Chapter one:
Little too late.
''You are making a mistake here, Felix. Even if you do manage to save Andy, someone will have to take your place as well. There must be some other way, we just haven't found it yet. It's a cruel place, very lonely. Phoebe, say something!'' Alice said desperately. Felix had just finished explaining how he wanted to save his friend, and apparently, he didn't see a single flaw with it. But arguing was no good, because Phoebe seemed even more eager than Felix.
''Come on, sis. We get to perform magic, and be heroes if we bring that kid back. As for this one,'' she pointed at Felix, ''Good riddance. Come on, Alice, he's messed up a spell before, that brought them into this situation, he needs us.'' Phoebe said. ''Ever so charming.'' Felix commented and Phoebe rolled her eyes. ''Do you want the help or not?'' she asked, and Felix nodded.
''I don't know about this.'' Alice said, still a bit unsure. ''Where are the other elements? Aside from you and the kid stuck in the Negative space-'' she shuddered, ''There should be two more. Why aren't they here?'' she asked. ''Well, they didn't exactly agree, so...'' Felix started sheepishly, before someone forcefully knocked on the rear door. ''Felix, we know you are in there, using magic. You promised us no more spells!'' the person shouted.
''Didn't exactly agree, huh?'' Phoebe huffed. ''Ok, so maybe they didn't agree at all.'' Felix whispered, hoping that if they were quiet enough the others would go away. It's not like he told them he was heading over to Phoebe's place. ''Goth dude, we know you are in there. Oscar said you were headed here, we're not that stupid. I know you want to take back what happened to him, but magic isn't the way.'' another voice shouted.
''Of course they didn't agree, if they didn't know what you were up to.'' Alice deadpanned. ''Well, the two elements that were missing are here now. Would be a waste not use them.'' Phoebe said. ''I've brought my book of shadows, and the proper spell to open the portal towards the Negative space. Please Alice, I'm more than willing to do this.'' Felix begged.
Alice bit her lip, but Felix seemed desperate for help, and the poor kid currently stuck in the Negative space surely wanted to come out by now. ''Fine. But I'm going to search for a way to get you out as soon as possible.'' Alice said. ''FELIX! Sam, fetch me a screwdriver or I'll use brute force.'' the first voice roared, followed by a loud thump on the door. ''We'd better hurry, before that one breaks my door. But if he does, you'll be receiving the bill.'' Phoebe sternly told Felix.
''You'll have to send that bill to another realm.'' Felix deadpanned, and Phoebe thought it over for a second. ''I'll figure out a way.'' she said, before leading the teen and her sister towards a more secluded area of her house, the basement. 'Hold on Andy. I'm on my way.' Felix thought, clutching his book of shadows to his chest.
''Maybe he isn't here.'' Sam said, as Jake knocked a few more times. ''Honestly? He wouldn't lie to Oscar about his whereabouts. And he was acting suspicious today.'' Jake replied, he didn't want to break Phoebe's door down, but if necessary, he would do it. Felix was a bundle of powerful magic and poor judgement. Whatever he was doing in there, it wouldn't end well.
''Don't just sit there, I really need a screwdriver.'' Jake told Sam. ''That's called breaking and entering. It's illegal.'' Sam told him. Jake rolled his eyes, ''You had no problem with it in the other world. He's about to make a mistake again, and what if it's an even bigger catastrophe then the last time? Besides that, he's the only one that knows magic, and can help us with the elemental powers.'' Jake said. ''Screwdriver it is.'' Sam sighed, looking for something in his backpack that resembled a screwdriver.
''What if they do break down the door, and come in during the spell?'' Felix asked, as Alice drew a circle with chalk. ''They might get sucked in as well.'' Phoebe said, and Alice nodded. ''Better make this quick, Jake isn't exactly known for having patience.'' Felix said. ''Magic can't be rushed, it needs to be done properly.'' Alice scolded him, before adding, ''We do need to be fast with the switch though, you can open the portal, but for less then a minute.''
