

Gathering of Blackbirds

Copyright © 2012 by M.M. Gavillet

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of the book can be reproduced without permission of the author. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or deceased, places, incidences and names are purely a coincidence and are the product of the author's imagination.

ISBN 9781301144396

Smashwords Edition

Acknowledgments

I never thought it would take a village to write a book! I first have to thank my husband who puts up with my writing obsession daily, to Kyle for making me laugh and to Ashley for being Ashley. I would also like to thank Elizabeth and Anna for reading anything I threw at them, you are my favorite critics! A big thanks to Gaby, the best librarian ever and to Karen, who is a true wizard of words and helped me with her magic along the way! Another big thanks to Katie. And to my mom who actually said she would buy a copy of this book. Also to my dad who hopefully took a break from dusting the stars to look down to see I finally wrote a book.
Chapter One

The hot summer sun was relentless and made the freckles on my shoulders appear by the dozens. It was only the end of June, and already the town of St. Francis felt like it was in the dead of August. This is when I wished our little trailer had air conditioning.

Dressed in my frayed cut-off shorts and a black tank top, the only clean one I had, amplified the intense heat. I am glad though, because I am going to work at the Wooden Nickel Bar and Grill at the edge of St. Francis where the air conditioning makes it cool as December.

The dusty road was so parched that I could almost hear it cry out for rain. A truck flew by with kids from my class going to the pool in nearby Thornbrooke. Dressed in vivid bikinis and doting plush towels waiting to soak up the over chlorinated water, I hesitated and watch them pause at a stop sign. They didn't see me, as if my black tank top blended in with the scorched ground.

They looked both ways, turned right and out of town for a carefree afternoon, while I turned left where at least I could escape the heat.

The Wooden Nickel sat on a half gravel half dust filled parking lot with one large oak tree to the west side of the building. Even in its monstrous size, it looked slightly withered by the dry conditions. An array of green, brown and clear colored broken pieces of glass nearly outnumber the gravel as I opened the door to winter.

Inside was dark and smoky with the left over smell of old grease from lunch. I can only wonder if anyone got food poisoning today.

"Hey Em," Jimmy called from behind the bar. "Came in early?" He smiled at me with his chipped tooth grin.

"I just couldn't wait to get here and enjoy the ambiance." I smiled back as he cleaned the heavily varnished wood bar.

"I told you I had an air conditioner for you. I can even help you put it in," he said with raised eyebrows.

"That would be nice if the window wouldn't fall out from under its weight." I continued to smile as I went behind the bar to put my apron on. Jimmy only shook his head. "But, thanks anyway."

I marked my time card as two o'clock, even though it was only one. I put on my tan colored apron and tied back my long hair that I believed to have every shade of blonde in it. It looked like I always had highlights in it, and I guess if one thing ever went right for me, was my hair. At least I didn't have to pay for highlights I couldn't afford anyhow.

No one was in the bar, so I cleaned the tables and chairs, fill salt and pepper shakers and most important fill the ketchup bottles. There is nothing more aggravating than expecting to cover your French Fries in ketchup only to find an empty bottle, and you are left to ask the extremely busy waitress for another one. I stop when I have the dining room the way I want it and ready for Wednesday night fried chicken patrons.

It is about four thirty, and the first ones to enter are the early birds, mostly elderly people that religiously come to chicken night at the Wooden Nickel like they were going to church. I visit with most of them and enjoy their company, and they tip me very well. The next wave to hit us are the people getting off of work, some with families of screaming kids, they make the worst mess and then you have the local drunks after that.

Most of them are already liquored up before they even step foot in. Jimmy lets me serve them alcohol, even though I am only fifteen. Most people can't wait to leave work and go home, I am the opposite. I wish I could sometimes live at the Wooden Nickel and have my friendly customers as my family.

"...Hot one today, and no rain in sight. St. F hasn't seen this dry of weather in long time." Most locals call St. Francis St. F for short.

"What are you the weather man now? - Got a fancy computer and that makes you what... the smartest damn person in St. F."

Jimmy stepped from behind the bar with his steady eyes. He isn't very tall, but strong for his size. He kind of reminds me of a garden gnome on steroids.

"I am not going to have a repeat of last week." Jimmy's voice is stern, his dark eyes dart between the two men. "Jake, John do you understand?"

"Calm down, there is gonna be no repeatn'." John stood beside his twin brother Jake. I believed they even fought with one another before they were ever born.

I have witnessed the two brothers fight like they were going to kill each other, then turn around and defend one another. Last week, I thought we almost had to call the cops to break up a fight in the parking lot. A stranger had come in, made a few comments that only ignited their tempers, and out to the parking they went. Jimmy almost banned them from coming in, but his threat was only as long as my little finger.

"Hey, Em go play a song." Jake flips me a dollar.

I went to the jukebox, and played something by Garth Brooks. I hate Garth Brooks, and country music altogether, but I knew Jake liked him. Laughter, smoke, a few drunks mistaking twenties for ten dollar bills and the music of my least favorite musician, filled the Wooden Nickel until midnight, when Jimmy kindly encouraged his patrons to go home.

The bar was still, with only me and Jimmy to clean up. It was one in the morning before we finish.

"Let me give you a ride home Em," Jimmy said as he locked the door behind him.

I looked up at the full moon and listened to the rustle of the wind through the corn field.

"No thanks, I really just want to walk home. I like the peace and quiet." I tried to reassure him.

Jimmy only gave me a concerned look. "You know," he paused running his hand through his greying hair. "You can stay at my house with Alice and I...you know if you ever felt like you really need to go somewhere."

I looked at him. I couldn't hide the situation I had with my dad. Jimmy was sincere even though his words seemed rehearsed, I knew he meant it.

"Maybe," I replied as a car rumbled down the road. "Besides, David is here."

I wasn't sure if I was happy or not that my sort- of- boyfriend was here. The look on Jimmy's face deepened with concern. I waved goodbye and got into David's prized 1987 Mustang.

"I didn't think you were coming," I said as David drove down the road past the trailer court where my home was and into the country.

David looked at me with his nearly black eyes.

"Why? Do you have something better to do?" His voice bordered on interrogating.

I looked at him. "No."

David carefully maneuvered his car over and around potholes on the dirt road that ended right before Horton Creek. Trees lined the creek that bordered many miles of wheat, corn and bean fields as well as pasture grounds. An abandoned barn sat on a sliver of ground between the creek and a growing corn field that will soon hide it from the road.

I got out of David's car, careful to not slam the door shut. There was one other vehicle there, a truck that belonged to Gabe.

David grabbed hold of my arm tightly, and pulled me close to him. His eyes were dark and felt like beams that pierced through me. His dark hair of soft waves brushed against his sharp cheekbones that made hollow shadows in the dim light from the moon. The cool air would normally be saturated with dew, but with the harsh heat wave, it never did.

"Well, where is it?" David asked as if I was hiding something.

"Where's what?" My mind frantically raced with worry as to what I had forgotten.

"The booze..." He leaned closer to me. "You were supposed to take some tonight when you got off." His ran his fingers through his hair.

"Look, I can't steal from..." Suddenly, David's hand hit my cheek making my ears ring. I stood dumbfounded and held my cheek, but didn't cry.

"Stupid bitch," he said in a low voice. "I told you to get some for tonight. You work at a bar." David's voice implied I didn't put working in a bar and stealing liquor together.

I stood there like I always did, and took whatever David dished out to me. Why did I though? That question echoed in my head as it had before, this time I listened to it. Why did I put up with David? He didn't care for me. I just wanted someone to be with, and he was there, to everyone else I am invisible.

I looked at him. He paced around trying to get a grip on his usual volcanic emotions.

"Look, sorry." His words were forced.

I stood with crossed arms. "No, you're not."

He glared at me, deep shadows filled around his eyes and through his cheeks. I shivered slightly in the heat at his almost alien-like appearance.

"What is the matter with you?" He spat.

I looked at him. Anger flowed from him strong enough that it could had incinerated the dry air. I didn't even like David anymore. Who would? He was upset with me all the time about everything I did wrong or how I embarrassed him in front of everyone. I had enough.

"I don't want to be with you anymore, if you're going to treat me this way." I simply stated with a trembled voice. I held my breath in disbelief as to what came out of my mouth.

David grabbed my arm and jerked me around so my back was against a tree and he was only breaths away from my face. My heart began to race.

"You're not going anywhere." David's voice was low and surprisingly calm.

I didn't reply, only stood there. I wanted to sever our relationship that felt more like a loaded gun that had to go off to end it, and I hoped I wasn't at the barrels end.

"Hey...what's going on out here?" Gabe asked as he stood with a small flashlight in his hand. His voice was like a life boat in a sea of fire.

Gabe was tall with broad shoulders tanned from working in the sun. His hair was nearly bleached out and looked like spun gold. There was always a gentleness to him that every time I saw him, made me smile.

"Nothing," David said as he turned from me and went into the barn.

Gabe watched David go into the barn and rummaged the cooler for a beer, then turned to me with questioning eyes. Gabe was nothing like David. I don't think he had a mean bone in his body.

"So, you want to tell me what happened?" Gabe stepped forward and gently touched the red spot on my cheek.

"Nothing happened." Embarrassed, I flinched away as I pulled my hair to one side.

His steady, grey eyes looked at me with concern as he let out a sigh. He knew how David was with me, even though it was unspoken and many times I thought him as my rescuer, a buffer between David and me.

"I'm going home, it's late." I took a few steps backward letting Gabe's eyes intertwine with mine.

"I should give you a ride," he said reaching into his pocket for his keys.

"No!" I nearly yelled out. "It will just make David mad," I said walking as quickly as I could into the darkness.

When I got home I didn't even shower. In our little paper thin trailer, I could hear all of the insects and two tree frogs that lived under one of the shutters beside the window sing all night long.

I closed my eyes and thought of Gabe. He was a true gentleman and David's best friend. Both of them moved to St. F at the same time which was about a year ago. I never did hear where they were from, and when I tried to get David to tell me, he was either vague or in one of his moods. I guess it didn't matter; I had a boyfriend, someone to save me from the black oblivion called St. F. At least that is what I thought at first, now I wasn't so sure.

I rolled on my side causing my cheek to hurt, so I rolled the other way and fell asleep.

The next day was bright, really too bright. I got up, took a shower and examined the nice purple bruise on my cheekbone. It looked like purple eye shadow and I feared it would probably be many different colors before it was gone.

"Em!" My dad yelled. "Em! God damn it."

I went into the kitchen to see him trying to make pancakes, and he had batter all over the pan.

"Here" I cut in front of him as he held a spatula in one hand and a beer in the other. "You know it might be easier if you used two hands instead of one."

I took the utensil away from him and threw the mangled pancake to a dirty plate. He staggered to the table and sat on the tattered vinyl chair.

I then poured some batter into the pan and watched the bubbles form before flipping it. I sat two cakes in front of him and slammed the syrup bottle on the table. He disgusted me anymore. I had cried, yelled and explained things to him. It was up to him now if he wanted to be sober.

"Coffee?" I asked in a stiff tone.

"Please." His voice rough from all the cigarettes he had smoked for only God knows how long.

His tangled, thin, brown hair went every direction and you could almost see every bone in his body. His face was long like it had been stretched and had two day stubble on it. That was the extent of his hygiene. He would shower every day and shave a couple times a week.

"You know Em you do real good," he said with a small twinkle in his beady eyes.

I looked at him and wondered what he looked like when he was younger and healthier. Now, he was a withered man poisoned by his own doing.

"I'm doing it for mom," I said as I always said when he complimented me on my caregiving.

He gave a raspy laugh. "Mom," he chuckled. "Your mama you never knew and she didn't want you like she didn't want me. She's history Em."

I looked at him not surprised by his answer, because it was the truth. I never knew her, but often fantasized that she would walk through the door one day; proclaim how she was wrong to leave and tell us she was filthy rich and to come live with her. That of course would never happen.

"I'm going downtown," I said standing up.

"What for?" My dad asked.

"To see if they can keep the water on for a couple of days until I get paid." I went back to my room to rummage in a box that I kept my tip money in.

I counted it-fifteen dollars. I could pay part of the water bill, but I wanted it just for me.

"I get my check in a week too you know," My dad said opening another beer.

I watched him. He was absolutely hopeless.

"I know, I keep the checkbook, remember," I said going out the door.

"What do you want, a damn award!" he yelled back.

"That would be nice." He didn't hear me as I passed by the tall scruffy shrubs that blocked our living arrangements from the rest of St. F.

Downtown consisted of a line of buildings only a block long with a large building that was the fire department and next to that was city hall. Behind the fire station was a large community park with all kinds of play equipment and a nice bathroom between that and the baseball diamond with bleachers. They just installed lights so they could have games at night. When they did, St. F looked like a large city from a distance.

I went into city hall and explained my situation, as they had before they would leave my water on. I then went across the street to get Jimmy's mail at the post office before I went into my own oasis from my troubles.

Above a screen door and painted with an array of mismatched colors, was a sign that read "Pandora's". It had all kinds of things in it from kitchen stuff to clothing. What I am interested in is old, gaudy jewelry. It had always been my obsession and I didn't care what anyone thought of it.

"Emily." Pandora was the only one who called me my full name and knew of my jewelry obsession. "I have some new pieces that might interest you. A man just brought them in today."

Pandora smiled at me with her rosy cheeks and molded strawberry blonde hair that was always in a neat French twist. Her ring laden fingers pulled from under the glass case a necklace on a rosy gold chain.

"It's pretty." I looked at the opal like stone pendant that shifted with different colors. "How much?"

"Twenty dollars," she said with a raise of her penciled-in eyebrows. "What did you do to your eye?"

I looked at her concerned eyes for a moment. "...Ran into the door last night." I had used that excuse before and she doesn't question me anymore.

I let out a sigh as the door opened and two men in trench coats entered the shop. I looked at them for only a moment and found it strange to see someone wearing a coat in the intense heat. They were clean cut with short hair and sunglasses. Both were the same height, except one had a darker complexion. To me they looked like they just walked off a set of a movie and were portraying F.B.I. characters. But, I know that wasn't possible in St. F, so that only leaves that they were definitely lost.

Pandora stiffened as her eyes darted between them and me. I looked back at them wondering if she knew them.

"Should I come back?" I ask her in a whisper.

"No, dear, I tell you what, you have bought a lot of jewelry that I might have been stuck with, so I will let you have the necklace for ten bucks."

Surprised as her sudden price decline, I pulled out my wallet. "O.K," I said counting out ten ones.

The two men fumble through some of the items as if waiting for me to leave. Pandora continued to watch them as I looked at her. She then handed me the bag containing my new treasure. Her hands trembled slightly as she put the money into the register.

I whispered my concern over the strange men to her, trying to avoid making my concern obvious. She only smiled and shook her head.

"No, dear I will be fine." Her eyes fell on them as they continued to rummage through the racks of clothes.

I looked at Pandora one last time as she motioned for me to go. I hesitated slightly, and glanced over at the dark skinned man that was looking at maternity clothes. His eyes lifted and met mine for only a moment. Like a shadow, he joined the other man at the counter. They blocked Pandora from my view, but I could hear them talk in hushed whispers. The dark skinned man turned his head slowly as if still sensing my presence, smiled, and then motioned with his hand for me to leave. Baffled, I left.

I could only wonder what they wanted and where they came from, and even more important, what they were doing in St. F. I've known Pandora for a couple of years and didn't want to see anything bad happen to her.

I went over to the playground and swung on a swing that was low to the ground. Her door sat silent along with the rest of downtown for several minutes. I thought of going to city hall to notify the police, but what were they going to do, arrest them for wearing trench coats and looking suspicious?

Suddenly, the door flew open and the two men got into a black car a few parking spots away and sped off in a cloud of dust.

I went back to Pandora's shop to find her behind the counter just shutting the drawer to her cash register.

"Emily!" She looked up. "What are you doing here?" Her eyes were wide with surprise.

"I just came back to check on you," I said feeling stupid.

"Well," She smiled, came around the counter, and put her arm around me. "You don't need to worry about me. I am quite capable of taking care of myself."

"But those guys...they looked..." I stammered my words.

"They were just here dealing with someone's estate belongings. The necklace you just bought is from that estate, they were just doing business." She smiled as she walked me to her door.

I felt like an idiot for thinking someone was after Pandora. Sometimes, I let my imagination get away from me.

It is taco night at the Wooden Nickel and my favorite night. I cut up onions, tomatoes, lettuce and peppers from Jimmy's garden in the kitchen. The smell is wonderful as I inhale the spicy aroma.

"Smells good Em," Jimmy said coming into the kitchen.

I try to tilt my head so he doesn't see the bruise. My dad didn't notice, Pandora didn't question my overused excuse, but Jimmy knows David, and he would beat the crap out of him.

I know I can't hide it all night and might as well get it over with. I looked at Jimmy trying to not cry. I don't know why, but I felt like I let him down.

"That little bastard!" Fire flickered in his eyes as he looked at my bruise. "That's it! You're not seeing him again, do you understand? What is this the third time?'

I shook my head. "Fourth." I corrected him. No sense in covering anything up.

A tense silence filled the kitchen as I stir the onions into the meat and put it into a large pan.

"You know, I can't tell you what to do." Jimmy's words hung in the air along with the smell of onions.

I drew in a deep breath. "I'm not seeing him anymore." I didn't want to hear his whole lecture and was relieved to hear the words come out of my mouth.

"Does he know?" Jimmy knows me too well.

"No," I reply.

"Then, I will be there when you do." I know no matter what I say, Jimmy would be there.

I smiled at him as he left the kitchen. A crushing stone felt like it had lifted off my chest and I could only hope that David would leave me peacefully.

Though not as popular as chicken night, a few people came in that usually tipped pretty good.

"You are going to split that with me?" Jimmy asks teasingly as I exchange my tip money for a larger bill.

"Whatever do you mean?" I replied in a fake shocked tone.

He only laughed as I shut the cash drawer when the door opened, and the two men in trench coats entered. The Wooden Nickel for the first time ever fell in silence except for the jukebox blaring out Garth Brooks.

They sat down in the corner booth. Conversations began to hum again, but their presence was like ice to me. I grabbed a flyer that stated we only serve tacos on Thursdays and paused for a moment before I went to their table. I knew I had to go over, but something about them made my skin crawl.

"They look like big tippers or do you want me to go over?" Jimmy broke my trance on them.

"No." I smiled and then went over.

"My name is Em-Emily and we only serve tacos on Thursdays." I placed the flyer on their table as everyone's eyes casually glanced at them and me.

They both had their sunglasses off and the darker skinned man had amazingly blue eyes while the lighter skinned one had dark brown eyes. Under their trench coats they had on dark suits and ties.

"Tacos it is darling," The lighter man said with an accented voice as he looked at his friend.

"How 'bout a beer, Em-Emily?" The darker one said with a wink of his eye.

"Sorry, it's just Emily." I corrected him as I shook my head and he continued to smile at me with his amazingly perfect teeth.

I went back to give their order to Jimmy when he had a greyish look to his face.

"Guess what they want?" I asked knowing they really didn't have a choice, and with no reply from Jimmy. "Tacos, oh, and a beer and I guess a water for the other one. He didn't say what he wanted. I could go back and..."

"No, I got them Em." He didn't even look at me as he went over to their table.

I watched Jimmy bend down slightly and talk continually with them as they sat and listen with expressionless faces. After a few moments, Jimmy got up and walked back to the bar as the two men got up and went out the door.

Jimmy walked past me without a word back into the kitchen.

"What was that? What did you say to them and who were they?" I asked holding a glass in my hand.

Jimmy started to do a few dishes. "They were here once before, I didn't recognize them at first and they are nothing but troublemakers. That is all you need to know." Jimmy clanked the pots around and sprayed the hose full blast so he couldn't hear me.

I went out into the dining room and managed to serve the last few customers, wipe tables and run the register until just about everyone was gone.

"I think its F.B.I. and they're on to them Seeley boys. You know they've been arrested for drugs before," Jake said sitting at the bar next to John.

"I'm not listening to you and your wild story." John slapped a ten down. "I'm going home, keep the change Em."

"Thanks!" I yell as he went out the door.

Jake sat there for a while as I refill the salt and pepper shakers. He and I are the only ones in the bar; Jimmy is still in the back doing what I don't know.

"They were at Pandora's today and she said they were here to settle an estate and had stuff they were selling. That is what she said anyhow."

"I suppose that's possible, but they still look like F.B.I. to me, and my story sounds better." Jake smiled and got up from his seat. "Keep the change Em."

The bar was empty and for the first time ever I locked the door and pulled the blinds down as Jake's headlights left the parking lot. I then went back into the office where Jimmy sat with a small desk light illuminating over him.

"They were at Pandora's today and she said they were just here to sell some estate things to her." I leaned against the door jamb with my arms crossed and Jimmy's back facing me.

"I'm saying they have been here before and I don't associate with their kind," Jimmy said as he wrote in his ledger. "What do you think Em, taco night isn't as good as it used to be, so... should we try something else?" He tried to change the subject.

"If taco night attracts trench-coat-wearing-people that had done something so terrible that you won't tell me, then maybe you should do something else." He stopped and flicked his pencil before turning to face me.

"What they did isn't important, it's just so they don't come back." Jimmy's low voice rang with a distant dread.
Chapter Two

Before I could squeeze anymore information out of Jimmy, the door pounded with knocking. It was David. My heart jumped into my throat and my palms began to sweat. Jimmy only looked at me steadily.

"Go answer it. I am right behind you." He got up as I went to the door.

I stepped out, Jimmy stood behind me with a bag of trash in hand. I stood there for a moment as David only glanced between me and Jimmy.

"Well, are you coming?" David asked.

"No, I'm not. I don't want to go out with you tonight...or ever again." My words were calm and precise. "I had enough David." I tilted my head implying the bruise he had given me.

David glared at me as Jimmy stood like a protective shadow and shuffled his feet in the loose gravel like a bull readying to gore the red caped bullfighter.

"But...You can't..." David looked more at Jimmy than me.

"Move on skippy!" Jimmy blurted out. "You heard the lady."

David huffed and looked at me with his eyes that felt like ice cutting me in half. I knew that stare, and it was more than just a look, it was a warning.

David got in his Mustang and sped off into the blackness as distant thunder rumbled.

"Do you want to stay with Alice and me tonight?" Jimmy's voice was soft as lightening flashed illuminating the cumulus clouds.

I only shook my head as a lump formed in my throat. He padded me on the shoulder and I suppressed my tears. I wasn't sad my relationship with David was over, I was scared.

Jimmy's house was a simple ranch style house, one level with a basement and a one car garage. To me it was a palace. The walls were thick to the outside noise, and painted in calm colors of soft yellows and off whites. The yard was well kept, even though the grass had gone dormant from the extreme heat.

Alice greeted us like she had been expecting me for some time. She was a tiny woman, thin and delicate looking with short, bobbed, grey hair and light blue eyes. Her voice was soft and she made chocolate chip cookies while I sat in the living room.

"You did let your dad know that you are here." Alice's voice echoed from the kitchen to the living room.

"Yes," I replied. I didn't wake him when I grabbed a few clean clothes to take. The note on the table would suffice.

We ate cookies and drank lemonade. I felt like a kid visiting my grandma's house, which I never did since I never knew them, but something felt iconic about the whole situation.

"Jimmy says you're a good worker and the customers like you," Alice said pouring more lemonade.

"Yeah, I guess." I wasn't sure what to say to that.

Jimmy only smiled at me as he lifted the newspaper to read it.

"Jim! We have a guest. I think you can read the paper later." Alice scolded.

I only smiled as I took a sip of lemonade.

"Oh come on, she sees me about every day." Jimmy looked at me and shrugged his shoulders.

"Really its O.K., I am just glad you let me stay here for tonight. Thanks," I said as Alice smiled and tilted her head to the side like she was going to cry.

"It certainly is no bother, and it is nice to have you here." Alice excused herself to go and do the dishes.

Jimmy continued to read the paper as the clock on the wall ticked the minutes by. My thoughts drift back to the two guys in the trench coats.

"Are you going to tell me about those two guys that came in tonight?" I asked.

"No," Jimmy said and didn't even put down his paper.

I looked at Jimmy as he only flipped the pages of the newspaper.

"But something is going on. People like that don't just stop in St. F to visit, and you said it was more important that they didn't come back. Why can't you just tell me?" I asked looking at his newspaper right about where his head would be. "Why is it so important that you can't tell me? What are they spies or something?"

"They're enemies of a secret alliance to protect all things of magical qualities. They went against the rest of the alliance and now are considered traitors." Jimmy's tone was flat.

I sat and only looked at him. Jimmy gave me a blank stare and then shrugged his shoulders and continued with his paper.

"What?" I say in disbelief.

"You asked for an answer and I gave you one."

"Yeah, but that one is a little stretched, isn't it? And, not to mention, made-up," I said.

He let the page roll down so I could see his expressionless face. "Believe what you want then." His voice had a little humor in it as he snapped the paper.

"Ah, come on, why won't you really tell me?" I continued to prod.

"That's my story and I'm sticking to it," Jimmy said as Alice came into the room.

"Let me show you to your room. I'm sure you are tired." Alice almost seemed overly eager that I was at their house.

The room was painted blue and had a twin bed with several boxes surrounding it. Alice apologized for the mess, which I didn't think was messy. I showered and changed my clothes. I felt secure here and wondered if David went to my trailer tonight. Lightening flashed and thunder made the windows rumble.

I couldn't sleep so I went to the window and watched the parched earth soak up the rain that poured down. I then notice a shelf on the wall arranged with several pictures. I turned on the light and looked at them.

All of them were pictures of a boy with dark hair and proudly displayed the fish he had caught. He was smiling in all of them, either by himself or a much younger Jimmy. Alice must have been the photographer since she wasn't in any of them.

Next to the pictures I found a newspaper clipping. It was an obituary that said the boy died and that Alice and Jimmy was his parents. His name was Thomas McVaine, Jimmy's son. I felt like thousands of pins were pricking my skin. Jimmy, who almost felt like my adopted dad, had a son that I never knew about.

