Nowhere Boys - Without a Flame
Sam, Andy and Jake are sent on a multi-world adventure thanks to an unknown man who has Felix in his grasp. The boys have to endure different versions of Felix to get back to their Felix before it's too late. Sequel to 'Isolated Flame'
Disclaimer: I do not own Nowhere Boys
Without a Flame 1
"Whoa, head rush." Sam grumbled as he carefully sat up from his place on the forest floor. His right hand flying up to his head out of reflex.
"Quiet Sam, my head is killing me." Jake bit out as he lifted his head from between his knees.
"Guys, we have a major problem." Andy sounded panicked causing both boys to look at him confused.
"Felix isn't here!" Andy waved his arm around to illustrate his point; the area they landed in was in fact lacking their goth.
"Question, where is here?" Sam swallowed fighting back panic at missing their missing friend. The last time Felix disappeared he almost died and that was not something any of them wanted to experience again.
"Guys, I think we are in another world." Jake said shakily as he held up the talisman that usually hung around Felix's neck. Sam threw his hands out in front of him trying to summon wind, but nothing happened.
"Okay, think how did we get here?" Andy closed his eyes fighting back more panic as he thought back to what happened before they appeared in the forest.
"We were all hanging out at the skate park…" Sam trailed off.
~~/~~
"It's not happening Sam." Andy crossed his arms in refusal.
"What? Afraid of falling on your face?" Jake teased good-naturedly while nudging Felix causing him to look up from his Book of Shadows.
"I happen to like my face where it is, thanks." Felix snarked back, absently fiddling with the talisman.
"Don't be like that dudes! I promise to catch you if you fall." Sam wiggled his fingers at the three causing them to roll their eyes at him.
"If you can." A male voice rang out grabbing the group's attention. Seeing the dark cloak, hood up over the man's face had all four of them up on their feet circling around each.
"Who are you?" Felix called out, pulling the glowing talisman up over his head.
"No one you need fear Felix. I just need a word with your 'friends' for now. Sleep." The man waved a black veined hand at the boys.
Felix's eyes fluttered closed, a groan escaping his lips as he slumped against Jake, pressing the talisman into his jean pocket as the last of his strength fled and he gave into the magic-laced command.
"Felix!" The three boys cried out as they tried to steady their now unconscious fire element.
"What did you do to him?" Sam demanded angrily.
"That is of no consequence to you." The man sneered. Sam thrusted his hands forward, sending a massive gust of wind at the man.
"Run!" Sam cried out. Jake lifted Felix into his arms and the trio took off. They hadn't gone far when a ball of fire flew over their heads, exploding into a nearby ramp forcing them to a stop.
"Disappear." The man ordered, one had risen towards the group. Jake growled when Felix began to be tugged out of his arms by an invisible force. Jake gasped when he lost his grip on Felix when he was yanked from behind.
The trio could only watch as Felix flew into the arms of the hooded man who buried his hidden face into Felix's dark hair before the trio felt like they were falling and everything went black.
~~/~~
"That hooded guy has Felix!" Sam exclaimed, anger and worry in his voice.
"We have to get back home and find them!" Jake clenched his fist, missing the shaking of the earth would usually follow his anger.
"How are we going to do that? Without Felix we are missing our fire element!" Andy ran a hand through his black hair, racking his brain for something, anything that could help them.
"Maybe this world there is a Felix here, I mean when Felix got sent into that other world there were versions of us, jerk version's of us mind you." Sam suggested.
"That's the best idea I've heard yet, let's head into town and see if we can find this world's version of Felix." Jake clapped his hands together and the trio started the trek back into Bremin Hills, they knew the Ranges by the back of their hands by this point and thankfully the layout didn't seem to change much in any world.
"Ugh that was exhausting." Sam wiped the back of his head as the trio finally made it into town, their clothes looking worse for wear.
"Since no one is looking at us, its safe to say that we don't exist here." Andy theorized as people passed by them without saying a word.
