Shattered Dimensions

by Nicole Coverdale

  “Without Elijah knowing?”

  The seer grinned, winking at her. “He never has to know.”

  “So you’re telling me that I have four sisters?” Jasmine asked, as they hurried across the parking lot. “And we’re all witches? With magical powers, destined to fight evil? How on earth did I forget all of that?”

  “We told you, it’s because of the paradox,” Jami said, sighing. “Haven’t you been listening to us? Your sister married a demon, Jasmine! A demon! When she did, the bond between you and your sisters was broken, shattering the dimensions, and erasing your memories.”

  “I know. I know. I’m just trying to wrap my head around it,” Jasmine said, rubbing the side of her head, and wincing. “I think it’s giving me a headache.”

  “Oh, stop whining,” Josi said, rolling her eyes as she glanced at her watch. “Come on, we have to get moving. It’s almost midnight. If we don’t, Sky said…”

  “Yes, I know. That the real monsters come out to play,” Jasmine said, interrupting her. “The demons. I honestly don’t know why you’re so scared of them. They’re really not that bad, plus, they’re my family!”

  “That’s the evil inside of you talking, Jasmine. The side of you, that came out, when Julie married Elijah. You have to fight it. You are not evil! You’re one of the chosen ones!”

  Thunk!

  A loud crash sounded behind them, and they all jumped, spinning around.

  “What was that?” Jami asked, staring behind them into the darkness of the night.

  “A monster no doubt,” Josi said, lifting the dagger from where she’d hidden it in the small of her back. “Come out and face us, you creep!”

  “Josi! Don’t goad it!” Jasmine cried. “Who knows…”

  “Eek!”

  The loud screech sounded, and they all raised their heads. Watching as a winged creature flew over they’re heads, and underneath them, the ground suddenly shook.

  “Something’s coming!” Josi cried.

  “Not just something! Something big!” Jami shouted, as they fell back against the car. They’re eyes widening, as a large shadow loomed over them, as a large beast rounded the corner. It’s gray skin gleaming underneath the moonlight as he grinned at them, his two large teeth rising from the inside of his mouth. “Witches.”

  “Wh-what is that?” Jasmine asked, staring at the beast with wide eyes.

  “I think… it’s an ogre!”

  “An ogre? How could you possibly know that?” Jasmine asked, staring at Josi in disbelief.

  Well look at him!” Josi cried. “Do you know any other monsters that look like that?” she asked, gesturing to the beast. “And look! He has a bat!”

  “And he’s coming this way!” Jami added, wincing as the ground rumbled underneath them, as the ogre walked toward them. “What does he want?”

  “Do you think Elijah sent him?” Jami asked, glancing at Josi.

  “I wouldn’t put it past him.”

  “How about we not wait and find out?” Jasmine asked, waving her hand.

  “Ahh… Jasmine, what are you doing?”

  “Trying to move him, what does it look like? But he’s not budging!”

  “That’s because he’s too big!” Josi cried.

  “Then what do we do?”

  “Run!”

  They all jumped to their feet, ducking, as the Ogre swung his bat. The bat struck forward, smashing against the car.

  “Whew! That was close!” Jami cried, as they raced down the sidewalk. She glanced over her shoulder, watching, as the Ogre raced after them. “He’s following us!”

  “Really? Is that why the ground is still shaking underneath us?” Josi asked, sarcastically.

  “Josi, I cannot deal with your sarcasm right now!” Jami cried, as they rounded the corner. “Eek!”

  She jumped, as a large, winged creature swooped downward. “What the hell is that!”

  “I think, it’s a large bat!” Jasmine cried, flicking her fingers. The creature, screeched, falling against the brick wall with a thunk.

  “No! Not a bat!” Jami cried. “It’s a vampire!”

  “What? Where did it come from?”

  “The paradox, remember?” Josi asked, glaring at Jasmine. “We’re in the demon’s world now, remember?”

  “But how are we going to get out of here?” Jami asked, fear filling her, as she glanced over her shoulder at the Ogre racing toward them. Glancing in front of her at another group of Ogres racing toward them, and the vampires flying over their heads. “We’re trapped!”

