hand on her back. "It's picking up your feelings about...losing your mother."

Fynn looked down at the ground. "Oh."

"We need to keep moving," he added. Fynn sensed a tinge of urgency in his voice.

She stayed another moment and watched it. When it looked at Ben, she saw its ears perk up and its hair fluff back out around its body. It seemed fine again. "They're cute."

"Looks can be deceiving." Mel nudged her from the other side and she started walking again.

Several more Craemulus calls spread throughout the forest.

Tibby slapped his hands over his ears. "Why do they keep making that sound?"

Jon made eye contact with Mel and then stepped back to walk beside Tibby. "They're calling to the others. They're checking you two out. Just stick close. It will be fine."

"They remind me of a dog that bit me once. It had a high pitched yelp just like that...and needles for teeth." He shuddered at the memory.

A Craemulus eyed him from the shrubs beside the trail.

"It was a nasty little dog," he continued. "You never knew what it was thinking."

The Craemulus took a couple steps closer to the trail.

"One minute it acted like it wanted you to pet it and the next minute it wanted to bite off your hand..."

Jon noticed the Craemulus inching closer as they were about to pass near it. "Not a good time to be thinking about that..."

"I thought it was just a harmless little dog at first...cute eyes..."

"Tibby..."

"...charming face...it was the dog from hell..."

"Tibby!"

Just as he passed, the Craemulus let out a deep growl and leapt through the air, its jaw wide open, baring sharp spikes which were intent on biting into Tibby's backside.

Fynn squealed at the sudden movement and tripped over a rock.

Seeing this from behind, Ben jumped into motion. With a flick of his hand, a flash appeared between Tibby and the Creamulus, and he yelled, "Farthel Bardum! Healt! Hangian!"

He said it as though he were scolding a kid for not making his bed.

The Craemulus halted in midair, its jaw revealed jagged teeth and its eyes registered surprise as to how it was suspended, mid-jump. Its feet kicked at thin air. Then, as if it reached an understanding, its eyes rolled upward and its jaw closed. A small nasally, monotone voice said, "Farthel down."

Ben stepped closer to face the animal. "He's one of us." He pointed at Fynn, still sitting where she fell. "So is she."

"Farthel doing job." It looked at Tibby who had turned around. "Fearful vibrations, that one."

"He was remembering a fearful incident," explained Ben.

Then it glanced at Fynn on the ground. "Not much confidence, that one."

Fynn looked hurt by the observation.

"These are special circumstances." Ben looked a bit peeved. "Besides, you should know better than to think that we would bring someone through the belt that didn't belong here!"

The critter looked at Ben. "Farthel down."

"Do we have an agreement?!?"

The Craemulus stared at Ben. Its big brown eyes blinked but it said nothing.

Ben let out a sigh. "I'll take that to mean that we do." He stared back for a moment and then pointed with his finger. "If you make one move, I'll hang you up for eternity!" Then he motioned with his finger. "Slaw dropa."

The Craemulus was slowly lowered to the ground. Once its feet touched, it turned toward the bushes and waddled away.

# Chapter 45

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Cnāwan danced circles around each one of them, singing. "We made it...we made it...we're on our way home." They were so close to Elione, there was no more concern about whether they would make it.

Previously, when they were about a half mile beyond the ymbgang, Jon had to stop and rest. More rescue tonic was given to him and he napped. Now he seemed all the better for it as they hiked up the mountain on a well-travelled trail. The closer they got to Elione, the more the laughter and giddiness increased. but they would only make it half way before they had to stop for the night.

Fynn and Tibby were amazed by the mountain. As they climbed in elevation, they felt as though they were – almost effortlessly – being pulled upward. Tibby said he felt the tingling sensation in his body again.

Considering the volcano had been dormant for eons of time, they assumed there would be vegetation but what they saw filled their senses to the fullest. Fynn commented on how the air, the plants, the rocks, vividly pulsated the farther up the mountain they went. It looked as though a double dose of color was given to everything, animate or inanimate. The sky was deep blue with brilliantly white cotton ball clouds. The greens of the trees and bushes were deep and rich. The colors of the wild flowers were so stunning it was as though she could feel their color. Even the rocks were multi-colored. Fynn basked in the vibrations and the pleasant, sweet scent in the air.

"It looks like the plants are dancing, too," she commented.

Cnāwan took Fynn's hands and they danced in a circle. "Of course they're dancing. Your senses are heightening the farther up we go. That's why you're seeing more color and movement."

Fynn giggled. Cnāwan's happiness was contagious. They reached out for Tibby's hands and pulled him into the dance. He laughed.

Mel added, "That's why it was hard to describe this place to you back in Tungate. Words don't even come close to the actual experience."

Fynn understood her meaning now. They stopped and set up camp for the night. Only one more night and they would make it to the caldera tomorrow.

Tibby prepared a tantalizing meal. It seemed that the environment was further stimulating his senses. He sat on a log and imagined the supper. He let the taste he dreamed-up roam over his taste buds, making him salivate. When it became so real that he could smell it, it appeared. He provided roasted chicken covered in a dark chocolate mole sauce with an assortment of warm, herbed vegetables on the side. Before he served it, he stepped into the woods and picked some lavender and added the fresh flowers to the sauce. It proved to be an intoxicating combination.

