-1Jane
listened intently to the conversation that was going on behind her.
She didn't understand most of it until Bert volunteered to go. Go?
Go where? Jane listened to all the directions memorizing them. She
suddenly realized that he was going to rescue Michael and get that
necklace that that awful man had used to hurt Mary. Jane wanted to
go; she felt a need to help. The problem was that she knew Bert would
never agree to take her. She had to find some way of following him.
Suddenly she heard a spell. Ingredior unus quod ingredior
procerus vobis have nusquam vereor. The doctor said all Bert had to
do was think of whom he wanted to see and say those words and he
would be taken there. Jane quickly committed them to memory and
slipped off of the chair she was sitting in. Kissing Mary on the
cheek she started to retreat from the room. "Jane" Bert
called after her. She turned to face him. "I have to leave for a
few days, the doctor will be taking care of you, alright?" Jane
nodded Bert kissed her on the cheek "Stay strong my girl, if
everything goes right everything will be back to normal in no time."
With that, he stood and walked out of the room. Jane
took one last glance at Mary, and retreated to her bedroom. Gathering
some things in a bag she stood in front of the mirror and thought of
Michael then repeated the words. "Ingredior unus quod
ingredior procerus vobis have nusquam vereor" she said timidly.
Suddenly the room became hazy everything around her seemed to
dissolve. Then like she had woken from a dream she was standing
outside of a stone cottage in a forest. She crept up to the cottage
and looked into the window. Michael was sitting there tied to a
chair. A piece of cloth in his mouth. Jane wanted to rush in and
untie him but she restrained her self. She had to think of a
plan. All of a sudden a hand clamped over her mouth. Jane
tried to scream but the hand muffled her voice. Then she heard his
voice. "Now how in the world did you get here?" Bert asked
trying to calm the girl. Jane stopped screaming and squirming
and Bert released her. She threw her arms around his neck and
sobbed into his shoulder. "I couldn't let you do this
alone" she gasped "I herd you and the Doctor talking and I just
wanted to help so I memorized the spell! Oh please don't send me
back! I want to help! I want to get Michael home and Mary better!"
She was crying now. Bert held her stroking her blonde hair. "Ok
darling, ok. Just calm down, I'm not going to send you home."
Jane pulled away and wiped her eyes. "Your not?" She asked "No,
I could use all the help I can get!" Bert smiled Jane's
face lit up with the biggest smile she could muster. Bert kissed her
forehead and moved to the window. Peering in he saw what Jane had
seen just a few moments before. Michael tied up, but he also noticed
something else. James O'Riley was asleep. Bert signaled for Jane to
be quiet and started to creep up the stairs of the cottage to the
door. Slowly opening it he tiptoed inside and went to Michael. He
untied the boy and picked him up. Michael held on tight to Bert as
they retreated from the cottage. Once outside Jane ran to her
brother. "Michael!" she cried and hugged him tight "Are
you alright? Did he hurt you?" Bert asked doing a quick check over
the boy. "No, I'm fine. Where's Mary?" he asked
"She's hurt" Jane answered, "We need to get that
necklace that the man showed so we can help her get better." "I figured it would be you
that would come." James said with fury. "Just trust me and let
her die, she's a lot more trouble than she's worth." Anger
boiled inside of Bert "And how would you know?" he asked. "I
loved her at one time. She hurt me so deeply that I vowed revenge.
Looks like I got it." James started to raise his arm but Jane
knocked it down. She had snuck up on him as the two men were talking.
She made quick work in grabbing the amulet and took off at a dead
run. James caught her blonde locks in his hand and yanked her back.
She quickly threw the amulet at Bert. He caught it and handed it to
Michael. "Michael, do exactly as I say. Think of Mary,
think of Mary and repeat after me Ingredior unus quod ingredior
procerus vobis have nusquam vereor" Bert said slowly so the boy
could understand. "Ingredior unus quod ingredior procerus
vobis have nusquam vereor" Michael repeated and he vanished with
the amulet. "Oh you just made the biggest mistake of
your life." James fumed and threw Jane to the side. She hit the
steps with a thump and she cried out in pain. "Jane, go
home!" Bert said to the girl but she didn't budge. Slowly she
rose to her feet and wiped the blood from her mouth. The look in
Jane's eyes was one that a ten year old should never have, pure
anger and hatred. Jane suddenly started to run at James and leapt
like a cat onto his back clawing at his eyes with her fingernails.
James cried out in pain. Suddenly Bert heard a voice from a few feet
way. "Jane, come here at once!"
Bert
had a funny feeling, getting Michael out of there was just a bit too
easy. He looked back at the cottage and gasped. James O'Riley was
standing on the steps with the amulet around his neck. Bert stood and
looked him straight in the eyes.
