by B. C. Harris
“Not exactly,” I say, “but we’ve got to get Drew first. He’s alone in a jail cell. I can use my emerald to reach him.”
There’s no response to what I said. It’s almost like the others are reluctant to save Drew, even Jasmin which surprises me.
Gazing into my emerald, I say, “Sandarium, Drew.”
I rub my eyes.
I’m in a jail cell with Drew.
Unexpectedly, Jamie is with us. He must have been touching me when I said Sandarium.
There are three police officers standing outside Drew’s cell. One of them spots Jamie and me.
Suddenly the officers are pointing at me and shouting. Another officer starts to open the door of the prison cell.
We’ve got to get going.
“Drew,” I say, tugging his arm, “we’ve got to get out of here.
Drew seems to be lost in another world. He doesn’t respond.
“Jamie, grab Drew and me.”
The cell door is opening.
The second I know that I’m in contact with both Drew and Jamie, I say, “Sandarium, Michael.”
No sooner than we reach the others, then Michael says, “Let’s split up again.”
“What’s happening?” I say.
“I think we might have some more enemies,” Michael says. “There are several people who keep staring at us.”
Jasmin puts her mask back on.
Jamie, Jasmin and I go in one direction, while Michael leads Drew, who is looking confused, another way.
- 11 -
THE STALKER
Almost an hour passes before we meet at a gelato shop, a short walk away from Saint Marco square. After ordering some gelato, we pause to enjoy our snacks.
During our walk, Jamie and Michael were in constant contact through their spy-bands.
Although there were times when we thought we were being followed, in the end we decided that we were all being paranoid. It certainly didn’t help that everywhere we went, there were people wearing a variety of masks, some of them more horrific than others. Without being able to see the faces behind the masks it was easy to keep thinking that the police had informants that were constantly following us.
On the other hand, our masks protected our identities. Drew has a new mask. It’s blue and gold with the face of a woman on it.
At the present time, we have all tilted our masks to the top of our heads so that we can enjoy the gelato.
“Look!” Michael says, breaking the silence.
As I turn my head in the direction that he’s looking, I see a convoy of five black vehicles turn onto a street a short distance away. They stop outside a faded building that has no distinguishing features to set it out as being any different than the other buildings around it.
“Looks like someone important is about to be moved,” Jamie says.
“Come on,” says Michael as he starts to walk towards the line of black vehicles, their windows tinted in a manner that says “stay away”.
“No,” I immediately respond. “We can’t bring attention to ourselves.”
Michael stops.
I gaze into my emerald.
“Akem, the Stalker.”
A picture of the evil woman unfolds. She’s no longer tied to a chair. She’s standing with several armed guards around her.
“I’d be willing to bet she’s being taken to one of those vehicles,” Jamie says.
I agree with him.
Michael steps back towards us as he digs into his backpack.
Within seconds, he launches a nano-drone the size of a fly.
I look back at my emerald. The Stalker is being taken through a tunnel. She must be in the basement of a jail or a building used to interrogate criminals.
One of the guards places a dark canvas bag over her head.
“Look!” Jasmin whispers.
Five serious looking men are approaching the black vehicles. The Stalker, with a bag over her head, is being escorted inside the phalanx of guards.
“It’s the Stalker,” Jasmin whispers loudly.
I glance at Drew.
I imagine him racing across the street to highjack a car to use in following the official looking black SUVs.
As quickly as the Stalker appeared, she’s gone, shoved in the back of a SUV. The SUVs begin to depart.
I believe that the Stalker was pushed into the third vehicle, but unexpectedly the vehicles change order as they pull away, making it difficult to be absolutely certain where she is.
I look again at the image in my emerald.
The Stalker is in the back seat of one of the SUVs. There is at least one other person in the back of the vehicle with her.
I look up.
Four of the SUVs have already vanished around the corner. One is remaining.
“Grab hands,” I order.
Once we are all touching, I say, “Sandarium, the back seat of the black vehicle.”
Instantly we’re squashed in the back of one of the SUVs. Fortunately, there’s no one else in the back of the vehicle. A darkened glass panel separates us from the driver. I wonder how long it will take for the driver to notice us.
I can’t believe what I just did. If we are discovered in the back of the SUV, we’d all be in serious trouble, and no has to tell me that we might find ourselves with guns pointed at our heads before I could use the emerald to save us.
Several sharp turns and we’re racing through the streets of Venice. Drew and Jasmin are hugging the floor of the vehicle while Jamie, Michael and I are twisted together flat on the back seat trying to stay out of sight.
Michael is looking intently at his spy-pad.
“I’ve got the fly in the same SUV as the Stalker. Look. Someone is removing the hood from her head.”
I manage to turn my head to get a look at Michael’s spy-pad.
I can’t believe what I am seeing.
The stalker is smiling.
Suddenly the guard who is inside the back of the SUV with the woman, takes a key and unlocks a chain that is fastening the woman’s hands and legs to the floor of the SUV.
“What’s he doing?” I ask.