"Now, to find Felix." Jake headed down the road towards where the Ferne home was located.
"Here we go." Sam took a deep breath as the trio circled around to the backyard and spotted a ramp that led the room in the backyard.
"Oscar must still be in a wheelchair here." Andy muttered sadly.
"Who are you?" A voice called out sharply causing the trio to turn around and stare. Oscar was standing on his own two feet before them, his hair was dyed black and he wore clothes they were used to seeing on Felix.
"Oh man." Sam whispered in shock.
"I ask again, who are you?" Oscar asked again, black eyeliner rimmed eyes narrowed at the three teens.
"We're looking for Felix? Is he around?" Sam spoke up, smiling at the goth teen.
"What do you want with my brother?" Oscar snapped protectively.
"Oskie, whose there?" A familiar voice called out and all the boys turned to see their Felix with mousy brown hair wheeling him self down the ramp out of the main house, a stripped hoodie clinging to his thin body, as he looked at the group confused.
"Felix?" Sam whispered in horror while Jake bit his knuckle while Andy swallowed hard and looked away.
"Can I help you?" Felix wheeled closer to the group, looking at the new teenagers curiously.
"Y-Yeah we hope so, can we talk uh alone?" Jake glanced at Oscar who was narrowing his eyes further.
"If you think I'm leaving my brother here with a jock, a skater and a nerd that I've never seen before then you have another thing coming." Oscar snapped.
"Oskie, I'll be fine I can take care of myself. Go, you know how Ellen gets when you're late." Felix shooed his brother off, it took a few more tries but Oscar did leave the yard still shooting glares over his shoulder at the trio.
"Now, who are you? I've never seen you in town before but the way you look at me… It's like you know me." Felix leaned back in his wheelchair, crossing his arms as he inspected the trio.
"I'm Sam, this is Jake and Andy. You might not believe this but we are your friends, just in another world." Sam explained softly, keeping his eyes on Felix's face.
"Another world? Like magic and stuff?" Felix snorted in disbelief.
"Yes, exactly." Andy nodded his head eagerly.
"You're going to have to do better than that." Felix snorted, rolling himself away from the trio who followed him.
"It's the truth Felix, we've all been into different worlds before but this one you are in the wheelchair instead of Oscar and your not a goth or into magic." Sam insisted, at this Felix spotted and spun his chair around to face the trio.
"So in your world Oscar and I are reversed?" Felix asked, voice quiet.
"Yes, exactly and we need to get back to that world and we need your help." Jake pressed.
"We know this is a lot to take in, magic being real, different worlds existing and everything." Andy said in sympathy as he had been there before, but this time the roles were reversed.
"It's not that much to take in, I know all about magic after all I used it to save my brother from falling from that damn tree. Instead I took his place and I don't regret it, but I can't use magic again, it just goes wrong." Felix rubbed at his useless legs, a far away look in his eyes.
"Oh Felix." Sam dropped down next to Felix's wheelchair, gripping Felix's hands in his own and looked up at him with an open face, Felix leaned back looking at Sam in confusion.
"I'm sorry, but you've got the wrong guy for whatever you need." Felix pulled his hands out of Sam's grip and wheeled himself around Sam heading back into his house.
"Good luck." Felix gave them a sad smile as the door shut behind him leaving the trio alone in the backyard.
"Well there goes our last chance to get home." Jake kicked a pebble, as the trio moved down the road heading toward the forest was their shelter was sure to be located.
"We just have to convince him that magic isn't always a bad thing!" Sam shook his head, refusing to give up on Felix.
"After everything he's been through convincing him might be impossible." Andy said sadly, thinking back to the chair Felix was confined in and his story.
"We do the impossible almost every day, hello we've all been to different worlds, we've fought the Restoring Demon and it's minions and in our own world we have elemental powers! We can convince this Felix that magic isn't evil, we have too…" Sam trailed off, looking up at the sky as wind ruffled his cap and he sighed softly wishing he could wrap the wind around himself like he does at home.
