Peter Carrot-top

by Yolanda Jackson

  Chapter 16

  Serenity

  And then they all were in a place of serenity; the

  three survivors were now in the center of Baja, in the

  core, where life was said to have began. Sam and the others

  walked out of a cave and looked on to pure beauty;

  waterfalls that were the colors of the rainbow, fish jumped

  through air that was also multi-colored. Huge trees that

  flourished with silver strawberries and gold apple nuggets.

  Certain parts of the stream were crystal clear, where

  Sam quickly took a deep refreshing drink. He then scoped up

  some in his hands and passed it to his wife. Slowly Jane

  sipped, and then sipped some more. The water was so

  refreshing that Jane began to gain a little strength to

  pull herself nearer the water's edge.

  Even the grass seemed to be made of a patch of clouds;

  it was so soft to walk on, and it even floated in the air

  now and again, taking one of the survivors afloat in the

  air. For the first time, Sam saw a smile from Samantha.

  The flowers began to sing a comforting melody, and

  danced as if they were in a ballroom. Rabbits were red,

  white, green and pink, and hopped passed Sam and the

  others. The hawk continued to walk at a brisk pace; while

  Sam and the others began to gaze on the beauty that they

  had never seen before. Soon moving liquid lava in the form

  of dogs began to head toward the hawk and Sam. They both

  ducked as the dogs ran over their heads.

  "Oh, don't worry, their just water dogs," said the

  hawk to Sam and the others.

  Sam was surprise and caught off guard; there were so

  many things that he had never seen before, like the

  mountains that moved, or the huge cloud babies that played

  in the skies all day making cloud balls and throwing them

  at each other. They were so cute and adorable, with their

  pristine white diapers and their cloud-like bodies.

  Sam was even surprised by the three silver moons that

  shot off fire to light the volcanoes that were thousands of

  miles away. But what surprised Sam and the others were the

  large golden birds that stood seven feet tall, and their

  golden chicks. The huge birds laid golden eggs on a huge

  white cotton basket. The birds stood on one foot; with

  their blue eyes, they watched Sam and the others until they

  were out of sight.

  "That is amazing," said Sam as he glanced over his

  shoulder, looking back at the birds.

  Then Sam and the others came to a large black iron

  gate. Sitting at the gate was a huge monster with horns on

  both sides of his head. The monster was green and silver,

  his skin was made of fish scales, it was at least ten feet

  tall, and had to weight about three thousand pounds. It had

  huge hands and feet that were web-like. It was adorned in a

  white kilt with the Baja symbols. Covering its neck,

  ankles, and wrists were huge golden bands with secret codes

  that sparkled now and again.

  "Jasper, come lend me your ear," said the hawk to the

  huge giant.

  Jasper bent down, its face was so huge it covered the

  hawk. The hawk whispered something in the giant's ear, and

  then they were free to pass. The giant never blinked or

  turned away from his post. The huge gate opened up and

  there stood a large white castle. It would be the envy of

  many castles, with its manicured lawns and its polished

  clear see-thru windows. There were silver ponds for the

  ducks and their chicks, and flowers that replanted

  themselves in different shapes and colors. There were trees

  that moved around the grounds leaping about.

  Small mini volcanoes shot fire balls into the air for

  entertainment. There were horses that wore golden crowns

  and galloped through the massive landscape. They came in

  all shapes, sizes and colors. Also doing a welcome were the

  mystical toads that would disappear in a cloud of smoke,

  and then reappear.

  There was a drawbridge with huge carved stone statues

  that scanned everyone crossing the bridge. Once on the

  bridge, a long white and gold gondola appeared. The hawk

  told Sam and the others to climb aboard; the captain never

  said anything, just kept on looking ahead in his well

  maintained uniform and sailor cap. The captain rowed the

  gondola through the crystal clear water; it was so clear

  Sam and the others could see the bottom of the river. They

  saw things that they had never seen before; huge manta rays

  that were covered in blue fur. They jumped out of the water

  like a dolphin and splashed back.

  "Oh, you show off," said the hawk to the manta ray.

  Sam just smiled at the hawk with its sarcastic humor,

  but Sam loved that about the hawk. What he wanted to know

  was, where were they going?

  All the hawk said was, "Just wait and see."

  Sam and the others focused their attention on the

  water, how calm it was and how beautiful. Fish swam past

  them; large sharks and octopus also swam by. Sam wanted to

  reach out and touch one, but the hawk nipped at his hands.

  "Oh dear, don't do that, they're savages," said the

  hawk.

  All Sam could do was laugh. The boat approached the

  castle that Sam and the others had seen from miles away. It

  glowed with Baja symbols; it was so huge and massive that

  no one knew where the castle started and where it ended,

  except the caretaker.

  "Who is the caretaker?" asked Samantha.

  "You will meet her soon," said the hawk.

  Off they went out of the boat and onto the castle

  grounds. Then the castle began to move further away; that's

  why the castle seemed closer when Sam and the others

  entered the gate. When they finally got to it, it was

  further away than they thought. The hawk explained to Sam

  that it was a way of protection from enemies.

  "Oh! What enemies?" said Sam.

  The hawk never answered and pushed Sam and the others

  toward the massive doors. They were solid gold and

  decorated with gems and rubies. Huge statues guarded the

  door, looking on to see who entered and left. Samantha

  noticed that the statues were moving, but when she showed

  Sam, they stopped.

  "This place is very strange," said Samantha.

  "Oh! Hush, little girl, it is not strange it is

  artistically weird," said the hawk and kept on walking.

  All Samantha could do was smile at the hawk and follow

  his every command. Once inside, Sam and the others were

  greeted by five large black cats like Oscar. They looked

  identical to Oscar.

  Jane broke out of her daze and shouted, "Oscar!"

  But the cats did not respond; all they did was circle

  Sam and the others, watching their every move. Looking at

  them from head to toe, sniffing and pushing them with their

  noses; the hawk warned the others not to make any sudden

  moves. Jane kept on whispering to Sam that they looked so

  much like Oscar that they must be his family.

  Then down t
he stairs came a whistle, and a tall

  slender shadow appeared, dressed in a butler's uniform. He

  had come down to welcome his visitors. At first, the butler

  was not fully turned around, but when he made a full turn,

  Jane cried out.

  "Willard, Willard, it's me, Jane."

  For a minute, the butler paused, and then he fell to

  his knees. "Oh! Thank God you have made it," said Willard

  as he looked Jane over.

  Jane explained to Willard that she thought he was

  dead, but Willard was very much alive, and had a lot of

  explaining to do. First he invited his guests into the

  massive library. There were huge globe chandeliers and

  lighting fixtures, and books flew across the room from one

  shelf to another. Willard explained that the magical books

  liked to read each other and find out more about one

  another. There had to be more than a million books that sat

  in specially made maple bookshelves that spanned all the

  way around the huge room.

  The floor was carved out of magical stones that no one

  had ever seen before. The stones displayed the entire

  universe, and if one looked hard enough, they could see all

  the planets and the moon moving. Sometimes it would show

  the destruction of a planet; this time it showed the

  destruction of Baja right before Sam's eyes.

  "We need to hurry," said Sam, as he remembered that

  there was plenty that they needed to get done.

  To a small corner Willard pulled Jane aside and

  explained that he had been living in this castle for

  million of years. He was nothing more than a creation that

  could outlast time, but Jane shook her head, not wanting to

  believe Willard's story.

  Willard explained to Jane that he was sent by his

  creator to find a child with a gift so extraordinary she

  would help save Baja. The gift was not Jane's green thumb,

  but the little boy named Peter that she carried inside of

  her. Peter was the gift to save Baja and the worlds beyond.

  Willard went on to tell Jane that he was sent to watch over

  her until she became a grown woman.

  Willard was ordered by the elders to protect and care

  for Jane, not to let anything ever happen to her, and he

  took his job very seriously and took care of Jane even

  better than her parent could ever do. Jane just fell into

  Willard's arms, crying on his chest, sobbing and moaning

  about Oscar and her mom. Willard explained that Oscar had

  done his job, and so had her mother and he offered Jane

  another cat like Oscar, if she wanted one.

  A long time ago, Willard was the one who brought Jane

  Oscar, and he was the one who planned to give Peter the

  magical book with the genie Merseft. Jane was a little in

  shock to know that her life was planed many years ago, that

  she was the one who carried the child to save Baja. Now

  that reality was sinking in, Jane had to take a break and

  she walked over to a chair and fainted.