''It'll have to do. How do we make sure it's Andy we pull out? What if there are other lost souls in there?'' Felix asked. ''You only wonder about that now?'' Phoebe sneered. He gave her a look, but she only shrugged. ''There should only be the guardians of the world, that's why it needs to be quick. The spell will be able to locate the person you are trying to switch with.'' Alice said, opening her book. ''I've tried before, but performing magic in that world somehow is tougher then it is here in our world.'' she added. ''Well, it seems we are all set, go on Felix and cast the spell. Alice, step back before you get sucked in again.'' Phoebe said.
''I found a tweezer.'' Sam said, before handing it to Jake, who raised an eyebrow. ''What do you do with this?'' he asked. ''It's Mia's. It had something to do with eyebrows, I think.'' Sam explained. ''Right... It'll have to do, I guess.'' Jake said, before using the back of the tweezer to tap the pin out of the top hinge. ''Okay, it'll take a bit of fiddling, but I'll manage. Hopefully in time.'' he said. ''What do you suppose he's doing in there?'' Sam asked.
''Probably finding new ways to torment us.'' Jake said. ''Really? He doesn't seem like someone who would do that on purpose.'' Sam replied. ''That's why you are airheaded, and I'm more down to earth.'' Jake joked. ''Ha ha.'' Sam laughed sarcastically. ''Funny and true, Andy would've loved it.'' Jake said, pulling out the first pin, quickly starting on the next one. ''Andy... I hope he's doing well. Maybe Felix is feeling guilty for Andy as well. I mean, he was pretty worked up about Oscar's accident, and that wasn't his fault really. He just tends to blame himself.'' Sam said.
''Well, go on. What are you waiting for?'' Phoebe urged as Felix read the spell again and again. ''I don't want to make any mistakes.'' Felix said. ''Little late for that, isn't it?'' Phoebe mocked, and Alice slapped her arm. ''Phoebe! Don't rush him. Take your time, Felix.'' she said. ''Thanks.'' Felix said, quietly reading the spell one more time. Alice seemed pretty pent up about Negative space, but it was too late to start having doubts. This world needed Andy, and even his friends liked Andy more than they liked him.
Still, he was worried too. There would be no one to trade in for him, and as far as he was concerned that was the only way out. He also felt guilty for not telling Oscar. And perhaps even a bit fearful for the place he was headed. ''Are you having doubts?'' Alice asked. ''No.'' Felix lied, holding the book up, and taking a deep breath.
''Oi! What are you doing over there?'' Sam heared someone shout. ''Jake, cut it out. We're going to get caught.'' he said. ''Hold him off. I'm nearly done.'' Jake said. ''Dude, this may not even be worth the hassle. What if he's just helping them out?'' Sam said, eyeing the surroundings. Whoever was approaching them, came pretty fast. ''Yes!'' Jake cheered, as the pin fell from the bottom hinge. He wiggled and pulled at the door, managing to create an opening and slipping in. Sam wanted to follow, but a hand was placed on his shoulder. He turned, meeting the eyes of a very angry cop.
'This is it.' Felix thought as the circle started to glow. ''He did it.'' Phoebe said excitedly. ''Okay, I'll close it right after you. Safety measures. Hurry up, and switch places already.'' Alice told him. Felix nodded, before approaching the circle, already feeling some gravity pulling him towards it. ''FELIX!'' Jake roared, as he came charging down, and Felix looked up. After that, things happened very fast, and Jake, who tried to tackle Felix to prevent him from doing magic was pulled into the gate as well.
As Jake and Felix vanished, two others appeared in their place. ''It worked!'' Phoebe said. Alice quickly sealed the gate, before heading over to them. ''It's the kid from the newspaper.'' she said, before looking at the other person. ''And.., some boy scout, I guess?'' she said, but somehow, the second person didn't sit right with her. ''Awesome. I'm going to get them some drinks, you can explain what happened. Ooh, I might as well take a peek at how much he's damaged my door.'' Phoebe said as she ran up the stairs.