Even though the house was a mansion compared to my trailer, I could hear the tense, hushed voices of Alice and Jimmy. I put the clipping back and went to the door to listen. I knew I was eavesdropping, but my curiosity was greater than my manners.

"Are you sure they left?" I could clearly hear Alice as she passed by the door.

"Leave it be. I have already contacted them and told them that they need to check it out." Jimmy's voice sounded agitated. "Look, it will be fine." His words softened as he clicked the light off.

They were talking about the men that came in the Wooden Nickel. They were more than just someone selling junk to Pandora and Jimmy's explanation of them was farfetched. Jimmy wouldn't tell me and I guess it really wasn't any of my business, but I couldn't help to want to know more.

The next morning was bright and the air had an element that it hadn't had in a long time-moisture. To me it smelled wonderful until I went into the kitchen and smelled Alice making breakfast.

"I hope you're hungry." Alice sang out.

"It smells wonderful." I complimented.

Eggs, sausages and pancakes stacked high surrounded by three glasses of orange juice and jars of syrup, jelly and butter nearly covered the table. I had never seen so much food at one time.

I sampled a little of everything to please Alice, who I am sure went to a lot of trouble to make all of this. I felt kind of bad for her making a mountain of food and I ate until I felt like I was going to explode.

"Did you get enough to eat?" Alice asked.

"Yes, thank you," I said felling bloated, but satisfied.

"You know you made enough for an army. I don't know how much you thought Em was going to eat." Jimmy only shook his head as he piled three more pancakes onto his plate.

"I wanted there to be plenty, and I wasn't sure what she liked." Alice smiled at me and started to clear the table.

I offered to help, but Alice wouldn't let me. I knew I should be getting home and thought of the pictures I looked at last night. I felt like I should say something, but that would imply that I snooped. I didn't say anything and thanked Alice again for having me and told Jimmy that I could walk home. I needed to after eating enough food for a work horse. Jimmy gave me my paycheck and I told him I would see him later.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky to interrupt the brilliant sunrays blasting St F. I could smell the moisture as I walked under the newly washed trees that were once nearly choked from layers of dust. Drops of water fell from the delicate leaves as I walked under the canopy of green.

From behind I could hear a vehicle and stepped aside so they could pass when it slowed down beside me. I looked over and recognized the part white and part rusted truck of Gabe's.

"Hey Em," he said with a smile. "I'll give you a ride."

I hesitated for only a moment thinking David would see me and yell at me later for getting in Gabe's truck, but then again, I had nothing to do with him.

"Thanks." I shut the door carefully.

"It isn't going to break." Gabe reached across me and slammed the door shut. My heart raced.

"I take it you're headed home." He put the truck into gear.

"Yeah," I replied trying to hide the bruise on my cheek.

"Did Jimmy have you working early at the Wooden Nickel?" Gabe asked.

Sunlight flickered wildly through the canopy of trees overhead as we passed. "No," I said as there was no getting around the truth and I would only look like an idiot if I made something up. "David and I broke up for obvious reasons. I stayed the night at Jimmy's."

Gabe cut through an ally behind the several ranch style homes with the now greening yards to the trailer court. I let out a sigh as I look at my pathetic tin can of a trailer.

"I think you made a good decision. David is a jerk," he said and gently placed his long finger under my chin. He made me look at him straight on, I didn't resist him. "He doesn't deserve you."

The sun shone on him like the heavens had opened and showered him in golden light. Gabe almost looked angelic as I gawked in awe at him.

"No one has ever said that to me before." I flushed, and realized I had spoken my thoughts.

He smiled and then placed his hands back onto his steering wheel. I put my hand on the door latch as the phrase 'I'm an idiot' kept repeating through my head like the open sign at the gas station.

"You deserve a lot better Emily Moore." His words were the most sincere ones I had ever heard and I paused for only a moment before opening the door.

"Thanks, Gabe Fairchild."

He shook his head and we smiled at each other. Even though I sounded like a complete idiot, I didn't feel like one. Gabe made me feel different, like my existence mattered.

He waved good-bye, put his rumbling truck into reverse and went down the road. Discretely, I watched him until I couldn't see his truck anymore. Gabe was so sincere and...perfect. I was a piece of white trash I thought as I looked at my trailer. Gabe deserved better, he deserved a girl that could pay her water bill.

I went inside to be greeted by two empty Jack Daniel bottles and my dad passed out on the couch. I try to wake him, but he only moaned at me.

I went into my room instead, and plop on my bed to land on something small and round that pierced the middle of my back. I got up to see the bag my necklace had come in from Pandora's.

I had nearly forgotten about my necklace. I held it in the sunlight so it could sparkle. I had always been fascinated by old jewelry. Where did it come from? Who had it before me and what stories could it tell? I often fantasized that maybe a queen or princess owned it from some distant land and they were trying to find it and offering a handsome reward for its return. I often fantasized about get-rich-quick scenarios. But, still, the few items I had made me feel special and unique.

I began to crumple up the bag my necklace came in, when I realized there was something else in it. I reached in and pulled out another necklace on a silver braided chain with a pendant that looked like topaz colored sand compressed together in a rounded tear drop.

It was delicate and the pendant was about the size of the end of my little finger. Pandora must have accidentally put it in there, or maybe she didn't even know it was in there. I had to return it, and would when I went to pay my water bill. I put it on so I didn't forget it.

I went into the kitchen to get the extra money I had in the cookie jar. It was empty. My stomach fell to the floor. I then look at the two Jack Daniel bottles and then my dad. I did the math; my dad used it to buy more booze. I felt so mad that my feet could have been two rockets waiting to propel me into space.

I kick the couch and my dad barely stirs.

"How am I going to pay the rest of the bills now?" I yelled. "You took the extra money to buy...your God damn booze!" I usually didn't curse, but it just flew out of my mouth.

My dad only mumbled and pushed at me with his feet.

I stormed out of the trailer and headed for Pandora's. I could hardly feel myself breathe. I then stopped, I had just realized something. It wasn't my bills; it wasn't my trailer, why was I worried about it? I wasn't, not anymore. Just like with David, I wanted out. I needed help though. Jimmy was the only one who truly cared for me. If anyone could, it would be him.

I tried to plan what I was going to say to Jimmy, when I noticed giant plumes of smoke billowing in the bright, blue sky. They came from downtown and I ran to see what was going on.

Flames and smoke spewed out of Pandora's. I pushed my way through the crowd and wondered if she was in there. I could only stand and watch helplessly.

A fire truck from Thornbrooke zoomed by to help the few firefighters of St. F. I looked around for Pandora. I couldn't see her in the crowd and knew she would have been opened for an hour by now. She must still be in the building. I decide to make my way to the front of the crowd and get the attention of Jake.

"Jake, where's Pandora?" I yelled to him.

Jake in his heavy firefighter's suit turned and looked at me as an explosion erupted from the burning building.

"Everyone is going to have to leave!" Jake commanded.

The curious crowd and everyone in the downtown area had to move two blocks away. I still looked for Pandora when someone grabbed my arm. I turned to see Gabe.

"We have to find Pandora." My voice bordered with panic.

Gabe only smiled at me. "It's alright Em, she left a note saying she would be away today for an auction. My dad had me call her." Gabe's dad was on the fire department.

I sighed with relief as Gabe and I turn from the burning downtown.

"We aren't going to do anything here. Do you want to go on a ride with me?" he asked.

"Sure, where to?" My heart fluttered with the invitation.

"Well, I promised my dad I would take his strawberries to the farmers market in Thornbrooke since he is going to be here all day."

Strawberries and Gabe were suddenly my two favorite things. I agree easily and we leave St. F in his rusty truck with ominous black clouds as the backdrop.

"Do they know what started the fire?" I ask thinking how much Pandora had already lost.

"No, not yet, the main thing is to put the fire out and keep it from staring up again." Gabe's blonde hair fluttered in the breeze from his rolled down window. "With those old buildings, it was probably electrical wiring or something like that."

I look at him and slightly smile. Gabe had always been nice to me, and I to him, but things never materialized beyond that. He was always David's friend and I was David's, but the only thing is, I wasn't anymore.

"What are you smiling at...the insurance check Pandora will get?" He said trying to be funny.

"No." I looked away and laughed.

"Then, what?" Gabe really wanted to know, but I couldn't tell him what I was thinking.

I look at him for a moment. His golden hair blew in the wind, arms tanned from the once scorching sun and his grey eyes that flickered with different colors that shifted with the light. He looked like an angel, the angel that saved me from David.

The truck struck a pothole as our eyes entangled for that still moment. Gabe corrected the veering truck as I looked back at the strawberries.

"Did any tip over?" he asked not taking his eyes off the road.

"No, they're fine," I reply.

Thornbrooke was a larger town than St. F. It had a large library, two gas stations, a swimming pool and the county courthouse that sat in the middle of the town square. The courthouse was massive in size and kind of reminds me of a medieval castle with its large grey stones and spires on each corner. A clock that chimed each hour sits high above one of the two entrances in the center of the building.

Gabe parked under a massive oak tree, one of the many that dotted the now greening courthouse lawn. I helped him pull out a card table and set it along with other farmers selling their produce. We then get out the brilliant red strawberries and place them on the table.

"What now?" I ask as Gabe pulled two folding chairs from his truck bed.

"We wait for our customers," he said as he placed the chairs behind the table.

"My lady." He motioned with his hand the seat beside him.

I smiled and sat next to him as the other peddlers sat up all kinds of other produce until the whole west side of the lawn looked like a vegetable and fruit rainbow.

"My dad came last week and sold out in about an hour and a half, hopefully we will do the same this time." Gabe leaned back in the chair and stretched out his legs.

He folded his arms. They were rippled with muscles, probably from tending to their huge strawberry patch, and tanned with a small dusting of freckles. His gold-blonde hair shimmered even in the filtered sunlight from under the tree. His eyes met mine. Our stare became entangled again.

"What, do I have a booger on the end of my nose?' He asked with a smile.

"No," I reply.

"What then?" He turned, smiled faded and looked at me with his stormy eyes.

I didn't have pothole to save me now, I had to answer him.

Suddenly, a strawberry hit me on the side of the head and rolled down my arm to the ground. I looked to see David standing behind the table.

Gabe stood up and went to him as I lingered behind and wished the shadows of the massive trees would just swallow me up.

"What are you doing?" David moved so he could see me.

I stood frozen to the ground and looked at him like a cowering, beaten dog. My lips trembled, and then I remembered, I wasn't his anymore and he had nothing to do with me.

"I'm helping Gabe sell strawberries since his dad is busy with the fire." I held my chin high and made my voice as stern as I could. "Not that it's any of your business."

He only chuckled to himself as he set his jaw and glared at me like a snake ready to attack. David tried to step around Gabe who only stopped him with his hand to David's chest. Gabe whispered something to David that only made his face deepen with rage.

"Fine, Creed Leader." I clearly heard David reply venomously as he continued to advance towards me.

I stood where I was. David wouldn't make a scene here, especially with Gabe behind him.

"This isn't over. I don't let things go easily." His voice was low and his words seemed to curl around me like a noose.

"First of all, I'm not a thing, and second, it is over." I let my voice try to sting him, but he only grinned.

"O.K., I see the game here and if you want to play, that's fine. I'll play." David took a few steps back and looked between me and Gabe.

"There is no game David." Gabe's words were low and his eyes darted at him like a warning.

David only smiled as Gabe stepped close and whispered something in his ear. David looked towards the ground. His face whitened as if Gabe's words were poison.

When Gabe had said his message, he pushed David away.

I folded my arms around me and David only glared at me before he smiled and took a carton of strawberries with him. Even though the air had so much humidity in it, I still shivered as David drove by and gave me a crooked, venomous smile before he turned the corner and out of my sight.

I let out a sigh as Gabe finished with a customer and then sat back down as if nothing had happened.

I sat in the chair next to him.

"Well, you never answered my question," Gabe said giving me a sideways glance.

"What?' My mind is still with David and his psychotic threat.

"If I don't have a booger on my nose, then what was it?' Gabe looked at me steadily in the eye.

He seriously was going to make me answer. Why?

"You had an eye booger instead," I said as quickly as the thought popped in my head.

"A what?" He chuckled, evidentially amused by my reply.

"You know sleep...the white stuff you sometimes get in the corner of your eyes." I shook my head and smiled at him.

"Well, that's disgusting." He wiped the corner of each eye.

"Tell me about it, it's even worse to look at," I said as I got a carton of strawberries.

"Those are three dollars a quart." He half smiled at me as I popped a berry into my mouth in front of him.

"That's a rip off," I said eating another one.

He only shook his head and laughed and then got up to help a customer. I watched him as he helped the elderly lady. She had explained she didn't want to drop the strawberries, so she would come back, but Gabe said he would help her to her car with them, so she didn't have to.

Gabe was a true gentleman, like the kind of fictional character that can only exist with words to describe them, not one of flesh and blood. I look at my ratty sneakers and wonder what Gabe saw in me. Was he just being with me out of pity? I am the little kitten in the tree and David was the tall tree holding me captive, while Gabe was the fireman with his tall ladder capable of reaching anyone in trouble.

"Well, only a few more people to rip off, then maybe we can get home before it rains." Gabe pointed to the cloud thickening sky.

I look up and smelled the slight coolness in the air along with a distant rumble of thunder.

Gabe sat back down and put the money that he had in his hand into a small metal cash box. I thought about David and the way he looked when Gabe whispered to him.

"What did you say to David because he looked like a ghost when you were done and what did he call you...Creed Leader or something like that? What's that supposed to mean?" I asked as Gabe bent over to shove the cash box under his chair.

"I told him he wasn't acting anything like a gentleman and that you told him how you felt and that he should accept that and move on." Gabe's words were dry and he didn't smile, only glanced at me.

"No, you didn't say that." I shook my head.

"Well, that is what I said." Gabe gave me a reassuring smile

Suddenly, the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted our conversation. I looked up to see the two trench-coat-wearing men. They stood side by side and looked at Gabe and me.

"Hello sweetie, Em-Emily isn't it?" The darker one said eating a strawberry.

"What do you want?" Gabe stood up and in front of me.

"Well, it seems to me that you are selling strawberries these days, so I guess I would like to buy some," The one with the thick accent said shoving money into Gabe's hand.

"Go on then." Gabe stood like a shield between them and me.

"You're awfully forward for being a new leader aren't you? Do watch your step," The man replied.

"Bye Em-Emily." The darker one leaned over and waved playfully at me.

I only sat there and watched them leave.

"O.K., you're going to have to explain that one because I know them," I said as I got up and stood close to Gabe. "They were at the Wooden Nickel and Jimmy knew them, but he wouldn't tell me who they were only that he hoped they didn't come back."

I looked at Gabe who looked as pale as David did earlier. I felt my stomach drop.

"Gabe, what is going on? I mean Pandora's catching fire and these two weird guys walking around like F.B.I.... and threatening you who are evidentially some leader." Gabe's eyes met mine. "Tell me Gabe what is going on, because it feels like I'm in the middle of something."

Gabe paused for a moment and looked at the remaining strawberries. It looked like he was deliberating something to himself internally as he glanced around the square. I stepped in his line of view. His eyes then shifted to me with uneasiness.

"You're right Em, there is something," he said finally. "Let's go and besides it's going to storm."
Chapter Three

Blackness started to fill the sky the closer we got to St. F. The music on the radio was interrupted several times by the announcer warning a dangerous storm was quickly approaching. Lightening flashed around us, and large raindrops smacked the windshield. Gabe drove as fast as he could towards St. F.

"So, who were they Gabe?" I ask as the rain drops slowly turn to pea-sized hail.

Gabe kept his eyes on the road. "People you don't want to mess with."

"What do you mean? They came into Pandora's and she said they were selling stuff to her from an estate and then they showed up at the Wooden Nickel and Jimmy throws them out. What are they gangsters or something?" I ask through the plinking of the hail.

"Sort of." His voice grew tense. "This is a bad storm."

The music on the radio stopped for another weather warning. A tornado had been spotted north of St. F and was headed south- right in our direction. The voiced warned all in its path to take shelter.

"We have to find cover." Gabe looked at me.

I could feel butterflies in my stomach, when suddenly Gabe slammed on the brakes. I looked out the windshield to see a dark car parked sideways in the road blocking both lanes. Through the water that rippled down the windshield, I could see the two mysterious men leaning casually against the car. They stood like statues and waited for us to get out.

"Whatever you do don't leave this truck." Gabe's eyes were steady and his voice low. "If you have to, leave without me and don't stop until you get back to Thornbrooke, Never mention this to anyone."

I began to tremble and was speechless.

His eyes softened as he slowly reached under the seat and pulled out a silver dagger engraved with swirling designs that was as long as a pencil. I didn't think it was real, like it was a movie prop, but I knew different, it was real as the two men in front of us.

"I promise Em that everything will be fine." He smiled as he slid the knife discretely between his leather belt and jeans.

He got out of the car and went up to the two men. They seemed to be discussing something. I checked around Gabe's truck, maybe he had left his cell phone. Unfortunately, I am too poor to have one.

I opened the glove box, only letting my eyes off of Gabe long enough to rummage. Through the many expired insurance and vehicle registration papers, I hoped to find maybe even a weapon. I was going to give up when a blue light blinked back at me. Ah, a cell phone. I grabbed it expecting an array of numbers, when all I saw were round, clear buttons marked with squiggly lines. There was six buttons on a small, silver, rectangular shaped disk that was about the size of a cell phone.

Frantically, I pushed the buttons until they began to light up and then blinked like Christmas lights. I threw the thing to the floor, and looked out the blurry windshield.

Suddenly, one of the men grabbed Gabe as the other punched him in the stomach. The last thing I thought of was leaving as instructed. I had to do something, and without a plan I opened the door and into the rain. The sky had a sickening green cast to it that matched how I felt inside. I had no weapon, and I wasn't strong enough to fight them. Then, at the side of the road, between flashes of lightening, I saw a rock. It was about the size of a baseball with jagged edges.

I picked it up, lifted it over my head, and hit the guy throwing punches square in the back. I hoped to knock him out, but instead he only stopped and bent down as the other guy came towards me. Gabe crumpled to the ground. I didn't have another rock.

"Em-Emily is that you?" The man questioned in a pleasantly fake tone. "Darling, you shouldn't be out here."

He grabbed me by the arm and jerked me close to him. I could feel the iciness in his grip as he pulled me towards the car. Gabe was still on the ground, the man that I hit only glared at me.

"Good throw," he said, rain dripped from his nose.

He smiled and then something hard hit the left side of my face. I had felt it before, only it was David's hand last time. Instead of fear, I felt hot anger. Even in the cold, pounding rain something blossomed in me. Thrown to the ground next to Gabe, I knew the knife was still tucked away in his belt.

"Gabe," I whimpered his name. With my arms around his back, I felt for the blade that was cold in my hand. Discreetly, I pulled it out.

"Get in the car!" The dark skinned man growled between clenched teeth.

He held me by arm and with my other hand, I plunged the knife into him as he pulled me close to him. We stood facing one another and I could feel the blade go into him like a balloon popping. Everything happened so fast that my mind couldn't keep up and I kept trying to tell myself this is a dream. The man fell to the ground and I knew it was very much real by the blood seeping through his white shirt. I dropped the knife and looked at my white hands running with blood.

Suddenly, something flew past me about the size of a bird. I turned to see a silver disk spring from the other man's hand toward me. A burning sensation filled my stomach as I reached down and pulled out the small, silver disk with jagged edges. My cream colored tank seeped with rain and blood.

I crumpled to the ground, numb with pain. Gabe got up, grabbed the knife and threw it at the man. Like a magnet, it struck him in the throat. He fell backwards into the water filled ditch.

Weakness filled my arms and legs. The thunder from the storm was muffled and I couldn't talk. I felt Gabe slip his hand under me, and his voice reassured me everything was going to be fine before everything faded to blackness.

"It's a girl!" A voice exclaimed that was like a firecracker going off.

"You remember them don't you Zach?" Another voice replied.

I tried to open my eyes as the ground beneath me rumbled like it was filled with a hundred bumble bees. A hot smell filled my lungs as I tried to move.

"It looks bad...but I don't think it secreted all the poison. She must have pulled it out," The voice named Zach said and with what I could see, he had lifted my shirt.

I smacked his hand away and tried to sit up as another hand pushed me back down.

"Don't move." Two brilliant blue eyes surrounded with long dark lashes peered down at me.

His voice was gentle, like Gabe's, and his dark hair dripped water onto me like melting black icicles.

"Where's Gabe." I asked.

He only looked down at me without an answer as everything faded to blackness.

Violent jerking brought me to my senses.

"I don't remember the passage being so rough," A voice yelled in the distance.

I opened my eyes without much effort and looked up at a grey ceiling that looked like it was made of metal. A rough blanket covered me and gauze covered nearly my whole belly. My first thought was of Gabe and where we were.

I propped myself up as a dull ach filled my stomach. I looked around in the darkness. Flashes that reminded me of a camera's flash, blinked savagely framing two silhouettes sitting side by side in front of a large window.

"Hey, Em," A familiar voice said to my side.

"Gabe!" I yelled getting the attention of the two silhouettes "Where are we? Where are we going?"

"Lay back down and don't talk." He ran his fingers over the side of my cheek.

He didn't say a word, only looked at me.

"But where are we?" I asked as the ground beneath felt like it was collapsing. I jumped latching onto his arm.

"It's O.K.," Gabe said with a reassuring smile. "We are in a plane."

The plane shook and lightening flashed. I turned my head around and wanted to see what was going on.

"Look at me Em." Gabe turned my head so all I could see was his calm, grey eyes.

"Who are these people? Where are we going?" I could feel my stomach tighten and sweat roll down my back.

"To a safe place." His voice had calmness to it in its monotone rhythm.

"What about St. F and the tornado? What about Jimmy and my dad?" I couldn't help but to worry about everyone. "Why are we on a plane anyway?" I tried to push away from him and move my Jell-O-like legs.

"Em, it's real important you don't move." Gabe's eyes widened with concern and he looked behind him and motioned for someone else.

Another boy about my age, popped out from behind Gabe wearing a ratty cowboy hat with red- blonde hair poking out from under it. He had clear blue eyes and a checkered shirt with the sleeves torn off. If I could see his feet he probably had cowboy boots on as well. He looked like he had just stepped out of a field somewhere near St. F.

"Hi, my name is Zach," he said with a big smile and a southern accent.

"Oh my God," I said feeling my insides burn slightly as Gabe gently pushed me back down.

"No, not God, Zach, I know it's easy to get us confused." Zach shrugged his shoulders as Gabe shot him a glance. "I was just joking you know."

Gabe ran his hand over my cheek. His touch was soft, like a kitten rubbing against my leg. Then, suddenly something sharp like a pin pierced my upper thigh. My muscle tightened and burned as something cool then warm seeped into it. All I could do was scream.

"There, all done." Zach appeared again holding a syringe. "I've done that there lots of times on cattle, but never a person before." He smiled and then looked at me. "You're my first."

"Gabe!" I screamed as my muscles began to relax.

"Zach you're not helping," Gabe said in a tense voice towards Zach and then looked back at me. "That was something so you don't move."

I couldn't move now as my vision blurred slightly. Voices became slurred, even the plane bounced less. I struggled to keep my eyes open as I looked around.

Across from me was a small metal cage that contained a speckled bird. I watched it as it moved its head and then pecked at the ground. Gabe then sat by me again with a small smile.

"Feeling better?" His voice still had that playful tone to it.

"Is that a chicken?" I asked. "Or am I seeing things?"

"That's my Leghorn chicken Bella." Zach proudly announced. "They're supposed to be good egg layers since we don't have many chickens at Atlantis."

I wasn't sure if I heard Zach right. Gabe gave me a blank look.

"Atlanta?" I ask not trusting my ears.

Gabe looked uneasy as he turned and said something to Zach. He then turned back to me smiling with his grey eyes that had always mesmerized me.

"Close," Gabe replied as he was the only thing that filled my vision until blackness took over.

Everything around me was still and quiet. I wasn't on the plane anymore. I still couldn't open my eyes, but my ears tuned in to my surroundings.

"You shouldn't have brought her here, Gabe," A girl's whispering voice said.

"She saved my life," Gabe replied.

"Yeah, but what is she doing with an amulet? What if she's trafficking?" The girl's voice questioned.

"She isn't trafficking. Em has no idea what she's involved in." Gabe's words seemed hollow and foreboding. I wanted to talk to him so badly.

I woke to darkness. The air around me moved with a slight breeze tinged with the smell of salt. As my eyes focused to my surroundings, I could see a large window to my side that was open letting the gentle wind blow the sheer curtain like a watching ghost.

My pain was gone, but I was weak and had to force myself up to my elbows. My mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton balls. I looked around and wondered where I was when a light flicked on.

A man wearing a long, silk robe and matching pants sat a distance away and looked at me. He was stocky looking with pulled back greying, thin, brown hair and reading glasses propped up by his large nose. He looked at me for a while, and then cleared his throat.

"Emily is it? Is that your name?" His voice was questioning.

"Yes." My voice was dry.

"You are lucky to be alive. The poison from spine disk is usually fatal." He closed the book he had and placed it on the table next to him. "My name is Abe, by the way."

I smiled at him. "Where am I anyway? I remember being on a plane and Gabe..." I looked away wondering where he was. "Another boy was there...he said we were going to Atlanta, I think. Is that where we are at?" My head felt like it was spinning.

"No, we are nowhere near Atlanta." He smiled and seemed amused by my question.

I wanted to know more and started to sit up when a stabbing sensation filled my stomach. I gasped and clutched my stomach as Abe quickly came over to me. He gently pushed me back down.

"If I may..." He asked inquiring to lift my shirt up.

The pain was so intense that I didn't care what he saw. I shook my head in agreement. I watched Abe lift the slightly blood stained bandage. He then grabbed a pair of what looked like tweezers, and pulled something out of my wound, I closed my eyes and waited for a sting, but Abe was gentle and I felt nothing.