  Sam, right by his wife's side, shouted at Willard.

  "Why did you upset her?"

  Willard explained to Sam that Jane was just exhausted

  and needed to rest. Sam rubbed his wife's head gently as

  she fell into a deep sleep.

  "Enough of the fighting and the stroll down memory

  lane, we need to see the creator," said the hawk.

  Off Willard went to summon the creator. Shortly,

  Willard came back, and opened up the door for the creator.

  Everyone wanted to get a look at the creator; no one

  noticed that, like a ghost, she flew passed them. The

  creator had long blue hair, and her skin was pale with blue

  polka dots all over. Her teeth were so white that they

  shone; she was tall and slender, and well-maintained. Her

  cherry red lips whispered words, but no sound came out.

  She lived in a bubble that she could escape from once

  every twelve hours. Her blue eyes glanced across the room,

  and back into her bubble she went. Sam and the others

  seamed to have been in a fog; it was as if the creator had

  stopped time and then made it run again.

  When Sam and the others laid eyes on the creator, she

  was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen. The

  hawk immediately bowed down to the creator, and the others

  quickly followed. Then the hawk explained to the creator

  that they must plant the white rhino plant at the core of

  Baja, which was in the center of the castle's back yard.

  The hawk explained that Baja was dying and it was an

  emergency that the rhino plant got planted.

  The creator never said a word, just watched with her

  big blue eyes and pointed at Jane lying in the chair. The

  hawk quickly ran to Jane's side and lightly gave her a

  shaking. Jane woke up, slowly rubbing her eyes. When she

  saw what was before her, she became frightened.

  "Do not fear, I am here to protect you," said the

  creator.

  Jane looked around amazed and saw that everything was

  all right. She then stood firmly on her feet, and asked the

  creator if she could help them save the rhino plant.

  The hawk interrupted Jane's train of thought and burst

  out saying, "My Lord, we need to plant the rhino plant in

  your secret garden. If this falls into the wrong hands,

  Baja will be doomed."

  The creator just smiled and gently rubbed the hawk's

  furry face, and off she went floating in her bubble. She

  motioned to Willard to take them out to the back, and

  Willard complied.

  "Hurry, hurry," said Willard.

  Everyone ran behind Willard. When Jane went and

  checked on the rhino plant, it was almost dead, breathing

  slower and slower. The plant needed nourishment and care.

  "We must hurry," said Jane to the others.

  As everyone ran, they all felt as if it was too late;

  the plant was dying and there was no way to bring it back

  to life again. Willard led his friends out to a secret

  garden; it was enormous and breathtaking, the air was crisp

  and fresh. Waterfalls did a parade of dances; plants grew

  as tall as the eye could see, with many arrays of colors to

  choose from. Wild pink frogs jumped from pod to pod, and

  large ants carried food from one colony to another.

  It was like stepping into an ancient jungle; wild

  animals climbed from limb to limb, knocking down tree

  branches and fruits; often times missing and knocking

  someone on the head. Everyone was impressed, but what was

  more surprising was in the middle of the land stood the

  creator. She was out of her private bubble and had now

  grown into a large white tree. It shone in the middle of

  the forest; bright light came off of the tree.

  From the moment everyone saw this, they knew that she

  was the mother of nature and all things that grew. Secretly

  the creator had been hiding what was really troubling her;

  she was also dying, from the same thing as one of the seven

  wizards. The wizards had poisoned nature and because she

  was the mother of nature, she was also poisoned. She was
>
  holding on to faith that someone would come and save her.

  She took all the strength she had to try and save the

  remaining parts of Baja. The white rhino plant was a part

  of her and she was a part of it; together they would make

  an amazing recovery. Jane noticed that the creator was

  becoming weak and weary as she hung from the trees with

  vines attached to her body; she was losing strength.

  The vines took the nourishment from her and spread it

  through the lands of Baja, but it was not enough, her

  nourishment could only go so far. The white rhino plant

  needed to be planted and kept alive. The creator just

  moaned and groaned as the vines and trees of the land

  sucked out all the nourishment from her body. She finally

  fell to the earth, having no more nourishment to give the

  trees, and the vines let go of their creator.

  It was a horrible sight to see the once beautiful

  creator now nothing more than skin and bones. She needed

  help and she needed it right away. Jane quickly jumped into

  action, turning her thumbs green she placed them on the

  creator's head to give her enough energy to stand up and to

  hold on. Then out of the bag she pulled the white rhino

  plant and placed her green thumb on it. Gently she rubbed

  the plant from head to toe, but she feared the worst; the

  plant was not coming to life and Jane began to hang her

  head in disappointment.

  Sam walked over to his wife and whispered, "I love

  you."

  Jane then gave off a worried smile, but continued to

  rub the plant. Her thumb began to turn greener and greener,

  sending the color all the way up her arm; it was as if her

  skin was changing into another color. Jane began to panic

  and scratched at her skin, but it did not take the green

  away. The color continued to move up Jane's arm faster and

  faster. Suddenly her skin color came back to normal, as if

  nothing had ever happened. Jane was in a daze and stared at

  her hands; checking them over to make sure she was back to

  normal.

  There was no more time to waste; the hawk insisted

  that Jane hurry up and save the creator. Jane quickly

  crawled back over to the rhino plant on her knees, picked

  up the plant ever so gently and caressed it gently. Jane

  dug a shallow hole and placed the rhino plant in, covering

  it up with the dirt. She pulled out a little water, and

  sprinkled it over the plant.

  All they could do now was wait and see. Everyone

  looked on with nervousness and anxiety. Suddenly the ground

  began to move, and the dirt began to fall aside. Jane ran

  over to the hole and watched without blinking. Up from the

  dirt arose the white rhino plant, still weak and frail.

  Jane rubbed its petals very gently with her green thumb;

  the more Jane rubbed the plant the more it grew.

  It became stronger and stronger, bigger and bigger, it

  was twice the size of the original plant, and the hawk

  quickly ordered Sam and Willard to bring the weak creator

  toward the plant. As they brought the creator to the plant,

  things started happening; the rhino plant sent its long

  tentacle-like roots to attach itself to the creator. One by

  one, the plants roots attached to the creator, feeding her

  with nourishment and all the nutrients she needed.

  After a short while, the creator's color began to

  return; she was no longer sickly-looking. Her skin was nice

  and firm, not old and wrinkled; her hair began to grow back

  where it had fallen out, and her lips were no longer blue

  and pale but bright cherry red.

  Jane and the others cried out with excitement and joy;

  for once something had gone right. As the creator became

  stronger, she summoned the trees, flowers, and plants to

  come and feed on her, and to send nourishment through their

  roots to all living things throughout the land of Baja. The

  trees, plants, and flowers began to drink the nourishment

  from the creator. They began to feed on her like a wild

  pack of dogs on their mother's breast.

  Right before Jane and the others; the tree and plants

  began to flourish, they became bigger and stronger, their

  colors were brighter and those that were once barren began

  to grow fruit. Once the vegetation was finished feeding,

  they laced themselves deep into the earth, sending rich

  nutrients to all the plant life of Baja.

  Jane pressed her ear to the ground, and could hear the

  vegetation singing; she could feel their roots moving

  through the ground, carrying the much needed nourishments.

  Plants began to pop up and produce more trees and plants,

  giving Baja the clean air that it so badly needed. After

  feeding from their creator, the trees gathered in a circle

  and whisked the creator away. No one knew where she had

  gone, but Willard.

  "Oh! She will be back, she has gone to rest," he said.

  Jane was disappointed; she wanted to talk more with

  the creator, but never had a chance.

  "Good job; you were always my little girl," cried

  Willard as he wiped Jane's tear from her cheek.

  Willard reminded Sam and the others that they had to

  hurry. Just like the creator has been healed, so would the

  evil wizard. Now Jane and the others were in a panic; they

  had to get back to the main land of Baja. But first, they

  had to save Sam's father David from the grips of Bella and

  Marcus.

  This was not a problem; Willard had a special thing to

  get them there. He quickly moved Sam, Jane, and Samantha

  along to a secret tunnel. Once in the tunnel, Willard had

  three large rabbits, fully equipped with saddles and ropes.

  "There is no way we can get there with these," said

  Samantha.

  Willard just chuckled. "These are not your average

  rabbits."

