Chapter 6 – Looking Out

Just before he reached the top of the stairs leading to the second floor of the Springer Household, Warren turned around on the spot and looked down at Seth, displaying a gleam of hope in his eyes.

"So, tell me about this.. idea," said Warren suspiciously, with a guilty smirk lined across his face.

"Well, it might not work, but hear me out," replied Seth. "You see, back when Clover found me in the boy's room, she mentioned something about homing in on Bright in order to find me."

"Yeah, so?" asked Clover, wanting to hear the rest of Seth's suggestion.

"How do you home-in on Clover, exactly?"

"She's a powerful fairy. And I'm a powerful fairy. We have the ability to detect each other's presence should another one be nearby."

"What about Kendra? I mean, if she's fairykind, is there any possibility for you to home in on her?"

Clover and Bright flew directly in front of Seth's face, just in time for Seth to gaze into their widened, yet tiny eyes.

"It could work," said Bright. "Provided Kendra is within the vicinity. I mean, if Kendra's too far away, it simply will not work."

"And no telling how far away from us she could even be right now," noted Clover.

"How powerful is this detection ability, anyway?" asked Warren.

"It would probably cover a few blocks," replied Clover. "But if we combined our power, it would be greater."

"It's worth a try, isn't it?" asked Seth.

"What have we got to lose?" asked Bright, nodding at Clover. The two fairies then flew to the top of the stairs and suddenly spurted into their human-sized forms. They then closed their eyes and began to concentrate on something.

"No," said Bright softly.

"She's not here," added Clover. "Not in this house, at least."

"We'll go outside and try again,"

"You'd better try this in the backyard, though," said Warren, leading the other back down the stairs. They travelled through the dining room, into the kitchen, then left through the back door.

Bright and Clover walked out to the centre of the yard, then closed their eyes and attempted to seek out Kendra again. They then held hands, but gave up after a few seconds.

"It's no use," sighed Clover. "We'll have to try again from somewhere else"

"If only we could fly around and use our power at the same time," said Bright. "But it's not very smart to fly around with our eyes closed. Even if we're up high, we could still hurt ourselves."

"What if one of you flew around, using your power, while the other one served as a guide with her eyes open?"asked Warren.

"I've got a better idea," said Clover. "Why don't you guys serve as our eyes while we fly around?"

"Better idea still!" added Bright. "We go back home and recruit the other fairy angels. Not to mention my sisters and Bracken.

"I wish there was some way we could help," said Warren. "But Seth and I can't fly."

"It's too bad," said Seth. "We could guide you fairies around in the air."

"You humans are so primitive," griped Clover. "Let me fix that."

Before Warren could respond, Clover held out her hands and unleashed a force of sparkling green energy upon Warren, which engulfed his whole body.

"What're you doing?" cried Warren, just as the magical essence appeared to fade away.

"Jump into the air," said Clover.

"Fine," said Warren, as he leaped upwards, "but I don't see how-"

Just as Warren jumped into the air, Seth's jaw dropped. Rather than falling, Warren remained floating above the ground.

Whoa," gasped Warren, mysteriously hovering in the air, flailing his arms to maintain his position. "What'd you do to me?"

"I just gave you the ability to fly. Figured it might come in handy."

"Hey, do me next, Tinkerbell!" squealed Seth. "I wanna fly too!"

"Allow me," said Bright, engulfing Seth in a flash of rainbow-colored magic in the same manner that Clover did to Warren.

"Oh, yes," said Seth, who could feel the energy dissipating around his body. "This is gonna be awesome!"

Seth jumped into the air, only to fall back down to the ground, landing on his feet.

"It didn't work. Warren, what's the trick?"

"Uh, Seth," said Bright. "I don't think this is going to work."

"What'd you mean?" asked Seth. "If you can't make me fly, let Clover do it."

"It won't matter. Your body rejected my magic."

"What if you both try?"

"It won't do any good," said Clover. "Your shadow charmer attributes shield you from our enchantment magic. In short, we are unable to grant you the ability to fly."

"This is so not fair!" griped Seth, looking up at Warren, who had risen up and was now floating roughly fifty feet above the ground.

"Maybe we can't give you the power to fly on your own," said Bright, "but we should at least be able to levitate you. Let me try that."

Bright's magic engulfed Seth a second time, causing him to successfully float up into the air.

"It's working!" gasped Seth, waving his arms around. "I'm flying! How do I control myself?"

"You can't," replied Bright, as she, Clover and Warren floated up after Seth. "At least not where you move. Someone will have to pull you around."

"Aw, man!" moaned Seth, who watched as Warren spun around freely in midair. They appeared to be about one-hundred feet above the ground, and Seth could see beyond the town in every direction.

"Look, we're not doing this to have fun," noted Clover. "We're trying to save your sister!"

"What about the other fairies?" asked Warren.

"One of us will have to fly back to Fablehaven and recruit them. I might as well do it. Warren, you can come with me."

"We'll be back," said Warren, as he and Clover flew off in the direction of Fablehaven.

