by Lola StVil
She lands just shy of the ledge. She holds on by her fingers—barely.
“Pry!” I shout.
Before I can go into full-on panic mode, she pulls herself up and starts to attack them. She is poetry. Her aim is without flaw. Her speed is better than I’ve ever seen it. Among the fire, blood, and impending doom, Pryor is the most at home. She quickly dismembers the group and kills its members. I gather the rest of the team and together we take out the other large groups that formed. Yet there are more coming from the lava below.
“Diana, there has to be something in that bag of yours we can use,” I shout.
“All I have are mixtures to heal, a Holder, and a vial of extra air for Randy, should he need it,” she says as she takes out the contents of her pouch and shows us.
“Key, look out!” East says.
The Zenti wraps its hand around her foot and yanks her off the ledge. Key falls down into the abyss. Randy is shouting her name; Pryor grabs the Holder from Diana. I know what she’s thinking, and it’s crazy.
“Pryor, no!” I scream.
She doesn’t listen; she dives down the side of the cliff. She’s hoping to catch up to Key and release the Holder before they hit the river so that it encapsulates them both and protects them from the lava. It’s damn near impossible. And once again the world seems to stop.
Can she make it to Key in time? And even if she does, will she have time to release the Holder? Shit, should I go after her? Knowing her, if we both die, she’ll be pissed I didn’t stay with the team as the second in command. I don’t care; I’m going after her.
However, I don’t move because I know the truth. There is nothing we can do to save them. Their only hope is Pryor and how quickly she can launch the Holder. The two of them are about to reach the surface of the river. They are a few inches away from touching down when the Holder appears and covers them. A fraction of a second after the Holder is formed, they hit the river.
“YES!” Randy says, practically dancing.
“Oh no!” Diana says.
“What is it?” Randy says.
“It’s not gonna hold,” Bex says as she signals for us to look at the Holder.
He’s right. The heat is too intense for the makeshift prison. The Holder is beginning to crack.
“No, it can’t end like this. Not for them,” East begs.
“I’m going down,” I reply, ready to jump.
“No, your weight will only make the Holder break faster,” Bex says.
“Well, I can’t stand here and do nothing,” I snap.
“For once, can you just be cool and calm?” Bex demands.
“That’s it! Stay cool,” Randy says.
Randy doesn’t bother to explain. He orders Diana to take out the vial of air she has with her. He holds it up and examines it.
“If we can boost the power of the vial, maybe it can let out enough air in here to cool down the Zenti. Bex, use a short burst of energy and aim it at the vial. Don’t give it everything you got. We just need a little burst of energy,” Randy says.
“Are you sure?” Bex asks the human.
“I’ve seen Powerballs increase the energy of matter, but I don’t know if it will work here,” Diana says.
“It will! Just trust me,” Randy says.
“We don’t have a choice. The Holder is coming apart. They’re running out of time,” East says.
Randy holds out the vial, and Bex generates a small burst of energy about the size of a marble. The air is released from the vial in the form of a small purple gas. It’s barely a breeze. And it doesn’t cool the temperature around us, let alone the whole cave.
“Give it more power,” Randy orders.
“If the Holder splits another few inches, they’re dead. Hurry!” East says.
Bex gives the vial a bigger boost. The Powerball in his hand is now the size of a tennis ball. The air around us picks up, but again it’s not enough to cool off the entire cave.
“The vial is weaker than I thought. You are going to have to boost it at full power,” Randy says.
“What if it’s too much power and the vial explodes?” I ask.
“Then we have no way to rescue them,” Randy replies with profound sadness.
Bex takes his Powerball to full power. The vial shatters instantly, and the purple gas forms a storm cloud above us. The air doesn’t cool down—at first. Seconds later the ledge we are standing on is ice-cold. The air spreads throughout the cave, causing a glazed ice effect on the walls.
When the purple air makes contact with the Zenti, it cools them down and slows their movement until they are ultimately motionless. It cools everything in the cave into a fossil-like state, including the river. Pryor and Key, now safe, stand on a petrified slab surrounded by Zenti statues.
When Key and Pry make it to the ledge alongside us, it’s all I can do not to pull Pryor against me and hold her. I stare back at her intensely and fight every instinct I have. I can tell by her refusal to look me in the eye that she’s fighting her instincts too. Yet I can’t be sure that she won’t push me away should I dare approach, so I force myself not to reach out to her.
Randy, on the other hand, gets to do exactly what he wants with Key—clutch her in his arms. She squeezes her eyes shut tight, as if imprinting this moment in her mind. When they pull apart, it’s clear to see they are in their own world.
“Are you all right? Were you hurt?” Randy asks.
“I’m okay, I swear,” she says.
“For a second there, I thought you were…” The pain in Randy’s voice makes it hard for him to continue.
“Well, I was saved once again; it’s becoming a habit with you,” she teases.
“I can’t help it.”
“When this is over and Swoop is safe and sound, I’ll show you just how grateful I am,” she says with a suggestive smile.
“Really?” Randy says in shock.
“You better take your vitamins, human,” Key warns with a shy grin.