  Willard whispered into the rabbits' ears, and their

  ears stood pointing in the air. Then he ordered the three

  to jump onto the rabbits. With no other questions to ask,

  the three said their goodbyes and jumped onto the rabbits.

  The hawk began to sob. "Oh! I will miss you all."

  The hawk wiped the tears from his eyes. With a little

  spank on the buttocks, off the rabbits went. These rabbits

  were built for flight; with their long wings they began to

  fly through the secret tunnel. Once in a while, everyone

  would look back to make sure all three of them were one

  behind the other.

  Samantha began to rub her rabbit's fur coat; it was so

  soft and beautiful, never in her life could she imagine

  something like this could exist. The flying rabbits were so

  fast that everything Jane and the others passed was just a

  blur. Faster and faster the rabbits went, flying through

  tunnels and secret places under the earth. Once in a while,

  Sam and the others would see symbols of Baja glowing

  underground or unknown species of animals that they had

  never encountered in their lifetime.

  This was a wild ride for the three; there were
so many

  emotions going on inside each one of them, but each took

  the time to enjoy what they got to see. Jane could see her

  work still being played out right before her eyes as she

  saw the roots passing nourishment to one another. It was

  like watching a mother bird feed her young.

  From that moment on, Jane knew how important her gift

  was, and began to appreciate it more. Plant life was now on

  its way back to Baja and to the ill wizard. Sam was

  expecting the worst; now his own brother and a group of

  wizards would try and take over Baja, and it was all in his

  son's hands to stop this from taking place.

  For the first time, Sam began to worry about Peter and

  hope that he was all right. This was a really big task, and

  Peter had to be ready, the faith of Baja was now in his

  hands to pass onto his son. He hoped that his son was

  mature enough to handle the pressure, but first Sam had to

  save his father and the other members that were captured by

  Bella and the remaining wizards.

  As Sam and the others flew underground, going through

  twist and turns, they noticed that they were finally coming

  to a slow mode.

  "We must be there," said Sam as the huge flying

  rabbits gently bucked Sam and the others off of their backs.

  They were instructed by the rabbits to climb the vine

  that would take them to the surface. With no questions

  asked, Sam, Jane, and Samantha began to climb the huge vine

  to the surface; it was a long way up. Sam remained at the

  bottom while Jane and Samantha took the lead. The three

  scraped and climbed there way to the top; it was a long

  climb, and everyone was tired and sweating from it.

  Once everyone made it to the top, for the first time

  their eyes gazed on the vast destruction the disease had

  caused Baja. The vegetation was wilted and wasted away; the

  trees lay lifeless in the middle of the roads, and dead

  animals left nothing more than their skeletons on the

  ground, scattered by the winds. Even giants and other large

  species of animals had been affected.

  It has been weeks since Jane and the others were on

  this side of Baja. They gazed upon the destruction, but

  they felt comfort knowing that the cure was on its way;

  coming through the veins of the roots of trees and plants

  from all over. There was no time to waste; Sam and the

  others had to find David and the remaining fighters.

  Jane and Samantha quickly informed Sam that there were

  massive rock creatures that had chased them before, and

  everyone needed to keep a lookout. Sam acknowledged what he

  had heard with a nod, and off they went into the forest to

  save David and the other fighters from Marcus and Bella.

  Not too far into the forest, Jane felt her roots

  starting to heal the lifeless trees. They were sending

  valuable nutrients and the cure of the white rhino plant to

  the sick and dying vegetation. Suddenly the trees began to

  come alive and their color burst with brightness. Trees

  that were once dead began to move and pick themselves up;

  their bark was no longer brittle, but strong.

  The trees grew bigger and stronger, digging their

  roots into the dirt to pass on the healing powers of the

  white rhino plant. Flowers began to grow right before their

  eyes, popping into the air. The forest that was once dark

  and gloomy became bright again.

  "The powers of the rhino plant are working," said

  Samantha to Jane.

  All Jane could do was smile, her hard work had paid

  off, and now Baja would be safe from all death. The only

  thing left in their way was the seven wizards, and how to

  lock them away for good. Through the forest, Jane and the

  others ran with nothing more than a sword and worn out

  shield and helmets, but they had no choice but to fight

  with what they had.

  Jane and Samantha showed Sam the way to the temple in

  the forest where they saw Bella and Marcus take David. The

  three quickly ran through the forest, trying very hard not

  to make a lot of noise or be seen. Suddenly Jane came to

  the same place were Oscar had died; nothing more was left

  but a large skull of her beloved cat. Everything had

  vanished away, taken by the wind or other animals. Jane

  knelt beside the skull and began to sob, until she was

  picked up by her husband.

  "Honey, I am sorry, but we must go," said Sam.

  Jane continued to cry and looked back at the spot

  where she'd lost one of her best friends. It was a sad

  moment; no one knew what to do or say, and that made the

  rest of the way very quiet and somber. Suddenly, in the

  bushes, Sam could hear something moving and growling. He

  motioned to the others to keep low and quiet.

  As the three squatted down behind the tall grass that

  seemed to have grown overnight, in the fields were three of

  the large rock dogs. Their savage behavior was clear as

  they feed on a large dead bird. Their bodies were covered

  with the animal's blood; their savage ways became clear as

  they fought with each other over the carcass.

  Suddenly one of the dogs began to sniff and picked up

  a scent that was familiar; the scent of humans. Sam

  motioned to Jane and Samantha that it was time to start

  moving out. On their hands and knees, the three began to

  crawl faster and faster; and the more they moved the more

  the rock dogs began to take notice.

  As they crawled, Jane made a sudden stop as she could

  feel something was over her shoulder. She was right; it was

  one of the massive creatures, sniffing through the grass.

  Looking for the scent its nose was picking up, Jane could

  feel the thinner of the large animals walking closer to

  her. She could hear its panting from a mile away. She

  remained still as the creature stood right over her.

  Suddenly a big glob of saliva from the creature's

  mouth covered Jane's entire body as it stood over her. It

  still could not see her because of the tall grass. The

  creature began to push the grass aside with its nose, but

  still couldn't find Jane, and because of the saliva, her

  scent was no longer present.

  From afar, Sam and Samantha had made it to an opening

  in a rock before they noticed that Jane was in trouble. Sam

  began to come back for his wife, but Jane motioned him to

  go back; she would be all right. Feeling uneasy, Sam

  watched from the crack in the rock. Jane began to talk to

  the grass to make her a pathway to safety. The grass began

  to grow violently into the air; it picked Jane up and

  carried her on a wave.

  When the creatures saw this, they began to run after

  Jane. They picked up speed and were closer and closer to

  Jane, but she kept on talking to the grass through her

  green thumb, and the grass protected Jane from the

  creatures. With the sharp edges of the creatures, they

  began to cut through the grass, but with a vengeance, the

  grass came
back and fought for its master Jane. The grass

  turned itself into strong ropes that tripped the creatures,

  and then held onto them and tied them to the trees.

  But this did not work for long. The creatures were too

  massive and powerful; their finely sharpened bodies cut

  through the grass like paper, and they were back to chasing

  Jane. Suddenly Jane disappeared into the tall grass; the

  creatures did not known where she went. Then she popped up

  here and there, making the creatures irritated, and finally

  they lost interest.

  Just as Jane made it to the opening in the rock, one

  of the creatures came out of nowhere and blocked her. Jane

  trembled in fear, her eyes became saucers, and just as the

  creature was about to attack, Jane was pulled into the rock

  opening by her legs. Something had pulled Jane into the

  rock; falling and hitting her head, she blacked out.

  When she awoke, there was nothing more than darkness

  surrounding her. Jane noticed that she could not move or

  talk; so she began to moan, and then she heard another

  moaning sound. She knew that she was not alone. Suddenly a

  light shone into the cave, and when it did, it held a

  creepy secret. Jane, Sam and Samantha were covered in

  cobweb from head to toe. Once again they were in the web of

  a spider, but as the light shone in the cave, they were not

  the only ones. There were hundreds of bodies, some dead and

  some alive; most were now skeletons hanging from out of the

  sides of cocoons.

  Sam and the others looked around vigorously, panicking

  and trying to figure out what to do next. Yet, the decor of

  the cave got their attention; not only was there a foul

  smell and green slime everywhere, but there was something

  massive moving in the dark corner. When the light from the

  sun came into the cave brighter, the face of the creature

  became apparent, and then fear came into the hearts of its

  captives. The light gave way to the most hideous creature

  ever to grace the eyes of anyone.