"We will, don't worry we will think of something!" Jake slung his arm around Sam's shoulder giving the air user a bright smile.
"Yeah we will!" Sam beamed back at the earth user, feeling his grounding presence even now.
"Speaking of Restoring Demon… We might have a problem." Andy pointed at Jake's chest where the talisman was resting. It was starting to glow as Jake grabbed it before the three of them whirled around looking for the signs of the demon.
"Uh guys." Sam whacked their arms forcing the two to turn towards the direction he was looking.
"Aw man, they didn't even bother to start small this time." Jake sighed as a mob of towns people were marching towards them, Oscar in his Gothed out glory at the head of the group.
"Run, run!" Sam grabbed the two as he backed up pulling them with him.
"What about Felix?" Andy shouted at the other two as they ran down the street.
"We have to get him!" Sam shouted back as he made a detour towards the Ferne house where Felix was wheeling himself down the driveway looking confused.
"FELIX!" Jake called out as the group rushed over to him.
"Something's wrong, I don't know how but I know something is wrong." Felix panted, clutching at his chest.
"You're right about that, see there is something called a Restoring Demon and it's dead set on killing us since we don't belong in this world and well it has taken over the whole town from the looks of it." Andy explained, waving his hand at the approaching mob.
"Oskie?" Felix whispered looking at the blank look his little brother had on his face as he marched towards them.
"No time, sorry about this Felix." Jake said in advance before he bent down and pulled Felix up into his arms. The brunet yelped before he grabbed Jake's shoulders to balance him self as the teens started to run.
"We need to find someplace to hole up!" Andy called out to the others.
"I know a place, turn right at the next street!" Felix called from Jake's arms, pointing at the fast approaching street and the group veered down it.
A few more directions form Felix and the four skidded to a halt by a grove of trees near the edge of town.
"Under there." Felix pointed at an overgrowth of roots from some nearby trees. Carefully, but quickly the group ducked under the roots and found them selves in a small alcove that was slightly decorated, like a small clubhouse.
"I used to come here when I was little, before this." Felix gestured to his legs as Jake gently set him down on a blanket before he, Sam and Andy settled down around him.
"This is a great hiding place, I never even knew it was here!" Sam beamed at Felix who blushed giving a small smile back.
"So let's say I believe that magic isn't completely bad, even though that whole possession by a demon thing is really proving my point… If you guys get back to your own world then Oskie and the others go back to normal?" Felix asked looking at the three with a familiar determined look on his face.
"Yup, that's how it works." Sam nodded his head confirming Felix's words.
"…For Oskie, what do you need me to do?" Felix sat up straighter. Andy couldn't help but smile, no matter the world it seemed that Felix would always do anything for his little brother.
"You just need to hold a flame over this bowl and say the right words with us." Andy explained as he looked around the room and to his relief there was a small cup by a bottle of water and a dusty looking lighter was lying in the corner.
"Okay, sure why not." Felix took the offered lighter and flicked it a few times before he got a flame going and a soft smile crossed his face at the flickering red flame. Andy quietly told Felix the right words to say and Felix nodded his head blinking at the somehow familiar words.
Jake took a handful of dirt by his legs and poured it into the cup before he handed it over to Andy who poured water into it before passing it to Sam who blew into the mixture and held it out to Felix who waved the flame under the bottom of the cup warming it.
"Divinity of the elements, I summon thee. Through this world, we can see. Another place where we can be. Take the fire make it burn, take the air and make it turn. Take this water and this earth, and to another world call us forth. Earth, Water, Fire, Air. Earth, Water, Fire, Air." The four boys chanted together as the roots above them started to shake as the possessed towns people started to attack their hiding place. The talisman started to glow brighter and the hide out was engulfed in a bright light and when it faded Felix was sitting there alone and a small smile was on his face.
"Good luck." Felix whispered to the empty air.