“If I didn’t know better,” Jamie says, “I would say that he’s going to help her escape.”
Michael adjusts the volume on his spy-pad.
The conversation we are are now hearing is in English.
“In a few minutes,” the guard says to the Stalker, we will be attacked. Remain calm. You have friends who are going to rescue you. The other drivers of the SUVs and the other guards are completely unprepared for what is going to happen.”
The guard takes a cell phone from his pocket and says something in Italian.
“Are you ready?” he says to the Stalker who replies, “How do they know which vehicle I’m in?”
The guard smiles. His crooked yellow teeth are noticeable. “My cell phone is sending a signal. Your friends will know exactly which SUV we’re in. The other SUVs will all be destroyed by short-range rockets.”
“Rockets?” Jasmin says. “We’re going to be blown up by a rocket.”
“Emily,” Michael says, “I can use the nano-drone to spray a sleeping gas to temporarily paralyze the guard. As soon as I do this, you’ve got to use your emerald to take us to their SUV. Once we’re there, you’ve got to use the emerald to take the Stalker and us somewhere else.”
“What about the other SUVs?” I say. “Isn’t there something we can do to save the other guards and drivers?”
An awkward silence greets my question.
The guard says, “Ten seconds.”
“Do it!” I say to Michael.
Michael touches the screen on his spy-pad.
The guard goes limp.
Suddenly there’s a thumping sound of a helicopter outside.
“Touch me!” I shout.
A tremendous explosion shakes all of us.
The SUV in front of us explodes into a ball of fire.
“Sandarium, the Stalker!” I scream.
&
nbsp; We tumble into the back seat of another SUV.
“So we meet again,” an evil voice snarls. “You’re the girl with the emerald.”
Another SUV explodes.
Our vehicle turns abruptly throwing me into the Stalker. As I twist away, I notice Michael sliding his finger across his spy-pad.
A puff of white powder sprays the stalker in the face.
“Grab hands,” I say to my friends.
I touch the Stalker who is now unconscious.
“Sandarium, Capurni.”
- 12 -
ANOTHER MISSION
For the past hour, I have been telling
Capurni everything that has happened since the last time we met. My friends are enjoying riding some zelans in this fabulous underwater world. As for the Stalker, she is now safely locked up for good on a planet far away from earth.
“Lately,” I say to Capurni, “I have been considering giving the emerald back to the people of Lattisan. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder, always wondering whether Santtonnice or some other villain is plotting to steal it from me. Besides, every time there’s a crime on my planet, or a new war, I feel guilty not using the emerald to help resolve the problem. I think that life would be easier for me if I no longer had the emerald.”
Capurni gazes at me thoughtfully. “The emerald can be a wonderful gift, but it can also be a curse. Before you make a decision on your future with the emerald, it would make sense to be absolutely certain that Santtonnice is dead. As well, as I have said before, I have a very important mission for you to complete first.”
I remember Capurni mentioning to me on a few occasions that he needed my help with something. I guess that now is as good time as any to hear what he has to say.
“Yes, I remember you saying something to me about another request that you had. What is it?”
Capurni settles deeper into the chair where he’s sitting. I feel the celleria gently massaging my back on the couch where I’m sitting.
“My people have always hoped that someday they would return back to Drapesia.”
“But wasn’t Drapesia destroyed by war and pollution?”
Capurni reflects on what I said.
“Yes, it is true that much of Drapesia was destroyed thousands of years ago, but it is possible that the planet has recovered by now.”
“What are you asking me to do?”
My mind is already racing ahead thinking that I might have the opportunity to visit Drapesia. Am I ready to go on another adventure?
“I would like you to take me back to Drapesia. If the planet is no longer at war, and it is safe for my people to return back to the planet where we originated from, you could use the emerald to transport us there.”
“Transport you there? There must be hundreds of thousands of people living in Lattisan. How could I possibly transport all these people to Drapesia?”
Capurni touches one of his slender paws to his face that reminds me of a puppy.
“Whether you transport one person or a thousand, it is all the same to the emerald. You have the power to move every person in Lattisan back to Drapesia.”
“Why don’t I give you the emerald and you can travel to Drapesia on your own?”
Capurni laughs. “If only it was that easy.”
“It isn’t?”
“For now, the emerald has chosen you. Although I would gladly accept the emerald back into my world, there is no telling how long it would take before the emerald chooses another Keeper. Once this mission is over we can talk again about the emerald.”
I think about what Capurni has said to me. It doesn’t seem like it would be too dangerous to take him to Drapesia. He can determine whether the planet is safe. If it is, I can use the emerald to take the inhabitants of Lattisan to Drapesia. If it isn’t safe, that will be the end of the mission.
“Yes, I’ll help you,” I say. “I’m sure it will be fascinating to visit another planet.”
Capurni rises from his chair and hugs me.
“Thank you very much. My people will always be grateful to you.”
I’m going to Drapesia.
Could this possibly be the greatest adventure of all?
- 13 -
A NORMAL LIFE
During the past few days, my mind has been everywhere other than school. I can’t stop thinking about Capurni’s request for me to take him to Drapesia.