  The creature was massive in size, overweight and

  dirty; it was the size of a large man-like giant. Its head

  was almost the size of its five thousand pound body; it had

  a red halo that glowed above its head, its eyes were pure

  black, and around its neck laid layers of thick gold

  bangles and chains. There was a chain that hung from the

  creature's nose to the top of its lip, and globs of snot

  dripped from the creature's nose onto its stomach.

  This was a nasty and unclean sight to see. The

  creature's stomach was hairy and very dirty, bugs and

  roaches crawled out of it; at one point the creature picked

  up the bugs and began to eat them. One by one it chomped on

  the same insects that fed off of it. When the creature

  moved, everyone could hear the clinging of its chains, and

  its shortness of breath.

  When it raised its arms, the truth came to light, the

  creature had two sets of arms that were like lobster claws.

  It used the claws to crack the bones of the dead and to dig

  in its nose. What was very odd and peculiar about this

  creature was the fact that it spewed cobwebs out of its

  mouth; it was a very disgusting thing to see. This creature

  had not only lived here for centuries, but it seemed like

  someone had kept it for a pet.

  As the creature became comfortable in its spot that

  was made of nothing more than a few dirty rags and hay, a

  glow in the wall appeared and was followed by an opening. A

  slender figure came out, graceful and unafraid. Dressed all

  in black; from the cocoon, Sam and the others got a good

  look at this figure. It was Bella; of course, she had kept

  the creature as her pet and come to see how it was doing.

  The creature crawled up to Bella like a little child

  to its mother. She kissed his large face and blew into his

  face; he loved this. The creature began to smile, showing

  his yellow fang-like teeth. Bella checked to make sure her

  pet had everything it needed, but she also let out a

  secret, telling it that she wanted it to go to war in a few

  days.

  The creature jumped for joy as Bella told him how many

  Baja citizens he could store and eat; how he could break

  their bones and make stew out of their bodies. The creature

  clapped and chuckled at his master's words. From above Sam

  and the others knew that they had to get out of there, but

  they were careful not to make any sudden moves; Bella did

  not need to know they were there.

  As the reunion between beauty and the beast took

  place, a huge spider began to crawl up Sam's leg. He did

  not want to scream, and tried to hold it in. Then the

  spider began to burrow into Sam's skin. He bit his lip to

  stop from screaming, but he was moving too much and the

  cocoon began to shake.

  It fell from the air, missing Bella by a mere inch.

  The creature became upset, picked the cocoon up, and

  sprayed more cobwebs from its mouth and stuck it back up to

  the cave ceiling. Jane and Samantha were afraid for Sam,

  thinking that Bella would order the creature to open the

  cocoon, but she did not. She only paused for a minute and

  then left the room out the hole she had come through.

  That was a close call for Sam, but the other hard part

  was trying to get out of the cocoon and then getting the

  spider out of his body before it was too late. Samantha

  knew that they had to move fast; she wiggled until she

  managed to set her small knife free. She cut through the

  layers of webbing.

  Once she saw where her friends were, she had to make a

  move. Out sprang Samantha from her cocoon and onto the

  cocoon of Jane. Quickly, like a wild woman, Samantha cut

  and ripped through the layers of webbing. Once Jane was

  free, she hid in the spaces between the other bodies.

  Samantha flipped through the air with her ancient

  ninja skills, going to save Sam. The creature began to

  move, tossing and turning from its nap. Jane motioned to

  Samantha to hurry up as the creature was awakening.

  Samantha quickly freed Sam and was now trying to cut the

  spider from under his skin. With a quick jab of her knife,

  Samantha stabbed the spider and pulled it out of Sam's skin.

  The spider was now dead, letting off toxic foam. With

  blood dripping from his leg, Sam quickly crawled down to

  where his wife was, and then Samantha followed. They all

  stayed there until it was safe to make another move. They

  kept a close eye on the creature as it tossed and turned.

  Finally it was safe to move and try to get out of the

  cave. Samantha jumped down to the secret entrance where

  Bella had come in, and tried to find a way to open the

  door. There were many codes that were carved into the walls

  centuries ago. With a few rubs and a push on the secret

  codes, nothing happened.

  But something was happening in that room; the creature

  began to wake and saw that his catches
were trying to

  escape. It swung its arm into the air and let out a loud

  cry; then it sprayed cobwebs from its mouth all over the

  place, trying to catch Samantha as she jumped and cartwheeled

  through the air. There was no time to figure out

  the codes, the three had to go the way they came in.

  Samantha motioned to Sam and Jane to come on, and so

  they did, crawling from their hiding spot as the creature

  went wild, smashing and tearing up its own nest trying to

  prevent his dinner from getting away. But the three dodged

  and ducked the massive creature; until it became even

  angrier and began to smash holes in the walls.

  The cave began to crumble slowly, pieces of clumped

  dirt fell, causing a major cave in. Sam, Samantha, and Jane

  ran out of the cave, fearing for their lives. The monster

  followed them; continuing to smash and destroyed everything

  in its way. The creature began to moan and groan, as if it

  was in major pain, but it was just unhappy that its meal it

  had escaped.

  Out of the cave Sam and the others flew, falling to

  their knees as they caught their breath. But it was too

  late for the creature; it got trapped by the heavy dirt

  that covered it up to its neck. The creature let out a loud

  cry causing the birds and other animals to fly away.

  His mother heard his plea, and Bella ordered her rock

  dogs to go and see what was the matter with her beloved

  pet. From a distance, Sam could see the rock dogs coming;

  with their massive size and shape cut-rock bodies that

  glittered in the sun's rays. They were in the middle of

  nowhere, there was nothing more than fields. So once again,

  Sam tried to use his gift of levitation to move them into

  the air.

  Samantha and Jane began to worry, since Sam's powers

  were not always there for him, but they both concentrated

  with him, and up and away they went into the sky. Sam was

  very excited; finally something had gone right for him. But

  his happiness was short-lived; his powers were weakening

  and the three began to plummet to the ground.

  Screams filled the air as Jane and Samantha were

  expecting a nasty fall. But as they fell, a huge tree

  covered in white moss caught the falling three. Jane kissed

  the tree on its limb and held on tight. They remained on

  the tree limb until the rock dogs lost their scent.

  They kept quiet as the dogs ran off back to the temple

  to tell their master.

  "We must move fast," said Sam.

  Down the tree the three slid, one by one, falling to

  the ground and taking off running. They headed toward the

  old temple with the plan of saving David and the other

  fighters. Once they got closer to the temple, they hid

  behind a tall plant until it became dark.

  From a distance, they watched as Bella and the other

  wizards turned David and the others into slaves. They had

  the fighters of Baja building and making weapons for the

  war. They were beaten and mistreated; some of the men who

  were once fit were now nothing more than skin and bones.

  Bella and the other wizards were starving the fighters, yet

  insisting that they work all day and night.

  Sam began to cry for the fighters; they looked frail

  and near death. He could not believe the woman he once

  called a friend was behind this. Not only did he have to

  face his brother, but he also had to face his best friend.

  As night fell, the skies opened up so bright, a huge

  glow of light came from the temple. There was singing and

  chanting; something strange was taking place. Then the

  skies lit up like fireworks again. A face appeared in the

  sky; it was a ghostly image of an old mummy with skin and

  bones that had been dried up for centuries. The mummy was

  hooded; one could not see its face. It began to chant with

  the chanters on the ground.

  "What is going on?" asked Jane.

  Sam explained that Bella and the other wizards had

  just awakened Cilus. The mummy that was sick was now well

  again. Because the white rhino plant saved Baja, it also

  saved Cilus. Now that all the water and vegetation was

  cured, Bella and the others made a potion to cure their

  seventh wizard. He was deathly sick, and he had poisoned

  Baja with his sickness.

  Now that Baja was well, so was the seventh and final

  wizard. It was time for all the wizards to join forces and

  take over Baja. Now that the temple was in a ceremonial

  phase; it was the perfect time for Sam and the others to

  sneak in.

  As Sam, Jane, and Samantha got closer to the temple,

  they found that getting in would be much harder than they

  thought. The gate was guarded by huge ape-like creatures

  that stood at least ten feet tall, with long hairy white

  fur, and they weighed about a thousand pounds. They carried

  large swords, golden chest plates, and golden helmets to

  cover their heads. They would stomp and kill anything

  trying to get in or leave.