"I thought I got the entire disk out. It is designed to dissolve slowly once it becomes imbedded. I am guessing you pulled it out before it did too much damage." His dark eyes twinkled in the dim light. "I do believe that is the last of it."

With a plinking sound, Abe dropped something small and metallic into a silver bowl. He then opened a jar that emitted the pungent smell of roses onto my wound and then covered it up with a clean bandage.

"So, if we are nowhere near Atlanta, where am I?" The smell of roses was almost overwhelming.

Abe went over to his chair and sat with a blank expression. Silence filled the air, I waited for an answer and then I heard what sounded like waves crashing gently to shore. I looked towards the window, then back at Abe. He only looked at me as if waiting for me to draw my own conclusion.

"Is that-the ocean?" I asked through the pungent smell of roses.

"Yes, it is the Sanudra Ocean." Abe's words were soft and his eyes steady on me.

"I never...I don't think I have ever heard of that." I tried to recall the name from all of the geography classes that I sometimes slept through at school.

"It means, "Gathering of Waters", and not many have heard of it." Abe wasn't giving much information and my eyes grew heavy.

I open and close my eyes wanting to know more, but the smell of the sweet roses only put me to sleep.

Light pierced through my eyelids. I opened my eyes to see Gabe standing by the window looking into the distance. The ghost like curtain blew in the salty air and curled around his legs. I sat up, looked at Gabe who didn't notice my stare.

Sunlight fell on him like glitter. He was dressed in a gauzy white shirt and jeans, faded and worn with frayed holes so I could see teasingly peeks of skin underneath. He held back the curtain with one hand and peered into the distance, he looked deep into thought. I couldn't take it anymore, and cleared my throat to get his attention.

Gabe turned his head quickly like I had broken the deep trance he was in.

"Em," His voice rang with surprised joy.

I returned the smile as he came over.

"How are you?" He brushed back the few stray hairs from my face. I could only imagine what my hair looked like.

"Better, I think." I really wasn't sure.

"Where are we Gabe? What about St. F and my dad and Jimmy-the tornado..." My words trail off and a twisted knot curled in my stomach.

"Don't worry about that right now, they're fine. The storm passed." His words had a hollow feel to them, like something someone would say as not to upset someone who already is.

"Where are we then? A man named Abe was here last night and said we are by the Sanudra Ocean...where in the heck is that? I would like to think I paid a little attention in Geography, but I've never heard of it."

Gabe only smiled. "Its name isn't in any geography books or even maps, because to some it doesn't exist."

I gave him a confused look. Gabe shook his head.

"I'm not good at explaining things, here, it's just better if I show you." He stood up. "Can you get up?"

Gabe took my hand and I swung my legs over the side. I could feel the soreness in my stomach and the softness of the gauze that covered my wound. Then, I realized I was dressed in a long, grey, nightgown. I could only wonder who had changed my clothes; hopefully, at least another girl lives here. I could feel my cheeks flush slightly.

"Are you O.K.?" Gabe asked suddenly. He must have noticed my cheeks redden.

"Yes, I'm fine," I replied with a smile.

Gabe led me to a balcony that overlooked a vast blue-green ocean with pink tinged sands framed against the contrasting color of the water. Lush, green palm trees dotted the ground beneath us. I looked down and felt dizzy; we must be several stories up. The sweet smell of the vining, yellow, bell shaped flowers made them known through their intoxicating smell, climbed around the wrought iron fence that enclosed the balcony.

"It's beautiful." I stood next to Gabe, our shoulders touched and he wrapped his arm around me gently.

"It's Atlantis, or actually just a small part of it. we are the island of Kangee." He didn't look at me, only kept his eyes on the rolling waves.

I slid out from under his arm and looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Atlantis," I said unsure of what my ears heard. "Really, where are we, at some resort somewhere?" I remembered hearing about Atlantis from time to time as a lost continent and the home of mermaids and other mythical creatures. Gabe's stare never faulted, but remained serious "But, it's just a myth." I hoped he would tell me he had taken me to some tropical place.

Gabe didn't smile, only kept a serious persona to him that was unmoving. My stomach began to tighten.

"No, it's a legend and is very real." Gabe eyes met mine. "I know it is hard to believe, but it is true."

"It can't be the lost Atlantis...you know the one they make movies about and one of the mysteries of the world. We must be in the Caribbean or...some place like that, right?" My words trailed off.

"Em," His voice was filled with a serious compassion as he faced me. "This is the Atlantis, the lost civilization as humans call it. You are really here."

I looked out at the endless ocean thinking it could be any tropical place on Earth. The waves came in and went out, the wind blew through the palm trees and the air smelled of a salty sweetness. Everything around me felt like a dream, but a very tangible one.

I drew in a deep breath and met Gabe's eyes as if he was waiting for everything to soak into my foggy head.

"So, how did we get here?" I turned to see a cushioned chair behind me and sat down in it. I recalled the bumpiness that I had felt and Gabe looking into my eyes. I answered before Gabe could even respond. "We came here by plane, I remember." I looked up at him. "But how did the plane get here?"

Gabe drew in a breath and then sat beside me. "Through a passage that is only open to us."

"To us, who are us?" I asked trying to comprehend everything.

"Look, Em, I know it is hard to understand, but some things exist, even when shrouded in myth. This place is here for a reason and held secret for a reason." He leaned forward slightly with his gray eyes peering into mine.

"Then why are you here? And why am I here?" My hands ran through my ratty hair, and pulled at the growing headache that made me feel sick.

I laid back into the cushiony chair and looked at the brilliant blue sky.

"The Fairchild's', along with a few other families have been guarding Atlantis for generations. Its existence was never meant for the world to know, and those who do know are few." His words were tinged with a foreboding dread.

A pending silence surrounded us.

"So, what do you mean? I am never to leave or do you have to kill me now?" I tried to make light of the extraordinary situation, though my voice was thin.

Gabe smiled back at me. "No, I don't have to kill you, but your fate isn't decided yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Abe and the rest of the Alliances Creed haven't decided." Gabe ran his hand over the bruise David gave me. "But, you also don't have to go back where you came from.
Chapter Four

A knock came to the door. Gabe jumped up and went to answer it. I could hear mumbled voices discussing something, but felt too weak to get up.

"How is she?' I could hear a female voice ask.

Good, at least another girl lived here. I hoped she was the one that changed my clothes.

"On the balcony," Gabe replied as their footsteps came closer.

From behind me came a petite looking girl about my age. She barely reached Gabe's shoulders and held a tray of different kinds of fruits in her delicate hands. The girl then motioned for Gabe to pull a small table closer to me. She smiled brightly with her vivid green eyes and curly red hair pulled up into a loose bun. Her face was pale and dusted with a few freckles.

"Hi, my name is Claire," she said with a smile. "I thought you might like something to eat, but I wasn't sure what you like."

"Thanks, and everything looks really good. I'm not that particular." I picked up what looked like a pear wedge and poked it in my mouth.

It was sweet and I ate another as Claire and Gabe watched me with great interest.

"I hope you're feeling better." Claire to my relief sat down and took an orange slice.

"I am. This is really good," I said eating another slice of pear.

Gabe sat next to me and took a slice of what looked like kiwi.

"Zach grows all of this, he as a regular barnyard going on. He has all kinds of animals and a large garden." Claire said wiping the juice from her chin.

"Zach, he was on the plane." I turned to Gabe.

"He brought back another chicken." Claire only shook her head.

"It was a speckled chicken-a Leghorn named Bella." I remembered though at the time I thought I was seeing things.

"You have a pretty good memory, especially nearly being poisoned to death." Gabe looked at me and I sat still for a moment thinking of what he said.

"You mean I almost died?" I really hadn't thought of it that way.

Gabe turned to me and brushed my tangled hair behind my ear. His grey eyes looked into mine with tenderness.

"I wasn't going to let you." His words were solid that put me at ease.

"Um, I'm going to go and I will be back later." Claire got up with uneasiness in her voice. "You can get cleaned up in the bathroom that is right in your bedroom. Oh, and I put some clothes for you in the closet."

"Thanks-a lot." I said as Claire nodded and glanced at Gabe.

He looked at her then me finally realizing that Claire was suggesting that he leave too.

"I have better go too, so you can get cleaned up and rest some more." Gabe stood up.

Claire had left barely clicking the door behind her as I followed Gabe back into the bedroom.

"How can I rest after everything that has happened?" I asked as he turned to me with his hand on the doorknob. "I would like to know what is going on and when...or if, I can go home."

"Well, that isn't really for me to decide, it is up to Abe since he runs this place." I sighed looking at Gabe standing in front of me. "I know this is something you never expected, especially living in St. F, but trust me Emily; I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know." I looked down at the ground. Gabe was always that way, a true gentleman, just like a knight in shining armor.

Gabe then ran his fingers through his hair and then tilted his head back with a groan like he was arguing with himself.

"Actually, be ready in an hour and I will show you around Kangee." Gabe blurted out as if it was bottled inside him. "That is, if you feel like it."

"I definitely feel like it," I said as Gabe promised to be back in about an hour.

I carefully removed the gauze bandage and looked at the neatly stitched cut right above my belly button. The thick ointment that Abe put on still covered it. I just wanted to get clean and feel like myself again. I stood in the shower for a long time letting my muscles relax.

The water even made my skin soft when I got out to dry off. I rummaged the red stained cabinets and found some perfume, lots of towels and soaps. I wished Claire would have given me a little make-up to color in my paleness. The silver framed, oval mirror reflected a girl as pale as a ghost with a fading bruise on her cheek. I was a sight.

I fluffed my damp hair, put on some lavender smelling perfume and examined my bruise again. It was fading quickly, nothing but a reminder of a past that seemed a million miles away.

When Gabe said he would come in an hour that is exactly when he showed up. I scrambled to find a shirt and a pair of capris that hit me between my knee and ankle. Claire must be good guessing sizes, or I am just lucky they had clothes that fit me.

Gabe took me by the hand down the quiet hallway. Giant pictures of landscapes and portraits hung on the wall that was painted in a soft tan. The hard wood floors shined in the bright light from the window that went from the floor to ceiling. The brown and burgundy speckled rug was the only thing that quieted our footsteps.

Gabe turned at the end of the door lined hallway, and quickly glided down the stairs that opened to a large room with tiled floors, still everything was in muted earth tones. The room was large and had another open, curved staircase that looked like some princess should be making an entrance down. Across from that was a large, arched, double wooden door with round, stained glass windows at the top. Light fell through the windows and painted a mixture of bright colors that shifted on the floor.

Gabe cautiously opened the door and we slipped outside. I was going to ask him why he was being so sneaky, but didn't, there must be a reason why, and I didn't want to jeopardize that. I waited until we were outside.

"Why are we sneaking?" I finally got to ask.

Gabe turned and smiled at me.

"No one else knows that we are doing this." I implied.

"Not exactly," He said motioning for me to follow him down the flight of stairs.

I looked back at the mansion. It was beautiful, like the ones you see in magazines that rich people live in. Windows were everywhere, some were stained glass and embedded everywhere in the stone walls. Flowers, shrubs and fountains skirted the landscape like a grand gown that a queen would wear to a ball.

"Gabe, this is beautiful." The beauty nearly took my breath away. "But, how did it get the name Kangee?"

Gabe stopped and looked around with me. I was sure it was nothing to him; he evidentially had spent time here, but allowed me to take everything in.

"It has always been called Kangee and means raven. We are part of the Alliance and our group is called the Blackbirds," Gabe said as he looked at me with a smile.

I wrinkled my nose at the familiar, but strange name. "Really, who picked that name?"

Gabe began to walk away and I wondered if it was him that did, I hoped I didn't insult him.

"It has been called that since the Alliance formed hundreds of years ago by the Atlantians. The Blackbirds were a strong group and protected Atlantis." He then stopped and smiled. "Come on you've got to see the beach."

We walked down a path part way covered with palm trees and part open to the endless blue sky that led to the beach. I had never been to a beach before, and the sand was warm under my feet. Gabe led me to the water's edge allowing the waves to barely brush over our feet.

"I know I said it before, but this is beautiful." I looked at the endless amount of blues and greens.

"It is beautiful and dangerous at the same time." Gabe said picking up a small cream colored shell. "Em, I wished you would have gone to Thornbrooke, but I can't back time up." His words weren't stern, but had a twinge of regret to them.

I looked in the distance. I should had listened; maybe he was in trouble for even associating with me.

"I'm sorry." I met his eyes as he only smiled.

"Don't be, because if you didn't you might be in worse danger and I might have been killed." His words were passive, like it wasn't dangerous.

"Well, then," I said with the waves around my ankles. "I guess we're even." I tried to cover my worry with a playful tone.

Gabe's grey eyes fell on me with seriousness to them. "Em, there is something you should know, the others are skeptical of you because you were wearing an amulet. I know you never even thought twice about something like this ever happening, but, Em, did you know about the amulet?"

"Amulet? You mean like a necklace?" My fingers went to my bare neck where the necklace once was. "I got it at Pandora's. She showed me one that had an opal and then when I got home, there was another necklace in the bag."

"You mean you didn't know about the other one?" He asked anxiously.

"No, she must have put it in there by accident...or maybe not." I thought of the two trench coat men that came in when I left. "She acted funny when those two guys that nearly killed us showed up."

Gabe fidgeted with the shell he still had in his hand. The curtain that had been over his face fell into a more relaxed one.

"So, you are saying that you had no idea about the amulet or what Pandora is?" I shook my head at his vague question.

"No. Gabe what are you talking about? I don't even know what you mean by amulet. And as far as Pandora goes, I thought she just had a junk store, what is she then?" I asked feeling I never knew the residents of St. F as much as I thought I did.

Gabe flicked the shell back into the water and looked at me.

"Emily," Gabe rarely called me by my first name, and it made goose bumps cascade up and down my arms. "You were never to be involved in this and by me bringing you here not only jeopardizes us, but the whole Alliance. Pandora was a part of this too; she is what you call an Implement Maker of Magic. She has magic in her that can only be used in the things that she creates. Those two guys were after something she had, and we think it was the necklace you had on."

I stared for a moment into the many blue shades of the sky and water. You could hardly tell where one began and one ended.

"You mean Pandora was like a witch?" I looked at Gabe as he picked up another shell.

"No, not a witch," He shook his head. "She has magic in her that can only be put into things, objects, stuff that can hold it. She can't use the magic in her; it has to be put into something to use it."

"So, where is my necklace?" I asked. "It is safe isn't it?"

"Abe has it. He was the one that recognized it and is trying to figure out what it will do." Gabe threw another shell back into the water where it made a small plopping sound.

We walked silently together at the water's edge. The waves crashed into the shore nearly reaching my knees before it receded. Gabe picked up several shells and put them into his pockets. I picked up a few, but put them back, I felt like I was stealing them.

"So, are there any Mermaids, sea Nymphs or any large squid-like monsters I should know about?" I asked breaking the silence.

"Not in the near vicinity," he said with a smile as I threw my handful of shells into the waves. "We should get back."

I didn't want to leave, but knew we had probably been gone too long, and I didn't want Gabe to get into any trouble. I thought about everything he had said, which only brought a brigade of questions that I wanted to ask. Before I could get any of them out, a humming filled my ears that sounded like a hundred people humming. I stopped and looked at Gabe's confused expression.

"Don't you hear that?" I looked around to find its source.

"Hear what?" He shook his head.

"Humming-it's getting louder." I put my hand to my ears to cover it, when I realized it was coming from inside my head.

I closed my eyes to wish it away, but from the sound a single voice pleaded for help. It was a female voice, barely whispering in a frantic tone. I felt like I had to tell someone and tried to pull away from the voice that only tugged at me like the currents of the ocean. I could have easily slipped into it, but I had to tell Gabe.

I opened my eyes expecting to be still at the beach. Instead, I opened them to see the cream colored ceiling of the bedroom. Voices were jumbled, and it was hard to concentrate from the pounding in my head.

"She's awake, ask her what they said," Abe said as he hovered over me.

"Em," Gabe's voice was gentle as a breeze. "What did you hear?"

I looked at him for a moment. "They were calling for help, I don't know who, but they needed help."

I sat up and swung my legs over the bed. Gabe stood in front of me and Abe only paced the floor.

"That is what she said when I brought her back. She kept repeating that we need to help them." Gabe spoke as though I wasn't there. "It was a call." His eyes shifted back to me.

I didn't remember saying all of that and only hoped I didn't say anything like, 'I think you're cute and always have', or something like that. I found the whole thing disturbing and pressed my hand to stomach gently.

"It's obvious Emily; you have more ties to Atlantis than you think. What you heard was a distress call that our radio can't pick up." His eyes grew with suspicion and I thought of what Gabe had said to me. I had to be careful.

"I have never had anything like this happen before." I tried to sound innocent.

"No, of course not, living on Earth you wouldn't. It's obvious to me that you are a Receptor, someone who is able to receive messages as well as transmit. That ability is only amplified by being here." Abe's eyes soften, but his voice felt cool to me.

"How?" I shook my head. "Why me?" I looked away from Abe and at the floor.

"I don't know why, but, this I do know. You must have some connection here, maybe a relative or it could run through your bloodline. The ties from Earth to Atlantis are still strong and intermarriages were common, but with stricter laws, that has become a thing of the past. Still, lineages of Atlantians are quite common on Earth. It is hard to tell and right now, I wish I could investigate, but I can't." Abe's eyes shifted to Gabe.

"For right now stay in the mansion." Abe looked more at Gabe than me. "There is too much going on right now to add any more problems."

Abe left and gave firm instructions that I stay in the bedroom. Gabe looked back at me as I dangled my feet over the edge of the bed. I watched my toes barely skim across the hardwood floor with each swing. Something about the movement was soothing.

"I can't believe this is happening to me. What am I supposed to do now?" I asked looking at the floor.

Gabe bent down and looked at me with his storm colored eyes.

"If Abe can find anything out, he will. As for right now, the Alliance will be meeting, and then you will go before them."

I drew in a deep breath and closed my eyes. I could feel Gabe sit next to me on the bed. His shoulder rubbed against mine and I looked up at him.

"What did Abe call me? A Receptor...what is that? It sounds like a disease rather than a messenger." I was serious, but Gabe found humor in it.

"It certainly isn't a disease. You have a special ability. Receptors were once an important part of Atlantis, before Receptor Disks were made by the Alfheim. But, still, Receptors are important, especially since their numbers are few."

I raised my eyebrows at him as he tilted his head back letting the few sun rays catch the gold flecks in his hair. I felt like I almost wanted to touch it, but composed myself, and gently rubbed my stomach instead.

"Does it still hurt?" He asked catching me off guard.

"What? No, not too bad, just a little sore." Actually the stiches were beginning to itch and I wanted to scratch at them, but I certainly didn't want to do it in front of Gabe. "By the way, who were... what did you call them... Alfheim...the ones who made the disks."

"They live north of here, actually hundreds of miles from here. They live in great forests and are responsible for a lot of inventions. The Receptor Disk is just one of them. It pretty much does what a Receptor can do."

"So Atlantis is more than just a continent?" I asked as Gabe smiled.

"Yeah, it is." He seemed surprised of my question. "It's a world of its own and we are only a small part of it."

Gabe stood up and looked at the silver watch on his wrist. "I didn't realize we were together this long. Unfortunately, I have to go, but I will be back later tonight."

He walked over to the cream colored painted door.

"Wait." I stood up as he turned. "What about this meeting and the amulet?"

He only half smiled as I stood and stared at him. "Don't worry Em, you will probably go in front of the Alliance tomorrow and by then Abe will know something about the amulet." He gently placed his hands on my shoulders and pressed his warm lips to my forehead. My skin sparked upon his touch.

Gabe left as I sat back on the bed, laid down, and curled up with the puffy pillow. Everything swarmed through my head, St. F, the tornado, Jimmy, and my dad as well as the plane ride and waking up in a mythical place that had been sought after for hundreds of years.

I closed my eyes, and let my ears tune into the sound of the soothing waves that gently caressed the pink sandy beach. My body relaxed and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

"Emily." A voice called my name in the distant.

I didn't listen to it, and it called again. This time, I could feel someone gently shaking me.

"Emily, wake up." I could tell it was Claire.

I opened my eyes and popped up nearly splitting my stiches apart. I grabbed at my stomach as she looked at me wide eyed.

"Are you O.K.?" She asked with concern.

"Yeah, sorry, you startled me." I sat up and smoothed my hair down and out of my eyes.

"You were sleeping pretty well, but Gabe thought you might like this to read. It is the history of Atlantis and it tells about some of the inhabitants here." Claire handed me a leather bound book that had worn edges and the title simply stated it was the history of Atlantis.

I flipped open the book and let the pages run through my fingers.

"Thanks, I can't wait to read it," I said sincerely.

Claire gave a small laugh. "You are the first one who ever said that. Most of us groan at even the sight of it." I looked back down at the book. "But I suppose since this is all really new to you, I suppose it would be interesting."

I put the book down as Claire twirled her hair around and around her finger. She glanced at me nervously, but tried to hide it with a smile.

"So, you're a Receptor?" She asked with a quick voice.

"That's what I am told." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Who sent the message? Do you know?" She had a contained desperation to her voice.

"No, it's actually the first time it has ever happened. I never received many distress calls in St. F." I looked at her wide eyes. "I guess no one needed my help that badly." I tried to sound funny.

"A Receptor doesn't physically help, they are the communications link," she said correcting my attempt at a joke.

I only shook my head as I noticed a bracelet of blue shells around Claire's wrist.

"That's pretty, did you make it?" I pointed at the various shades of blue shells.

"Oh, no, I didn't make it. Someone else did-it was a gift." Her words trailed off as if lost for a moment in a memory.

Claire held it out and I looked at the oblong shells with smooth edges.

"It is a friendship bracelet I got as a present from the Mer people." She smiled as her cheeks blushed.

"Mer people, I'm going to guess that they live in the sea and I would know them as Mermaids." I felt pretty confident in my guess.

"No, but close." She put her hand down. "They travel by ocean, but don't live there. They live on an island not far from here."

"Well, maybe I should read the book." I picked it up and Claire finally laughed when I was being serious.

"It wouldn't hurt, because I think you're going to be around for a while."
Chapter Five

I watched the sun slowly fade as it colored the water like it was liquid gold. Claire had brought me a large meal of baked chicken, mashed potatoes and peas. At least the food wasn't too exotic.

I was still stuck in my room as told I would. I got a shower, put on a t- shirt and a pair of soft knit shorts. I tried to smooth my hair, and with no hair product to help me with that, I did my best.

Gabe would be coming soon. At least I hoped he would be coming soon as he promised. In the meantime, I decided to read the history of Atlantis book.

The book contained a few black and white sketches of the beings that lived here along with descriptions and locations as to where they lived.

I found the Alfheim first. They were tall, beautiful people that lived with their surroundings and utilized what their world gave them. They were the preservers. Their world remained pristine but grew with knowledge. Many sought their wisdom and were one of the founding races of the Alliances Creed.

Next, I read about the people of the sea, the Mer. Actually, they lived most of their lives on land, and like Claire said, traveled by water.

I had read only a few pages and found the book interesting, but I didn't feel like reading right now. As much as my life had taken an extraordinary turn, I still found myself longing for home. Most people would be practically eating up the book Claire just handed casually to me. Atlantis is a myth, I always thought, until now. This still felt like a dream, but a very real dream as I felt the itching stitches on my stomach.

I thought of home and Jimmy. He would be worried to death and as far as my dad, I wasn't sure. My head began to ache. I closed my eyes and breathed in the salty air that lured me to the balcony.

I sat the book down, and went over to the window. All I could hear was the ever constant waves. The orange horizon mixed with the indigo sky of night. I looked up at the star dotted sky. I wondered if the same stars could be seen in St. F as here.

Suddenly, from below a small light caught my attention and flicked on and off through the palm trees. It was answered by a light at the water's edge. I stepped back slightly as to not be seen.

In the dim light, I could see a small figure run to the beach. I stepped closer to the balcony's edge and watched them dart to the flickering light. I thought it looked like Claire, with her short stature and bouncing red curls, ran to meet the mysterious person.

Now, I could see a small boat, canoe size, had been pulled to the beach. Another figure greeted her with an embrace, and as close as they were, probably a kiss. My spying was interrupted when a knock came to the door. It had to be Gabe.

I went back in as the door opened with the clicking of the lock. Gabe smiled at me as he shut the door behind him.

"There's someone at the beach. They were flickering lights at each other. I think they're still there." I informed him of the encounter.

"Oh, that's just Claire and her sort-of-boyfriend." Gabe waved off my concern with his hand. "Em, there are some things you need to know before tomorrow."

His voice was serious and his smile faded.

"You mean for the trial?" I asked as I sat at the foot of the bed and curled my hand around the tall bedpost.

"Well, it isn't a formal trial, but more like a hearing. There is a lot going on right now and you sort of fell into it." His voice had a restrained grim tone to it.

"Great," I said looking away and then back at Gabe. "You know I have no idea about any of this."

"I know you don't, but the rest of them think differently," he said with a deep breath. "I don't want you to be surprised by who you see tomorrow, so I am going to tell you a little of what's going on." His smiled returned for only a moment. "We found Pandora and she is here, but so is David." My stomach lurched at the sound of his name.

"The tornado couldn't have gotten him." I say with a slight laugh. "You mean he is one of you guys?"

"Sort of, but not from the same clan. He is from the Dragon clan, one of the four that ensure the safety of all magical implements. That's what we do, and now several have gone missing as well as being manufactured on the black market. That's what Pandora was doing," he said as he sat in a chair across from me and rested his elbows to his knees.

"Abe is still examining the amulet, and he is questioning Pandora right now." Gabe's eyes were steady. "And as far as you being a Receptor, we aren't going to mention that to the Alliance yet. Abe's not sure of your connection, but thinks you're innocent."

"So, I just stumbled into this at the wrong place and wrong time." I say resting my head on the bedpost. "Lucky me,"

Gabe only snickered a little.