  “We have to fight!” Josi cried, gripping the dagger in her hand.

  “We can’t fight all of them!” Jasmine cried. “They’ll kill us! We’ll never reunite with my sisters!”

  “Plus they’re too big to fight!” Jami added. “It wouldn’t be a fair fight!”

  “Well, well, well, look at what we have here,” the Ogre behind them growled, grinning, as he stared down at them. “Looks like we have three, little, lost witches. You know what witches are good for, guys?” He asked, looking to the group of Ogres on the other side of the alley.

  “Dinner!” The ogres shouted, grinning. “Looks like it’s dinner time!”

  “I can’t believe I forgot about all of this!” Jade cried, as she walked into the house. She lifted the picture from the table, gazing at the smiling faces. “How could I ever forget about them? They’re my family!”

  “It’s not your fault, Jade. It’s Elijah’s, and that damned vampire queen’s.”

  “I know. But it doesn’t make me feel any better,” Jade said, sighing, as she set the picture back down. “You should never forget about your family. So, where is everyone?”

  “Josi and Jami went to find Jasmine,” Jessi said, taking a seat on the couch and leaning back. She closed her eyes. Boy, was she tired! Restoring Sky and Jade’s memories was definitely taking a toll on her!

  “I don’t envy them,” Jade muttered under her breath, grinning. “She’s a bit of a firecracker.”

  “Like you were any easier,” Jessi said, creaking open an eye, and sending a glare Jade’s way. “Considering you just about electrocuted us!”

  “Point taken. None of us Morgans are easy.”

  “But we still don’t know where Josslyn and Jorja are,” Sky cut in. “They could be anywhere!”

  “We’ll find them,” Jade said, glancing over at him. “Have some faith, Sky.”

  “Oh I have faith. I just don’t have a lot of patience.”

  “Believe me. I know,” Jade said, laughing. “And Julie? Where is she?”

  “Still in the underworld,” Jessi whispered. “Elijah came here, looking for our help earlier…” She frowned. “Today. Yesterday. I’m losing track of time!”

  “Yesterday,” Sky said, laughing. “It’s after midnight.”

  “Thank God it’s the weekend,” Jessi said, sighing. “Who in their right mind starts school on a Friday anyways? That makes no sense!”

  “Elijah came looking for your help?” Jade asked, looking at one sad then the other. “Why?”

  “Because Julie was sick. She was dying.”

  “And you helped him? You helped her? After what they both did to us?”

  “I couldn’t very well say no, Jade!” Sky cried. “She’s your sister, your family, and a chosen one. If she died…”

  “The chosen ones would be no more. I know, Sky, and I’m glad you helped her. Because as soon as we get everyone back together, I want to go down there and kick her ass myself for what she’s done!” Jade shouted, slamming her fist down on the table next to her. Electricity shot from her fingers, ricocheting around the room.

  “Jade!”

  “Sorry,” Jade said, looking from Jessi to Sky, as they hid behind the couch. “I guess I have a lot of emotion bottled up inside of me right now.”

  “Maybe you should invest in a punching bag,” Jessi muttered under her breath.

  Jade laughed. “You know, that’s something Josslyn would say
! You do remind me of her, except for that brain of yours. You are really smart, Jessi. I may have only known you for like an hour, but you’re going to go far in life!”

  “Thanks. I think,” Jessi said, yawning. “Man! Am I tired!”

  “I’m not surprised, considering you are the one who stored our memories,” Sky said, staring across the room at her. “That can take a toll on someone, Jessi. But we all should really get some sleep.”

  “I don’t think I could sleep,” Jessi said. “Without knowing where my sisters are. They should be back by now.”

  “Can you find out where they are? Where they all are, Sky?” Jade asked.

  “I can try.”

  Sky took a seat on the floor, crossing his legs, and closing his eyes.

  “What’s he doing?” Jessi asked, glancing over at Jade.

  “Trying to locate everyone.”