  Lining the hills to the temple were large blue

  bullfrogs. They floated up and down like a row of musical

  notes, and slept all day. But the littlest of noises they

  heard would cause them to emit an irritating humming noise.

  To the citizens of Baja, these frogs were known as crying

  frogs; to Bella and the other wizards they were their

  security feature. So the only way in the temple was to dig

  underground.

  "This would have been a great time for Peter to use

  his skills," said Sam.

  Jane was not pleased with the idea, and gave Sam an

  unpleasant look. Samantha noticed a stream that led under

  the bridge to the temple. That was their best way to get

  in, and they all agreed to take the chance. One by one,

  they walked up to the water's edge and slowly and quietly

  eased their bodies into the water, trying not to make a

  sound or anything that would get them noticed.

  Sam, Jane and Samantha rode the current of the stream

  to the temple, holding their breath and going underwater,

  they passed the huge apes guarding the entrance. For a

  minute, one of the apes noticed something and headed toward

  the water. It looked around but saw nothing. But underneath

  the water Sam and the others were holding their breath and

  trying not to run out of air.

  The faces of the apes were very scary and caused Jane

  to use more oxygen than normal. She could not hold her

  breath any longer, as the huge ape looked on. Sam quickly

  grabbed Jane by the hand and swam as fast as he could with

  her, until they were clear of danger.

  Out of view of the creatures, Sam pulled Jane's head

  out of the water, allowing her to catch her breath. Jane

  began to apologize, but Sam let her know that it was okay.

  The most important thing was that they were safe and

  everyone was all right. Sam waited for Samantha to catch up

  with him and Jane. When Samantha arrived, they were now

  inside the gates of the temple, b
ut they had to get out of

  the water fast. Something was approaching at a fast speed;

  big bubbles burst out of the water, letting Sam know that

  whatever was coming their way was massive.

  Sam ordered Jane and Samantha to get out of the water

  and run as fast as they could. One by one, Sam helped the

  two ladies out of the water, and as he was about to leave,

  something pulled him by the legs back into the water,

  causing a big splash. Because of all the chanting going on

  in the temple, it fell on deaf ears. Sam was putting up a

  fight, punching and kicking whatever had ahold of him. Then

  the creature let Sam go and fixed his eyes on Jane and

  Samantha.

  "Run!" said Sam, as the creature leapt out.

  What they saw paralyzed Jane and Samantha right in

  their tracks. Out of the water came the largest black

  alligator anyone had ever seen. With its green eyes and

  sharp yellow teeth, it had huge legs and feet that gave way

  to large claws. The alligator was covered in black fur, it

  roared like a raging beast, and took a swipe at Samantha,

  cutting her across the face.

  The beast was hungry and ready to feed. The huge

  alligator swung its tail around and whipped Jane to the

  floor. Samantha quickly pulled out her sword and lunged at

  the creature, striking it in the eye. Meanwhile Sam pulled

  himself out of the water, but being badly beaten, it took a

  long time for him to make it to shore.

  As the creature licked its tongue at Jane, it was

  ready for a feast, but Samantha was on the creature's back

  stabbing and beating it with her sword. The sword did

  little damage to the creature, but Samantha's poking and

  stabbing made the alligator irritated and it began to buck

  Samantha off of its back. Samantha held on tight and kept

  on hitting away.

  Jane got out of the way and ran to safety behind a

  huge tree; upset and mad. Sam began to take on the creature

  once it knocked Samantha off of its back. Sam began to

  change; something was going on, his orange hair began to

  twirl and stick up in the air. His arms and neck began to

  turn orange, and with a loud roar he picked up the

  alligator by its tail and threw it back into the stream.

  As it landed and made a big splash, Sam and the others

  took off into the yard of the temple. Sam slowed down to

  catch his breath, wondering what had happened to him, what

  was his body going through? How could a skinny, tall, frail

  man like him pick up a thousand pound alligator with no

  problem?

  That was the question on everyone's mind. Sam's body

  was changing, something strange was going on, but it was no

  time for a family moment. Sam and the others had to save

  David and the rest of the fighters.

  With Sam's hair all stuck up in the air, Jane smiled

  and said, "I like that look on you."

  Sam could do nothing more than blush at his wife's

  comment. Running through the massive temple grounds made

  Jane and the others tired; so they decided to hide out for

  a minute to catch their breath. Hiding behind a tall

  statute of a wizard, Sam heard footsteps coming their way.

  It was the foot guards for the temple, all dressed in white

  with tribal masks on. No one could see their faces; they

  marched through the courtyard watching and guarding the

  temple.

  This gave a little time for Sam to come up with a plan

  to get to the prison camps that Bella had prepared. The

  foot soldiers marched one by one in a harmonious line,

  never out of tune, watching and looking for anything

  suspicious. Suddenly Samantha accidentally stepped on a

  tree branch, and it made a loud noise.

  The foot soldiers stopped, and began to look through

  the trees, searching and peering for an intruder. One by

  one, they leapt over one another like acrobats in a circus.

  Flying into the marsh area, there was no place for Sam or

  the others to run, so they had to fight. Out jumped

  Samantha with her sword, fight, followed by Jane and Sam.

  The three were nervous and scared, but they knew that

  the show must go on, and so it did. The foot soldiers began

  to fight and tumble with Samantha and the others, but it

  was not as easy as they had thought. Samantha was a skilled

  fighter, using her ninja skills she fought with the foot

  soldiers, giving them a long drawn out fight while she

  instructed Sam and Jane to go and get help.

  Sam did not want to leave Samantha alone, but he saw

  that she was doing fine; so both Jane and Sam took off

  through the temple grounds, looking for any survivors.

  Meanwhile, foot soldiers were on their heels; the faster

  Jane and Sam ran, the foot soldiers ran even faster.

  As Samantha fought, slashing the soldiers with her

  sword, Jane broke away from her husband and went in another

  direction, and so did the soldiers; half followed Jane and

  the other half followed Sam. This was a strategy of divide

  and conquer; the foot soldiers cornered Jane in a dead end.

  She had nothing to fight with, just her gift of growing.

  "Ha, ha, ha, what are you going to do now, little

  lady?" said one of the soldiers.

  Jane quickly touched the tree that she was leaning on,

  and it immediately came alive and recognized Jane as its

  healer. With a loud roar, the tree picked Jane up and sat

  her on a branch, and then went after the foot soldiers. One

  by one, it kicked and threw them with its branches and

  limbs. The foot soldiers tried to scatter like household

  mice, but were caught by their garments, picked up, and

  tossed through the air by the tree.

  Jane kissed and rubbed the tree, thanking it for

  saving her. Now it was time to save her friends. Jane told

  the tree to follow the foot soldiers that were chasing her

  husband. The tree snapped Jane tightly in a hole in its

  trunk and began to run after the soldiers. It was a scary

  sight for the foot soldiers to see a large tree running

  after them; they screamed like cowards as the tree tossed

  them one by one, through the air they went, crying and

  screaming as they ran through the temple grounds.

  Even Sam was afraid to see the tree as it came face to

  face with him. Then Jane popped out of the tree trunk to

  let Sam know that it was okay. Sam was relieved and glad to

  hear that. Up onto the tree Sam climbed, and then Jane had

  the tree make a u-turn and pick up Samantha. She was

  running from a group of foot soldiers, and as she ran

  toward the tree, so did the foot soldiers.

  When the tree made a loud roar, it blew the soldiers

  through the air. As one of the soldiers tried to summon

  help, it was crushed by the roots of the tree like a hot

  marshmallow on a stick. Jane ordered the tree to move

  faster toward the prison camp.

  Just as the tree made its way over to the camp, it was

  pulled below the surface. Screams filled the air as Jane

  and the others were quick
ly tossed out of the tree. On the

  ground, one by one they rolled, each getting a mouth filled

  with dirt. No one had any idea what was going on; then the

  ground began to shake and quake. Earth began to fall into

  the open hole; Jane and the others quickly moved away; out

  came a large statue built from the finest stones. It stood

  about twelve feet tall, and was in the form of a barbarian

  man. With its shirtless body and leaves for an

  undergarment, it carried a large shield and sword made out

  of silver and gold. Huge gold bracelets graced its arms and

  ankles; its hair was made out of the finest white silk, but

  when this creature turn around, it had no face!