A long time ago, twelve people fled from Drapesia because war and pollution were destroying their planet. These twelve people, including Kienda who was their leader, settled on the planet Tamor. The twelve people represented the seven tribes or major civilizations that existed on Drapesia. Now the descendants from these twelve ancestors want to return back to Drapesia.
I consider Capurni my friend, but since returning back to earth from Lattisan, something inside keeps gnawing away at me. Capurni rejected my request to give him the emerald. Surely there is someone in his world who could become the Keeper of the Emerald and then take the people from Lattisan back to Drapesia. I can’t help but wonder if there is some reason why Capurni needs me instead of someone else to lead this mission. Is there a surprise that he has anticipated waiting for me?
While Capurni is hoping that Drapesia might now be a paradise, I’m not so sure about that. If the planet was once completely immersed in a huge war, I can’t imagine that somewhere along the way it turned into a paradise. I think it’s more likely to be like The Hunger Games or Divergent, two of the dystopian novels we studied last year at school. But this isn’t going to be a school novel study; this is going to be real life. Am I going to find myself in a desolate world where factions, or tribes, or some other social divisions of people have been created? Am I going to discover a world that is ripe for another war?
I told Capurni that I would return to see him this weekend. That is only two days away. With each passing minute bringing me closer to the weekend, I find myself becoming more anxious.
Last night, I spoke to my father about Capurni’s request. While he shared my fears about what I might find on Drapesia, he also said that visiting Drapesia might help me to decide on the future of my emerald. He is aware that I have concerns about continuing to be the Keeper of the Emerald. It’s far too much responsibility. Its presence has the constant potential to bring harm to me, my family, and my friends.
My father said that maybe the emerald belongs in Drapesia, seeing that that was where it was originally discovered.
At times like this, I wish I was a normal fifteen year-old girl who was more concerned about what I was going to wear to school tomorrow instead of finding myself in major conflicts where the lives of thousands of people could be affected by my decisions.
Even my S O S friends seem to have returned back to their normal lives. Jasmin and Drew are a couple again, whatever that means. This morning, Jasmin told me that she and Drew are in love. She said that he is behaving normal again. Behaving normal? Who is she kidding? I can see a faraway look in Drew’s eyes. Something has definitely changed about him, and this is not a positive self-improvement kind of change. It’s as though Drew has seen a ghost from his past, and he won’t rest until he has put a bullet between the eyes of the apparition.
As for Michael, he’s always eager to go on another mission. Being a spy is in Michael’s blood. Whatever it is that his parents really do, Michael has inherited their genes. Sometimes I feel like he’s already working for the CIA. Is that possible? Could a teenager be a spy?
And Jamie. His presence is an unending source of support for me. Without any doubt, he’s my best friend. He’s the person I talk to about my inner thoughts. Sometimes I wonder if I need to be there more for him.
Although I have suspected for a long time that Jamie likes me more than just as a friend, I can’t make up my mind how I really feel about him. Yes, he’s definitely a true friend, but is he more than this?
- 14 -
DRAPESIA
Saturday finally arrives. Part o
f me wished it would never come while part of me couldn’t wait. I explained to my parents that I was going to be visiting Capurni. My father knew the reason for visiting him, and although I hadn’t talked to my mother about returning to Tamor, I suspected that my father had told her about me taking Capurni to the planet Drapesia.
I always dreamed that things would be different between my mother and me if my father ever came back into our lives. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. Then again, I realize that most teenagers find it difficult to talk to at least one of their parents, so it’s not as if I’m in an unusual situation.
It would be nice to be able to share what is really happening in my life with my mother. Jamie suggested my mother is worried because she realizes that Santtonnice is still on the loose and that he would like to get his hands on my emerald. Perhaps this is part of it, but I’m coming more and more to the conclusion that my mother doesn’t like to talk about anything that is controversial. I think she shut herself into a little world of her own during the past eleven years while my father was absent, and I’m not sure she will ever be able to abandon the comfort of this place.
Last night when I spoke to Jamie about my visit today to Tamor, he insisted on joining me. At first, I said no, but he eventually wore me down with his logical reasons for traveling with me.
The main thing Jamie said that made a lot of sense to me was that when I returned home after taking Capurni to Drapesia, he would be able to help me sort out what to do next. By coming to Drapesia with me, Jamie would have firsthand knowledge of what is happening on that planet. This would make it easier for me to share my thoughts with him and decide what I was going to do next.
I hear the bell ring. I know it’s Jamie.
Bounding up the stairs, I shut off the alarm system and open the door.
He greets me with a huge smile.
He looks like he would love to hug me.
I wish he would.
“Come on in.”
I notice he’s wearing a backpack.
“A few things from Michael,” he says as he notices me looking at the backpack.
I wonder how much Michael knows about what is going to happen today. I also wonder how much his parents know, or how much the CIA or Homeland Security knows. Am I being naïve to think that no one, other than my friends, is aware of my emerald?