  “He can do that?”

  “Yup. It’s one of his angelic powers,” Jade said, putting her arm around Jessi’s shoulders, and pulling her close. ‘If anyone can find them, he can.”

  “You know, it would be a lot easier to concentrate if you two quit yacking for a moment!”

  Jade and Jessi grinned, glancing at one another.

  “He’s also very testy,” Jade said.

  “Jade.”

  “What?” She turned, glancing over at Sky, the smile disappearing from her lips at the look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t sense them?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I can’t find them,” Sky said, his eyes connecting with Jessi’s. “Which means, none of them, are in this world. They’re in another dimension, just like Jade was. But they’re location is cloaked. I have no way of getting to them, and I have no way of knowing if they’re alive or dead.”

  “Thank you for coming, Elijah.”

  “Did I have a choice?” Elijah asked, as he stepped forward, glancing at the men dressed in cloaks surrounding him. “It’s not like I can ignore you. You are, after all, the ones who put me in this position in the first place.”

  “And you shouldn’t ignore us,” one of the cloaks said, tapping his staff on the ground. The ground glowing a bright, red color, as the ground shook. “Not when we can take away, exactly what we gave you.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “No. We’re just looking for you to fulfill the agreement you signed, when we created your human side. Do you remember what that agreement was?”

  “Of course. To get rid of the chosen ones.”

  “Yet, you haven’t managed to do that. Instead, what you’ve done is marry one of the witches, and scattered the rest across time.”

  “I have a plan.”

  “And what is that?”

  “The witch. Julie. My wife. I want her to bring my child into this world.”

  “And why should we care about your child?”

  “Because he could be the most powerful force this world has ever seen.”

  “But the witches. If they continue to live, they’ll destroy us! We have a mission, Elijah. To bring forth the end of the world.”

  “Yes, I know that.”

  “And with each day that passes, we are concerned about your feelings for the witch. Your human feelings.”

  “I have no human feelings for her!”

  “Is that why you went to all those places with her? And went to the witches for help? Talia could have done us all a favor, Elijah. She could have killed her, breaking the bond of the sisters. But instead, you saved her! In turn, saving the Chosen Ones!”

  “What would you have me do?”

  “Kill the witch,” the cloaks said in unison. “And take your rightful place as the leader of the underworld, with Talia as your queen.”

  “You want me to trust her, after she betrayed me?” Elijah asked, staring at them. “I will never trust her again! And I will not have just anyone as my queen. No, I will have Julie, as my queen!” he shouted, flinging his hand out. Flames erupted from his fingers, zinging toward the cloaks, combusting them into a pile of ash.

  “No one gets to tell me what to do, and no one gets to threaten me. Not me, nor my family,” he said, staring at the emptiness around him. “Hades, if you’re listening to me. I’m putting my foot down. This is my time, and no one is going to stop me. No one!”

  “Hey! You! Let us out!” Josi screamed, pounding against the metal cage that she, Jami, and Jasmine were stuck in. Jumping back as sparks zinged from the metal. “Whoa!”

  “Josi, would you be careful!” Jami cried, grabbing her sister by the arm and pulling her back. “The cage is going to electrocute us if you don’t stop.”

  “But I want out!” Josi shouted, glaring at the ogres and vampires standing on the other side of the room. “I don’t want to be stuck in a freaking cage!”

  “As if I any of us really want to be stuck in a cage,” Jasmine said, her eyes connecting with one of the ogres. “Why are you doing this? I thought we were friends!”

  “Friends?” the ogre laughed, the noise belting from his throat, shaking the area around them. “I could never be friends with a witch! None of us could. You’re a nuisance to us all!”

  “But I killed people! For you!”

  “But not of your own accord. It’s only because of the separation of dimensions that you did even that,” one of the vampires said from the other side of the room, as he leaned back against the wall.

  “Then why am I still alive?”

  “Because Elijah doesn’t want you killed yet.”

  “Why?”

  “Because of the queen.” The door thumped loudly on the other side of the room, and they all swung their heads around as a giant walked into the room. “It seems Elijah wants you alive, just in case the queen decides she doesn’t want you help him or the underworld.”