  Masons were still carving its face. Before the alarm

  went off, the creature knocked the masons off of it, and

  began to crawl out of the hole. With no face, just an eye,

  it was fixed on Jane and the others.

  "Run!" shouted an unknown voice.

  Before Jane and the others could see where the voice

  was coming from, they were pulled to safety by unknown men.

  The creature came out of the ground like a hungry bear,

  searching and scavenging for its prey. The huge statue

  began to chew on the tree that saved Jane and the others.

  The tree called out for Jane, but there was nothing

  she could do. Although she wanted to save it, she knew that

  it was too dangerous; she and the others continued to hide

  behind an old headstone in the center of the courtyard.

  As the monster came closer and closer, knocking over

  everything in its path, Jane and the others got a close

  look at the people who'd saved them. Behold, it was a few

  of their fighters who had managed to stay alive and

  breakout of the camp. The fighters were also glad to see

  Jane, Samantha and Sam. These men and women looked as if

  they had been through a tough time; they were ill, dirty,

  and some were badly wounded. But they were still willing to

  fight and save Baja.

  Before they could talk further, they had to destroy

  the statue that was coming after them. One by one, Sam and

  the others threw rocks to knock out the eye of the statue,

  hoping to stop it from seeing them. They kept throwing, but

  just barely missed the eye. The statue was not pleased, and

  came after its attackers.

  With its shield, the statue blocked the incoming rocks

  and stones, then opened its mouth, and out jumped dead

  corpses by the hundreds. One by one, they began to run

  after Sam and the others. They were nothing more than skin

  and bones with a little bit of flesh still hanging onto

  their bones. Worms crawled out of their mouths and eyes.

  They smelled like rotten fish, and their old musty bones

  creaked as they moved. It was as if an entire graveyard had

  come alive inside the mouth of the statue.

  The corpses were endless; there was no way anyone

  could stop this influx of evildoers, but Samantha would not

  give up. She ordered everyone to fight to the death, but it

  was useless. The harder Samantha fought, the more the dead

  came after her; piling on top of her one by one, biting and

  chewing at her bones. Samantha tried to kick them away, and

  once again Sam got angry and began to turn orange.

  His skin turned from its original color to orange

  slowly, creeping up his entire body, and then his orange

  hair began to do a twirl into the air as if it was being

  blown by a fast wind. One by one, Sam went through the

  crowd, punching and kicking his way to save his friend

  Samantha; and one by one the creatures huddled around Sam

  like a tidal wave.

  Then it became silent; not a sound, as if the air had

  gone deaf. Jane began to fret for her husband and friend,

  but then out of the blue, like a mad man, Sam threw the

  large group of corpses into the air. Sam was filled with a

  massive dose of strength and power. The dead went flying

  through the air like a wind blowing a leaf, but once again,

  the statue let more corpses out of its mouth, and it became

  too much for Sam to fight off.

  Finally out of strength and breath, Sam's body fell to

  the floor. The corpses began to cheer and clap for their

  master; then through the air, on a flying bat, came Bella.

  The bat was large and black, even its eyes were black, and

  it showed no sign of fear whatsoever. The bat's chest and

  head were protected by a silver helmet and silver

  breastplate. On top of the bat sat Bella on a finely made

  saddle with a lasso in her hands as she ordered the bat to

  stop and lower her down.

  Bella was nicely dressed, with her long black seethrough

  dress and cape; knee high leather boots, and a

  golden helmet that protected her head. Her long black hair

  flowed in the wind, her cherry lips made her face look so

  innocent and friendly.

  As she was being lowered, through the air came another

  bat with a rider, Marcus. He had on a finely crafted

  leather cape and uniform, and he too wore a golden helmet.

  On his chest lay a golden breastplate that glowed with red

  codes. A section of his orange hair could still be seen

  through the gaps of the helmet.

  The silver belt that held up his pants had a skull

  belt buckle that also glowed in the dark. Out of the buckle

  came a whip that he used to beat his bat with. Pain and

  agony made Marcus happy; anything that suffered made him

  happy.

  Bella and Marcus were two evil people in love. Once

  Marcus landed, he and Bella kissed and showed their

  affections for each other. Then Bella ordered the dead

  corpses to scatter. When they heard Bella's voice, they

  scattered like scared dogs, whimpering as they moved back

  into the mouth of the statue.

  At first Sam and the others went unnoticed by Bella

  and Marcus, because they were so heavily covered by the

  dead corpses. But once the corpses moved away, Marcus

  noticed his brother by his orange hair. Marcus quickly ran

  to his brother's side, but not before Bella pulled him

  away, replying that Marcus was turning soft and should not

  feel for his brother. Bella told him of how he needed to

  remember that Sam was his enemy now and not his brother.

  Marcus' eyes glow a bright green; he quickly moved

  from the side of his brother and began kicking and spitting

  on him. This was what Bella loved to see, two brothers

  against one another. Jane shouted at Marcus, calling him a

  traitor, and neglecting his family name. Marcus slightly

  turned around and then continued to listen to Bella as she

  ranted and raved of how powerful they would be once they

  did away with Peter.

  There was no remorse or any type of regret in either

  Marcus or Bella; they had now officially abandoned and

  betrayed the one man who truly believed in them. But they

  couldn't care less; they were on their way to being the

  proud rulers and elders of Baja.

  Bella ordered her remaining foot soldiers to take Sam,

&
nbsp; Samantha, Jane and the other fighters to a holding cell,

  and to put one of the rock dogs as a guard. The foot

  soldiers loaded Sam and the others into a carriage and

  headed them toward the camp. Out of the bars, Jane and the

  others could see the deplorable condition that Bella had

  David and the others living in.

  Some of Sam's men were chained to the ground with

  thick layers of chains; there was little water and very

  little food. Many of the fighters were ill and dying; even

  many more were starving to death. As Jane looked through

  the corner of her eye, she saw a heap of dead bodies lying

  along the way. Many of them were Sam's fighters, and many

  were innocent citizens of Baja that were captured as slaves

  and put in a camp to appease Bella.

  Jane covered Sam's eyes as he lay on the floor of the

  wagon, she did not want him to see how mistreated his men

  were, how their bodies were thrown to the side like old

  garbage. But Sam got himself up and saw the horrible sight.

  He shouted to everyone, "We are here, we will fight

  together!"

  But no one wanted to hear that; there were only a few

  that still had a little fight left. As the wagon came to a

  complete stop, out jumped the foot soldiers, dragging and

  pulling Sam and his friends out of the wagon. They then

  tied Sam and the others to a large chain as if they were

  wild dogs.

  Sam did his best to get loose, but the chains were too

  strong; they were much stronger than Sam, and made out of a

  silver liquid that no one had ever seen before. The other

  prisoners just stared at Sam and the others. To see their

  leader captured and now a prisoner like they were was

  depressing.

  As the dust from the ground floated through the air,

  on her bat horse came Bella from the sky, with Marcus not

  far behind. Bella was happy, this was the capture of her

  life; she couldn't wait to show off her catch to the other

  wizards. Bella whipped Sam with her lasso, and then took

  here long nails and carved a code onto Sam's chest.

  Once Bella finished, the code glowed, his body shook

  violently, and then Sam was knocked out. Jane called for

  her husband, but he would not answer. Then Marcus came face

  to face with Jane as saliva spew from his mouth, and his

  spit became acid.

  He bent over to Jane and whispered in her ear, "I am

  number one now."

  Jane moved her face away from Marcus as his breath

  stunk and turned into green foam. As Jane was about to

  insult Marcus, she noticed another figure moving in the

  background. It was very dark, and the hooded figure stood

  in just enough light so that she could only see the mouth

  move.

  It shouted to Bella and Marcus, "We must get the boy,

  and quickly."

  Then, just as quickly as it came, the hooded figured

  disappeared into thin air. Jane worried about Peter and

  knew that they must find a way to escape. As Bella and

  Marcus left for the night, they carefully added more foot

  soldiers to guard the new prisoners.

  Jane looked around wildly; to see if she could find

  any familiar faces. Behind one of the tents stood a skinny

  man, unrecognizable to Jane, but he motioned to her to keep

  quiet, and so Jane did. She watched and waited for the man

  to come closer, and when he did, it was David!