After supper, they gazed at the sky. Several minutes went by before Fynn said, "I hear music."

"That's the mountain," explained Ben. "Various caves, tubes and fissures were created when the volcano was active. Now, the wind blows through some openings and water, from the spring, flows through other openings. It makes music."

"That's so cool," said Tibby.

"There are other treasures in the mountain as well. It's not your typical inactive volcano," offered Jon. "Oh, by the way," he reached into his pack and pulled something out, "this is yours."

"The locket!" Fynn reached out to take it. Some of the wire lace had been damaged when the key was removed.

"It can be repaired," said Ben. Then he pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Besides, you might want this put back on it, in case you decide to go on an adventure of your own some time."

Tibby cut in. "I don't know. This is more adventure than I've ever experienced."

Fynn gave him a lopsided grin. "Ya think?!?"

~~~

Fynn and her mother walked through the forest. It felt like they were near Elione.

Kay said, "You made it, Fynn. I told you things were going to play out the way they should – it was all orchestrated perfectly."

" _But I wish you could stay with me."_

" _Fynn, there's a time for everything. It may not feel perfect to you but it was my time to go. I learned a lot from my experience. Don't be sad; be happy for me. Learn to relax...you're among other Wærs now."_

Fynn woke to the sound of the others moving about. It was daylight and time to trek the last distance to Elione. She lay still, reflecting on the dream. Her mother's presence felt so real, she wondered if it was actually possible for her mother's spirit to visit her. Real or not, though, she felt different today.

The dream gave her a sense of closure. Death and birth seemed to go hand-in-hand. It felt as though a part of her life had completed its cycle and, while she still had all the memories, she was able to let it go and move forward. She saw life through new eyes: releasing the old gave way for the new. A feeling of excitement and anticipation was building for the life she was about to embark upon.

"Come on, Fynn. Time to head out," said Mel.

# Chapter 46

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They hiked the remaining distance in silence. The air was thick with expectation and eagerness on everyone's part; each person was lost in their own thoughts. With their senses overwhelmed by the brand new environment, Fynn and Tibby were totally engrossed in the experience.

A movement caught Fynn's eye. "I just saw something. There's someone in the trees."

A pang of nerves hit Tibby as he looked around. He wondered if the Craemulus had followed him.

"Hmmm," said Ben. "Yes, I suppose so."

Tibby noticed how casual he sounded. In fact, he realized, Ben always sounded calm and collected. For the most part, they all did. He wondered if that composure came naturally to Wærs.

Tibby gave Fynn a curious look and they both shrugged. Ben hadn't explained any further but since he didn't appear to be concerned, they remained quiet - but alert - and continued to scan the forest as they hiked.

After several more minutes, Tibby spotted movement and pointed it out to Fynn. Then there was the sound of children giggling.

"I guess we've lost the element of surprise," said Mel dryly.

The laughter got louder. Suddenly, in one of the trees next to the trail, something swung from a branch. It surprised Fynn and she gasped. She couldn't tell if it was human, plant or animal. It seemed to be a mixture of all three and it hung upside down from a tail. Then, its eyes opened. It gasped, just like Fynn had gasped, and then giggled.

Fynn saw another one peek from behind a different tree. She pointed it out to Tibby. It was the size of a small child. It had big, round, blue eyes, with hair that looked like moss and its leaf-like ears fluttered. It had arms and legs, like a human, with the claws and big, bushy tail of a squirrel.

There was a beautiful magenta flower in one paw and a bright yellow one in the other. It shyly glanced back at a taller being who nudged it forward. The small one stepped forward, closer to the trail. It started to hand the flowers to Fynn and Tibby. Then, as if it changed its mind as to who got which color, it crossed its paws and handed Fynn the yellow flower and Tibby the magenta one.

They both said, "Thank you."

For some reason when they spoke, it made all the strange creatures giggle again. Fynn sniffed her flower. The scent was unlike any she had smelled. She wasn't sure whether she liked it or not but it was so strong, however, that it caught in her throat and made her cough. It startled the smaller being, which ran back to the taller one for protection.

"What are they?" whispered Fynn.

"They're forest children," said Ben. "They don't often let themselves be seen but they like kids. They're making a special appearance to welcome you. They're friendly but very shy. And, they can't keep a secret to save their lives."

Jon laughed softly, "Yeah, anytime news spreads through Elione that someone wanted to keep secret, we blame it on them."

Giggles broke out from all around them and several more forest children stepped out into the open. Some of them romped and played just like young squirrels that tumble and roll over each other. Several hung by their tails from nearby trees. One walked up to Tibby, sniffing along the way, and curiously reached out to touch his hand. Then it laughed and rolled all the way back to its companions.

Mel said, "Usually, if you don't acknowledge them, they keep to themselves. If you give them too much attention, however, they stick to you like a lost puppy. They know you both are new here so they're checking you out. And, I imagine by now, everyone in Elione knows we're approaching."

More giggling from the forest children seemed to confirm that last statement.