"I don't think it's funny." I snap at him.

"No and yes it is. Em, it's all how you look at it," Gabe said standing up.

"How am I supposed to look at it? I nearly got killed by some poison dart, got caught with a stolen amulet that I had no idea I had, and end up in Atlantis where I suddenly can hear distress calls, and to top it off, I have to go to a trial to determine my fate. What if I go to prison?" My voice trembled.

Gabe smiled gently as he sat next to me. I could feel the heat radiate from him like a welcoming fire from the cold. He then wrapped his arm around me and looked into my eyes.

"I promise nothing will happen to you." Somehow those words so simple seemed more comforting coming from him. "You won't go to jail, like I said, most of the Alliance thinks you were just used as a pawn, but they still want to question you."

I took a deep breath in and stared at the cream colored wall with the oval shaped frameless mirror that reflected the wall behind us.

"What about David?" I lowered my voice feeling he might be listening.

Gabe stiffened slightly and smiled at me.

"Don't worry about him. You broke up with him didn't you?" He simply asked rhetorically.

I didn't answer, only smiled back. I didn't have to fear him anymore, but something inside of me still felt connected to him, like a leash that would only let me go so far.

Gabe left me when the sun finally sank into the horizon. I sat on the bed for a while watching the sheer curtain blow in the gentle breeze. I held my stomach trying to contain the hundreds of butterflies in it as I thought about tomorrow.

Crashing waves woke me and in my numb senses, it took me a while to calculate where I was. I was in Atlantis facing a hearing in front of people I had never heard of before. I could only hope they had an understanding to my disposition.

Instead of a sapphire blue sky covering the endless array of blue waters of Kangee, a monotone grey sky blanketed everything in a pale sickness. The color of everything was dull and lifeless. A drizzle dotted the window, and through it I could see the small boat that carried Claire's boyfriend from some neighboring island, I can only guess. I felt goose bumps run up and down my arms as I thought of seeing David again, especially under these circumstances.

"Emily." Clair's voice nearly made me jump out of my skin. "Are you up?" Her voice questioned through the door.

"Yes," I replied as the door unlocked and she greeted me with a warm smile.

"I thought you might like something to eat." She brought in a tray and sat it on the small bedside table. "Oh, and it is unfortunately cold today, so I brought you a sweater of mine to wear."

She laid the nubby, cream colored cardigan on the bed and I picked it up right away.

"It's so pretty." I say feeling the softness of it.

Claire shrugged her shoulders at my comment and half smiled.

"I'm glad you like it. It is one of my favorites. The Mer really know how to make things like that. I got it a long time ago when our clan was at a meeting." Claire stepped towards the door. "I wish I could stay and chat, but I have to get ready too. Gabe will come get you in an hour."

I looked at the clock when she left. It was already nine; I usually never sleep in this late. I passed on breakfast and got a shower.

In the walk-in closet that had an elaborate silver framed mirror at the end, I found a couple pairs of jeans to go with Claire's sweater. I looked at myself in that fancy mirror. I wasn't the same girl I was a few days ago. How did this all happen, out of all the people in the world, to me? Especially in the town of St. F.

Promptly, as the clock stroked ten counts, Gabe was at my door. He must had either watched the clock or had a really good internal one.

"Sorry I'm a couple of minutes late." He apologized.

"Really, it's like what, two seconds after." He stood in front of me dressed in dark pants with several pockets sewn in the sides, and what looked like combat boots to match. His black shirt was silky looking and fitted, almost like a second skin.

"No, more like five. Your clock is five minutes off." I couldn't stop looking at him in all of his lightness framed in dark clothing.

"I feel like I'm underdressed." I had to say something to compensate for my staring. "I mean, the Alliance won't be insulted, will they?" I was kind of serious, as I really didn't know the customs they had here.

"No," he said with a warm smile that burned the cold air that surrounded me. "They won't be insulted by you. Like I said, they just want to question you, that's all."

Gabe led me down the grand staircase and past the beautiful stained glass door, down another hallway that had several lights along the wall. Even in the gloomy weather and void of any windows, the hallway still seemed warm and light. The mansion was huge and at the same time had a usual coziness to it.

Gabe and I walked in silence. I would have asked him questions, but I wasn't sure if I should talk or not.

"Just be yourself and don't offer any information unless asked," he said with his hand on the silver doorknob.

Gabe opened the creamy white painted door, and stood aside to let me pass. A long wood table had six people seated and faced me. A large window with a small section of stained glass at the top framed them with the rain pouring down outside.

I looked all over the room at first not really taking anything in, except everyone's eyes were on me, including David's. He had a giddy smile on his face that made my stomach churn.

"Please, Emily, have a seat." Abe stood slightly and motioned for me to sit in the puffy pale blue chair. At least the furniture was comfortable.

"I will state for everyone's record that Emily Moore of St. Francis, Illinois on the continent of the Americas and of Earth, to my knowledge had no prior interest or connection to Atlantis. She was simply in the wrong place." Abe read from a piece of paper with reading glasses propped on his nose. "Since this involves all of us, the Alliance has right to question her and judge her fate. All of you have been briefed on how she came here and I will open the floor to questions."

I felt all of their eyes on me as I twisted my hands together. I wasn't sure if I was breathing or not and avoided David's penetrating eyes that I could feel burrow into me.

"First, I want to welcome you Emily." A woman with long red hair and gleaming jeweled eyes smiled at me. "My name is Karinna and I am part of the Alliance's Creed, my clan is called Phoenix. I think an introduction would be nice and not to mention, put our guest at ease." Karinna looked at all the members then back at me.

She pointed at the end of the table first, introducing a man that looked like he was nothing but muscles. His name was Jasper and he was the prince of the Mer people and from what I saw last night, Clair's boyfriend. Next to him was a dark skinned man with long jet black hair. He was from the Eagle clan of the Alliance and his name was Avani. Karinna sat between him and Abe. Next to Abe was a man, not much older than me. His thin lips curled into a curious smile and his dark green eyes flickered. His short slightly wavy blond hair softened his sharp cheekbones. His appearance was razor sharp that was wrapped in a mysterious softness. His name was Eris and he was from Alfheim.

"And this is David from the Dragon Clan of the Alliance." I quickly glanced at him and then back at Karinna. "He is standing in for his brother today as part of the Alliance."

"Emily." His voice was like sweetened poison. "We have met before Karinna-in St. Francis, I was based there for a while tracking stolen implements." His voice sounded slightly incriminating.

"How much of Atlantis did you know before you came here?" Avani suddenly asked in his quiet and soothing voice that drew any attention from David to me.

His dark eyes looked at me with curiosity.

"Not much." I managed to squeak out. "Only what I caught on T.V., which wasn't much. I thought it was just a myth."

Avani gazed at me for a moment before shaking his head and looking at the rest of the Alliance members.

"She doesn't look like she could possibly be trafficking, look at her, most traffickers are either strong men or at the least very robust women," Jasper said with a quick wink of his eyes at me. I wasn't sure if I was insulted or relieved. At least someone questioned me even being involved in this.

"Yes, but most traffickers don't want to stand out like a sore thumb either." Eris motioned at me with his long fingers and looked at each of the members. "We have seen this before, unlikely creatures transporting stolen implements or illegally manufactured ones."

"...Which brings me to what I know," David shifted in his chair like he was a Cobra waiting to bite me with his poisoned fangs. "Like I said, I had been in St. Francis and many times had witnessed Emily going into Pandora's shop. Not only does that raise suspicion, but it could also uncover who is behind all of the stolen implements that we fight for every day." His voice rose slightly, like gas being sprinkled on a fire. "I think an interrogation is in order."

My eyes met his and they gleamed with vicious delight.

"I had no idea that..." My voice was small and dissolved easily in the large room. Abe stood up refocusing everyone's attention.

"There will be no interrogation." Abe looked at David then back at me. "But, further investigation is needed." His eyes looked at whoever was behind me. "And will one of you please go and get Pandora."

I looked around to see Gabe and four others dressed in the same black uniforms. There were two girls, one being Claire and the other with short dark hair that angled in long locks around her delicate face. She was tall and slender compared to Claire, who looked like a chubby porcelain doll.

Next to them were two boys that I recognized from the plane. The one with blonde hair was Zach and the other, I didn't know his name, but remembered his eyes looking into mine with curiosity and black hair dripping with cool water. His eyes only met mine for a moment before I turned back around.

The room was quiet and I looked at the floor for a moment and then back up, where my eyes suddenly interlocked with Karrina's. She looked like she had been watching me for a while. She smiled and then stood up as the others talked in hushed whispers or flipped through the papers in front of them.

I felt entranced by her as she stepped closer until she walked around me in circles. I tightened with nervousness. Her hand gently ran across my shoulders that made me shiver slightly. I wanted to say something, but felt my voice was constricted.

"Emily, your hair is very pretty." She ran her hand over it.

I opened my eyes that I didn't even know were closed. "Thank you," I said meekly.

She then gracefully walked back to her seat and flipped through the papers in front of her and leaned over to whisper something to Abe. He only shook his head and then they continued to flip through their papers until the door opened with Pandora continually complaining to Gabe.

"You have no right to keep me here, I have done nothing!" Pandora yelled as she sat in the chair a distance away from me.

I couldn't keep my eyes from her. Her hair was tangled in the remnants of her once neat French twist and the rings she always had on were gone. She wore a simple blue gown and flip flops. Even her make-up was gone and she looked like she had aged about twenty years.

"That is for us to decide and by your past record, we have a right to be suspicious," Abe said with folded hands.

"I have been clean for at least five years. I haven't used my magic on anything." She waved her hands in front of her like she physically moved it away.

"Then how did this girl get an amulet at your store?" Karinna asked gazing at her.

Pandora's hand began to tremble for a moment. "It came in a box of stuff I was going to sell. I didn't know what it was until I picked it up and was going to call the Alliance, when she came in and stole it for herself." Pandora's wild eyes shifted to me. "She is a thief." Her crooked, incriminating finger pointed at me. "How else would she get it? I certainly wouldn't just hand it over to her."

"But that is exactly what you did! You put it secretly in my bag and I didn't even know I had it until I got home!" I stood up glaring at her in disbelief. "I was going to bring it back and then found out your shop was on fire and you were missing. I was scared you were in the fire!"

She shrugged her shoulders. "She lies too."

I felt like my head would explode with rage. I looked at her then caught a smirk from David, who looked between Pandora and me.

"It is true; I have watched Pandora and been in her shop. There were no signs of any transferring of magic to objects. Pandora had no proof of any illegal activity. I think the amulet was sent there for Emily to pick up and take to whoever is stealing everything." David's voice was calm and hit me like shards of glass.

"Gabriel was with Emily when two Alfheim attacked them and the two Alfheim were at your shop at an earlier time. What was their business there?" Abe ignored David and looked directly at Pandora.

"Yeah, they came in, but I shooed them away. They wanted what everyone wants-magic." She hissed the word out like it was fire to her tongue. "Why don't you ask him, he is Alfheim." She pointed at Eris.

He glared at Pandora and then cleared his throat. "First of all, it is you who are on trial and as far as the two perpetrators, they weren't my people. We have no need to go to such places and associate with such creatures like you." Eris crossed his arms and looked insulted by Pandora's words.

"The two were Alfheim, but I think they were rouge ones," Gabe said from behind me.

"Can we question them? They are still under the law of the Alliance." Karinna suggested.

"They're dead. I killed one and Emily killed one in self-defense," Gabe said it like we just went downtown to get ice cream. It still felt like a nightmare that could never be reality, but it was.

"Well if they were rouge, then thank you for eliminating such a plague," Eris said in his arrogant tone.

"I think Pandora was an innocent instrument in this. Her reputation of being a Magic Implement Maker perceives her and whoever wanted it, knew who she was and had Emily go there as a go between." David's voice echoed through me. "Where is the amulet now?"

"It is here and I am still examining it. Its origin is still a mystery, but I will know soon," Abe replied as I noticed David tighten his fists so his knuckles turned white. No one else noticed, but I did, he was getting mad.

"Do you think it is safe here with the one who stole it?" David pointed at me. "You know how humans are with magic. It lures them and the next thing they are using it blindly. It is like giving a loaded gun to an infant. Emily and the amulet should be separated, what if she tried to get it again?" His voice could hardly be contained and he stood up and met my eyes.

"She didn't steal it." Gabe protested behind me. "You are jumping to conclusions."

I only stood with gaping mouth and wondered what the Alliance thought of me now. I felt so many things were against me as I thought the worst.

Karinna's jewel eyes shifted from me to Abe and the room filled with their yelling voices. I looked at Pandora who sat like a gloating pig. Everything made me sick as I stood and looked up at the beautiful stained glass window that must be magnificent when the light shone through it. Filled with many different hues that mimicked the gardens outside, my eyes became lost in the sea of colors that were still vivid even in the dull light. I could hear the collaboration of voices, mostly David's, as I stood there enthralled by the stained glass window. I wanted out of the room badly as David continued his assault on me and how Pandora was just used.

Suddenly, as I stood there, I could hear a humming in my ears again. The flowers in the window started to shift in an invisible wind. I could only cover my ears. The voices around me muffled and I wasn't sure if I was being spoken to or not as the voices grew louder in my head, but couldn't understand them at first.

The room filled with shadow until nothing but darkness surrounded me. I didn't have time to wonder what was going on, when a voice finally became clear to me.

"Assistance is needed on the Bimini Island. Alfheim are here...searching for amulet. Please help!" The voice faded before it repeated the message again and light filled my vision once again.

"She is still recovering from the poison." I could hear Abe's voice which sounded like someone turning on a radio full blast as I was lifted to my feet.

"Take her back to her room," Abe said as I was passed to another set of strong arms.

I could hardly move my feet and Gabe finally just carried me to my room. He put me on my bed with the voices still echoing in my head.

"Emily, are you with us?" Gabe asked brushing the hair from my eyes.

"Yeah, what happened?" I wanted to sit up, but was too weak.

"You passed out," he replied as the rain pattered against the window.

"Did I say anything?" I asked as he looked at me confused.

"No. Was there another message?" He burrowed his brows.

"I heard voices again. This time it was a clear message." I pushed myself up. "The island of Bimini...it's in danger. The Alfheim are coming and they want the amulet."

Gabe looked away from me.

"Where is Bimini at? And I take it is the same amulet that I had." Gabe only looked at me with concern and started to speak when a voice interrupted behind him.

"Not bad," A female voice said. "Especially, for just discovering you're a Receptor." Karinna smiled down at us with her jeweled eyes, one emerald green and the other sapphire blue, I didn't notice before.
Chapter Six

"I could tell there was something about you when you came in the room." Karinna closed the door quietly behind her and stood looking at both of us.

"You could see her aura." Gabe got up and ran his fingers through his hair and looked at Karinna like he got caught breaking a rule. "I should have known."

"You can't hide things like that from me, and besides, Abel already informed me of her." She gently touched Gabe on the shoulder. "I'm not going to go and tell on her, I'm here to help and she will need lots of that." Karinna only smiled at me.

"Now, why don't you freshen up," She pointed at me. "And both of you come downstairs and we will discuss this with the other Blackbirds. The Alliance has left and our leader needs to make a few decisions" She looked at Gabe with a smile before letting the door click shut behind her.

I looked at Gabe and shook my head. "So that's what you are, the leader of the Blackbirds?"

Gabe looked away and fidgeted with something on the palm of his hand. "It's a clan. It's my clan, Abe is our mentor and I am the leader. The Alliance has four clans, the Blackbirds, the Phoenix, the Eagles and the Dragons. We safeguard certain districts of Atlantis and keep anything of magical qualities safe." Gabe recited to me as if he had to clear his conscience of it. "I hope you don't think it's too strange."

I laughed at him. "Strange? I hear voices."

It felt like in that one moment, a tension between us had finally broken as we laughed together.

"At least the voices aren't made up," he said standing in front of me. "They come from someone who is very real."

"But, it's still a voice that no one else can hear." I tried to make my voice light.

"Yeah, but you're not the only one and you're safe here, with us, no one is going to tell the Alliance, at least not yet."

I looked away and thought of the whole trial. David had made me look bad, but I still wasn't sure of what the Alliance thought of me and someone needed help that I could only hear.

I looked at Gabe and drew in a deep breath, what could he think of me now? "You believe me don't you?" I forced the question out of me that I wasn't sure if I wanted it answered.

Gabe smiled warmly at me, put his hands on my arms and gently stroked his fingers over the soft sweater. "I believe you because I know it's the truth. Don't let David bother you, and what he says." He looked away for a moment. "The amulet was planted on you; all we have to do is make the connection."

"What about the Alliance? What did they decide?" I drew in a breath and held it almost expecting him to say "hang her until dead."

"They didn't. And, they couldn't make a solid decision about you, but they think you really didn't have any association with it. Karinna assured them of that." I let my breath out. "Don't be so nervous." He teased.

"How can I not be? I have never been on trial before, even at home and much less from a hidden world. I didn't know what to expect. If I would have sneezed, they might have killed me on the spot for being rude," I said seriously and Gabe only laughed at me.

"Then I would have been dead a long time ago." Gabe smiled at me. "Are you going to freshen up, like Karinna suggested or are you going down as is, because I think you look fine the way you are." I felt my cheeks blush.

"I better freshen up then."

"Don't trust me?" Gabe teased.

"Of course, but you're a boy." He flopped on my bed holding his chest like my comment was an invisible arrow that had struck him. I only shook my head at him as he folded his hands behind his head, smiled and waited for me.

I tried to fix my hair and rinsed my mouth out with sweet tasting water. I then looked at myself in the mirror wishing I had a little make-up to color my ghostly white complexion.

We went downstairs to a room off to the side of the large kitchen that looked like it probably had every kitchen utensil known to man. All of the Blackbirds, as I know them by, had gathered in what looked like an informal living room with a plush sectional couch, large screen T.V. and tall windows that gave a view of a swimming pool surrounded by a lush tropical garden. I felt like I had really walked into one of those magazines with all the beautiful homes that you see at the grocery store check-out aisles.

"Emily, I hope you are feeling better." Claire popped up and gently guided me to sit beside her on a smaller couch.

"Better, thanks," I said sitting beside her.

"Now, can I have everyone's attention?" Abe said putting his glass down on the table. "We need to discuss things here and figure out what our plan of action is." He looked over at Gabe. "Would you like to get started?"

Gabe stood in front of everyone; he looked uneasy and a little nervous. I tried to meet his eyes, but he wouldn't look at me. He shifted his weight and opened his mouth to say something when Claire interrupted.

"Hey, aren't we forgetting an introduction." She tilted her head towards me and kept her eyes on Gabe.

He looked at me with his grey eyes.

"Is that really necessary?" The dark haired girl said across from me with her black piercing eyes. "She isn't staying here and she wasn't invited."

I looked at her dressed now in a pair of jeans and a bright blue tank top that showed her delicate arms. She glanced at me coldly and then looked away as if I had evaporated upon her command.

Gabe looked back at Claire. "Fine, introduce everyone, Claire, but hurry up." Gabe gave in as he folded his arms.

"O.K., you of course know Gabe, me and Abe. This is Alicia, she really has manners and is a good friend, unfortunately, that girl isn't here right now. Sitting beside her is Zach, and behind him standing along the wall is Ian.

"I remember you guys from the plane," I said looking between them.

"Yeah, that is when I brought home Bella. That was a hell of a ride through the passage. I didn't think we were going to make it." His southern accented voice had a tone that I couldn't help but to smile at. To me he looked out of place here in this tropical paradise. "Ian here, the pilot, thought it would be best if we answered Gabe's distress call or whatever it was. What did you do hit the buttons with? Because it obviously wasn't your fingers." He looked up at Gabe as he shoved another potato chip into his mouth from the large bowl on the glass table between us.

"That might have been me." I confessed. "I tried to find a cell phone and thought that was Gabe's."

"Well, I can see how it could be mistaken." Zach shrugged his shoulders and ate another chip.

Alicia only rolled her eyes and moved from her spot next to Zach.

"Can we start the meeting, or do we need to hear more about accidently mistaking a communicator with a cell phone." Alicia crossed her arms and stood behind the couch. "That's kind of irrelevant here, since it's the past. Shouldn't we consider what the future might hold?" She began to tap her foot on the floor and looked at Abe and then back at Gabe. "Well..."

Gabe cleared his throat and looked at all of us. "Abe and I have studied the amulet and we have never come across anything foreign before. It is made of compressed sand, not from any of the continents of Atlantis. We think it is beyond here, possibly from another realm." My head began to swim of the existence of other worlds. "Em, here as you know is a Receptor, and already her abilities are getting stronger. She said that the island of Bimini is being invaded by the Alfheim and if so, Eris has gone against the Alliance."

"How do we know the Receptor heard the message right? She is new to this and the message could be a fluke or even centuries old." Alicia didn't look at me and I glanced away wondering if my ability was maybe a curse.

"That's why we should investigate," Gabe said in a calm voice.

"And I will help Emily to control and filter out messages as well as send them." Karinna sat next to Abe and smiled with her twinkling eyes.

The meeting ended with a decision to go to Bimini and take a look around. In the meantime, Karinna has taken teaching me about being a Receptor seriously. In fact, I had my first lesson that afternoon.

"You must be in tune with your surroundings at all times and never let your guard down. I know it seems like a lot right now, but in time it will become second nature." Karinna's voice was soft and calming to me.

Again, as instructed I closed my eyes and listened to the rain hit the large leaves of the overgrown plants. The wind blew gently and the ever constant waves brushed the shore in countless repetitions. I became relaxed and for the first time, my thoughts were void except for the sounds that surrounded me.

"You did really well for your first time. I could see you concentrating," Karinna said as the rain came down harder. "Let's go in."

"But how am I supposed to be aware of everything and still manage to pay attention if someone is talking to me?" I asked as we passed under the large palm trees.

"Everyone has their own method and you will find yours. It is just going to be trial and error." As reassuring as her voice was, it didn't make me feel any better.

"What about the Alliance...they don't know I can do this." The rain fell gently around us hitting the large leaves like they were drums. "What will happen when they do?" My voice overflowed with worry.

Karinna gazed at me and took my hands. "I'm sure where you are from that some things have to remain secret even from authorities. Not all laws are perfect, no matter where you are from. Some things have to be protected at all costs."

That evening only brought more rain and everyone except for Abe and Karinna, was in the living room off from the kitchen. I lingered in the shadows for a moment as they visited and watched some old movie that must had been a musical by all the singing. I thought of going upstairs to my room as I knew I was welcomed, but at the same time I didn't fit in.

Instead, I quietly opened the refrigerator and pulled out a reusable bottle of water. Claire had made it a point to show me everything and that I could help myself.

I closed the door to the fridge and hoped it didn't squeak like the one at my trailer. The thought of home burst in my head like shattering glass. I pushed it away knowing I couldn't change anything now.

To my attempt at trying to be sneaky, Gabe looked into the darkened kitchen and stepped just under the arched wall that separated the two spaces and flicked on the light.

"What are you doing?" He asked leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest and raised his left eyebrow into a questioning arch that I wish I could do with my eyebrow.

"I was just getting water and going to go upstairs, I'm tired." I wasn't tired, but it was a good excuse.

"Is that Emily?" Claire's voice boomed joyfully from the living room.

"Yeah," Gabe answered back.

"You know you're going to have to go in and be tortured like the rest of us by old musicals," he said motioning behind him with his thumb in a hushed voice.

"What did you say?" Claire asked. "Is she coming in?"

"Yeah," he replied as I shook my head in protest.

I hesitated slightly as he only smiled at me and tilted his head trying to coax me in. I couldn't leave now, no matter how much I wanted.

I sat next to Claire, who scooted over devouring popcorn and next to Alicia, who immediately left the room upon my presence.

"Hey where are you going?" Zach asked sitting in a chair to the side of us.

"I suddenly got a headache," she replied going into the kitchen. "Where is the aspirin?"

I could hear her rummage through the cabinet and felt even more uncomfortable as I looked at Gabe.

"Do you want me to make you some tea?" Claire twisted around spilling a little popcorn.

"No, I found something." The refrigerator closed and she came back in.

Alicia sat on a chase by the window and looked out at the dimming landscape. Covering herself up with a chenille blanket, she reminded me of those paintings of tall, beautiful women posing for their portrait with distant expressions on their pale faces.

She then rolled over and met my gaze.

"Can I help you?" She blurted out.

I only shook my head and quickly looked away.

"So, tell us about where you are from." Claire suddenly put me on the spot.

"Oh," I felt all of them looking at me. "There isn't much to tell, it's really boring."

"Abe said you live in the Midwest, what is it like living there?" Claire continued either out of trying to make me feel included or curiosity. Her questions, I could tell was a bottomless pit.

"Hot and dry in the summer with lots of bugs, cold and damp in the winter, sometimes with snow and sometimes without. There are lots of corn, bean and wheat fields and cattle. That is pretty much it." I looked at everyone hoping the questions would stop. "Sorry, it isn't interesting, not like here."

"It isn't interesting here," Claire said plainly.

"What do you mean? You're in Atlantis, hidden worlds, protecting magical implements. What isn't interesting? You at least have a beach, not some pool thirty miles away that costs five dollars to get into."

"Well, I think it is interesting here," Zach said with his leg crossed over his knee. He had a white pair of socks on and I could see his big toe peeking out from the hole in them.

"You think a pig is like what, a delight and a half, when you bring home a new one." Alicia broke in and waved her hands in the air.

"Most of those animals I saved and I saw you enjoying Bella's eggs this morning." Zach shook his head as he looked at Alicia.

Alicia let out a grunt.

"Now, see you even sound like a pig." Zach laughed at his attempt at a joke and kept prodding Alicia with pig sounds only to have everyone laugh more at him.

"You're despicable!" Alicia threw a small pillow at Zach.

"Hey, you're going to scare Loretta!" Zach yelled holding what looked like a guinea pig.

"What the hell is that? A rat." Alicia stood in front of him.

"No, this is Loretta," he replied defining her name and holding the black and white animal up so Alicia could see it. "She is a good guinea pig." He coddled the animal.