“Oh, me? I’m fine, thanks for asking, Randy!” Pryor shouts, clearly joking. We all laugh at her.
“I’m sorry, who are you again?” Randy asks.
“Ha-ha,” the leader replies.
“Aw, Pry, come here!” Randy says as he embraces her.
We go to enter the opening and get the flower, but a shimmering shield appears, preventing us from passing.
“Great, what now?” East asks.
“There are markings on the rocks that detail which rock to remove and in what order,” Bex says.
“I don’t see any markings,” I reply.
“It’s written so that only a Kon can see it,” Bex says.
“Please hurry,” Key begs.
“I just need a few minutes to remove the rocks in the right order; then we can go inside,” Bex says.
As we stand and wait on the Kon, I turn my attention to Diana.
“I’m sorry about Mateo.”
“It’s okay. I mean, I just met him,” she dismisses.
She tries to act casual, but I can tell by the sound of her voice she’s disappointed Mateo didn’t make it.
“You should know better than to like anyone on our missions. In fact, it should be your policy to hate any and everyone you fight alongside. That way when they die, it’s no big deal,” East says.
“That’s horrible advice,” Pryor says, nudging East.
“No, it’s practical. If you don’t care about them, when they end up dead, no worries,” East replies.
“So you think it’s better to stay away from caring about others?” Diana says.
“I think it’s better to outright hate them. Or at least find something you hate about them so when they die, you focus on just how much they got on your nerves.”
“So if something happened to us, you wouldn’t care? You wouldn’t mourn us?” Pryor asks.
“Nope, I would just focus on the bad part about you.”
“Like what?” Pry asks.
“You talk during movie
s, you hog the bathroom, and you ruin major literary works for those of us who are slow readers.”
“Oh, for the love of Omnis! The series had been out forever! How was I supposed to know that you didn’t know that Dumbledore dies?”
“Dumbledore dies?” Diana asks.
“Pryor strikes again,” East says, shaking his head.
“It’s not my fault you guys read slow.”
“See what I mean?” East says.
“So if I’m gone, you wouldn’t miss me?” Pry demands.
“The way you bite your nails, nope. Not at all.”
“He’s right; I could live without that,” Diana replies.
“So my death would mean nothing?” she pushes.
“Not a damn thing,” East says, clearly teasing as he pulls Pryor closer to him.
“Seriously, is that why you haven’t been with anyone? You don’t want to lose them?” Randy asks.
“Well, let’s see, the last girl I was with I was forced to electrocute, so…”
“East, that doesn’t mean you can’t try again,” Key says.
“Yeah, it kind of does. And anyway, there’s way too many love triangles in this story,” East jokes.
“Okay, we should be clear to go ahead now,” Bex tells us.
We enter the opening and find a small patch of flowers spread through the dirt. All of the flowers look the same. They have black petals with red tips. In the center of the Midnight Flower is a tight grouping of red petals that remind me of puckered lips.
“Randy, hold the Inka crystal up to the flower. It should tell us what the root wants in exchange for the flower,” Pryor says. Randy takes out the Inka and holds it out before him.
Object: Midnight Kiss Flower
Summary: A powerful flower that can destroy inner evil and allow the host to return to their natural goodness.
The root has many different requests, depending on the season. The current season as of today is “Terror.” The root demands the most terrifying experience from the being who wishes to take the flower. The seeker of the flower will drop his or her blood inside the flower, at which point a memory will play out on the surface of the blood. The root will use the terror embedded in that memory as fuel and make more flowers.
If more than one being seeks the flower, they must all add their blood and allow the root to choose whose memory it seeks the most. A symbol will appear that has meaning to one being in the group. That being will then place their hand in the middle of the flower. The root will start to extract the memory.
“Okay, I’m ready,” the twin says.
Diana pricks Key’s index finger with a sharp needle and places Key’s hand over the flower. We watch as drops of blood drip down onto the petal. We wait for several minutes and nothing happens.
“What now?” Pryor asks.
“It doesn’t want anything from Key. I think someone else should try,” Diana says.
So we all pierce ourselves and drop our blood on top of the flower. It takes a while, but eventually blood overflows onto the side and forms a symbol on the dirt.
“What is that?” Key asks.
“It’s a line that circles around itself,” Pryor says.
“Actually, it kind of looks like the outline of a cinnamon roll,” Randy adds.
“Okay, so which one of us here is terrorized by pastries?” East asks.
“It’s the symbol that was carved into the door handle of my room,” I reply thickly.
“I don’t remember that pattern anywhere in your dad’s house,” Pryor says.
“It’s not. It’s a room at the Center, the White Room.”
Chapter Twenty-Two:
Your Love
“No!” Pryor says, shaking her head with certainty.
“It’s the only way we get the flower,” Key reminds her.
“Key, I know you want to save your sister, we all do, but there has to be another way.”
“Pry, if there was another way, we would have found it by now. The fact is, we need Silver to recall his memory of the White Room, or Swoop is as good as dead,” East says.
