Chapter 7
The gang loaded onto the shuttle.
"I can't believe there's room for all of us on this thing," said Willis.
"Well, there's only…" Tech did a quick head count, "28 of us and this thing was built for 30."
"Wow, we've really moved past 21st-century 8-seat vans," said Kyra.
Tech nodded, proudly, and started it up.
Everyone grabbed onto something as the doors closed and they all left. Within a half hour, they were in the Caribbean Islands.
"Alright," said Sandra, "I've always wanted to go to the Caribbean!"
"Well, the dream's probably gonna keep going," said Orion, "We're just searching for the Stone of Dreams and there's no telling how long it could even take to find the map."
Trinity raced up to them. "Hey, guys! Look what I just found in the magic gift shop! A map!"
"Seriously?" Orion grabbed it. "Oh. Well, it's obviously a fake. It doesn't tell you where to start."
Trinity looked at it. She looked around to make sure no one was watching. "We must save our friend or her fate is sealed, show us the way, the path revealed." She zapped it…it glowed…and nothing happened. "What—" She zapped it again, but her spell fizzled out. A few more times and still nothing. "OK, why is it not working?"
Tech grabbed it. "If it's the real one, it's gonna be enchanted." He looked it over. "OK, if I'm reading this right…AHA! Look at the illustration. It's making a reference to the fight that took place over 500 years ago on the West Coast of this island! Take that, Acme Tech historians!"
"Come on!" Kyra pulled them all off.
In Zara's reality…
They approached a large chasm.
"How are we gonna get across this?" asked Zara.
Zack looked at the map. "It says something about a bridge. There's no bridge. If we had magic or your wish-granting, we could make a bridge."
Zara sighed and started thinking… She noticed a tree. "I have an idea. Give your pocket knife." Zack gave it to her. She started cutting down the tree that was tall enough to stretch across the chasm.
"Do you really think that's gonna work?"
Zara stopped cutting halfway through and the tree collapsed and spread across the chasm.
Zack looked at it. "I guess so."
Zara started crawling across it and he followed her.
In the real reality…
The gang approached the gargoyle statue.
"Alright, let's see…" Orion looked at the map. "Good thing I read Spanish."
"As do I," said Trinity, taking it, "I bought it, let me see it."
"I took Spanish for 5 years," said Orion, "You took it for—what? 2 days?"
Trinity shrugged. "Well, I kind of peaked at 'habla Ingles?'"
Orion looked it over. "It says the path will only reveal itself to the one who's intentions are pure." He scoffed. "So me, obviously." He handed Trinity the map and walked over to the statue.
Duck and Xavier looked at each other and followed.
Orion put his hands on the statue. "Show me the way, open up, reveal the path!" Nothing happened. He cleared his throat to try again. "Show me the way, open up, reveal the path." Still nothing. "M-Maybe I translated wrong." He pushed Duck and Xavier aside, accidentally knocking them onto the statue, and went over to look at the map with Trinity again.
Duck and Xavier then noticed that the statue was glowing where they were touching it.
The path appeared.
"Fixed it!" Duck cried, walking through with Xavier.
The others noticed the path.
Orion raced after them. "Maybe it was a delayed reaction from what I did!"
In Zara's reality…
The twins were at a campfire, roasting marshmallows now that the sun had gone down.
"Nice job bringing marshmallows," said Zara.
"Oh, I always keep them with me."
Zara smiled. Then looked at the stars in the gloomy sky and started thinking. "You know the bad part about going home?"
Zack looked at her.
She looked at him in return. "I'm gonna lose you again. I can't lose you again."
Zack hugged her. "I'm not the real me, remember?"
Zara almost started crying. "Right."
In the real reality…
Slam was in the quicksand puddle.
Everyone else was holding onto a REALLY giant tree branch, trying to pull him in.
"Alright, 1, 2—" Kyra started.
"Why do we have to count to 3?" Nathan cried, "Just pull!"
They all did and fell backwards.
Slam glared at them. "HASFSGHTGJS SLIPPERY!"
In Zara's reality…
Zara and Zack trudged up the mountain the next morning to a mountainous area.
Zack looked at the map. "It says we need to find a cave."
"A cave? Somewhere in a mile of cliffs? That ought to be easy."
Zack looked over the words. "It says the one who knows the least will lead the way."