  Jane was filled with excitement and wanted to hug him,

  but was chained to the floor. Her father-in-law David was

  still alive and still had a little fight in him. All night

  the foot soldiers stood watch, but just as the night was

  coming into full darkness, many of them dozed off for a

  little wink of sleep.

  David quickly ran over to Jane, hugged and kissed her

  rosy cheeks. As the foot soldiers slept, David quickly used

  some type of mirror gadget to loosen the chains. They were

  hooked to some type of force field, and David being a man

  of inventions came up with a way to deflect the force field

  from Jane's chain.

  The two quickly and quietly snuck off into the bushes

  as the other men kept a look out. David explained to her

  that for weeks he had been trying to escape, but he'd had

  no luck. Still, he had found many secret passages to the

  temple, and maybe one would lead out to Baja.

  Jane was more concerned with Sam and the others. David

  explained that, come tomorrow morning, they would all be

  free. Quietly and quickly, David freed a tired and weary

  Sam. He looked upon his son with pride and comforted his

  badly beaten body in his arms. Then Samantha and the others

  were freed, and dummies made of grass and twigs took their

  places. It would only give them enough time to make it to

  the main temple. After that, everyone had to fight for

  their lives. Fireballs graced the night sky; they covered

  the entire area of the temple. Then a beam of light shot

  down inside the temple.

  "Oh, no! Cilus has risen," said David.

  He explained to everyone that Cilus was the sick

  wizard, and now, because of the white rhino plant, he had

  risen and was now better. Jane apologized for her part in

  saving the plant, but it had to be done to save Baja. No

  one blamed Jane; they all knew that it was a must for the

  citizens of Baja. Soon after the huge light of fireballs,

  the chanting began.

  Then there were shouts of, "Hoo-rah!" all through the

  night.

  It was no time for sleep; David and the others had to

  get a move on. David tried to wake his son; the scratch on

  Sam's chest was still glowing red. David hung his head and

  wept; no one knew what was wrong until he explained that

  Sam would not be coming back home. Bella had poisoned his

  heart and mind with the scratch. She had invested his body

  with evil.

  "Sam will soon be fighting us," said one of the

  remaining soldiers.

  Jane did not want to leave her husband, but the others

  pulled her away as Sam's body shook violently and out of

  control.

  "Move it, move it!" said David as Sam change.

  With all the commotion, the rock dogs woke up and

  howled at the moon. The dogs sniffed the dummies and

  noticed that they could not get a scent; so the dogs barked

  and barked until the foot soldiers woke up. When they

  noticed that their prisoners were gone, they sent out a

  search party.

  Meanwhile, Jane and the others were running fast

  through the woods, trying to find a safe place to hide.

  They could feel evil coming over their shoulders, so they

  ran faster and faster, but it did no good. The black Ryders

  came on their huge horses, stomping and tearing up the

  forest for David and the others. This time, the Ryders

  seemed to be more powerful, their horses glided through the

  air as if they were on ice skates. Then from a golden staff

  they shot fire beams at Sam and the others. Not only were

  the black Ryders more powerful, but the
y had developed new

  weapons and skills.

  Many of the fighters that were left with David got

  killed or injured as the fireballs went into the air. David

  could not look back; he had to get as many as he could to

  safety. David and the few remaining others ran through the

  woods, tripping and falling over one another; nearly

  getting hit by one of the fireballs.

  Suddenly David moved a secret rock that glowed and it

  opened up into a large hole, swallowing David and the

  others up. The fall was frightening, there were many

  screams coming from the dark; no one knew what to expect,

  except David. He was a very private man, so he told no one

  what he had found when he was allowed to go into the forest

  to relieve himself. So no one knew of this secret hole

  except for David; and besides, he could trust no one. Many

  of the men had turned against him, settling for the cheap

  and worthless life Bella had offer them. Only a few of the

  fighters were loyal and stayed to the end, and this was

  what David had expected.

  He had planned for this day, and that was what he

  wanted to try and teach his son, about trusting and when

  not to trust. David wanted his son to be a leader just like

  he was, but he now felt as if he had pushed his son too

  hard. As the group fell helplessly down the black hole, no

  one could see or hear anything; they were falling into the

  abyss.

  Then they finally saw light, a glowing object from

  afar. As they fell, the object of light came and caught

  them like a fisherman's net. The group landed on a pillow

  of soft clouds; no one had a single scratch. No one was

  hurt, but many were frightened. They had no idea what they

  were looking at; the object was a ball of just light that

  changed into many colors.

  Then it took on a human form; there was no face to put

  to this entity, but there was a humble voice, so low that

  everyone could hear it only in their mind. The voice was

  soothing and comforting, it hummed to the weary souls, and

  then it let them stand on the ground. Most of the fighters

  could not stand, they were trembling too much. Their legs

  buckled and shook; they could not believe what they were

  seeing in front of them.

  A figure made out of colors that stood as tall as most

  trees; it lived many miles below the surface of Baja. As it

  past most of the fighters, they shied away; many of them

  lost control of their bowels, and had to be excused, but

  not David. He was a peacemaker, and as he talked to the

  entity, it took the form of the person that it was talking

  with. At this moment, it was David. He explained to the

  creature that they were being chased and needed to hide out

  for a minute.

  The creature never said a word out loud, but whispered

  in David's head. "Why do you run, if you're an innocent

  man, my friend?"

  Once again, David explained to the entity of the war

  that was coming to Baja, but the entity insisted that the

  elders would save them. David was not too sure of that.

  With a passionate plea, David asked the entity to save

  them, even as the Ryders flew down into the cave!

  For a minute, it looked as if the entity was not

  willing to save David and the others. But at the last

  minute, it changed its mind, raced up to the top and

  greeted the Ryders with a scorching blow of fire. The

  Ryders quickly scrambled out of the hole, knocking and

  pushing each other out of the way. When one of the Ryders

  took a fall off its horse, it crashed to the ground.

  Everyone was curious to see what was hidden under

  those black hooded robes. As his hands shook

  uncontrollably, David approached the dead Ryder on the

  floor. He finally got up the nerve, and pulled back the

  robe to reveal an amazing surprise; all that lay beneath

  was a two foot-tall miniature elf. Its skin was very black

  and scaly; the only thing that was visible was its fanglike

  white teeth, and a little patch of white hair.

  The wizards had given the elves the ability to stretch

  and make themselves tall, but the fall broke and crushed

  every bone in its body. The Ryder was now nothing more than

  a dead carcass to feed to the wild. David quickly threw the

  hood back over the Ryder, covering up its grotesque body.

  Everyone was now a little at ease to know that the Ryders

  were nothing more than small elves that were given powers

  by the seven wizards.

  David and the others then patiently waited for the

  entity to return. When it did, it let David and all know

  that it had chased away their captors. The entity moved

  around the cave, carrying its light with it. David quickly

  ordered the rest of the fighters to get up and follow it.

  They all followed the entity as it moved through the cave.

  The cave was old and the light gave way to the history

  of the entity, which had been there for millions of years.

  The walls told the story of why the entity was formed; its

  main purpose was to make night and day. That was how Baja

  and the other worlds woke up to morning. Each day, the

  entity flew up to the sky to produce a nice morning sun;

  and at night, it left and crawled into its hole like a worm.

  The history of Baja was fascinating to many, but this

  was no time for history. David wanted out of there; he

  explained to Jane and the others that Sam would be coming

  to find them, and that he would not be the same man. Bella

  had poison his blood and sent evil into his heart and body,

  there was no telling what the outcome would be.

  The most important thing was to get back to the main

  land of Baja and find Peter; he was the key to all of this.

  Jane was in no mood for talk about saving Baja; she had

  just lost her husband and now she might lose her son. Jane

  cursed the day she came back to Baja; she wanted to return

  to the land of the living where she was free. She wanted to

  return to the simple life of Baja.

  Finally her emotions settle down, and she knew that

  Peter was chosen by the elders before he was born, and it

  was the right choice. David and the others quickly consoled

  Jane; this was also hard for them. Not only had they become

  slaves, they had also lost many friends in the battle, and

  they had sacrificed too much to quit now.

  The fighters and David continued to follow the entity

  as it led them to one of the most remarkable places that

  had ever been seen by the eyes of men. This place held the

  key to Baja existence; the room was immaculate, everything

  was made from crystal, and there were ancient armor,

  helmets, bows and arrows, all made from crystal. There was

  also a vessel powered by the energy of crystals. The vessel

  hovered inches above the floor, and would move from side to

  side in a slow manner.