"It looks like a rat and if I catch it in my room, I'm killing it!" Alicia warned stomping off.

"Not if she bites off your hands first...or your head! I have trained her!" Zach yelled towards the darkened kitchen.

"Shut up!" Alicia's voice echoed back

The room was silent except for the singing from the movie and Zach who baby-talked to Loretta, the guinea pig.

"Well, that was enlightening, especially for our guest who knows very little about us, except that we have an array of animals and if they go in Alicia's room, she kills them," Claire said clicking off the movie.

"That's O.K." I smiled and looked at Claire. She was being so nice and it was welcoming to have someone consider me that much. "I like guinea pigs." I leaned over and petted Loretta. Zach smiled like he was showing off his own baby.

"If we are leaving for Bimini in the morning, we should really rest up." Ian clicked off the floor lamp that was beside him in the corner of the room.

"You're right. Hey Claire, do you mind taking care of the chickens tomorrow morning," Zach said cradling the guinea pig.

"No." She sighed and took the empty bowl of popcorn into the kitchen. "But don't bring back any more."

Gabe talked to Ian for a moment and looked my way in a quick glance. Claire excused herself followed by Zach.

"Waiting for an escort to your room?" Gabe asked with a smile.

"Am I going with you tomorrow?" I looked at Gabe then at Ian who lingered putting away a book.

"It is essential that you go with us, you're the Receptor. You are going to guide us to the sender." Ian stepped behind Gabe and gazed at me with his icy blue eyes.

I only stood overwhelmed with my sudden responsibility.

"Me? But, I don't know how to do that." I looked between them as Gabe only gave me a sympathetic look.

"Well, how did you receive the message?" Ian asked as if I knew how it all worked.

"I don't know, it just happened, I didn't try anything," I replied.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Then, maybe that is how it will come to you again."

Ian left the room and Gabe gently wrapped his arm around me.

"Look, I can't even imagine how you feel right now, but I trust you Em. You will do fine and Karinna will get you started, she has taught many Receptors."

"So why don't you use a more experienced one?" I asked as Gabe looked away.

"Because they are not around here, you are the closest one." His words echoed with an underlining gloom as well as hope.

"Then, I will do the best I can." I wasn't sure of what my best was, but I felt I had to say something reassuring.

I tossed and turned that night until the sun broke the night sky like a knife. The rain had gone and replaced with brilliant sunshine.

A knock came to my door and it was Karinna holding a dark suit on a hanger. I let her in and she hung it on a hook on the closet door.

"What is that? Are you coming too?" I asked.

"No, only you, Gabe, Ian, Zach and Alicia are going. They're just about done preparing and you are a little late." She looked at me with a slight warning of her blue and green eye.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have asked." I ran into the bathroom wiped my face and fixed my hair and just about forgot to brush my teeth.

"It's alright. Instructions should have been given to you, especially since this mission is important." I took a deep breath as butterflies filled my stomach.

"I know, Ian said I have to find the person who sent the message."

"Yes and it will be easy for you believe it or not. It will come to you on its own, don't force it and remember to listen to your surroundings; they are talking to you all the time. All the elements can carry messages and all you have to do is relax and listen to them." She handed me a pair of black pants just like Gabe's, only made in a smaller size and a t-shirt of silky black material. "Here, you will wear this so you can blend in with the rest of the Blackbirds." I didn't think myself as one of them and looked at the uniform with uncertainty, Karinna only smiled a pushed it closer to me.

I took it and Karinna motioned with her hand for me to go put it on. Everything fitted me well, like it was custom made. I looked at myself in the mirror. I didn't look like me anymore. Another girl had taken over, and she looked as intimidating as a big black spider and as scared as a lost kitten.

"Ah, yes, very nice." Karinna looked pleased. "You will do just fine and remember to follow your instinct. There is nothing else I can tell you to do but to trust yourself."

When I got downstairs I could hear voices coming from the kitchen. I tightened my arms across my chest, and just like a frightened kitten I tiptoed hoping to not be seen. Karinna said she had to go and talk to Abe before we left and bid me farewell as she wouldn't be here when I got back. I thanked her as she glided down the hallway like some otherworldly specter.

Somehow, I couldn't elude Gabe's senses. He turned around and looked surprised. He then smiled and came over to me. I felt weird wearing identical clothing.

"You look..." He stopped and for the first time lost for words.

"Please don't say weird." I interjected.

"I wasn't going to say that." He shook his head.

Alicia shot me a look as she walked by with a black duffle bag. Her shoulder bumped against mine and she mumbled an apology before fading into the other room.

Gabe watched her and looked like he wanted to say something.

"Are you sure I have to go." I hoped something had changed. "Can't I do that Receptor thing here and use radios or something to talk to you?" I tried to make up a scenario to something I didn't really know about.

"Radios can't penetrate the passage and the closer we get the easier it is to find the Sender," Ian came from behind Gabe with a pack on his back and holding something that looked like a small pin. "Here, this is so we don't lose you."

The oval shaped crystal gleamed with many different colors and was about as long as my little finger. He unbuttoned one of my pockets and pinned it on the inside so it was hidden. He then took from his pocket what looked like a cell phone that flipped shut.

"O.K. Got you." He confirmed.

I opened the pocket to see the glistening stone. "A broach is going to keep me from getting lost?"

"Or stolen, Receptors bring good money on the black market," Zach said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"What?" I whispered.

"The stone is a locater and don't worry, I won't let you out of my sight." Gabe stood in front of me. His eyes were filled with an unspoken promise that I felt he would do anything to keep me safe.

"If she doesn't work out, can we sell her?" Alicia came back in and laughed at her own jabbing comment.

"There will be nothing of the such, you, all of you, are on a mission!" Abe's voice boomed through the room that got everyone's attention. "This is serious and to be taken that way. All of you are a team and look out for one another. Understand?" We stood like statues as his eyes met each of ours. No one said another word until Abe had everyone gather around the table.

"You should return by tonight and if no message is heard, then return assuming it was a fluke or one left over...a long time ago. Be gone and be safe." Abe's words were quick, but there was something deeper in them, an unspoken understanding between the Blackbirds.

Ian and Zach led the way outside and across an open grassy plateau that was like a stage to the beautiful sea scape that surrounded us. A white fence ran along the green grass in the distance. Suddenly two horses, both white, ran alongside us and Zach went up to them, petted both on the nose, and then joined us again. They watched him with the deep green as the background to their striking white coats.

"Those must be Zach's, they are pretty." I pointed at the two frolicking horses as Gabe walked beside me.

"I got those a few years ago, they were abandoned and starving. I found them in the hillsides of Meropsis and their mother must have died, they weren't very old when I brought them here and they grew up strong and healthy." Zach walked beside Gabe and me as he told us their story.

"That is really kind of you," I said.

"One is mine and the other is Alicia's." Zach raised his voice so Alicia could hear him and then just like an adolescent boy; he smiled at her in a teasing way.

Alicia stopped and turned, the taunting worked very well on her. "I am not riding some animal with you on the beach at sunset. So get that idea out of your head!"

"I didn't say anything about beaches or sunsets, but if you..."

"Stop it Zach!" Alicia walked faster as Zach ran behind her until they reached a large building.

"Are they always that way?" I whispered to Gabe.

He gave a small laugh. "Most of the time, it keeps it interesting that way."

A large plane sat in the hanger along with two other smaller ones. Gabe, Ian and Zach looked the plane over as Alicia went inside and loaded the backpacks inside. I offered to help which she only shook her head no. I stood outside and waited for Gabe to tell me to get in.

"Are you ready?" Gabe asked as everyone got inside.

I looked at the monster of an airplane with its large propellers and then back at Gabe.

"No, but I want to find who sent the message."

Inside were rows of leather bound seats, tiny windows and lots of dials across the front panel of the cockpit. Gabe told me to sit down and buckle up as Alicia sat across from me. I hoped the ride would be quick, not only for the sake of riding in an airplane, but the uncomfortable closeness that webbed between Alicia and I. She then opened a small book that looked like a journal. I didn't want to stare too much so I looked towards the cockpit.

"I am helping Zach get through the passage and then I will be back," Gabe said as Ian sat beside me.

Alicia sat immersed in her own world and Ian with his dark hair that nearly matched his shirt, sat beside me, tilted his head back and closed his eyes. I sat and with my arms wrapped around me as the plane vibrated and began to taxi down the long runway.

Once in the air, I looked out the small window at the island slowly fading in the distance. Clouds began to surround us, until we were immersed in a thick, depthless, yellowish glow.

I continued to look out the window trying to catch a glimpse of something.

"We are in the passage and it is remarkably smooth," Ian said catching my attention. "Not like last time."

"I kind of remember getting bumped around a lot." I looked out the window again. "So, this is called the Bermuda triangle? From the few things I've heard the whole area is like a mystery...planes get lost and ships go missing. This is where we are, right?" I asked as Alicia only cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows, but didn't look at us.

"Well, sort of...it is kind of hard to explain." Ian looked away as if searching for a good answer. "A lot of planes and ships have wandered into the passage, but the passage is supposed to reject them, send them back with only a wild story. Sometimes it doesn't and then they become lost to where no one knows. The passage we can navigate with our special instruments, but if it opens at the wrong time, for whatever reason, it can draw in whatever is close. It is almost like a black hole in space and is like an entity of its own. And as far as it being the Bermuda triangle, it is simply a large passage."

I shook my head and hoped we didn't get sucked into a black hole.

"...expecting the Wicked Witch of the West to fly by soon? I bet that's what you thought this would all be like," Alicia suddenly said as I twisted my head from looking out the window to meet her dark eyes.

"No...I..." Suddenly my ears filled with a humming. It was a message.

I closed my eyes and thought of what Karrina told me. I tried to relax, keep in tune with my surroundings and listen to the voice like they were standing in front of me.

"Emily!" I heard Ian call my name.

"I'm fine," I said in a calm voice.

The humming slowed and a man's voice came in broken segments at first, then suddenly loud and clear. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the voice.

"The Alfheim are here, turn around...go back!" The voice grew louder. "Do you hear me? It's a trap!"

The message was loud and took me by surprise. It was like a radio on full blast that I didn't know how to turn down. I took a deep breath and pushed it away.

The humming ceased and the echoing voice faded. I gripped the seat and took in deep breaths like I had been holding my breath.

"Emily, what did they say?" I could hear Ian's voice in my ear.

I sat still, looking forward and frozen in a trance that I tried to shake off.

"It's a trap," I said. "The Sender warned me, we are headed for an ambush."

Ian and Alicia looked at each other with grim faces. I was going to ask them about turning around, when a pain shot through my head. I pressed my hands to my ears as the pain faded quickly to my relief.

Then, something liquid trickled down my lips that was warm and had a metallic taste to it. My first thought was that something in the plane was leaking, until I wiped it with my hand and realized it was blood.
Chapter Seven

"Lay down and don't move." Alicia jumped from her seat and over to me.

I was shocked at my bloody nose and even more shocked at her reaction.

"Tissue," She demanded as I laid my head on Ian's lap. Due to the small space, it was the only way I could lay down and uncomfortable for me.

Ian flipped out a neatly folded white cloth that Alicia pressed to my right nostril that was bleeding. I looked into her eyes that had suddenly been washed of contempt for me and replaced with concern.

"Close your eyes." She blurted out to me. I did, even though I wanted to watch her.

I flinched upon the touch of her fingers that gently stroked the side of my temples. Before I could ask anything, warmth filled my head. I relaxed almost to the point that I didn't care I was on a plane, had my head on some boy's lap I didn't know, and had a girl who doesn't like me rub my temples.

"There," Alicia said in a tired voice. "Open your eyes."

Any leftover ache from the loud message was gone. I put my finger under my nose and the blood was gone. I look over at Alicia who slightly paled and looked tired.

"Alicia..." I started to pull myself up from the awkward situation, when Ian pushed me back down.

"Don't get up yet." Ian gazed down at me with his blue eyes as I looked back at him. "...So you don't bleed again." He confirmed my unspoken question and then looked over at Alicia.

"Are you alright?" He asked as I turned my head towards Alicia.

"Yeah, just so R-girl here controls her messages better." Alicia rested her head back and closed her eyes.

I then realized what only I thought was happening. Alicia had healed me and I began to worry about how serious my nose bleed was.

"What was the message again? We are being ambushed. Did the sender give a name?" Ian asked looking down at me.

"It was...a man's voice...I think, and he sounded urgent. He said it was an ambush, should we turn around?' Just then Gabe stepped out of the cockpit and gazed down at us.

"We are through the passage...what's going on?" Gabe asked with his words trailing off. "Our Receptor here received a message she couldn't control and began to hemorrhage, I fixed her." Alicia didn't open her eyes, but color was returning to her face.

I looked up at Gabe and slightly smiled.

"I'm fine." He bent down and ran his hand over my forehead. "Can I get up now?" The situation with my head on Ian's lap and Gabe inches from me, became very uncomfortable.

"Not yet." Alicia's voice was stern. "I don't have enough energy to heal you again."

"The message came from a man and Emily here said his voice was urgent that we should turn around. It's an ambush he said." Ian looked at Gabe.

"We can't turn around now. We're too far. There isn't enough time to open the passage again this soon." Gabe held on to the seat as the plane shook with a little turbulence. "We're just going to have to follow through now."

Several moments passed in silence and Ian must have grown as tired as I was in this position, as he encouraged me to sit up slowly. I did with no gushing of blood. I sighed in relief as he looked at me.

"So, is this Bimini?" I could see the brilliant blue water that looked like only an artist would use such a vivid color and the long island in front of us that looked almost like an elongated O.

"Yes, but not the Bimini we are going to." Ian looked out his window and I looked out mine.

"So, there is another island?" I asked.

"Yes, but we have to go through another passage on the Bimini road." Ian turned around and looked to the cockpit.

"You might want to fasten your seatbelt and hang on. It's always a bumpy ride, even with Gabe as the pilot." Ian forewarned with the clicking of his seatbelt.

"But it's a road right, and we have to go through another passage." I tried to make him give me some encouraging words. "We are landing on an island nearby, right?' The plane made a steep incline downward.

I grasped the seat as Alicia only laughed at me. I felt embarrassed and scared at the same time.

"Where's the road?" I asked as the plane continued to descend.

"Underwater," Alicia replied with a big grin.

I sat with my mouth hung open in fear.

"Don't worry the plane is designed to go under water. That is where the passage is. The road is underwater just off the coast of the Bimini Island of Earth; we are traveling back to Atlantis, this is a shortcut." Ian seemed to enjoy explaining things as he continued. "You see it's like being on a roller coaster, you can be in one part of Atlantis here and then in another part. You would be surprised on how many passages there are."

Alicia continued to smile at me as I clutched the side of the seat. Suddenly, the plane hit something slowing its speed dramatically. Caught off guard, I slammed into Ian who caught me before I hit the ground. He grabbed me by wrapping his arms around my chest, pinning my arms, and then gently sat me back in the seat. The plane slowed and slightly tilted in the water.

"There, that wasn't so bad." His words were soft as I looked into his amazingly blue eyes that nearly matched the water outside my window.

The plane wasn't in water for very long and surfaced like a fishing bobber. I looked out the window and could see in the distance an island dotted with palm trees and what looked like buildings of jagged stone.

The plane curved around so I couldn't see the island anymore, but a fleet of ships in the distance with large masts, they reminded me of pirate ships, except these had what looked like crests on them. The ships appeared like they were hardly moving compared to us, but looked like they were headed in our direction.

"You're not planning on shopping are you? Especially with a delicate operation here," Ian said with crossed arms staring at Alicia who had several colorful pieces of paper in her hand.

"I always have time for shopping, besides if I do, it will only look like we are here for pleasure, not business." She snubbed off Ian's concern with a flick of her shoulder.

Ian only sighed evidentially knowing it was no use to try to tell her any different.

Gabe came back with a big smile on his face.

"Did you like the ride?" He asked pulling me up.

"Yes, loved it, especially when we went underwater, it nearly scared me to death," I said in a fake jovial voice.

"Glad to hear that," he said gently guiding me off the plane.

Zach and Alicia were already off the wooden peer and pointing in different directions. It looked like they were arguing about which way to go.

"We should start at the courthouse. They might be holding the Sender prisoner." Ian suggested as Gabe gave a woman dressed in a long dirty dress and hair flying around her weather face some of the same colored paper Alicia had. She looked to be a hundred years old and smiled as Gabe gave her a small coin, possibly a tip since she nodded and patted him on the shoulder as she tied the plane to the dock.

"No, let's scout around first; we don't want to look like we are on a mission here." Gabe wrapped his arm around me. "Come on Ian, at least look like you are having fun, you know how suspicious the Biminians are."

Ian only shook his head and lingered behind Gabe and me. Zach and Alicia were still discussing something and now Zach was waving his arms in the air and Alicia stood with crossed arms and back turned slightly away from him.

"I am going shopping first, and that is final," Alicia said stepping in front of Zach, who was now donning his ratty cowboy hat. I couldn't help but to giggle at him.

"Shopping, are you serious." Zach stepped beside her and in front of Gabe. "I thought we had things to do."

"You ruin everything." Alicia stepped back.

"And shopping is like what... the most important thing here...nothing like drawing attention to yourself." Zach waved his flaying arms in the air and knocked over a woman carrying a basket full of round shaped fruits in it, so they went everywhere like marbles.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Zach apologized and helped the cursing woman with her basket.

Alicia only stood with a triumphant grin and crossed arms. She looked like a peacock showing its feathers.

"Don't bring attention to yourself, huh, its looks like you got that stealthy thing down pretty good." Alicia turned and walked through the crowd of people dressed in array of different colors.

"I guess she will be shopping." Ian confirmed.

Gabe only looked at him.

"Sometimes I can't believe her mentality." Zach walked off in the other direction.

"Where are you going?" Gabe asked.

"I'm going to go find a snake I can put in her room, I'm going shopping." Zach turned around and walked backwards and then turned swallowed by the sea of people.

"Is he serious?" Ian asked.

"Probably. Let's get started." Gabe looked down at me with a smile.

"What about the message warning of an ambush?" Ian asked in a hushed voice.

Gabe looked at me, then back at Ian. "We need to just look around first. If we jump to conclusions it could cost us and the message may be old. Em is just starting to receive messages, so it may mean nothing."

Ian looked at Gabe then at me and nodded his head. I knew Gabe was the leader, but I still felt a dread fill me and could see the speculation in Ian's eyes. I could only hope that the message was nothing and I walked away from the island of Bimini with maybe some trinket of a souvenir.

Bimini was a very crowded island with what looked like a lot of trading and selling of goods. Gabe wrapped his arm around me tightly and gazed through the crowd. No one seemed bothered by our presence, even ignored us or just the occasional flash of someone's eyes that looked our way. I felt like we stood out like sore thumbs. Most of the people were dark skinned and wore white colored clothing, some of the women wore tightly wrapped turbines covering their hair and children ran around through the crowd.

The buildings were disorganized, like they brought together a bunch of jagged rocks, mortared them together with grey clay like substance, and hollowed out small windows just big enough to look out of. The streets were paved with what looked like crushed shells cemented in the sticky mud.

I wanted to stare at everything and take it all in, but I didn't want to draw the wrong attention to us. Most of the people looked normal to me. I didn't see any green skinned people or anything unusual, I could have been on earth if I didn't know I was on Atlantis. To comprehend everything still baffled me.

"I don't think the Sender is being held by any authority, otherwise they would have contacted us. I think they are somewhere else." Gabe turned from Ian and looked at me. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary here. If they were being attacked they would have transmitted a different way."

"Something still doesn't feel right." Ian said as he stopped at a vender selling an array of fruits and vegetables.

Some of the items I recognized and some I didn't.

"Is that an orange?" I asked Gabe pointing at the orange ball with leaves still attached to it.

He looked at me and smiled. "Yes, from the sunshine state." He picked one up and handed the woman vender two silver coins.

"The sunshine state-where's that?" I asked thinking it was some exotic place on Atlantis, maybe a vacation spot.

He stood there for a moment, handed me the fruit and then shook his head. "Didn't you pay attention in geography?"

"Yeah, most of the time," I replied.

"It's Florida-the sunshine state." He finally revealed.

"These are from earth?" I looked at the orange in my hand that came from the same world I did.

"Well, it's of course imported, but yes, this is a major trading area. All kinds of things are sold, bought and traded here." His words had an underlining darkness to them as he scanned the area.

"Hey," Ian pulled Gabe close to him. "We're being followed." He pointed behind me with his eyes. "I noticed him at the docks."

I turned to see a figure, short in size wearing a hooded cloak. They stood like a statue in the sea of moving people that didn't even notice him. His gaze was fixed on us and for a moment, I felt a familiarity of the person.

I didn't move until Gabe pulled me close to him and we casually walked in the opposite direction. I discretely looked behind me at the still unmoving figure.

"Who is it?" I asked as we turned the corner to a less busy area.

"I don't know." Gabe walked ahead of me.

I stopped for only a moment and watched the passing people dressed in arrays of colorful clothing that curled around their bodies as they walked by.

"Em, come on." Gabe prodded as I couldn't help but to feel I knew who the cloaked man was.

Ian was several feet ahead and stopped for us to catch up. I was sandwiched between them now, and Gabe had his hand in a pocket despite the heat. It was more likely a weapon he clutched on to that I hoped never saw the light of day.

Gabe and Ian didn't talk, only glanced around for any suspicious followers. The small alley was littered with clay vases, some nearly half my size and baskets filled with piles of colorful fabrics. Tall buildings with smooth walls loomed over us making an endless tunnel that curved slightly until we reached a courtyard with a fountain and flowers everywhere.

"I think we lost him if he was following." Ian looked behind us.

"I'm calling Alicia and Zach." Gabe pulled from his inside pocket the silver, rectangular phone I had used when we were attacked by the by Alfheim in St. F.

Gabe flipped it open and before he could press any of the buttons, a gold rope curled around his wrist and jerked the phone from his hand. Surprised, Gabe looked up as Ian drew a small sliver disk and threw it at the cloaked man.

He ducked as it hit the wall and plinked to the ground.

"No! Stop! I am one of you!" The man threw back his hood and through the swollen eye and bloodied face I could recognize the man.

"Jimmy!" I yelled running to him. "What are you doing here? Are you alright?" I touched his face to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

"Em?" His voice questioned as we looked at each other in awe. "What..."

"You're hurt," I said looking at his bruised face.

"I'm fine, Em, I'm fine." He pushed my arm down and smiled at me. "I'm the last person you thought you would ever see again from St. F, right?"

"What are you doing here?" Gabe cut in front of me and came closer with a suspicious look in his eyes.

"The Alfheim are here and I barely escaped them. They want the amulet." Jimmy stood slightly hunched like he was hurt. "They thought I had it and when two of their own went missing, I was the only one in the area to blame."

"Are you sure you're O.K.?" I asked again only to be ignored.

"You sent the message, didn't you?" Ian asked picking up his silver disk.

"Yes, I was hoping a Receptor was still around to hear it, if they're not all dead by now," he said. "It has been a long time since I've sent a message, I'm a little rusty."

A pang of fear ran through me at what Jimmy had said. If they weren't dead by now, what was that supposed to mean? I knew what it meant, and it only deepened my curious fear each moment I was here.

"Did Karinna hear me, or was it someone else?" Jimmy asked looking at each of us.

"Look, we need to discuss things, but not here." Gabe said. "Let's get to the plane?"

Gabe quickly found Alicia in the market area buying armfuls of sheer material of bright colors draped over her arms. Zach was already at the plane with a box wrapped in paper with air holes punched in the top. If he had a snake, Alicia wouldn't be the first one to kill it.

The plane started just as the horizon grew with dark clouds. Gabe and Zach were in the cockpit together as Jimmy sat next to me.

"You knew about all of this? I mean you're a part of all of this?" I asked Jimmy.

"Yes, I practically grew up in Atlantis," he said with a smile. "By the way how did you get involved with this? It wasn't David was it?" I could see fire in his eyes flicker upon saying his name.

"No. And...yes...sort of." I stammered and then went on to tell him about the Alfheim that attacked Gabe and I on our way back to St. F. and about Pandora, the stolen amulet and how I was accused of stealing it.

"Are you done R-girl, so I can fix up Jimmy?" Alicia asked with crossed arms as the plane jolted hitting the water to go through the Bimini Road passage. This time I was a little more prepared.

"R-girl, why did you call her that?" Jimmy asked with squinted eyes.

"Because, she is a Receptor." Her eyes rolled over to Jimmy as she clapped her hands together. "Now, can I get done, so I don't have to do this when we get home? I want to try on my new clothes."

I moved over to where Alicia was sitting and next to Ian. I watched Alicia run her hands over Jimmy's eye and the cuts on his face. He then opened his cape and revealed a much more grotesque wound. He unbundled a wad of white, blood soaked linens to reveal a deep gash on his side.

Alicia, whose hands moved fluidly, stopped in alarm of the blood oozing cut. She quickly placed her hands over it and tucked her face between her arms. Several moments passed and through the noise of the plane, I could hear her whimper.

Slowly, Alicia sat up as Jimmy examined where the cut had been. He looked like the Jimmy that I knew in St. F.

"Thank you," he said as Alicia nodded with sweat dripping from her pale face.

I looked at her for a moment and then our eyes met. "You can heal people can't you?"

"Good observation, R-girl." Her tone was sarcastic.

Ian looked at her then at me with a look on his face that he wanted to explain something. "Yeah, but she can only heal wounds, not anything involving poison. She's..."

"Can you guys just be quiet for a little bit. Ian, you're like a walking encyclopedia, shut-up." Alicia closed her eyes and leaned her head back as the rest of us sat in silence through the passage until we saw the familiar island of Kangee.

The plane landed smoothly, hardly without a bump, and into the hanger. Jimmy helped Alicia out of her seat. She looked ghostly white with casts of green, like she had gotten sea sick.

"Alicia, are you alright?' Ian asked in concern. "You normally don't look that white for so long."