  “Does she remember us?” Jami asked, gazing at the demons.

  “Nope. Not even a little bit.”

  “Then I’m confused,” Jasmine said, rubbing the side of her head. “If she doesn’t remember us, why would he need us alive?”

  “Because he has feelings for her,” Josi said, laughing. “Even if he doesn’t want to admit it.”

  “He loves her?”

  “I think so. It’s why we’re all still alive. Because of her.”

  “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

  “Who cares? At least we’re alive!”

  “Yeah. In a cage,” Josi muttered. “Stuck in a room full of ogres, vampires, giants, and…” she trailed off, glancing around the room. “Who else is part of your little group?”

  “None of your business, witch!”

  “Well, someone’s testy,” Jasmine said, smirking. “Will you at least answer me this? Where are we?”

  “In a different realm,” the ogre said, sighing. “Damn, you witches sure ask a lot of questions, don’t you? But welcome to Ogreville. The realm of the ogres, and where we occasionally allow vampires and giants in.”

  “So… no one knows where we are?” Jami asked.

  “Not a soul,” the ogre said. “And it’s where you will stay, until Elijah gives us the okay to kill you. Then, you’ll be our dinner!”

  He shouted the words, wind rushing from his lips, and rocking against the cage. They all cringed, as the cage shook, and then the room suddenly went dark.

  “Ahh… what’s going on?” Jami asked.

  “It’s the ogre slayer!”

  The shout sounded somewhere in the center of the room, and a grunt sounded. Nearby, a door slammed open. Running feet racing into the room.

  “I can’t see anything!” Jami cried, trying to look into the darkness. Jumping back, as a body slammed against the cage. They stumbled back. A sword slicing through the monster’s chest, and his body slumping to the ground. “Who’s out there?”

  “Jasmine? Do you think you could shine a light through the bars in the cage?” Josi asked. “Without electrocuting us?”

  “I can try,
” Jasmine said, raising her hand. A stream of white light zinged from her palm, blazing through the bars of the cage, and lighting up the center of the room just as a young, brown-haired woman swung around. She lifted the sword in her hands, slicing it through the Ogre’s chest. “Hey guys,” she said, glancing over her shoulder.

  “Jorja!” Josi and Jami’s eyes widened. “You’re here!”

  “Jorja…” Jasmine tapped a finger against her chin. “Jorja. Why does that name sound familiar?” She frowned, something at the edge of her brain feeling as if it were trying to come through. “I know you, don’t I?”

  “Well I certainly hope so,” Jorja said, grinning, as she placed the sword in the sheath in her waist. “After all, I am one of your sisters. Now stand back, would you? It’s going to get a little loud in here.”

  “Ahh!”

  The loud, shattering scream blared through the silence of the room. Jasmine, Jami, and Josi covered their ears. The cage rocked back and forth, slamming back against the wall before collapsing apart. Josi, Jami, and Jasmine falling from the cage to the hard, tiled floor below them.

  “So… you remember who we are?” Josi asked, pushing herself to her feet, and glancing over at Jorja. “How is that possible? All of our memories were wiped!”

  “I don’t know. Something weird happened that day,” Jorja said, grabbing Jami by the hand and pulling her to her feet. “The day Julie and Elijah got married. Do you remember?”

  “Do you really expect me to forget?” Jami asked. “I almost died!”

  “Yes. I know,” Jorja said. “But after you healed, there was this black cloud that flung toward us. Toward the world, and I felt a shift.”

  “I think what you felt was the division of the world,” Jami said. “Everyone was separated. Josi, Jessi and I were in Minnesota, but we had no memory of any of you. Jasmine was in this weird, alternate universe that looked just like St. Paul, and you’re here! I think it was the vampire blood.”

  “What vampire blood?”

  “The vampire blood that Talia put in the chalices at the ceremony. I think she’s the one who messed the timeline up. Not Jami’s healing. It would make sense, considering she nearly killed Julie.”