Zara looked around. "It's not talking about one of us, right?" She then noticed a little girl coming up to them.
"Cueva?" she asked.
Zara looked at Zack. "That was easy." She let her lead them off.
In the real reality…
The gang came up to the chasm.
"Alright, how are we supposed to get across this?" asked Ingrid.
"It says to build a bridge," said Orion.
"That's not gonna happen," said Trinity.
"With magic."
"That might happen."
Orion handed the map to Quinn and took out his wand. He waved it quickly and about a millions rocks came up from the river below and formed a bridge. "Alright, I can do something right. In your face, Tree!" He started to cross the bridge, but Trinity stopped him. "What?" Trinity bent down and picked up the smallest rock she could find. "What's a pebble gonna do to my—"
Trinity threw the pebble onto the bridge and it immediately collapsed. "Payback time: In your face!"
"Great, that plan's out," said Quinn, handing Orion back the map, "What do we do now?"
Trinity and Orion and Gail looked at one another…
10 minutes later, the gang was on 28 different rocks with the Witches (and Warlocks) holding them up and taking them across the chasm.
"Are you sure this is safe?" asked Lexi.
"Positive," said Raina, "It's just a simple levitation spell."
"Yeah, but there's 12 Witches…" Uma said.
"And Warlocks," Xavier added.
"…trying to take 28 people…"
"Including themselves," Raina corrected.
"…across a 100-foot long chasm. We each only have 2 hands!"
"Use your foot," said Ingrid.
Uma looked over her rock. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen."
Ingrid sighed, rolling her eyes. "And switch!" They each jumped onto the next person's rock and the Witches (and Warlocks) switched their holds on the rocks.
Orion glared at Trinity.
"What? You've gotta admit this is cool. And partially your idea."
"Yeah, but I don't know why you're always putting me down."
"I'm putting you down? You're the one that keeps getting my face with the magic and your grades and you don't let me date or anything—"
"I'm the brother, I'm supposed to watch out for you."
"I'm the older one, I'm supposed to watch out for you. And switch!" They all switched again (they did it every time one of the Witches (or Warlocks) felt like they were tiring out their magic and needed to start a new spell). "I mean, come on! 'Orion's so perfect! Why can't you be more like your brother?'"
"Who says that?"
"Besides you? Everyone in our family!"
Orion looked at her. "I didn't know that."
"You wouldn't. You don't know me all that well."
"I'm trying. I love you, OK?"
"Well, you have a funny way of showing it."
"I do not! I'm overprotective! That's how I show it! And switch!" They all jumped.
"I feel your pain, Tree," said Howie.
Gail glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You with me! You're overprotective, and yet you don't stop picking on me! Those are the 2 worst—which are on opposite sides of the chart—combined into one!"
"I'm trying to—"
"Be my sister? Don't!"
"Howie, I have to!"
"Look, you're not my only family—"
"But you're mine!"
Howie stopped.
"I'm an orphan, you're an orphan, I have no idea where my adopted parents are…" They all looked at her. "…and my so-called 'best friend' left the country without a goodbye. How do you think that makes me feel? You're the only family I have left, I have to watch out for you."
"You're not his real cousin?" asked Kyra.
"If by that, you 'I'm not blood', then yes. But we're still family." She sighed. "And switch!" They all switched.
"Why didn't you tell us you were adopted?" asked Lexi.
"I told Zara. I just didn't know how you guys would take it, so I never got around to it. It's like with my telling you I was a Witch the first time we met."
Trinity looked at Orion. "You know what? We're brother and sister, we shouldn't be fighting like this. I don't want the same thing to happen to us that happened to Zara and Zack."
Orion sighed. "Yeah, I don't want that either."
Trinity smiled. "Well, I would hug you right about now, but we're suspended about 150 feet in the air."
"Yeah, that's a bit of a complication."
"And off!" Xavier called out as they reached the end of the chasm. He jumped off and dropped his rock. Slowly, the others all made it over there and got off.
"Oh, good, we're all in one piece," said Uma.
Trinity smiled and led them all off.
In Zara's reality…
The twins walked into the cave.
"Wow, it's dark in here," said Zara.
"Oh! I got this." Zack pulled out a match and struck it against the stone walls, immediately lighting it. "Ha!" A gust of wind put out the flame. "Yeah, that's pretty much all I've got." He threw the match away.
"Come on." Zara led him down the cave halls.