  David loved technology, and this was something he

  found very interesting. The vessel was nothing more than an
>
  oval, transparent piece of crystal that glowed with the

  Baja symbols and codes. Once everyone touched the crystal

  in the room, they immediately seemed to create more energy.

  They all had more color in their skin; everyone looked and

  felt more alive, and the wounds and cuts on their bodies

  miraculously heal.

  The entity curled into a ball and watched the

  interaction of David and the others. Then the entity became

  one, then two, then three entities, all in one. David was a

  little surprised, but tried to keep calm and not show the

  rest of the fighters that he was afraid. The entities

  formed a circle around David and the others. Just as David

  thought the entities were about to attack them, they did

  not. All they wanted to do was drink and absorb the power

  from the crystal, just like the others had done.

  The entity explained to David that this was where it

  got all its power to keep the skies lit up. David was

  relieved, and gave thanks to the entity once more for

  saving them. Then a loud howling noise approached. The

  earth rumbled, and the crystal broke onto the floor as if

  an earthquake had erupted.

  "We must leave!" shouted David.

  David quickly begged the entity to let him take the

  crystal ship. Once he got approval from the entity, the

  fighters climbed aboard. David had no idea how to run the

  ship, but he had to learn fast; something was coming in the

  winds for them. With a few moves and a push of a crystal,

  the ship revved up.

  Then silently it floated into the air. All of a

  sudden, through the cave, Sam came flying down. But this

  was not the Sam everyone knew, this was something else,

  something Bella and Marcus had created. Sam's orange hair

  was noticeable, but everything else about him had changed.

  He had scary wings like a bat that spanned miles; he could

  spread and retract them as he chose. His body was muscular

  and solidly built.

  The scratches Bella left on Sam's body were still

  visible and still glowing red. His eye's looked demonic,

  and his tongue was long and cut at the end like a snake.

  But his white ivory horns were the scariest of all; they

  were sharp at the tips, and one of the horns was covered in

  blood. Jane quickly covered her face in fear as she pleaded

  with Sam from the inside of the ship.

  Sam was no longer in his body; whatever Bella had done

  to him, Sam was now a changed man. Sam fought head to head

  with the entity, but it was wining as it darkened the room.

  Everyone could hear Sam breathing like a wild hog, but no

  one dared to move or stir up any commotion.

  When the entity turned its light back on, it and Sam

  went at it again, hitting over the crystal. That was

  causing almost all of the power source in Baja to stop;

  chunks of crystal went flying through the air. Back and

  forth they took swipes at one another, causing harm to each

  other, but there was nothing the entity could do any more.

  Without the power of the crystals, it was becoming weaker

  and weaker. He could no longer fight with Sam, his glow was

  diminishing quickly.

  Sam then belted out a loud wicked laugh that echoed

  through the entire cave. Then he saw that David and the

  others were getting away. Sam flew up to the ship with his

  powerful wings, rocking it from side to side with his

  might. The fighters bounced from wall to wall as they

  watched Sam attack. Jane begged her husband, but it did no

  good.

  Then she showed Sam the locket that he gave her to

  keep forever. For the first time, Sam showed a sign of

  regret and sadness. He rubbed his huge paw-like hands over

  the window of the vessel. Jane cried silently, the tears

  rolled down her face in pain. But then a loud woman's voice

  came out of nowhere, ordering Sam to kill them all.

  Once Sam heard the voice he was back to his old self.

  Jane or David knew the voice coming from the darkness was

  Bella, and she was accompanied by Marcus. He also ordered

  his brother to kill everyone in the vessel. Sam was

  struggling with his brother's request; his head ached and

  blood dripped from his ears. When Bella saw that Sam was

  having a hard time she dug her claw-like nails into his

  skin and scratched him some more.

  Suddenly Sam's attitude changed; he became more

  violent and dangerous. Sam jumped on the vessel, punching

  and striking it with his hands, but the crystal glass was

  so tough that it did not break. In the meantime, David was

  trying desperately to learn how to control the vessel. As

  he was doing this, Sam hit the vessel with his massive

  wings, rocking the ship once more.

  Then suddenly, David got the ship started, and off

  they went, up into the air and on their way out of the

  cave. But Bella had a plan waiting for them at the top; she

  had awoken her stone mummies to attack and jump on the

  vessel to weight it down, and they did so. The minute David

  got the vessel to the top; it was attacked violently by

  stone mummies that weighed tons.

  One by one, the stone mummies jumped on the vessel.

  They were adorned in the finest carved armor and weapons.

  Their faces were covered in a colorful ancient tribal mask,

  and they attacked the ship with their stone weapons;

  banging and slashing away at it. The vessel was holding up

  very well, until Bella summoned more of her rock mummies.

  They could be seen from miles and miles away, as if they

  were going to war.

  They roared and chanted as they ran and jumped on the

  moving vessel. Everyone inside was afraid, as David lost

  control of it. It swayed and shifted in many directions;

  disturbing the crystal and rocks that held up the cave

  foundation. David was also afraid; the look in his eyes

  showed fear for the first time, as the vessel fell toward

  the floor from the weight of the stone mummies. Bella and

  Marcus just stood and watched with evil grins, and they

  forced Sam to see what he had done to his family.

  Bella whispered in Sam's ear, "Your son is next."

  Those words made Sam angry and upset; he roared,

  causing the cave to crumble and shake. Sam flew up to the

  top and helped push the vessel safely to the top, knocking

  away the stone mummies and defying Bella and Marcus. Bella

  let out an evil scream as she saw Sam helping David and the

  others get away. She called out all her forces to stop them.

  Jane said goodbye to her loving husband one more time

  as Marcus flew up and fought with Sam. He and Marcus went

  head to head, fighting and tormenting each other, but Bella

  was not happy. She jumped on her pet bat and flew after the

  vessel. David was far away, but that did not stop Bella,

  she was determined to catch up with David and the others.

  She wanted that vessel destroyed; she could not afford to

  let them get away.

  Bella beat on her pet bat, demanding that it fly
/>   faster and faster, but the crystal that powered the vessel

  was too fast for Bella and her common bat. She was not

  happy at all, and spit and beat on her bat, blaming it for

  not catching up to the vessel. The bat let out a heartwrenching

  cry as Bella whipped him, one lick after another.

  Finally Bella decided to turn back after she could not

  catch David and the others. She quickly flew back down to

  the cave where Sam and Marcus were still fighting. By now,

  the cave was a total mess; most of the crystals were

  broken. The walls of the cave had hole after hole, and yet

  Sam and Marcus would not stop fighting.

  Bella belted out a loud whistle, "Cut it out, you two

  are on the same team; we must get to the meeting place in

  Baja."

  She got Sam and Marcus to stop fighting amongst

  themselves, but Bella was still not pleased with Sam's

  actions. She went up to him and gave him a hard slap across

  the face. By now the poison from Bella's nails was setting

  in, and not only had Sam grown more powerful, but he was

  meaner and bigger now. Even his bat-like wings had muscles.

  Marcus was not happy with Bella making Sam as strong

  as he was; Marcus pressured Bella, telling her that she had

  made a huge mistake, that his brother loved his wife and

  family, and because of this love could overpower anything.

  Bella paid no attention to Marcus, and brushed him off as

  if nothing happened.

  This made Marcus angry and upset; he jumped onto his

  pet bat and rode off, leaving Bella alone to deal with Sam.

  But Sam was very compliant, as if Bella had a spell over

  him, and off Bella went leaving the entity to die in its

  home. With its last ounce of strength, the entity stretched

  out its hand to plead for help. Bella laughed and spit on

  it, jumping on her pet bat and flying off.

  Even though Sam was pumped with hate from Bella's evil

  spell, his heart felt for the entity who had risked its

  life to save his wife. Sam was having a spiritual war,

  between the good and evil inside him. His head hurt, and

  the room started to spin out of control. Then Sam quickly

  flew out of the cave, holding his head from all the pain he

  was in.

  Bella was not far behind; she secretly watched Sam and

  was upset that her powers were not having the permanent

  effects that she wanted. Even though Sam had changed into

  the creature Bella made him to be, he still had love in his

  heart. Bella did not like this, and was fearful that Sam

  would not stay with her and the seven wizards. So Bella had

  to make a quick decision, and her decision was to kill Sam

  after she used him to get next to his son.