"Well, I'm not used to healing two people in one day, Ian," She replied with an agitated voice. "I just want to get off the plane."

She stood up and wobbled, but quickly steadied herself by grasping the seat next to her. Gabe and Zach came out of the cockpit and opened the side door when Alicia tried to move past them.

"Move farm boy, I want off!" She demanded when Zach stood in front of her.

"But, I have a present for you." His voice was teasing. "Alicia!" He caught her before she hit the ground and took her out of the plane as the rest of us followed.

Zach had her on the ground and cradled her head putting a silver flask to her mouth. She opened her eyes and looked at Zach.

"You know I'm not one of your barnyard animals that you can just give whatever concoction to." With her pale hand she pushed him away and propped herself up.

"Well, if it would make you feel better, you can sleep with the horses in the stables, or would you prefer the pigs?" Zach sat beside her and smiled. "You know this is the same stuff I gave to some kittens one time. They had matted eyes and the shits, it did them wonders too."

"Shut up Zach!" Alicia yelled just as some color returned to her cheeks.

"Good, now I know its circulating through your blood," he said with more of a sigh of relief.

"Come on my lady, let's get you home." Zach stood up and tucked the silver flask into his pocket.

"I'm not your lady," Alicia said with her words slurred.

Zach looked over at Gabe and Ian to help lift Alicia. Zach cradled her in his arms as her head laid on his shoulder.

"Didn't you hear me? I'm not your lady, farm boy." Her words were even more slurred, like she was drunk.

"I know. You're nobody's lady."
Chapter Eight

Everyone except for Alicia gathered in the living room off from the kitchen after dinner. Claire had made a large meal and I offered to help clean up, but she insisted that I was a guest and shouldn't help with the cleaning. It made me feel weird to have someone else do the dishes and wipe the table off, something I had done since I could remember.

Gabe helped Claire in the kitchen and Zach excused himself several times to check on Alicia. Abe and Jimmy discussed things among themselves as I sat by myself looking at the rippling water of the pool outside.

"Em, I'm sorry you got involved in all of this." Jimmy's voice came from behind me.

I turned to face him. He had his hair slicked back and wore a dark shirt that amplified his salt and pepper colored hair. Still, he appeared to be the same Jimmy from St. F, but something about him was different. He seemed happy, but something just under the surface boiled that I couldn't put my finger on.

"So, what happened to St. F and Alice, is she here?"

Jimmy's smile faded and he drew in a breath. "St. F nearly got wiped off the map. And Alice, she is with her sister and is fine." His eyes were steady on me and he reached for my hand. "There is something that you need to know though." He drew in a deep breath, slowly released it as I feared what he was going to say. "As far as you and me, we perished in that tornado and our bodies were never found." Goosebumps ran up and down my arms and my stomach turned with bile.

"What...What about my dad." My voice trembled as Jimmy looked down and cleared his throat.

"He died. I'm real sorry Em." His voice was tender.

I looked away and closed my eyes. I never had a relationship with my dad, but he was the only family relation that I had.

"It's just as well, since I won't be there to take care of him." I should be crying, but I wasn't and didn't know why.

Jimmy patted me on the shoulder. Everything seemed to seep in slowly through my numbness. My life in St. F blew away in that tornado, what there was of a life there. Tears stung the back of my eyes and I pushed them away, I didn't want to cry in front of people I barely knew.

"Emily, you don't have to be here if you don't want to." Abe stood behind Jimmy and looked down at me.

"No, I can stay." I wasn't sure where I would go anyhow.

Jimmy gave me a comforting smile and patted me on the back again as Abe called everyone in the living room. I swallowed hard trying not to cry. I didn't want Gabe to see me cry, and with everything going on, my problems seemed so superficial.

"I can't say I am pleased with the way you handled the mission, but, everyone did make it back in one piece." Abe raised his eyebrows and gazed mostly at Gabe. "We know now that there was Alfheim in Bimini only through James here." Abe motioned towards Jimmy, I never heard anyone call him by that name before and it seemed strange. "But, that isn't enough to prove the Alfheim had gone against the Alliance. There has been more traffic in the southern Sanudra Ocean and the vault in Meropsis reported missing implements."

"You mean stolen?" Jimmy asked.

"Hopefully not, they said some items were unaccounted for. But, we need to be on the lookout and we need to patrol our waters frequently. The Eagle Clan is already there assisting in Meropsis, Avani will be in contact. We will start in the morning and the other Alliance groups have started patrolling their areas as well. This is something not to be taken lightly." Abe looked at Gabe, Zach, Ian and Claire with a stone like appearance. "This is serious; there is no room for error." "I'm fine mother!" Alicia's voice echoed through the kitchen followed by footsteps.

Alicia dressed in a tank top and pair of flannel pants looked like she just got out of bed with her hair tangled. Karinna followed her in a flowing dress.

"Alicia, you're not well enough to be out of bed," Abe said standing in front of her. "You know it goes against the rules."

"I'm handling it Abel." Karinna's voice was calm. "Alicia..."

"Stop it both of you. I'm old enough to know what I can do and what I can't." She leaned back on the couch and crossed her arms. "So what is going on?"

Abe only took a deep breath and rubbed is forehead. I looked over at Gabe who only met my eyes for a moment. Karinna then sat by Alicia and pushed back her hair.

"Don't." She hissed flinching away.

"But you know...your ability drains you and you have to take precautions," Karinna said in her soft voice.

"I know." Alicia looked up at the ceiling. "I'm not some delicate flower that you describe me as. And I'm sure that everyone here, especially me, is tired of both of you doting over me." She looked at both Karinna and then Abe. "Mom, dad, I'm old enough to handle this myself!" She yelled and then rubbed her head as Abe bent down.

Her face grew pale and suddenly fell to her side. Karinna lifted her up as Zach jumped from behind Ian and took Alicia upstairs. I looked at Gabe with concern and started to step forward when he shook his head.

The room grew quiet as Abe stood looking at Karinna.

"This is more important than any of the missions before and we need to work together, no matter what."

Karinna stood up and nodded her head as she left the room to go upstairs. Abe watched her leave with a distant look in his eyes.

"Well, I can see my niece is still as strong headed as her father." Jimmy stood behind Abe.

I looked at Gabe and then back at Jimmy and Abe. Now, I could see the resemblance in their faces, only Abe was taller and had a dignified look to him. Jimmy was stocky and at times could scare you by just the look in his eyes.

Abe made sure the door was locked and said when implements are missing; it is protocol for someone to have a watch throughout the night as well as day. I heard him call it a "code blue" to Gabe. I lingered, waiting to talk to him, when Claire snuck up behind me.

"Emily, would you like to go upstairs. There isn't much going on down here." Her curly red hair was piled into a loose pony tail.

"Well, I was ..." I glanced towards Gabe. In a stern hushed voice and by the way Abe was pointing his finger at him, Gabe was getting in trouble. "Maybe I should." I really wanted to stay, but I felt more like I was eavesdropping rather than helping.

"Great, I have cookies in my room and lemonade." She grabbed me by the hand and we went in the opposite direction of Gabe, up the stairs, and to her room which was a few doors down from mine.

Claire's room was everything like I expected. Flower print everywhere, a canopy bed with puffy pillows and white furniture surrounded by ruffles, lace and bows.

"Come on have a seat." She threw a giant pillow off her bed and another for her.

"You have a pretty room." I felt I had to say something.

"Thanks," she replied. "How about a movie, I have Indiana Jones...Harrison Ford is so hot in them." She looked at the cover and then flipped it so I could see. I never really watched the movie and I thought Harrison Ford was an older actor, but on the cover he was kind of good looking. It must be an old movie and by the cover not a musical with a whip in his hand smiling.

"Sure, but aren't you going on patrol tomorrow? Maybe we should just visit a while and then go to bed. A movie might take too long." I suggested as I was kind of tired from everything today and didn't want to be rude.

"You're probably right." She put the movie back on the shelf. "Let's move on to the lemonade."

"You have lemonade in your room?" I asked as she got into her closet and pulled down a teddy bear with a sly smile.

"Don't tell anyone about this." She flipped the bear over and from a small slit in the brown bear's rear; she pulled a green bottle half filled with liquid. "Spirits from the Highlands of Shangri-La!" She said with a giggle and swished the remaining liquid in the bottle.

"What is that, booze?" I asked with amusement.

"Shh, not so loud." Claire held up her hand. "The others don't know. I got this from Jasper, he is prince of the Mers, or at least one of the princes." She shrugged her shoulders and pulled the cork from the bottle. It popped slightly like a champagne bottle.

Claire pulled out two glasses and poured the clear liquid into them. She then sat the bottle down and gave me one.

"Come on sit down and relax." Claire sat on one of the puffy pillows and then patted on the vacant one with her hand and smiled at me. I sat down and looked down at the clear liquid in my glass.

"So, is this like wine or something?" I asked as she filled her glass again.

"No, it doesn't come from grapes, it comes from Ambrosia and it is a plant exclusively grown on the fertile hills of Shangri-La. Jasper gave this to me on our first anniversary," she said with a sigh as she looked lovingly at the bottle. "Try some you might like it, but if not, I will drink it." She widened her eyes and smiled as she took another sip.

I looked down at it one more time, tipped the glass to my lips and let the sweet flavor roll around on my tongue. I shook my head in surprise.

"Now, you will drink no other alcoholic beverage, ever, because nothing compares to this." Claire got up and turned on her CD player.

The music was instrumental and had a slow rhythm to it with drums and what sounded like flutes. I laughed at Claire as she danced around shaking her hips and moving her arms like they were snakes. When the song ended she sat down on the pillow and bunched her messy hair back into a pony tail.

"That is how the Mer people dance." She stated as her eyes looked slightly glazed over. "Jasper taught me that."

"Really?" I questioned.

"Yes, I care about him a lot the way you care about Gabe." She smiled at me as I nearly choked on the Ambrosia.

"What?" I coughed out.

"I'm not blind and certainly not innocent. I see the way you two look at each other and I know that Gabe really likes you." She leaned back on her pillow propping herself up on one elbow. "He said so, well at least in not so many words. But I haven't seen him happy since he became leader of the Blackbirds."

Claire poured me some more Ambrosia.

"I think he was more concerned about showing you a fairly good time at Bimini that he forgot about the task. Abe already ripped him a new you know what for that." She took off her socks and wiggled her toes. "Ah, that feels better."

"That makes me feel bad." I looked down at the clear liquid.

"I'm sorry, do my feet stink?" She pulled her foot to her nose and I had to laugh at her.

"No, Gabe...getting in trouble with Abe." She looked at me with an O-shaped mouth. Obviously the alcohol had gone to her head.

Claire gave a small laugh. "It shouldn't, Gabe risked the mission to woo you, I'm telling you, and I know that he has a thing for you. That should mean something."

Gabe risked getting in trouble for me that he let Alicia and Zach go shopping, while he should had been a leader, not a tour guide. I would have said something, but didn't think of it at the time. I wanted to run downstairs and talk to Gabe at the same time being wooed excited me. I felt light, either from the booze or from a boy risking himself for my benefit. I smiled to myself.

"Yeah, it's pretty good isn't it?" Claire shook her head as I giggled at her for no reason.

"It is and I can't believe Gabe risked getting in trouble for me." I looked away feeling bad about feeling good.

"That's what boys do." Claire leaned forward slightly. "Look, Gabe is really a good guy and practically like a brother to me, I have never seen him like this before, he really likes you Emily Moore from Earth on the continent of the Americas." Claire began to giggle. "I bet you thought you never had so many titles? And now you're a Receptor too."

"No, I sound fancier than I really am." Even though Claire laughed and hiccupped at the same time, which only led to more giggling, I really meant what I said.

"Time to put Mr. Teddy up." Claire shoved the bottle up the bear's rear and turned him upright and showed me his smiling face. "See, even he thinks it's great," Claire said and then broke into a laughing fit.

"I never thought you were like this." I could suddenly feel my muscle relax to the point I had limited control over them.

"I don't do this very much, Alicia is the only other girl full time on the island, and she isn't always friendly. Well, I'm going to say she is kind of bitchy, but a good hearted person. She is a healer you know." I shook my head.

"As from tonight you know Karinna and Abe are her parents and she is part of the Phoenix Clan which means she has a special ability. Her mother can see auras and can tell what a person is thinking." Claire hiccupped. "Oh, excuse me."

"Karinna knows what I am thinking?" I asked with dread.

"Oh, no, not exactly. She sees the colors that surround you and each one means something. She uses it mainly in trials to see if people are lying. Most don't even know she can do that, because there are ways to shut off your aura so she can't see it."

"How do you do that?" I leaned closer to her in a hushed voice.

Claire giggled and then shook her head. "I don't know. Why? You know it really isn't a big deal and she isn't going to like spy on you to see what you are thinking. Like I said she only uses it when she has to, because it does take energy to do it and many years to control it." Her smile faded as she got up to put her smiling teddy bear back up.

"What do you mean control?" I asked as she sat on her bed.

"Her power is always turned on, but she uses it when she needs to. It sounds simple and looks simple, but it isn't." Claire looked away for a moment. "That is why Alicia is here. She has healing powers, but she isn't strong enough for them yet, that is why she can hardly use them and also why she is bitchy at times. She was supposed to be with the Phoenix clan, but her powers aren't where they are supposed to be and even though she has status, she couldn't continue there...and so she moved here, with the rest of us misfits." Claire flopped back onto her bed and covered her eyes with a bent elbow.

"Misfits?" I sat on bent knees so I could see her.

"Yeah, outcasts, underdogs, failures, flunkies...the list goes on." Claire sat up, her eyes were fixed on me and filled with a restrained sorrow. "And some of us lack the physical qualities as well."

She rolled to her stomach and hugged her pillow with her face buried in it. I got up and sat beside her, hesitantly I patted her back.

"I know how you feel." I started to say when she rolled over with her eyes slightly wet from tears.

"Look, I know you mean well, but look at you, you're beautiful and...boys notice you. And now you have an ability-you're a Receptor." Claire sat up and looked at me and drew in a deep breath.

"You barely know me, but I can't talk like this to Alicia, and Abe wouldn't understand and only tell me that I am special and I haven't found my purpose yet. A girl just doesn't want to hear that for the hundredth time." She shook her head and let out a puff of air as she tilted her head to the ceiling and then at me. "I am Alfheim." She plainly stated as I looked at her with surprise. "Yeah, I know, I don't look like the tall beautiful people of that race. I am what they call a Subordinate, a misfit and I was to be killed in the last uprising to cleanse the race of my kind. My parents were friends with Abe, who was leader of the Blackbirds at the time. He and Karinna practically raised me and Alicia has been the only girl I have as a friend and my sister as well. My parents I never knew and they gave their life for me." She looked away as if trying to remember a single memory of them.

I sat with her in silence, unmoving as she looked at me and gave me a quick smile.

"I'm sorry Claire." My voice was timid.

"Don't be, I have accepted what has happened to me and I will find my place in this world, if not Ian can make a Portal to another one, maybe one with midgets and I could be their tall queen." Her smile widened and we both laughed.

"What did you say about Ian, he makes Portals...what exactly is that?" I asked.

"Portals are passages to other worlds not tied together in the Alliance and connected by Passages." Claire looked away with uneasiness in her eyes. "It's just theory and still in its infancy of design, but I know if anyone can make a Portal its Ian."

"Is that what he does here?" I asked.

"No, it's actually illegal without Alliance supervision and approval, but it has fascinated him since he got here..." she shook her head contemplating a time frame. "...about a couple of years ago, I guess."

"So is he from Earth too?" I asked.

Claire looked down and ran her fingers along a row of soft yellow threads that edged a small blanket that looked like it almost belonged to a baby.

"Well, no. I really shouldn't open my mouth so much, but since it is and since you seem to be a part of this world too...Ian isn't from Earth or Atlantis." She let her words trail off as she looked at me with steady eyes. "Do remember the nursery rhyme Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star?" I shook my head and wondered what Claire was getting at. "If you ever really wondered what it was, it was Ian, or at least one of the stars."

"He's from a world that the Alliance hasn't acknowledged its existence yet called Eutopia." Claire continued. "His father made Portals and that Portal led him to here to Kangee. He was escaping and left his world on the brink of destruction. The Alliance doesn't know of him, they think he is from Meropsis."

I looked away thinking of how I left my world in destruction as well.

"Don't tell anyone, and don't discuss it with anyone." She looked at me with dead seriousness.

"I promise." And I was serious as well, even though the thought of another world fascinated me. I could feel the questions bubble inside of me, but kept quiet as Claire turned out the light.
Chapter Nine

By the time I got downstairs the next morning, Gabe and Alicia were already gone on patrol. I had a slight aching in my head from last night's spirits from Shangri-La, as Claire called it. I felt bad about Gabe getting in trouble with Abe and thought I should at least say something in his defense.

I went into the kitchen hoping to find Abe, but instead Jimmy was there making breakfast and humming a tune.

"Good morning," he said. "How about some eggs from a chicken named Bella?" Jimmy smiled at me as he turned off the cooktop.

"Sure." I replied as I sat down.

Jimmy sat across from me. We were the only ones in the kitchen.

"The eggs are really good." I complimented as I didn't realized how starved I was.

"Thanks, it's good to be back here as the official cook." He replied.

"Is that what you were before you came to St. F?"

Jimmy took a bite of toast before he answered. "Yes, I grew up here and my brother Abe was leader of the Blackbirds." His voice had a slight tension to it.

"So, how did you meet Alice and move to St. F?" I continued with the questions I had.

"You're going to want to hear my life story aren't you?" Jimmy put his fork down and stared at me.

"Why, I would love to hear it." I exclaimed as he only rolled his eyes.

"It isn't that interesting."

"You come from Atlantis, what isn't interesting about that?" I tilted my head to the side and smiled.

Jimmy let out a sigh and began to tell me how Alice was a Blackbird as well and came from the island of Meropsis. There are several islands that make up the Blackbird area, but not many become part of the Creed. You have to be sponsored and evaluated by the Alliance. And that is where he met Alice.

Instead of staying in Atlantis, they were assigned to St. F as it was an old magical implement trafficking route. Jimmy was to watch it and report any unusual activity. He told me was a Sender of messages and that is why he was stationed there. Being an old route, not much happened until just a few days ago.

"Gee, that does sound kind of boring." I said teasingly after Jimmy had told me his story.

"Told you," said Jimmy with a shrug.

I wanted to ask him about his son, Thomas, but didn't. That would only prove that I was snooping at their house that night and I didn't want to bring up something as sensitive as that.

"Ah, Emily, I am glad you are here." Abe came into the kitchen as Jimmy excused himself saying he had to go and help Zach with the horses.

Abe didn't seem concerned by Jimmy hastily leaving the room, but I could tell something bothered him.

"Karinna is going to help you toady and I wanted to ask you more about David." My skin prickled at the sound of his name.

"Why him," I asked meekly.

"Because he keeps accusing you of trafficking of implements and has brought it to the Alliance many times since the last meeting." Abe gave me an empathetic look. "I don't believe him, but too many things are pointing towards you." His words felt like they had cut me in half.

"What will happen now? The Alliance, are they going to question me again?"

"No, at least not now, for now I want to know more about this David other than him just being a prominent member of the Dragon clan." Abe crossed his arms over his chest. "I know through Gabe that he was your significant other and you were close to him."

I looked away for a moment, I didn't want to talk about him, I wanted to bury him in the past.

"He was my boyfriend, but we were never really close. He wasn't a very nice person, so I broke up with him." I felt that would satisfy Abe.

"You never saw any suspicious activity with him, or went anywhere out of the norm with him?" His voice was soft.

"No, he met with Gabe a lot and we would go out to the country and he would drink, that's about it." I thought about saying something to him about Gabe and before I thought too much, the words escaped my mouth. "About Gabe," I paused as our eyes met. "He did try to get the others to listen when we went to Bimini, and maybe I should had said something..." Abe waved his hands in front of me to stop.

"No, it is something he has to learn if he is leader of the clan," he said with a slight smile. "He knows now and is learning, but unfortunately time isn't on his side to reach his full potential unsupervised."

I looked at Abe who only gazed at me with his dark eyes.

"What sort of things is David blaming me for?" I asked breaking the silence.

"He is trying to tie you into the Meropsis theft and I don't believe his story. He is trying to cover something up and I have arranged for Pandora to return here. I want to question her."

Abe led me to a room downstairs that he called a sitting room. It was an elegant room with small groups of puffy chairs and couches group together, a piano sat beside the windows that lined the outside wall and a large open area behind the piano looked like it was made for dancing.

"Karinna will be with you shortly." Abe gave me a half smile.

Other than looks, He was nothing like Jimmy. Jimmy would have comforted me about David trying to accuse me and probably try to beat him up for doing so. Abe seemed reserved and diplomatic, more likely from being the Blackbird leader for so long. I couldn't help but wonder what had happened between them.

"Thank you," I said standing between the piano and a group of chairs.

He nodded his head and glanced at me for a moment longer before shutting the door. I sat nervously in the rather comfortable appearing room. I wondered what Karinna had planned for today as I rubbed my hands together.

I didn't want to be a Receptor at the same time I did. I thought of what Abe said about it being passed down by generations past. I thought of my mother, could it had been her? I never knew her, or even remember her holding me, the sound of her voice or the feel of her touch. My dad had one picture of her with him standing together on a beach in Mexico he said. She was smiling in it and she had one arm around him and the other holding back her long blonde hair that blew wildly in a gust of wind. I had looked at the picture many times and had it on my dresser that was gone now along with everything else. The tornado had erased the life I could never go back to.

I jumped at the sound of crashing glass. Immediately I got up and looked over at the door. Someone or something was in the hallway. I waited and heard no voices. I hoped Abe would had heard and investigated it, but everything was surrounded in silence except for the waves crashing to shore outside.

I had to do something because what if it was David or someone else trying to steal the amulet that was planted on me. Suddenly, my fear was replaced with anger. I hated David and if it was him, I was going to stop him.

I looked around the room for a weapon and conveniently above the stone fireplace hung a curved sword of silver. It was a delicate looking thing and light in my hand. I had never used a sword before, but I didn't have any other choice.

The hallway was abandoned and casted in soft light from the window at the end. Palm trees swayed in the serene landscape before me as my heart pounded in my chest. All the doors were closed except for one that was ajar a few inches. The sound of glass skidding across the floor came from the slightly open door. I hesitated, took a deep breath and hoped it wasn't David.

I peeked through the crack and saw no one but an array of flickering colors that danced on the small amount of floor that I could see. Feeling that I wasn't in danger, I opened the squeaky wooden door slowly.

A long wood table, plain in design with hundreds of scratches on its top and chunks of wood missing sat in the middle of the long narrow room. Along both walls were shelves that held sheets of glass arranged neatly into individual slots. Under each divider was a name like Sea Foam, Merblue and Jules Green. The outside wall was solid glass and a kaleidoscope of colors, like the artist couldn't decide what one to use, so they used them all.

I cautiously walked in further half expecting someone to yell or jump out at me. Everything was quiet in this colorful room. I walked softly on the hard wood floors until a chunk of glass crunched under my foot. I looked down to see a small piece of red glass broken into sharp angles followed by more glass that littered the floor.

Suddenly something began to make a scratching sound from one of the vacant glass dividers. I held my breath and stepped back slightly as the sound of a cat meowing came from the empty slot. I sighed slightly in relief as the head of a calico cat popped out and looked both ways, then darted off when its eyes met mine. I was thankful it wasn't David.

I knew I should had left and told someone about the mess, but I couldn't help but to look at the work in progress on the table. Loosely arranged pieces of glass made a partial scene of what looked like a barnyard with a completed cow, roosters, pigs and a brown horse with a barn behind them. The rest of it still looked scattered and undecided, but the detail drew me in closer.

"She does a really good job." Karinna's voice broke the stillness of the room as I pointed the sword at her. "Oh, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Sorry, I thought there was an intruder." I lowered it as she took it from me with a half-smile.

"You look like you have used one of these before."

"No, I've never even touched one before." My cheeks began to flush red.

"I shouldn't have come in here, but I heard a crashing sound and investigated it." I pointed towards the broken glass on the floor.

"Oh, it was Ariel again. She likes to come in here." Karinna grabbed a broom and began to sweep it up. "Well, at least it was one of Alicia's least favorite pieces that Ariel broke."

"Alicia did all of this?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes, it is good for her to have a focus and this is it." Karinna dumped the shards of glass into a metal can and put the broom between the shelves. "Now, we need to go and get started with your focus."

Karinna took me outside past the gardens to a cliff that overlooked the Sanudra Ocean. The varying shades of blue water shifted in and out of one another, until it made hundreds of different shades of blue. Palm trees swayed in the cool breeze that blew my hair around violently.

"It is windy here." I tried to suggest that this wasn't a good spot.

"I know, and distraction is what you need to be in." Karinna looked at me with her green and blue eye. "The elements are your medium and you must learn to use them."

Her red hair was in a neat bun and cinched down, not a single strand flew around in what seemed like a windstorm. Even her clothes were form fitting and she held her eyes wide open, not letting the wind irritate them.

"Everything around you will pull at you all the time as your ability develops. It is important now that you control it, and be in control. Otherwise, your ability will have you, not you it." Karinna stood in front of me. "Now, close your eyes and feel your surroundings."

She gently took the hand that had control of my hair and placed it to my side. Her touch was light as she then motioned for me to close my eyes. The first thing I noticed was my hair blowing frantically in the wind and hitting my face. The annoyance of that faded and everything surrounding me came into focus. The wind, scents in the air and the crashing waves all had voices. They were not exact voices, but a means of sending messages. They were the paper and the pencil of being a Receptor.

Suddenly, something surfaced trying to be heard. I tuned in to it, shutting out everything else as it became clearer to me. Like a distant echo, it became stronger. The voice was female and even though no definite words accompanied it, it was clearly a cry for help.

I opened my eyes quickly as Karinna steadied me as I lost my balance.

"I heard a voice. They were crying for help." I looked at her as she gazed out to the ocean for a moment.

