Here's the next chapter. I'm estimating at least five more chapters for this story, so htank you for all the support. Enjoy!!!

Chapter 25

New Powers and an Impossible Decision

Elizabeth immediately called Anna after her stepmother went upstairs. As quickly as she possibly could, Elizabeth informed Anna on what had happened not to long ago after Anna answered the phone.

"So you're absolutely sure you saw Mrs. Jones hesitate up the stairs and that she wasn't stumbling or something?" Anna double-checked, hoping it wasn't who she thought it was.

"I'm absolutely positive, I can't even smell the water boiling or anything right now, and normally I could smell it a mile away," Elizabeth nodded briskly, as if Anna was in front of her and the two were conversing face-to-face.

"I'll check it out. In the meantime, pretend that everything is going alright before you do anything dumb in front of your mo-"

"Stepmother, you mean," Elizabeth corrected Anna before she finished talking.

"Right, she's your stepmother, but does that sound ok to you?" Anna finished asking correctly.

"I'll try it out as best as I can for now," Elizabeth timidly answered. However, that seems nearly impossible to do, but I'll try, Elizabeth thought after speaking.

"Impossible? It doesn't sound that hard to me," Anna shot back over the phone.

"I didn't say that, I thought-wait, how the heck did you read my mind?" Elizabeth asked back, sounding a bit shocked.

"I can't read your mind over the phone, and I can't read minds anyway, can I?" Anna questioned to everyone.

"It's called a mind link. The two of you can link to one another and speak that way, without even saying anything. It sometimes comes in handy during battles," Yugi answered briskly.

"Why didn't tell me before I was attacked?" Elizabeth asked to Yugi. The conversation turned back to this morning's attack, making a few of them shudder.

"Because you couldn't do it yet, that's why. However, I didn't think that you'd pick up the skill so briskly," Yugi earnestly replied.

"Listen, Elizabeth, keep an eye on your stepmother 24/7 unless everything's normal. Takuya," Takuya perked up at the sound of his name, "I need you to make sure that Elizabeth is ok. And, Elizabeth, don't try anything to get yourself in trouble," Anna finished the instructions, teasing at the very end.

"We can do that," Elizabeth and Takuya replied at the same time. Elizabeth and Anna ended the conversation there.

Soon after dinner was ready, Elizabeth sat at the table, awaiting the arrival of Katrina and Mr. Jones for dinner. Mrs. Jones was also eating across from Elizabeth. Elizabeth finished quickly so that the two of them could talk, though the food didn't taste that great.

"So, how do you like Anna?" Mrs. Jones asked, looking into Elizabeth currently bronze eyes.

"You asked me that after Disney world, but she's a lot of fun to be around and she understands me, almost like a sister," Elizabeth looked back at Mrs. Jones' eyes, but the colors were different than before. The color was more, yellow.

"I'm glad you said that. You know what I think of you and Anna?" Mrs. Jones asked, smirking almost evilly.

"What do you think about us?" Elizabeth, confused, asked back. She didn't understand her mother's strange behavior at all.

"Well, I think that the two of you are in the way of our plans," Mrs. Jones seemed to melt into another figure from earlier that morning, her voice changing as she transformed.

I remember, Orochimaru, Elizabeth thought privately. It was Orochimaru, standing before her. Elizabeth felt herself starting to tremble violently, not out of fear, but out of anger.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, my dear," Orochimaru hissed at Elizabeth, trying to scare her.

"The Jones', what did you do with them?" Elizabeth ferociously asked Orochimaru, now officially starting to lose her cool.

"We promised earlier on, you had to decide, so we thought we'd make ourselves clear. You've underestimated us. You're family is with us now. Summer's end is coming closer with every passing minute. We shall meet again, sooner than you think," Orochimaru explained coolly, as if this had been planned from the beginning. He vanished, and Elizabeth felt the surge of anger again.

"Why are they doing this to you?" Takuya snapped while his face was redder than a tomato's.

"Whatever the reason is, we'll find out soon enough," Elizabeth went to the front door, hearing the blasting of a police car outside. Someone else knew of the kidnapping, but who went to the police and told them about it?