''Sure.'' Alice said to her back, before giving Andy a friendly look. ''Alice?'' Andy asked and Alice nodded. ''Are you going to kill me? My friends will find me in no time, and defeat you.'' Andy threathened, and Bear gave her an angry look. ''Actually, your friends are the reason you're here. I'm not a demon anymore, Andy. I've done you wrong in the past, but that wasn't really me.'' she said.
''What do you mean, my friends are the reason I'm here. Where are they? For that matter, where am I?'' Andy demanded. ''I don't trust this one bit, Andy.'' the other kid said. ''You are back in Bremin, the real Bremin. Felix found a way to get you out of Negative space.'' Alice said. Andy smiled softly, Felix was getting better at this magic. ''But, you said there was no way out of Negative space?'' he said to his friend.
''There isn't.'' his friend replied. Andy nodded, Bear had been his help more then once, and Alice had tried to kill him more then once. If he had to choose who to trust in any type of situation, Alice wouldn't be the first name to come to mind. ''If they've gotten me out, where are they?'' he asked. ''Well... for one to get out of Negative space, another must go in... so...'' she stated.
Upstairs, Phoebe indeed found an open door, and a cop examining it. She drew closer, before asking, ''Can I help you?'' The cop looked up, before saying, ''Good afternoon. I'm afraid two burglars attempted to get in. In broad day light even, not the brightest of burglars. It appeared to be two teens. We caught one, but the other has gotten in.'' He gave her a concerned look. ''Those weren't burglars.'' Phoebe automatically replied, ''Those were my nephews. They may not be very bright, often forgetting their key, but at least they stopped breaking my windows to get in.'' she lied.
The cop gave her an odd look. ''I was busy. Painting.'' she said. ''I see... Well, an official warning will do for now. But I strongly suggest keeping a spare key nearby. I'll go and release your son.'' the cop said. ''Nephew.'' Phoebe corrected him, and the cop gave her a shrug before heading over to his car. ''Your auntie saved you there, otherwise this might have taken an ugly turn. Hope you had a good scare.'' the cop told Sam, while opening the door.
''Sure did. I'll go and see if auntie Phoebs needs help for that door.'' Sam nervously laughed, before walking towards Phoebe. The cop shook his head, before walking after him. ''I still need to see that other kid, to give him the same warning I gave this kid.'' he told Phoebe. ''Oh, but I can tell him.'' Sam said. ''It's an official warning, son. I don't think you can give him that.'' the cop said. ''Oh, but it was innocent. Surely, there is no need for a warning. It's not like they stole anything.'' Phoebe said. ''It's still considered breaking and entering by law. I'll need full cooperation or this may still turn into a case.'' the cop told Phoebe. Before Phoebe could even reply, the cop faced quite a scene, as two bewildered teens ran up the stairs, and one of them turned out to be the kid that had been missing for several months by now.
Jake Riles was the first one to get up. After the strange light he had been blinded by, both he and Felix had landed on a cold concrete floor, knocking them out for a moment. ''What the... where are we?'' he wondered, as he looked around. The strange light had dumped them into a giant empty warehouse, the walls he could see were bare, but for several doors. But his vision was rather blurry, as if being under water. He rubbed his eyes, but to no avail, his vision didn't improve.
He looked at Felix, but the goth was still dead to the world. ''You promised no magic.'' Jake said, but didn't have the heart to actually wake the witch up. He knew Felix didn't sleep a lot, it was noticable, even in the other world. There was no need to wake him though, because he was stirring already, then sitting bolt upright. ''Have... Have we switched?'' he wondered out loud, making Jake give him an odd look. ''You'd better start explaining fast, Ferne.'' Jake said.
''Raising two nephews to break and enter is one thing, but to hold a kid imprisoned... you're going to be serving a long time, Ladies.'' the cop said, as he pushed Phoebe into the car after Alice. "You come along too, buddy. Can't have you hanging about without adult supervision." The cop said to Sam as he held open the passenger door.