"I couldn't understand what they were saying, but it felt like they were in danger." Slowly her lips curled into a half smile.

"Since the voice wasn't strong, it could have been an old message, even from centuries ago. Especially, since the voice was weak and you couldn't understand it. New messages are clear, like a bell. Old ones are muffled and slurred by time."

I shook my head in understanding as we went back to the mansion. Karinna had me move to different places around the grounds to pick up different surroundings. Before I had come to Atlantis, I never knew the ability I had that lied dormant in me. I'm not sure if it was Karinna's lessons or just being here, but I was beginning to enjoy it.

Even the smallest of things had a voice, Karinna told me as she held a tiny leaf in her hand. Messages, and if you're good enough, thoughts, can be left on physical objects or carried by the wind. This could only be done by a Sender, Karinna told me. Jimmy was a Sender, but not a very strong one. I thought differently since the last message nearly caused my head to explode. Karinna said that it was because I couldn't control the volume of messages yet. It would only come with time and practice.

I looked at the tiny leaf in my hand before the wind carried it from my palm to land several feet away.

"You see, it is as easy as that." She pointed where the leaf had made its short flight.

"This is really new to me, I don't know if I can do it." I held my hair tightly in my fist so it wouldn't get into my eyes from the relentless wind.

Karinna smiled and took both of my hands so my hair was everywhere. "You can, all you have to do is let yourself."

It was simple enough advice, but much harder to actually do.

"But why am I so important? Aren't there other ways to communicate now, like the communicators?" I just couldn't fathom why I was so important.

Karinna looked at me with a still expression, almost in an analyzing way. I hoped she wasn't reading my aura like Claire had told me.

"Receptors are of the past, but just because other things have come along, don't make them any less important." Karinna smiled. "Let's go inside, I think you have practiced enough for today."

Jimmy seemed to be very content in the kitchen as well as the vegetable garden in the backyard. He had made a lunch of sandwiches with an array of vegetables arranged on plates like paint on an artist's pallet. Gabe and Alicia were sitting at the table when we came in.

I tried to detangle my hair as I followed behind Karinna who greeted Jimmy with a smile.

"It is good to have an official cook around here." She sat down across from Alicia.

Alicia with her dark hair glared at her mother for a moment. I couldn't understand why she treated her that way. I would love to have Karinna as my mom and sat next to her as Gabe smiled at me.

"It is good to be back." Jimmy slightly opened the oven to peek at what was inside and then turned to the sink to wash dishes.

"Did you see anything while on patrol?" Karinna asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, mostly trading ships and commercial traffic. It is really kind of quiet." Gabe took his plate over to Jimmy.

"That isn't good. It is too quiet, like before a storm." Jimmy took Gabe's plate as he looked back at me.

I thought of the storm that destroyed many lives in St. F, including my own. It was weird to think I was considered dead at home. I wondered if anyone missed me since the only ones that really cared for me were right here.

"Your project is coming along, Alicia," Karinna said as she sliced an apple with a small paring knife.

Alicia's dark eyes looked up at her mother. "You were in my studio?" Her voice filled with agitation.

"Well...,I..." Karinna stumbled with her words as if she was trying to find ones that wouldn't make Alicia mad, but by the look on her face, she was past that point.

"It was my fault." I blurted out and Alicia's eyes darted to me. "I heard a crashing sound and went to go see what it was and, it was my fault that I went into your studio. Sorry, but I didn't know it was your room and your mother was looking for me. She found me in there and by the way, your pieces are really pretty." I wasn't sure if I angered Alicia more by giving her a complement or confused her.

She looked away from me with a flick of her head and stood up.

"Well, don't go in there again. It is my room and no one is supposed to be in there." Alicia's voice was stern, but the anger had quickly dissolved.

Alicia went upstairs leaving the rest of us with a sigh of relief.

"I have never seen her that calm before. Usually she about rips someone's head off," Gabe said with a smile that quickly faded as he looked at Karinna. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to say it quite like that." His cheeks reddened and I tried to hide my smile.

"No, it's true. She has to learn to control herself and I believe Emily here helped her do that." Karinna looked at me. "But, don't go into the studio again even if the whole room sounds like it is falling apart."

Karinna stayed and visited with Jimmy, while Gabe invited me to walk in the garden with him. Claire and Zach were on patrol now and that left Gabe with the afternoon off.

We went down a winding stone path that ribbon its way around the tall palm trees and lush undergrowth. Brilliant flowers bloomed magnificently surrounding us in their sweetness mixed with the salty air.

Gabe stopped after we went down several wide steps and were encircled inside the garden itself. We stood on a landing that overlooked the vast ocean in the distance. The view was like looking in a travel magazine and I could have stared at it for hours.

"It's really pretty." I looked in the distance as Gabe stood beside me.

His smile widened and he turned me towards him. Our eyes locked as he pulled me close. Everything seemed to melt away around us. Gabe's grey eyes framed in long blonde lashes reminded me of a ring I had that was my favorite. It was a sharply cut stone of smoky clear glass that when I put it in the sunlight, sparkled with unseen colors of blues and purples. It had always fascinated me.

He ran his hand up my bare arm and around to my back until I was pressed so close I could feel the heat from his body. He bent slightly, brushing his nose across mine and then his lips barely skinned mine.

He pulled back slightly and then cradled my head with his other hand and kissed me. It was quick, like testing the pool water to see how cold it was. He then pulled back and smiled at me. Other than kissing David, which never had any spark, I had never engaged in what I would call a passionate kiss.

"I give it a..." He shook his head side to side. "...six, maybe seven just because I like you." Gabe gave a small laugh.

"What?" I exclaimed. "You can't do that, it isn't nice and it ruins all future kisses."

"Yeah, but the most important thing is that there are future kisses." Gabe held my hand close to him and examined my fingers. "How do you like it here, Em?"

I looked at him with his golden wavy hair falling just above his eyes. Even in the shadows that surrounded us, Gabe looked like he was standing in sunlight.

"Well, I like it so far, but I am nervous about what David is saying about me. What if I get accused of something I didn't do? And back home, Jimmy said...I died in the tornado." I really didn't know what to think and much less how to feel, all I could do was make it through each moment.

"Don't worry about what David says. He doesn't have any clout with the Alliance." Gabe took my other hand and cradled them in his. "And as far as your life in St. F...you have a new family right here."

I smiled and looked away. He was right, but it still seemed strange that I will probably never go back and what would I go back to anyhow.

"What about your dad, is he alright? I never got the chance to ask you before." His eyes lifted to meet mine.

"Em, I want to be honest with you." His eyes were mixed with a sorrow that was slowly surfacing and I wasn't sure if I wanted to know anything different, because I liked Gabe the way he was. Nothing else seemed to matter.

"He wasn't my dad, well, not my real one. He was like Jimmy, just watching the trafficking route. They began to see activity when Pandora moved in. That is when David and I came to live there." He drew in a deep breath and lifted his eyes from my hands. "David spotted you and, well, he told me he wanted to try on a girl from Earth. I hated being with him, he has no respect for anyone really."

"I knew I should have never gone out with him." I shook my head.

"But then you would have never met me." He lifted my chin with his long finger.

I smiled and we kissed again, this time longer. His soft lips slowly left mine and then curled into a smile.

"What?" I asked feeling embarrassed.

"I'll give it an eight," he replied as I play smacked him on the shoulder.

We laughed and then went down to the beige colored sand. It was warm under my feet, but felt good to bury my toes in it. Gabe rolled his pants up and we walked along the water's edge. With our hands laced together, we walked side by side with the waves covering our feet that quickly receded back to the ocean that was the color of a sapphire.
Chapter Ten

Storm clouds brewed in the distant horizon. Gabe and I walked back along the beach as the sun's warmth left the pink colored sand. Thunder rumbled as a plane flew overhead and landed on the runway on the other side of the mansion.

"Gabe," I said with his hand still in mine. "About Bimini..." My words deflated like a balloon expelling helium. "I hope..." I started again, only to deflate again.

Gabe stopped and stood in front of me with the approaching storm. "If you're wondering if I got in trouble, I did, but don't worry about that."

"Sorry I brought it up, it was just bothering me." I shrugged my shoulders, smiled and as much as I wanted to tell him that it was my fault, I let it go.

"Come on let's go see what Claire and Zach found out."

They were already in the house when we just missed the rain that began to pour down. Abe was talking to them in the living room along with Karinna sitting beside him. They didn't see anything out of the ordinary as well.

"I'm telling you, it's too quiet; something is going on right under our nose." Jimmy pointed to his nose. "Do you think whoever is stealing the implements is going to wave at us and make it obvious? It's an inside job." Jimmy crossed his arms and looked at Abe who only rubbed his forehead.

"Time is of the essence and to secure the remaining implements, they are being moved here for the time being. Meropsis security is strained with the constant threat of pirates and now with the thefts, we are going to house them," Abe said.

"Whose decision was that?" Jimmy asked sitting down. "Why here, why not with the Phoenix, don't they have secure vaults?"

Abe straightened his stature. "It is being done in secret and we are the least likely place to house them. The Alliance decided it was for the best."

"Are you kidding? The Alliance isn't always right. What if something happens? How are we to defend ourselves with such a small army?" Jimmy stood up and looked down at his ailing brother.

I looked at Gabe and thought of what Claire had told me- we are just misfits, underdogs, basically the bottom of the barrel. To me Gabe didn't look like an underdog or a misfit; he was perfect and kind like I had never known before.

"It is what the Alliance has decided and it is the course of action that will be taken," Abe said. "They are on their way here anyhow, so it is too late to make changes."

Abe stood up. "I am excusing myself, I have a headache."

Jimmy grumbled to himself as Abe left and then looked over at Karinna.

"What do you think of all of this? When did the Alliance decide this?" He leaned forward resting his elbows to his knees.

Karinna glanced between Gabe, Claire, Zach and then me, resting her eyes on me before answering Jimmy.

"I don't agree with the Alliance, but at the same time I do. It is a risk and we are not as many as the rest of the clans, but why can't we ask the Mers for assistance? They can patrol the waters."

Jimmy rubbed his chin. "You know it goes against the rules of the Alliance."

Karinna looked at Jimmy with her jeweled eyes. "So does leaving us as curators of the prize of the Alliance."

Darkness fell quickly, swallowing everything whole and leaving me with a strange feeling of dread. Kangee so far had been peaceful, almost like a tropical vacation. But, I knew it was far from that. So many things hung in the balance including my fate. I couldn't help to think of what David was accusing me of. How was the Alliance that barely knew me, would believe me over one of their own. Especially since things are stolen upon my arrival?

Maybe Pandora would have answers. I thought about her and the way I felt when I saw her business burning to the ground. That seemed like years ago rather than just a few days ago. I was truly worried about her, and she turned around and blamed me for stealing. I never thought in the couple of years I've known her, that she would do something like that. She was protecting herself and that was all there was to it, even though it was at my expense.

The next morning everything dripped with water, it had rained making everything brighter, if that was possible. I got dressed and went downstairs to a commotion of raised voices.

Everyone, including Pandora was in the living room. Abe and Jimmy stood in front of her while Zach and Gabe stood behind her, like a pack of wolves interrogating her. She sat with folded arms that kept whatever secrets she had locked up under them. Her mouth was nothing more than a tight slit that I wished would tell the truth, whatever that was.

Claire and Alicia sat on the sofa by the window with Karinna behind them. Ian, as always, lingered in the background, like a spectator, as he sat in the chair behind Jimmy and Abe.

Pandora's eyes met mine as I walked like a cautious fawn through a dangerous forest. Her lips curled into a rouge smile.

"There, there is your thief." She pointed her finger at me, though no one looked at me.

Abe bent down slightly into Pandora's face. "She is not the thief, the Alliance had decided, they are looking elsewhere and I believe you know more that you let on."

She curled her arms over her chest like two large boa constrictors. "I have said what I know and I don't have to be here."

"Under Alliance rule we can question you for as long as we like since of your heritage," Ian suddenly said in a calm voice like he was reading from a book.

Pandora gave a huff. "I am not responsible for my past relatives. The original Pandora was tricked into opening the box that let all of the demons out. Not me!" She sounded like a child throwing a tantrum.

"And that is why the law is different for you, it's something in your blood," Ian said in a calm voice.

I looked at him and for a moment his striking blue eyes met mine.

Pandora uncurled her arms and rubbed her forehead hard with her hand like she was trying to rub her family's past off of her.

"O.K., alright," she sighed. "I will tell you what you want to know." She looked up at Abe and Jimmy. Only if I can have protection and be immune to Pandora's Law."

Jimmy and Abe looked at each other, stepped aside and whispered to one another before turning back to Pandora.

"You have a deal sister, start spilling and what you say must be true or I will feed you to the Alliance myself," Jimmy said and then smiled villainously at her.

Pandora sat with a slightly gaping mouth that trembled as she peered up at the two giant looking men.

"It's the Alfheim, they are responsible for taking the implements. A group of rouge Alfheim came to me last year wanting me to take sand and make an amulet for them. They paid me good and as I worked with the sand, something didn't feel familiar to it, it was foreign to me. I prolonged the project as long as I could, until one day they showed up." Pandora looked over at me. "You were there and the perfect way to hide it. I knew I did something I shouldn't and then contacted David of the Dragon clan. He said he had told the Alliance what had happened and not to worry. To hide my tracks, I burned my shop and that is when I was taken in by the Alliance and questioned. David said he would make sure I was let go and not charged with anything. He was going to blame it on you, Emily." Tears began to swell in her eyes and for a moment I felt sorry for her.

"Why didn't you come to us earlier and tell us this?" Alicia jumped up. "Why now witch?" She said through clenched teeth.

Alicia stood with her hands on her slim hips and her pale face surrounded by her dark hair. Her eyes pierced Pandora steadily and waited for an answer.

"I was planning on coming, when Abel contacted me. I think, I think David is going against his word and trying to kill me." Her face curled with pain as she covered it with her hands. "I never meant for any of this to happen, I just thought I was making some trinket that didn't mean anything. I did it all the time and nothing ever happened."

"I don't trust her. One moment she is telling us that Emily is the thief and now she is blaming it on the Alfheim," Alicia said as she looked between Abe and Jimmy.

"She has a point, Pandora," Abe said looking over his shoulder at Alicia.

"I think she is a part of it and she will never tell the truth." Alicia stepped towards her as Pandora shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

"You asked for the truth and I gave what I know. What else do you want?" Her voice pleaded.

"Simple, the truth Pandora," Alicia now stood in front of her.

"I have given it to you!" Pandora trembled slightly as Alicia leaned forward. "Leave me alone!"

Alicia reached for Pandora's wrist and held it tightly in her grip. Pandora pulled back as Alicia only smiled as the air filled with the smell of something burning.

"Tell the truth you liar!" Alicia yelled as smoke rolled from under her fingers that held Pandora's wrist.

I waited only a moment for someone to pull Alicia away from Pandora. They only looked on with stunned faces frozen in the moment. I then jumped towards Alicia.

"Alicia, stop!" I yelled.

Quickly I grabbed her arm and pulled her fingers from Pandora's burning wrist. Suddenly, an invisible hand pushed me backwards with amazing force. I found myself a few feet away from them. Gabe quickly came over and lifted me up without a word. I could see Alicia bent to her knees with her shoulders hunched over and Pandora rubbing her red wrist, laughing at Alicia and then pointing towards me.

"You can't control your powers very well my little Phoenix," Pandora said.

Zach jumped over the side of the couch and lifted Alicia to her feet as she gently pushed him away. Alicia with her dark eyes motioned with her hand that she was alright to Zach who stood close by.

"Enough!" Abe yelled. "Take Pandora to the tower room." He motioned for Gabe and Ian to take Pandora.

I sat down on the couch and rubbed the back of my head which hurt as Pandora pleaded for her release. Her voice echoed down the hallway until it was cut off by a door closing.

"You're bleeding," Claire said as I looked at my bloodied fingers. "You hit your head on the edge of the table." She pointed to the small table beside the couch they had sat on.

"I'm fine, it's just a small cut." I protested as my head began to throb.

"Alicia," Karinna went over to her as Zach made her sit on the couch in front of Abe, her father and Jimmy.

"What was that Alicia?" Abe's voice was calm, but trembled slightly.

"I-I don't know. Something came over me. Pandora was lying; I could see it and it made me mad." Her voice was soft and calm as she sat with a stunned look on her face.

Karinna looked at Abe and him at her.

"You can see auras, can't you?" Karinna asked.

"The colors, they come and go, but Pandora's was black and evil. She is surrounded by evil." For the first time, Alicia looked like a scared little girl to me. Her dark eyes round with fear and her tall body hunched over as if trying to protect herself from something that wasn't there.

"Zach," Abe said and motioned with his eyes to take Alicia upstairs.

"No!" Alicia glared at him. "How am I supposed to get stronger when I have to go lie down every time I practically sneeze?"

Everyone looked at her.

"Well then, if Pandora is lying then you will be her guard as well as interrogator. There is something going on and I do believe now it is internal." Abe looked up at Jimmy who only raised his eyebrows at him as if to say 'I told you so'.

Claire insisted that I go to her room so she could look at my cut.

"It won't stop bleeding." She sounded frantic.

"Here just hold the towel on it and it will stop soon. I have had plenty of cuts before." I tried to reassure her thinking of all the times I scraped my knees on the gravel road that went by our trailer.

I let out a deep breath as the thought suddenly broke into my head. Even though my life in St. F wasn't the greatest, I still missed it. I liked working at Jimmy's bar and waiting on customers. But then again, what future did I have, I was simply hanging on to something that was familiar. Atlantis was still hard to fathom, but with Gabe here, it made it a lot easier.

"I think you need stiches." Claire stood in front of me as I pulled my thoughts from my old life.

"What?" I asked.

"See, you might even have a concussion." She seemed worried.

"I'm fine," I said trying to reassure her. "Claire." I yelled at her as she went out the door.

"I'm going to get Zach," she replied back.

I held the towel to the back of my head and carefully lay on her bed. It felt kind of nice to have someone like Claire to worry about me. She was really a nice person and I wished she didn't feel like she was a misfit.

"She passed out." I could hear Claire's frantic voice enter the room as my eyes popped open.

"Claire, I was just lying down, that's all. I'm fine." I tried again to reassure her as I smiled at her. "It's just a scratch."

She looked at me with worry and me at her with confusion to her overreaction.

"Let me have a look," Zach said with his strawberry blond hair that had a flat spot in it where his cowboy hat sat all the time.

I turned around and removed the blood spotted towel. Zach gently lifted my hair and then opened a small metal case that I tried to look in, but couldn't.

"So are you a doctor too?" I asked through the awkward silence.

"Yeah, sort of, well that is what I wanted to be. Yep, it looks like a couple of stiches will do the trick," Zach said finally.

Claire held my hair and as instructed by Zach, I held still.

"This will burn a little." Zach put on something that felt cool at first, then as promised, burned until it went numb.

I then could feel his gentle touch as the stiches pulled at my skin.

"So, why don't you go to school to become a doctor? Is that something you can't do in Atlantis?" I asked.

"Well, yes there are wonderful institutes, but they only let in certain people." His voice was low and held no emotion to it. "I'm not one of them certain people."

"Certain people, that doesn't seem right. I think you are pretty good." I knew my opinion held no weight and I could hear him chuckle a little at my comment.

"Maybe she does have a concussion, just like you thought Claire," Zach said as I could feel him put gauze over my insignificant wound.

"I'm serious." I turned to see his usual cheerful eyes fill with sadness.

"Well, a boy from the Shilands isn't from the right stock that the schools of Atlantis are looking for. They want only their kind in them." Zach shut his case.

"Zach...I'm sorry," I said not knowing what else to say.

"Nah, don't be. I still study what I can and practice on the animals that I save. They don't have anyone to care for them." I could slowly see the sparkle return as he smiled. "Keep it clean and I will look at it in a couple of days, time to check on my next patient."

"Don't let Alicia hear you call her that," Claire said as he put on his hat, tipped it slightly to us and left whistling.

Claire picked up the towel and put it with a pile of dirty clothes.

"Oh, I will just do them all tomorrow," she said with a flick of her hand at the small mountain of clothes.

"So, Zach can't get into medical school because he is from the wrong place." I looked at Claire who pulled down her booze-hiding teddy bear and offered me some. I shook my head and waited for an answer.

"Well, he is from the Shilands. It is a large continent that produces crops and doesn't have many large cities or industrial places. Like I said before the Alfheim have a lot of wealth and industry, they control a lot and one of those things is the learning institutions. The Shilands are rural and a lot of things get exported from there, but the people are limited. Most of them are from human descent mixed with Atlantian descent and farm a lot, as you can see Zach has a soft spot for livestock and most things with four legs." Claire shook her head and looked up at the ceiling.

"That seems so wrong. I never really thought of other worlds before, but when I did, I thought they would be perfect places and everyone lived in peace and got along."

Claire gave a quick smile and then took a swig of Ambrosia. "That's what most Atlantians think about Earth."

Bright sunlight flickered in my room as I sat up to a slight aching in my head. I got dressed and looked in the mirror at a girl I hardly recognized. I still wished I had make-up, but something about me was different that I couldn't put my finger on. So much has changed and I have a feeling that so much more is going to change.

I went downstairs to an empty kitchen and living room. Even the hallway was deserted. I was just about to go outside when I heard the sound of glass breaking followed by cursing. I stopped and looked down the hallway that Alicia's studio was down. Then, I heard the sound of mumbled cursing and more falling glass.

I stepped quietly down the hallway and knowing that I was warned not to go in Alicia's studio not only by her, but her mother as well, I thought a peek wouldn't hurt, especially if someone was injured and that would make Zach happy.

I leaned against the wall and peeked around the corner to see Ian scooping up glass.

"Need some help?' I stepped in as he nearly dropped the dustpan filled with glass shards.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." I apologized.

"No, that's alright, I thought for a moment you were Alicia," Ian said as he looked at me.

We stood there for a moment just looking at one another. I wasn't sure what to say as the awkwardness seemed to go on for what felt like several minutes.

"So do you do make stained glass stuff as well?' I asked the only thing I could think of.

Ian looked around like he wasn't sure what I was asking him.

"Oh, that, no, I just share the space with her," Ian said.

He then turned and went to a small nook beside a window that I didn't notice before when I was in here.

"So, what do you do?' I asked following him to his seat.

Ian turned slightly and gave me a bothered look.

"Sorry, I'm bothering you and that question was kind of rude." I felt my cheeks redden.

His icy blue eyes looked at me as he shook his head and then smiled. "No, you're not bothering me. It's just I am trying to figure the amulet out." He turned to look at it lying harmlessly on the table. It was a beautiful thing that sparkled in the sunlight. "Maybe you can figure it out, because I'm not having any luck."

"Didn't Abe say it was foreign, not even of this world or of mine?" I asked.

"Yes, so where did it come from and what can it do? Maybe nothing, it could be a decoy, I have even considered that."

I stepped away looking at all of the windows that turned the golden sunlight to an array of colors. The narrow room was filled with every color possible.

"But if Pandora had it then maybe she knows what it can do and where it came from. Surly someone has asked her that." I stopped in front of a metal silver frame that was void of any glass.

"Extensively, and she won't either tell us or she has no idea. Alicia has already taken job as interrogator seriously and Pandora stuck to her story-she doesn't know either. She was simply hired to do a job-no questions asked."

"What is this?" I asked pointing at the frame.

Ian's mouth dropped slightly like I had caught him doing something he wasn't supposed to do. "One of Alicia's projects." He turned back to the amulet and held it to the light.

Suddenly a ringing sound flooded my ears like a bell that rung once and then vibrated through me. I caught myself and looked at the amulet that seemed to draw me to it.

Standing beside Ian I reached out for it like it was a magnet to me. Light blasted from my palm as I held on tightly to it. I couldn't hear anything but the echoing of the bell. My body felt like it was being cut with thousands of pieces of glass that exploded with the piercing light. I tried to call for Ian, but I didn't' know where he went or what was happening.

Suddenly I was standing in front of the silver frame holing the once topaz colored amulet that was now highly polished silver and incredibly light in my palm. I looked at it amazed at its beauty when I heard a faint whisper.

I looked around to find no one and then I remembered what Karinna had told me about how everything had a voice and there was a message attached to it. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the faint voice that echoed like it was thousands of miles away.

The voice was strained and I only heard fragments of words from a voice that sounded like it was drowning. 'Portal, key and Eutopia,' where the only words I could make out before I felt myself being pulled backwards away from the silver frame.

My eyes focused and I was on the floor looking up at the ceiling. A sharp sting radiated from my right arm and clutched in my blood covered hand was the silver pendant.

I jumped up as my head swam. Ian was nowhere near me and I wondered what had happened to him. I then went out of the studio hoping to find someone. Looking behind me I could see the blood trail I was leaving and then went into the kitchen grabbed a towel and decided to go outside.

"Em!" I heard Gabe's voice pierce through the lingering fog that surrounded me.

"Gabe, I have the amulet! I know what it is!" I managed to yell before everything faded to black.
Chapter Eleven

My eyes opened to see the creamy white ceiling. Loud arguing voices echoed all around as I tried to get up.

"Don't move and close your eyes," Zach sat beside me in a small room.

"The amulet, it's a key." I croaked out.

"Close your eyes pretend you're asleep...the Alliance is here." His eyes were serious as I looked at my arm with what looked like a hundred stiches. "You lost a little blood and that will be our excuse to keep you here. Otherwise...you will go with them. Now close your eyes and look like you're dead," he said quickly in a hushed voice.

I did, and tried to look as lethargic as I could. Voices called and footsteps surrounded me. I wanted to see who was there and who wanted to take me away for what, I wasn't stealing the amulet. I came out in front of them all to show them what happened and what I knew about the amulet.

"She needs to go with us and as soon as she can. We will be back for her in a few days," A man's voice said in the stillness.

I listened, feeling like I was a corpse that had to be identified.

"No, why risk another trip here? Storms will be coming before the winter season and they are unpredictable, a week could cost us two or three. We should take her now...these people aren't capable of holding her." Inside I shuddered at his voice because it was David.