Seth looked down at the tiny town of Crossroad Pass, wondering where Kendra could be. He then glanced over at Bright, who was trying to answer his question by attempting to sense Kendra.

"Grab my hand," said Bright, as she extended a hand outwards with her eyes still closed. "I need you to guide me over the town."

"I guess you could just circle the place," stated Seth, as he accepted Bright's hand and she began to fly around in a large, circular formation.

Meanwhile, the Society's limousine was in the midst of coasting along down a highway somewhere in the countryside. Kendra remained seated, still facing her three captors. She watched as Matthew drew a Cuban cigar from a box, then stuck it in his mouth. Rather than lighting it, Matthew merely snapped his fingers, which caused the tip of the cigar to suddenly start burning.

"I want one too!" whined Jake, as he grabbed the cigar box, dug through its contents and stuck a cigar in his mouth.

"Need a light?" asked Matthew, as he magically lit Jake's cigar in the same manner as his for own.

"Thanks," said Jake, as he got out of his seat and skittered over to Kendra. "We'd offer you one, except we're not on the same side, and you're a little young for this, aren't you?"

"Those things are gross," huffed Kendra, as Jake blew some second-hand smoke in her face. "I wouldn't want one even if I were old enough."

"Watch it, fairy kid" said Ashley, as Matthew lit a cigar for her. "Or you won't live 'til you're old enough to legally smoke one of these."

"Like you care about doing what's legal."

"Hey," said Matthew, "lighten up. We're just having a little fun with you before we hand you over to Oblivion."

Ashley snorted. "Look, Oblivion wants Kendra in peak condition. "That's why we're letting her ride in this luxurious limo, rather than some dingy trunk."

Kendra squirmed over the thought of being taken to this Oblivion character. She didn't know who he was, and was in no rush to actually find out. She had to do something. Now was probably her best chance at escaping, before it was too late. But she needed a plan.

"I need some fresh air!" exclaimed Kendra, who could barely breathe among all the smoke that was building up in the limousine.

"I'll open a window," said Matthew.

"Must you?" griped Ashley. "The highway is so loud."

"I'll just say it," muttered Kendra. "I'm having my period. Can we please stop?"

Ashley snorted. "Fine. But don't take too long."

Ashley then picked up a headset that was next to where she was sitting and held it up to her face. "Pull over at the next exit."

Roughly two minutes later, the limousine slowed down and pulled off the highway, into the parking lot of a McDonald's.

"You've got ten minutes," said Ashley. "And just to make sure you don't try anything, we'll come with you."

"Hey," said Jake, as Matthew opened the door. "As long as we're here, can I get some Big Macs? With bacon?"

"Get what you want," said Matthew, as everyone got out of the car.

As Kendra stepped out of the smokey limousine, she took in a breath of fresh air. She gazed around and saw a few other people throughout the parking lot. Part of her wanted to scream for help, but she knew that her captors would make her regret trying such a thing.

Upon reaching the entrance, Kendra opened the door, and was greeted by a waft of fried foods.

"Excuse me," said a female employee, who walked up to Kendra, "but you can't bring your dog in here."

Kendra looked down at Jake, who was was walking around on all fours. She then remembered that Jake did not appear as a magical creature to most people, and undoubtedly resembled a small dog to them.

"Come on, Jake," said Matthew. "Go back to the limo and wait."

"But I need to place my order!" groaned Jake. "I'm pretty hungry now."

Kendra assumed that Jake's speech sounded like dog barks to most people, in order to help keep him hidden in public.

"Let's get this over with," said Ashley, as she led Kendra to the ladies' room. Meanwhile, Matthew stood in line, while Jake slipped out the door and scampered back to the limo. "Now, don't try anything funny. Got it?"

Kendra swallowed her breath as she swung open and stepped through the door to the ladies' washroom. Once the door closed behind her, she sighed in relief. For once, she was not within the captivity of the society. Only problem was, what was she to do from here? There did not appear to be another exit to the washroom, which was typical, leaving Kendra essentially trapped.

Kendra had been lying about having her period, as she just needed an excuse to get out of the car. Likewise, she didn't even have need to use a toilet. But not only was Kendra running out of ideas, she was running out of places to even run.

Kendra gazed into the mirror and was startled by the bags that had formed under her eyes. She looked dreadful, even with the beautiful dress that she was being forced to wear.

Before long, Kendra heard one of the toilets flush from behind a stall door, breaking her concentration. She listened as the latch was unlocked and watched as a large, portly woman stepped out of the stall, paying no attention to Kendra, and approached the sink.

Almost instinctively, Kendra walked up to the woman, and was greeted by a somewhat perplexed look. "Can I help you?" asked the woman unenthusiastically.

"Yes you can," said Kendra nervously. "I'm in trouble."

"Trouble?" asked the woman, looking down at Kendra. "What do you mean?"

"I've been kidnapped, and I need you to call the police."

"The police?"