''But we're innocent!'' Alice screeched, the cop only turned to her, and sneered, ''So, the kid just appeared here from thin air, out of all places? Do you think magic is involved here? No one's falling for that, hun.'' ''Let's get you home already. Your parents and friends are worried sick.'' he told Andy, before allowing another cop to take back Andy and his friend. In the other car, Sam looked out of the window and thought, 'I told Jake it was a bad idea to break and enter. Now see where it got us...'
Felix remained rather quiet, but something was off. Maybe it was just Jake's imagination, but it seemed as if the walls had drawn closer and the ceiling was lower. Several spells, or chants had appeared with white letters on the walls, and the area felt hot. Scorching even. ''Felix.'' he urged, ''I won't beat you, but I deserve to know where I am.'' The white letters vanished, and instead several pictures of Jake appeared.
Some with his mum, sharing BLT's and some with both his parents, where he had been younger. Some where he was holding the throphies he had won in the past, but there were some dreadfull ones as well, with Jake dying in a hospital bed, or on this very concrete floor. Even one, where he had beat up Felix. Jake winced, he treated Felix rough, but he'd never do actual damage. ''I used magic. I wanted to trade myself in for Andy. I didn't mean to drag you along.'' Felix said.
Several pictures again, this time of Bremin, where Jake and Sam were having good times at the theme park, or the cinema with Andy. Even some of Viv, or Ellen, posing with Andy. But in none of them, Felix was there. ''Do you honestly believe we wanted you to trade yourself in for Andy?'' Jake asked. Felix only nodded. ''That's insane! Why would you even believe that?'' Jake demanded.
''This is your mistake, go fix it at any cost!'' Jake's voice roared trough the building. ''Any cost.'' Felix repeated. ''I never meant...'' Jake started weakly. He had said that, true, but he didn't intend for Felix to disappear, just so they would have Andy back. ''Think of the people that would miss you.'' Jake tried. The pictures from before disappeared, quickly replaced by frames showing Oscar, Alice, some of Felix's friends, but to Jake's worried surprise, not a single adult. ''What's up with this place?'' Jake wondered, before saying, ''You aren't thinking your parents won't miss you, are you?''
''Should I really answer that question?'' Felix retorted. ''Man, you're really dense or dumb if you think that.'' Jake told him. ''Am not.'' Felix said. Jake stared unbelievingly, then said, ''You better think real hard and get your head out of your arse.'' , before adding, ''I'm going to take a look around. Try and find a way back.'' He left towards the nearest hallway.
''Ai, my boy, back home again! You look a mess, go take a shower.'' Lily Lau said, when the cop brought Andy back home. ''I missed you too, Nai Nai.'' Andy told her with an eyeroll, before his mom gave him a big hug. ''I'm so glad you are home. We've all missed you so much. Where were you?'' she asked, with tears in her eyes. The cop scraped his throat, before he told her, ''Actually, this kid never left Bremin.''
''O thank god. We thought you were kidnapped and were taken overseas.'' his father responded. ''But, we had that search party for weeks all over Bremin, if not for months. How is it possible he's only found now? Bremin isn't that big, and the entire population helped searching.'' Viv asked. ''You might want to sit down as we explain.'' the cop said. ''No time, we'd better do that later. It's a busy night.'' Lily said, handing Andy an apron.
''This is your grandson, business can wait for a while.'' Andy's dad told her. ''No! Nai Nai is right. We should be working. I'm fine, and in good health really. I was just in the woods.'' Andy said. ''Again?'' Viv asked, and Andy shot her a look. ''It's fine, the Heartleys can't hurt you anymore, better tell everyone the truth.'' the cop urged him. ''The truth?'' Andy swallowed. There was no way he could tell them that he had been lost in another dimension, and that he had magically returned. That didn't make sense the first time it happened, and it still didn't. He didn't think his family would believe him either.
''Andy just said he's fine. No better comeback than work. Might as well get your pale friend some food too.'' his grandma said. Andy couldn't be happier with his Nai Nai at the moment. Usually he'd be annoyed at the fact that she'd only care for work, but it provided a good distraction. ''You'll have to give a testimony eventually, kid. And I think your parents should know where you've been.'' both his parents nodded. Andy only paled, as they led him, Bear and the cop inside.