"But, if she isn't well and dies along the way, then we can't question her," The man's voice replied back followed by an impending silence.

"Emily has lost a lot of blood and travel I wouldn't advise," Zach said sounding just like an accomplished doctor, not the hick tone he usually spoke in. I knew he was trying to make an impression.

"You have no training. You practice on animals and have no say here." David's voice was calm, but had that familiar tone of restrained anger, like thunder announcing a distant storm.

"It doesn't take a genius to see that she is hurt and should not be moved." Zach protested.

"It isn't your decision, Shilander, it is up to the Alliance," David said in a huff voice. "She ran out with the amulet in her hand, and now it is silver. We have no idea what it can do or where it came from." David's footsteps came closer. "We don't know what her intentions are here, who she's working for and what she might bring to us."

I wanted to scream at David. He was a liar and manipulator and I had never hated anyone in my life, now I was beginning to.

I wanted to get him, and get him now. I couldn't just open my eyes and sit up trying to prove myself; otherwise I would definitely be going with them. Instead, I had another idea.

"David," I turned my head to the side and curled my face like I just ate a plateful of lemons. "The Alliance...should have it...not you..." My voice was barely a croaking whisper.

I smiled inside and thanked all the soap operas that occupied a lot of my summer vacations. Hopefully that planted a seed of doubt in the Alliance.

"She's hallucinating." David protested.

"She can't hallucinate when she's unconscious. And you don't have to be trained in the medicines to know that," Zach replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Still, it holds no significance...and soon she will have to come with us...not be held here by a bunch of incapable Blackbirds," David said followed by footsteps leaving the room.

Zach let out a sigh and I kept my eyes shut just in case.

"O.K. Hollywood starlet, you can open your eyes, the performance is over," Gabe said in my ear.

I opened my eyes and was greeted by his smiling face. I wanted to touch it and tell him to take me away from here.

"That was thinking on the seat of your pants, not to mention very risky." Gabe sounded impressed at the same time slightly angry at the risk I took.

"Yeah, but it worked, didn't it?" I asked raising my eyebrows.

"David has a little more pull being in the Dragon clan, I wouldn't count my chickens before they hatch," Zach said and put on his cowboy hat.

"She's still here?" Alicia's voice echoed in the distance followed by not only her footsteps, but Claire's as well.

"Em, are you alright?" Claire asked with concern.

I smiled letting her know I was fine and slowly sat up with my head spinning slightly. I looked at my bandaged forearm.

"I know what the amulet is...or maybe what it is." Everyone looked at me with wide eyes. "It's a key. I heard a voice, but they only spoke three words I could understand. Key, portal, and Eutopia. That's where Ian is from, isn't..." I stopped as everyone looked at each other white faced and wide eyed. It was too late; I revealed information that no one outside the clan was to know.

"It's a Portal Key, my father made them. How it got here I'm not sure, and you're right Emily, I am from Eutopia. Claire must have told you," Ian said in a clam voice standing in the doorway as his eyes fell on Claire who only gave an apologetic shrug of her shoulders. "It didn't change until Emily touched it and I'm sure now, made from an old Portal...one possibly made by my father." His voice was distant. "If it is a key, then it could only have come from Eutopia."

I remembered what Claire had said about Ian being able to make Portals as he looked at me with wary eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was doing and I don't know why I picked it up," I said looking at Ian with blood all over his shirt.

"Are you hurt?" I asked with concern.

He looked down at his shirt and then at me. "No, it's yours."

I leaned back slightly as Gabe looked at me with concern.

"You were compelled to it because you are a Receptor. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out." Alicia leaned against the wall looking at her fingers.

"Alicia is right and there may be another message attached to it," Zach said looking at Gabe.

"Yeah, but how are we going to get it back? The Dragon clan is taking it with them." Alicia looked at Zach with her dark eyes.

The room fell in a doomed silence.

"I can get it." Claire spoke up. "I used to have light fingers as you might say and have latched on to a few things in the past; I was pretty good at it." Claire gave a crooked smile as her eyes twinkled with daringness.

"You mean steal." Alicia stepped closer to her. She was nearly a head taller than Claire.

"I like to call it creative acquiring, but yeah, I can steal it." Claire looked at everyone with serious eyes.

"It's risky." Gabe finally broke the uncertain silence.

"What other option do you have? We can't just go up to David and ask him to see it." Claire stood in front of Gabe and looked at him. "Look, I can do this and I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think I could pull it off."

Gabe looked down at Claire with crossed arms as the room fell into another pending silence.

"No one ever suspects the little red-headed-girl." Claire smiled her crooked smile again. "I'm also petite...I can hide easily, and no one will ever think innocent Claire, the girl who never does anything could commit such an act."

Gabe looked down at her and then at Zach, Alicia, Ian and finally me.

"She does have a point, Claire has never been in front of the Alliance for bringing endangered animals to Atlantis," Zach said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Gabe took in a deep breath. "I don't know how else to get it back and I know it isn't safe in David's hands, he is definitely up to something," Gabe said. "Alright, Claire, you're going to have to act fast." No sooner did he say that when Claire squealed with joy.

Suddenly, an idea hit me and before I thought about it too much, the words came from my mouth as they entered my head. "Why not make a replacement one? I mean a fake. And take the real one for us, leaving them with the fake." I felt confident. "It would be perfect and they would be none the wiser. Not to mention give us time to see what it can do."

Gabe looked away as if pondering the idea while Zach and Ian looked at him.

"Where are we going to get something that looks like it?" Alicia asked with crossed arms.

"Well, I might have something that kind of looks like it." Claire suggested. "I could exchange the two."

"We don't have that much time." Alicia tilted her head to the side.

"Actually, we do," said Ian. "There are storms developing to the south of here. And they are still unloading all the relics from Meropsis. Chances are they won't leave today."

"Then, we need to get busy," Gabe said looking at me.

Gabe took me to my room without David catching us. The mansion had several of the Dragon clan walking throughout and we took a hidden passage upstairs.

I sat on my bed as Gabe locked the door.

"I don't want to go with David." I looked away from him. I was embarrassed of my past that Gabe knew all too well.

Gabe sat beside me. I could see his skin through the few small holes in his faded jeans. He cupped my chin in his calloused hand and turned my head to meet his eyes. He smiled, gently took my hands in his and pulled me close.

"You're not going with him," he said in a whisper.

"How do you know? I did a terrible thing. I didn't know what I was doing. I was just so excited that I figured out what the amulet was. I didn't know the Alliance was here." I felt a knot cinch tighter through my insides at my own stupid doing.

Gabe didn't answer. I looked into his grey eyes that suddenly flickered with fragments of gold in them. I had never noticed before and suddenly his eyes were like a black hole to me, a kaleidoscope of earth toned colors. He pulled me closer, until our lips touched. He paused for a moment as if to savor the anticipation of the kiss I longed for, and then he pressed his lips to mine.

Everything melted away. The mansion, Atlantis, Jimmy, Claire...everyone, including David was no bother to me. Gabe's kiss seemed to transport me to another place far away, and when my lips parted from his, I almost expected to be on a deserted beach, just the two of us.

We sat there just looking at one another.

"That makes it even harder to have to leave," I said trying to smile.

Gabe was serious; he didn't smile, only cradled my face in his hands and made my eyes meet his. "You're not going with him. I will find a way to keep you here."

The afternoon faded to evening and the landscape melted into long shadows. A tall ship bobbed in the water illuminated by small lanterns in the distance making it look like a Christmas tree. It was the Dragon clan. Gabe said they were in charge of the transporting Implements usually under the supervision of another Alliance member and since they had dual control over it, David couldn't do anything to me.

I couldn't sleep as the patter of rain fell outside. I could hear it hit the large leaves of the umbrella-like foliage. My thoughts drifted in my head like rolling fog. Atlantis was a beautiful place and I still couldn't believe that I was here and even more unbelievable to me was that I would more likely never go home again. But at the same time, I had nothing to go home to.

I then thought of Gabe. Golden haired, strong arms that always held me gently and eyes that could hold me in a trance, I then realized I didn't want to be anywhere else. I closed my eyes letting my body relax until Gabe could hold me again.

Suddenly, I felt someone sitting on the edge of my bed. I opened my eyes to see a shadowy figure. Immediately and without questioning my senses, I thought it was Gabe. I sat up feeling his breath on my face. It wasn't sweet like it usually was; it had a garlic stench to it.

"Gabe," I said with a questioning voice.

A light flicked on. The bald tattooed man stood beside the door with massive crossed arms and David next to me, smiled.

"No, David," he replied in a low voice.

Before I could scream out, try to get away or punch David in the face that I had wanted to do for so long; he had his hand pressed against the back of my head and a cloth to my face. I struggled, with blind flaying arms I hit David only to have him laugh at me. But, no matter how I tried to hold my breath, the sickening sweet smell overtook me to blackness.

I woke to a sloshing sound and the slow rhythm of gently swaying back and forth. A left-over sweet sent still filled my nose and made me want to throw up. Forcing myself up, I realized I was in a hammock with neatly cut wood boards for walls and floor. The room was angled and large beams of silver were the room's support system. I held my breath for a moment as I swayed back and forth on the Dragon clan's ship.

There were no windows along the walls and large barrels surrounded me along with large white sacks draped over the top of them. A single beam of light pierced the darkness from a stairwell that led to above.

Suddenly, slow footsteps came down them one by one. I swung my legs over the side and looked around for a weapon. The dark figure emerged from the shadows and I was relieved to see it was Alicia.

"Alicia." I let her name out in a sigh of relief.

She only looked at me with her steady black eyes as another figure stepped out behind her. It was David.

"Good, you're finally awake and I can do what I brought you here to do." he said in a dry voice.

I looked at Alicia. "What are you doing here?" I asked without answer.

Alicia only looked down at me with a flick of her head. Her stare was cold and distant.

"Alicia, what is going on? Are you with them?" I asked in disgust and awe.

"She has been with me for a long time." David's eyes lifted to her as he held me tightly in his grasp. "My spy,"

Alicia smiled at me as David jerked me in front of him and up the bright stairwell. The light nearly blinded me as the deck was full of activity. I looked in the distance and all I could see was sky and the dancing waves.

David stood me in front of me and began to search my clothing like a police officer would do to a criminal.

"You won't need this anymore," he said and threw the locating stone to water.

I had always kept it on me and my hope of rescue went to the bottom of the ocean. I watched the water swallow it as David smiled at me.

"Captain, we need you here for a moment," The bald headed man said as his eyes casted over me for a moment.

David shoved me into Alicia's grasp. She held me close to her, my back against her chest. I could feel her breath in my ear.

"How could you?" I gritted my teeth as her grip tightened.

"Shut up R-girl. If you want out of this, listen to me," she said in a whisper.

"What-"

"Quiet." She huffed. "I'm not with them, I'm a double spy."

"What about Gabe?" I had to ask.

She let out an irritated sigh. "Keep your hormones under control; we are kind of involved in a delicate situation." Alicia tightened her grip jerking me back as a sailor walked by. "Don't worry princess; your prince is waiting for you. Try sending a message to them when you get the chance."

"But who can receive it? Jimmy is just a sender," I said.

"Try," she whispered in my ear.

David came back and took me from Alicia's grip. I looked to meet her cold eyes. I wasn't sure if it was a trick on her part or if she was telling me the truth, but when I got the chance I would try to send Jimmy a message.

David took us up a small flight of stairs to a room that must have been the captain's quarters. I didn't know much about ships, but form the few movies I had seen about pirates, I knew that this was David's room.

Inside was filled with cabinets closed and secure with locks. Large windows opened to the ocean in front of us and a table strewn with maps and navigating implements, that I only guessed that is what they were, sat off to the side of a large map.

"I must say, the Blackbirds are easy to take things from, especially since they are as capable as the rest of the clans. It's a pity that they are still around since they are nothing but a sore spot in the Alliance. Basically they are here out of charity, but it does make taking things from them a lot easier." David looked at me with a smile.

David didn't sound like the David that I wished I never knew. He had an authority to him, an arrogance that made me sick.

"If you mean me, I'm not a thing, and if Gabe knew you were going to kidnap me he would had stopped you," I said with hardly a bother of concern from David who looked more interested in his maps. "He is more of a man than you will ever be." My words rolled off of him like rain hitting a window.

"See these implements on the table," he said motioning with his long fingers shrouded in dark leather gloves. "You are like one of them, a tool, implement and mine. I don't have time to argue with you. What I am looking for is sending a message that only a Receptor can hear. And now that we have the key and the Receptor, I can find my treasure." His lips curled into a smile.

"I don't know what you're taking about." I tried to play dumb.

David rolled his eyes. "Like I said before, if you want to play I will play with you, but I am going to win. So you can either cooperate or I can give you to my crew, they've never had a girl from Earth before and I'm sure every one of them would like to have a taste of you." He stood in front of me and ran his fingers across my cheek, the bruise was faded, but not the memory. I flinched away as he looked at me with an amused smile.

My insides boiled and I wanted to scratch his eyes out that were filled with a villainous glee.

"I don't know if I can, I'm new at this." I looked at him.

"Don't worry, you will." He grabbed my arm, pulling it in front of him and turned my hand palm up. "Now, you will read the message in this."

He dropped the amulet in my hand. The once sparkling topaz colored pendant shone a cool shade of silver. It wasn't bright, but almost had a bluish cast to it and was incredibly light. It wasn't the fake one Claire was to exchange. I could tell it immediately from the tingling sensation that radiated through my hand all the way up my arm. I curled my hand around it and shot Alicia a glance. She nodded and I looked away, I didn't want David thinking she wasn't anything else but his spy.

I closed my eyes, nothing came to me. I had to come up with something. I clenched the pedant tighter hoping I could squeeze the information out of it. I cleared my thoughts as Karinna had told me and listened to my surroundings. I began to let everything fade around me. Slowly whisper-like voices came and went like speeding cars. I tried to reach out to them and they wouldn't stop like they were taunting me.

"Child of the Crystal City," Many voices said all in unison. "This was not meant to be found."

I stood quiet for a moment as the voices swirled around me in fragments that I couldn't understand.

"I seek the treasure!" I yelled.

"The treasure is not meant to be found and is no treasure. Return us to the Black Abyss...this is not for your world."

Everything moved wildly around me, like I was trapped in a vacuum cleaner. I felt a hand pull me backwards and immediately thought of Gabe, but when I opened my eyes, David's face peered down at me.

"What did it tell you?" He demanded.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I trembled knowing I had to tell him something.

"It's in the Black Abyss." My voice trembled and he threw me to the ground.

David began barking orders to the crew of men encircling us. I didn't even realize we were on the deck and looked around still mesmerized by the voices. Alicia bent down and pulled me to my feet.

"That's what it told you?" she whispered in my ear.

"Sort of," I replied.

David walked away from us. He wasn't concerned with me anymore, since he got what he wanted. I stood there watching him and hoped the Black Abyss wasn't as bad as it sounded.

"Come on." Alicia pulled on my arm jerking me toward the dark stairwell that led to the belly of the ship.

She didn't say a word as we stood in the darkness.

"Send a message." She commanded.

I watched her take her long coat off and reach inside its deep pockets. She pulled out an array of silver jagged edged disks that looked like a swatch of paint samples, and hooked them on a slender chain around her waist. She then looked up at me.

"We don't have all day. Send the message, now!" Her dark eyes glared at me.

"But there is no one to receive it." I tried to explain to her.

"So, just because something you think doesn't work, means you're not going to try just in case?" Alicia stood in front of me. "We are going to the Black Abyss and I can tell you that is a place you don't want to go. Now send a message."

I didn't think it would work. I closed my eyes, thought of the water hitting the boat and sent a message upon it that we were going to the Black Abyss. I truly hoped it worked.

Night had come and I had been locked below deck since Alicia brought me down here. I tried multiple times to send messages and hoped someone somehow would get them.

I laid in the hammock and thought of how I could escape. I could sneak upstairs, steal the little dingy and start rowing. But what direction would I go? They all looked the same, endless distances of water. My best bet was to wait until we reached land and hope someone there would help me.

I thought of Alicia, I barely knew her and from what I did, she didn't like me. I wasn't sure if I could trust her, but something inside of me, instinct maybe told me to.

I sat up and rubbed my arms for warmth. The air was getting colder and I looked around for a blanket.

There were mostly barrels and large sacks that looked like was filled with potatoes or something small and lumpy. Unfortunately, there was no blanket of any kind. I rubbed my arms again when suddenly, a dark shadow rose in front of me. My mouth opened and before I could scream, the figure had his hand across my mouth and my back pressed into his chest.

"Don't scream, it's me, Ian," Ian said into my ear.

I relaxed and he turned me around.

"Where's Gabe?" I asked.

"On deck," Even in the dim light, his eyes flickered, kind of like cat's eyes reflecting in darkness. "He's posing as one of the crew along with a couple of Mers."

"How did you find us?" I asked.

He looked a little uneasy and rubbed his forehead. "We got your message."

I was proud of myself and then wondered who understood it.

"Come on we have to get off this ship. Can you swim?" Ian's words felt like electricity going through me.

"Swim?" I thought of all the times kids went to the swimming pool in Thornbrooke, the closest I got to a pool was the bathtub. "No, but..."

"Just stay close to me then."

Ian put his hood over his face and gave me a long coat as well, which really felt comforting dressed in shorts and a tank top.

"Alicia is here," I said. "She said she was a double spy."

"Spy, huh." Ian smiled slightly as we stood at the bottom of the stairs. "David has tried to court Alicia for a long time and due to her stubbornness, he hasn't had any luck. When both of you were missing, we thought David kidnapped you and Alicia. Then we found a note in Alicia's room that said David was taking you and she was going with him to try to protect you."

Alicia was risking her own life to protect me, when she could stay where it is safe. And to make matters worse, she was pretending to like David. I thought of the way he treated me and hoped he didn't treat Alicia that way.

"Claire never switched the amulet, David has the real one," I whispered.

"Alicia will get it." Ian didn't seemed concerned and kept looking up the stairwell.

"We need to be quiet and wait for the signal." His voice was uneasy.

"What's the signal?" I asked.

Suddenly a light was forced into the darkness that surrounded us.

"Hurry up!" Alicia yelled to us in a low voice.

"Not quite like that, but I guess it will do." Ian shook his head and motioned for me to go.

Ian let me go first, our footsteps were soft and I hoped there was a boat nearby. Alicia in her long coat, nearly matched the darkness that surrounded us. No matter what direction you looked at, blackness swallowed everything in a depthless void.

"How far out?" Alicia asked Ian.

"Actually, about a mile and I used a Shroud." Ian smiled as Alicia looked uncertain and all I could think of was a mile of black, deep water.

"Shroud...one of your inventions...that hasn't been tested, and you are using it now?" Alicia huffed.

"It works." Ian was confident. "Our boat is hidden and with the speed of the Mers, it's an easy escape. Do you have the amulet?"

"Like taking candy from a spoiled brat." Her lips curled into a smile as she patted her chest.

Ian cleared his throat. "Where are Gabe and the Mers?"

Alicia turned around to a tall dark figured that loomed behind her.

"There you are," Alicia said.

"Gabe." I stepped towards him. "Let's go."

He put his hand in mine and suddenly twisted my wrist and turned me around.

"You're not leaving so soon," David said in my ear. "Alicia, you have something of mine." He held out his other hand towards her and motioned with his finger to give it to him.

From the murky blackness, shadows of men formed and took shape around us. Alicia pulled from her cleavage the silver amulet that dangled like a fat spider from its thin silk thread. David snatched it and put it in his pocket.

"Alicia you're so naïve. Shame though, you could had stayed with me if you were just a little smarter." David tightened his grip on me. "Get these two worthless pieces of garbage off my ship."

David practically drug me to his chambers and threw me to the ground. His dark coat swirled around him like fog as he bent down and slapped me across the face. I stayed hunched on the floor as angered began to boil inside of me. Outside I could hear the crew yell and scream at one another between the sounds of clashing metal and sparks that burned the air.

"Let them go, you have me." My voice pleaded.

"Aw, care about them, do you? That's nice, but not worth it." I knew I wasn't going to get anywhere with him.

"What do you want from me?" I grunted out. "I read the message for you, now let me go." Hopefully, he would see me as useless and let me go.

"Do I have to want anything from you to keep you around? Maybe I have a use for you and maybe I don't. It doesn't matter what you want." David then grabbed my hair and jerked me to my feet by it.

Fear and hatred intermixed through me like kerosene and a lit match. I could feel myself tremble. I was scared for Gabe, Ian and Alicia, they risked their lives and I was alone now, with David. But something different rose in me. From the fear, something blossomed like a spring flower bursting through the snow dusted ground. I had to stop David; he wasn't going to intimidate me anymore.

"You don't know how to work the amulet, that's why you need me." I glared at him.

He walked around me in evaluating circles; his footsteps were heavy on the wood floor. "You're smarter than those Blackbirds, who are nothing but a scab to the Alliance. Alicia, I thought was smart, but I can be wrong about some things. Girls I never understood and don't really care to." He shrugged his shoulders. "I found out you were a Receptor. Alicia shared that tidbit with me and a perfect addition for my plans that I have for Atlantis. You see, this world can be so much more, but the Alliance is stuck in their ways." He continued like he was a leader trying to rally a group of potential followers. "With all of those magical implements at their disposal, they let them sit...in storage collecting dust. Implements of magic should be used not kept from the light of day. " His face was in mine and his eyes glistened like a spoiled child waiting to open Christmas presents. "Either willing or not, you will help me like any other implement."

He backed up and thrust the amulet into my palm. "Now, read the message again."

I looked at the pendant that sparkled in the dim light. It vibrated with life trying to reach out to me eagerly like a child wanting to go outside after being inside all day because it had rained. I pushed it away with all my might and hoped David didn't know what I was doing.

"That was it, there are no more messages." I turned facing David who leaned against the door with arms crossed as I stood in front of his map laden table.

Briskly, he stepped forward and shoved me back with his strong hands. The table teetered spilling its contents of maps, pencils and navigating equipment all around me to the floor. The sound of battle echoed around us and all I could think about was the Blackbirds.

David casually walked around me, I fumbled with my hands and tried to get up as a piercing pain filled my arm. The stiches that Zach had tenderly sewn had split open, and blood ran down my arm to the floor. I moved my other hand to push myself up when something sharp pricked it. I looked down to see a thin silver implement that I thought looked like a compass, or the tool used to measure distances on maps. I didn't care really what it was; it had a long pointed end and looked like a good weapon.

Discretely I grabbed it, tightened my grip around it, and looked up at David.

"Ready to cooperate?" His voice teased followed by a triumphant smile.

I held the weapon tight. "Yes," I whispered.

He pulled me up and I plunged the thin spike into his belly and then pulled it out again, hanging on to it tightly. I had done it before when Gabe and I were attacked by two Alfheim, and this time my mind could keep up with my actions. I felt like an animal running strictly on instinct, forgetting any morals that I ever had. I hated David, and he had to be stopped.

David clenched his belly and then looked at me with surprise.

"You're going to pay for that." He warned as he stepped towards me.

I stepped back as sparks flew by the window behind him, framing his half crumpled body in front of me. I waited until he was close enough to me, and then I stuck him with it in the eye. He yelled and fell to the floor, cursing and crying my name as I turned the knob and into a vicious battle. All I could think of was Gabe.

I yelled his name along with Alicia's and Ian's. The bodies around me seemed to blur together as the noise of the fight muffled into the distance. I looked at my arm; it dripped blood to the deck and mixed with the many pools of blood staining the porous wood.

It was like a dream. Men with part blue- green scaled skin fought with the dark, grungy men of the crew. More and more of them seemed to appear over the side of the ship like ants to a picnic. Suddenly, someone grabbed me and jerked me close to them. I tried to take a swing when he caught my hand.

"Stay close to me," Ian said holding me close as we went over the side of the ship and into the cool black water. I didn't even have time to scream.
Chapter Twelve

Water ran into my mouth and nose as I struggled to reach the surface. Ian held me tight and in the murkiness of the depthless water, a thin ring of light appeared, encircling us. Suddenly, it shifted and twirled with different shapes intertwined with one another. Faded scribble-like writing slowly moved in front of us in contrast to the thin ribbon of light that suddenly flashed into an explosion. With Ian still holding me close, I felt cool air on my face; we had broken the surface of the water. Gasping for air, I tried to look around and find Gabe, but nothing surrounded us. Everything was in an eerie calm and a thin sliver of orange burned in the horizon, marking between sea and sky.

My first thought was that the ship had sunk along with Alicia and Gabe. My heart sank and I closed my eyes wishing it all a dream when two strong hands pulled me by my shoulders.

"She's bleeding, there will be sharks coming if we don't move quickly," Ian said. I couldn't see him, but his voice came in front of me.

I lay in what I thought was a boat as I could see its wooden sides and see the bluing sky over me. The boat rocked forward as Ian looked at me, his hair like melting black icicles. His face had bruises that seemed to form right before my eyes. I wanted to say something to him, but my voice was gone. Ian looked me in the eye and smiled slightly as he gently held my bloodied arm and took a piece of cloth offered by another hand behind me.

I wondered if it was Gabe and then a face appeared over me. His hair was as black as Ian's, but his eyes were emerald green that sparkled like uncut gems. He smiled in an amused way that for some reason irritated me, like he was laughing at my injuries. I tried to move, but only let a grunt out instead.

"Don't move. You'll hurt yourself." His voice had a charm to it like the sweet sound of wind chimes in the dead quiet summer air. "Oh, and by the way, welcome your highness to Eutopia."

About the Author

M.M. Gavillet lives in west central Illinois with her husband, two children, one dog, three cats, several ducks and two demanding guinea pigs where she drinks more tea than any sane person should and likes to play in the dirt planting flowers. She has been spinning stories since she was little, but only recently discovered her passion for writing.

You can see what M.M. Gavillet is up to on Goodreads!

The adventure continues with Band of Blackbirds

Released spring 2013