“You don’t know what that place is like. You don’t know what you’re asking of him,” Diana pleads.
“Is there any way the root could be referring to something other than the White Room?” Bex asks Diana.
“No, the root knows what it wants,” Diana says.
“Well, it’s not happening!” Pryor vows.
“I don’t see how we have a choice,” East counters.
“Swoop is counting on us,” Randy says.
“You don’t get it. I still have nightmares about that place. You can’t ask Silver to flood his mind with that kind of darkness,” Pry reasons.
“The First Noru is right. And it wouldn’t just play out Silver’s experience, it would feel like it’s really happening to him. That’s how this root feeds. It’s not fair for us to ask him to go back inside that moment.”
“Diana, I can’t lose my sister,” Key begs.
“I get how important family is. But that doesn’t mean we have to torture one being to save the next,” Diana replies.
“Who knows, there may be another way,” Pry says.
“Oh, c’mon, you guys know that’s not how this works. We said we would do whatever it takes to get Swoop back, and this is what it takes.”
“No,” Diana says.
“It’s just a memory,” Key implores.
“So was the night you were raped, Key. That doesn’t make it any less painful to recall. If that’s what the root asked for, would you be so willing to go there again?” Diana asks.
“Yes! I would do anything if it means I get my baby sister back. She’s not just my twin, she happens to be a mom, a mom who doesn’t even remember having a child. Please, we have to save her.”
Everyone on the team begins to argue, but I remain silent. The thought of watching my past play out in blood in front of everyone fills me with dread. I find it hard to remain standing. Everyone’s face starts to swirl around me. My hand gets cold and the space around me starts to shrink.
“Everyone, just stop. Since Silver is the one who has to dive into the memories, I think he should get to decide if he wants to or not,” Bex says.
They all turn to me and await my response. I look over at Key; she is on the brink of losing it. Pryor, on the other hand, looks adamant about keeping me away from anything having to do with the Center.
“Show me what to do and I will do it,” I reply.
“No! Silver, you can’t go back there,” Pryor warns.
“We all knew that the root would have some messed-up demand. But we came here anyway because this is for Bird. I love her. You all love her. And if going back to the Center can save her, then that’s where I’m going.”
“Silver, please. Think about this. Think about what it could do to you,” Diana says.
“Diana, it’s only a memory. It’s no big deal.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Pryor asks.
“I don’t want to, but I will. I have to,” I reply.
Pryor takes me aside and whispers to me. “I know what they did to me. The horrors are still with me. I was only there for a matter of days. You spent a year there. I can’t picture the sort of darkness you were exposed to.”
“Well, don’t worry, thanks to the root, you will get a front-row seat,” I tease.
“Stop it, Silver! Stop making this a joke. The Center nearly killed you. I can’t let you go back!” she says.
“Hey, I’m okay. I’m going to be right here with the rest of you. I just need to have this play out. And as soon as it’s done, we get the flower, save Swoop, and the Center will go back to where it belongs: in the past.”
“You really think you can do this without damaging yourself?”
“Yeah, I do,” I lie.
“Silver, this could put you in a very dark place. A place you can’t get out of. I mean, I barely made it out myself,” she reminds me.
“
We can’t lose Swoop. You and I both know that. So I’m going in, but only if you agree,” I reply.
She is conflicted to say the least. She looks over at Key, who is again on the verge of tears. She then looks back at me and reluctantly gives me the go-ahead.
When I come back to the team and tell them I’m ready, Diana shakes her head disapprovingly.
“No, I’m not going to show you how to put yourself back into the worst experience you ever had.” I take her hand in mine and promise her that I will be okay.
So, against her better judgment, she takes my hand and places it on the center of the Midnight Kiss flower. It opens up and begins to drain me of energy and blood. The blood flows down to the root and displays the pictures taking place in my head. Suddenly, the team and the cave start to feel very far away. And while my body is still with them, my mind is somewhere else…
I’m walking down a stark, all-white hallway with multiple doors. I hear Pryor’s voice calling out for me. I desperately bang on the doors one after the other, but they don’t open. I get to the last door, the one with the carving on it. It’s a line that keeps circling around itself. I’m prepared to knock it down, but there is no need, the last door opens easily.
I quickly enter and find Pryor strapped to a glass bed, covered in blood. Someone pulled out her right eye, leaving blood-filled mush in its place. Her lips are swollen and there are holes in her face; something has been digging inside it.
There’s a gaping wound in the center of her chest. I can see right down to her breastbone. The blood gushes out of her and spreads out across the glass bed and onto the white floor. Pieces of her left thigh have been chewed off and what little remains is no more than a sickly mound of gray flesh. Her knees, ankles, and feet have been dug into like the rest of her. Blood drips from the tips of the few toes that remain on her feet.
However, none of the horror I see can affect me like the sound of her voice. She sounds like a kitten doused in gasoline and then set on fire. The shock of seeing her almost paralyzes me. But thankfully I pull out of it quickly and run over to her.
“Pry, baby, it’s okay. I’m gonna get you out of here,” I vow as I pull at the chrome handcuff restraints around her wrists.