~~~

A couple hours later, they approached the top of the mountain. The trail led them to the upper edge of the caldera, which gave them a full view of Elione, before it dropped down the side of the hill and entered the community.

They stood and stared. Jon, Ben and Mel let out a collective sigh at the sight of it. Two hundred thirty one years in Tungate felt like an eternity. Knowing it had only been seven of Elione's gears, the place looked pretty much like they remembered.

Fynn gasped when she saw it. She had never seen so much color. She realized that Mel's painting didn't do justice to its size either; Elione was big. At first impulse, she felt nervous about how she would handle the vibrations. She recalled how difficult it was in Tungate, and especially at Happy Days, living in such close proximity to others. As soon as she had that thought, she realized it felt different here. The vibrations were more harmonious, more relaxing, and less coarse.

She looked at Tibby, standing next to her, and wondered if he felt the same thing. As he smiled at her, she saw the excitement in his eyes that she felt in her gut.

"Sure is good to be home." Jon put his arm around Cnāwan and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you."

She stepped in front of him, took his face in her hands, and planted a long, embracing kiss on his lips. At first, his body language indicated his surprise but he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

Ben cleared his throat but they continued, obviously lost in each other. Ben and Mel both cleared their throats and they stopped kissing but still held each other. Jon glanced at his friends and they laughed at his goofy grin and the dreamy, trance-like look in his eyes.

Fynn snuck a sideways glance at Tibby and saw he was smiling as he looked past her and watched their display of affection. He caught her eye but she quickly looked away before he could see the rose color appear on her cheeks.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, the next time-space travel adventure starts in five minutes." Ben held his wrist in front of his face, pretending to look at a watch. "Who's with me?" Multiple groans erupted and Mel playfully slapped his shoulder.

Fynn kept a straight face when she said, "I don't think I could handle the excitement." They laughed.

"Don't be too sure about that. Give it time; you might change your mind. Besides, sometimes travel is assigned, especially when we're in need of something here that we can bring back from another dimension."

Fynn thought back to the look on Jimmy's face, in the last moment before the gate closed. She recognized the mixture of emotions that surfaced all at once. She didn't want to assume anything about whether he would have an interest in having her as a sister but she filed it away in the back of her mind. Perhaps, one day, she would take a trip of her own; maybe even return to Tungate and visit him...find out whether she made the right choice.

For now, though, Fynn resolved that she needed to focus on her new life. She was curious about this new dimension and the people who lived here. She wondered if she would feel more of a sense of belonging here than she did where she grew up.

She didn't know how much she could learn about her parents from the archives but she was eager to find out. In fact, knowing how much she had learned since her mother's passing, she realized it was a loaded statement her mother made about having so many things she should have explained to Fynn. In truth, she began to wonder if she really knew her mother at all, since her mother spent more time trying to help Fynn fit into that other life than teaching her about her real identity.

For the first time, when facing an unknown situation, Fynn realized she didn't feel the familiar knotted dread or apprehension. She was ready to walk into that stunning caldera and learn what other secrets her mother never shared. She was eager to know what it truly meant to be a Wær.

The End

# Glossary

_______________________

**baec** (bake) back

**cæge** (ka•juh) key

**dropa** (drō•pah) drop

**fæst** (fast) fast

**fleoge** (flē•juh) fly

**flowan** (flow•ən) flow

**forgietan** (for·gettən) forget

**freo** (frē) free

**freosan** (frē·sən) freeze

**Gädweg** (gôd·weg) the Wærs' reference to the source of all life

**hafoc** (hafok) hawk

**haldan** (hal·dan) hold

**hangian** (han·wē·ən) hang

**healt** (hālt) halt

**leogan** (lē·jun) lie

**mæcca** (mach•a) match

**sceadu** (skā·dōō) shadow

**scield** (skild) shield

**scyttan** (shut·tən) shut

**slaw** (slaw) slow

**sund** (sūnd) sound

**thawian** (thaw·ē·ən) thaw

**tréow** (trē·ow) tree

**ule** (ulē) owl

**wæcce** (wa·chē) watch

**Wær** (wa·ər) a person possessing keen awareness of/ability to manipulate energy, pl. Wærs

**wigle** (wē·jəl) trick, magic

**ymbgang** (ūmb•jang) belt
Note to the reader

_____________________________

It is the author's hope that you enjoyed this story. If so, it would be greatly appreciated if you let the author know by returning to the site where you purchased or obtained this book and rate it and/or provide a review.

About **the author**

_____________________________

Mary Coffin lives in Colorado with her husband and their cat that prefers to look at the world upside down. When not writing or being active outdoors (or rock hunting), she works with her husband creating jewelry for craft fairs and their online jewelry shop: Rock2Gems. Of course, quiet time and curling up with the cat, a good book and a cup of coffee is just as fun.

Connect with Mary Coffin at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorMaryCoffin

Twitter: <http://twitter.com/@MKCoffin>

Email: mkcauthor@comcast.net

NEW RELEASE:

_The Crystal Keepers, An Overseers Novel_ – Coming summer, 2013