"Please! This is no joke! It's an emergency! I'd do it myself, but I've had no access to a phone!"

The woman took in a deep breath, then pulled a cell phone from her pocket. "All right. You'd better be telling the truth here."

"I am! Thank you!"

Just as soon as the woman readied her phone, the bathroom door swung open and Ashley recklessly barged her way in. "What is going on in here?"

"It's her!" gasped Kendra. "She's the one!"

Ashley immediately noticed the cell phone in the woman's hand, then scowled at her. "Thought you could just call for help, did you?"

"You leave her alone!" shouted the woman. "I'm calling the police right away!"

Without any warning, Ashley morphed her body into that of a large grizzly bear. While Kendra had been startled to some extent, the woman appeared to be mesmerized.

"What?" gasped the woman. "How?"

"I'm sorry," growled Ashley, "but this really isn't all your fault. However, I'll need to deal with you."

Ashley then jumped on top of the woman and began ripping away at her with her claws. The woman screamed in agony as the bear tore through her flesh.

"HELP!" cried the woman. "PLEASE! My phone's password is 65937!"

"Leave her alone!" screamed Kendra, who proceeded to kick Ashley's rear, almost instinctively.

Catching Kendra completely off guard, Ashley reached back with her front claw and grabbed Kendra, then slammed her down against the floor. "Quiet, you!"

Trying not to look over at the gored body that was lying next to her, Kendra suddenly noticed the woman's cell phone near her other side, which she had dropped on the floor when Ashley had pounced on her.

Guessing that Ashley was still preoccupied with attacking the woman, Kendra slid away from the bear. With Ashley still distracted, Kendra grabbed the cell phone without getting noticed, slid it into her dress pocket, then slipped out of the bathroom. In her head, she did her best to remember the password that the woman had mentioned was for her phone.

From where Kendra was standing, she could see Matthew standing at the front of the line next to the counter. Matthew was quick to notice Kendra's emergence. Kendra knew that if she were to run for help, there was nothing to stop Matthew from catching her. Even hiding in the mens' room would be foolish, as she could just as easily get caught there. Her little detour had cost someone their life, and all she had to show for it was a cellular phone.

At least now Kendra had a chance. Knowing that she couldn't make a call at the moment, she decided to hold out for the time being. At that moment, Ashley, now a human again, stepped out of the ladies' room.

"Limo," said Ashley, grabbing Kendra's hand firmly. "Now. Don't make a scene."

Knowing that Ashley and Matthew could do horrible things to everyone else the restaurant, Kendra reluctantly followed Ashley over to where Matthew was standing.

"Are you almost done?" asked Ashley. "We need to be wrapping things up."

"It's almost ready," replied Matthew. "Go wait for me."

Ashley led Kendra back out to the limousine, where Jake was waiting inside upon his seat.

"Where's my food?" asked Jake, licking his lips.

Kendra didn't answer. Instead, she just stepped back into the back seat of the limo and sat down. She was hyperventilating, and didn't know what she could do.

"Calm down," said Jake. "We're taking you to see Oblivion, and that's final."

"You don't care!" shrieked Kendra. "You people just don't care!"

"Well I'm not exactly what you'd call people," stated Jake. "Your logic is flawed!"

Overcome with rage, Kendra bolted out of her seat, grabbed Jake by his neck, pulled him off his seat, and began to strangle him.

"Put him down, now!" shouted Ashley.

Still hyperventilating, Kendra placed Jake back down, then began to cry. Before long, Matthew walked back to the car, carrying a large paper bag stuffed with food.

"What's going on here?" asked Matthew, placing the bag down in front of Jake, who was still in the midst of gasping for air.

"Kendra here tried to reveal our little operation to a bystander," replied Ashley. "I was left with no choice but to transform into a bear and deal with her. It was messy, but fortunately a sink was nearby."

"How could you!" screamed Kendra. She was normally never this aggressive, but now she knew that she had been pushed too far.

"Just keep your mouth shut," said Matthew, as he closed the door to the limo, which soon started driving off again. "We're not that far from our destination now."

"So what'd you get me?" asked Jake, as he reached into the bag and pulled out a small carton. "Ooh! A Double Big Mac with bacon!"

Kendra watched as Jake took a large bite out of his burger. "I was going to share some fries with you, but after your little outburst..."

"I don't care!" blurted Kendra. "Just- just- just leave me alone!"

"Can I toss a drink at her?" asked Jake, holding back a soda cup in his hand.

"You mustn't, Jake," said Ashley sternly. "We want Kendra to be as presentable as possible when we meet with Oblivion."

"Just drink it," said Matthew. "But don't complain that you need to pee later. We're not making any more stops until we reach Oblivion. But don't worry, we're not that far from this point."

Kendra turned away from the others, staring out the window. She didn't know what to expect as this point. Even though she could feel that poor woman's cell phone taking up space in her pocket, Kendra wasn't sure that it would be enough to save her. Nevertheless, she had faith, as it might very well lead to her only chance of ever being rescued.