AUTHORS NOTE: Okay.. after four months, (and numerous threats on my life) I finally got over my writers block and finished up this story. I apologize again for the wait, but I hope you'll enjoy the last chapter! (The epilogue will be posted in another day or so!) For those of you who haven't read the first four chapters recently, I'd suggest you at least skim over them again, that way this will make more sense. As always please R&R! Thanks!
CHAPTER FIVE
"So let me get this straight," Jack began. "You woke up when Carey left, presumably to get my sister from wherever it is she's run off to now... and Carey didn't say anything to you about where he was going?"
"No, man. He just woke up, saw Fi was gone, then changed in a hurry and left. He wouldn't even answer me when I tried to talk to him. It was like he didn't even hear me or something," Clu and Jack exited the elevator and glanced around the deserted hotel lobby.
"I don't get it," Clu said. "Where could they have gone? They know we're not allowed to leave the hotel at night without going with someone. They must be somewhere else in the building."
"I guess all that's left is to tell the mom's that they're-," Jack paused mid-sentence, staring off into a darkened corner of the hotel lobby. "Did you see that?"
"See what?" Clu looked to where Jack was pointing but saw nothing.
"Nevermind. I must have imagined it," Jack started to turn around and follow Clu towards the elevators when the light he had seen moments earlier returned, moving quickly through the air towards them. "Duck!"
Clu turned around, surprised by Jack's outburst and gave him weird look. "What?"
The light picked up speed as it traveled the short distance between them, Clu saw this and ducked just before it flew overhead. "Woah! What was that?"
"I dunno, but this has 'Fi' written all over it," Jack replied, getting to his feet and dusting himself off.
"C'mon," Clu said as he ran after the light.
"You've got to be kidding me," Jack mumbled, but followed just as Clu had ordered him.
The light stopped and hovered in front of the elevator. With a flash, it disappeared through the metal doors and into the shaft.
Clu reached the elevator first and pressed the up button. The doors opened immediately to reveal the light waiting impatiently for them. Jack and Clu looked at each other a moment, each debating on whether or not to get into the elevator with it.
"Good lord.." the light mumbled, making the boys eyes widen in surprise. "Just get inta the lift now! We havena got much time left!"
"You.. You can talk?" Clu asked, hesitantly entering the elevator.
"Aye," the light answered, annoyed. "Now get inta the lift Jack."
Jack arched a brow at his name, but stayed where he was.
"Do ye want ta help yer sister or no?"
A look of determination crossed Jack's face and he stepped inside.
After a brief explanation of what had happened to Carey and Fiona, Bricriu gave instructions on how to reach floor thirteen.
Clu stepped out into the deserted hallway and turned to look back at Jack. "C'mon man. What are you waiting for?"
"You do realize that this floor is probably off limits to guests," Jack argued. "Besides, how can we really believe what that.. thing tells us?"
Bricriu gave an indignant snort, "That *thing* has ears if ye hadn't noticed."
"Dude. It's a talking ball of light," Clu replied matter-of-factly. "How could we not believe what it tells us?"
Jack rolled his eyes. "Can't argue with *that* reasoning," he sighed. "Fine, but when they charge us with trespassing I'm turning state's evidence."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Fiona glanced up at the antique clock on the wall for the tenth time in as many minutes. Four twenty-two AM. Another five minutes or so and Kylie and Logan would be back to start the ceremony. Where was Bricriu? What on earth was taking him so long?
She glanced over at Carey. He'd been quiet for a long while, his brows knit in concentration, staring at the ground. Looking away, Fi focused her attention on the doorway Logan and Kylie would soon come through.
/Fi?/ Carey asked her mentally.
/Yeah, Carey?/ Fi answered, breaking her gaze to look at him.
/In case we don't.. Yeah well/ he cut himself off./There's something I want to tell you../
Fi gave him a questioning look as the all-to-familiar butterflies returned to her stomach.
Carey gave a half-smile. "I wanted to say that I-"
"Well, well. What have we here?" Logan interrupted, coming into the room and heading towards them.
A scowl crossed Fiona's face. *That's it*, she thought to herself, *He's goin' down*.
Logan smirked as he put his face close to Fiona's and she turned her head away. "Don't frown my dear Fiona," Logan said snidely, putting his hand on the side of her face and turning it back to look at him. "You're so much prettier when you smile."
Fi fought back the urge to spit in his face.
"Get your hands off her," a voice called from the doorway.
"Jack!" Fi shouted happily. Her brother walked a few more steps into the room as Logan turned to confront him. Behind him, Kylie crept up silently, wielding the knife Fi had seen her with earlier.
"Look out!" Carey and Fiona shouted in unison. Jack ducked as Kylie slashed through the air where his neck had been. Surprised that she missed, her grip on the knife weakened. Jack reached out and grabbed her wrist causing her to drop the knife.
Seeing his friend's plight, Clu came into the room and grabbed Kylie's arms from behind, tying them with a tiny piece of rope he had found being used as decoration in another room. Jack turned to help him.
"Logan! The time! Hurry it up with that incantation!" Kylie shouted as she struggled to free herself from Clu's grasp.
During the fight, Logan had grabbed the leather bound book from the altar and proceeded to recite one of the spells.
"Jack!" Fiona yelled, struggling against her shackles. "Do something!"
Jack looked towards his sister and gave her a helpless look, it was taking both he and Clu to keep Kylie from breaking free.
/Fi.. try using your TK to move the book out of his hands... just.. lift it in the air or something, out of his reach./ Carey suggested.
/B-but.. I can't! I can barely lift a pencil.. and that book must weigh at least five or ten pounds!/ Fi argued.
/You've gotta at least try it Fi./
Fiona narrowed her eyes and concentrated on the book, her brow creased in obvious strain, but the book didn't budge. "It's not working!" she said aloud.
"We must be missing something," Carey replied, searching his memory for something that might help. "Wait! That's it!"
"What's it?" Fi asked.
"Remember all the times your powers have just gone off without you doing it?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"How did you feel each time it happened?"
"I felt.. sad.. or happy.." realization dawned on Fiona's face and she broke into a smile, "Emotions! That's it! They must strengthen my power..."
Fiona thought back to a couple hours earlier when Carey had said that he'd do anything to keep her safe and concentrated on the memory, using it as she turned her attention to the leatherbound book that rested in Logan's arms. Slowly at first then with a little more speed, the book was lifted from Logan's grasp and floated a few feet out of his reach.
"NOOO!!" Logan cried, jumping into the air as he tried to grab the book. "The incantation's not complete!!"
Jack and Clu turned their attention away from Kylie to watch Logan's desperate attempts to reach the book.
"No!" Kylie yelled, giving one final tug at her restraints.
The four of them watched in awe as the antique clock four-thirty, letting out a single chime. In response, Logan and Kylie's forms began to slowly fade into nothingness. Soon, all that was left was two piles of clothes where they had been.
"Wha.. What just happened?" Jack forced out.
"Time's up," Fiona breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank God," Carey added.
Clu pulled a key ring out of the pile of clothes in front of him and went to release his brother and Fi from their shackles.
"Thanks, Clu," Fi replied, stepping away from the wall and rubbing her sore wrists. Weakened by the exertion of using her gifts she leaned on her brother for support.
"Let's get you guys back to the room," Jack pulled Fiona a hug which she returned warmly. "I don't know what that was and honestly I don't want to know. Just promise me that next time you decide to run off in the middle of the night you'll tell me about it?"
Fiona smiled, "Sure, Jack. I'm sorry."
Clu finished unlocking his brothers shackles and the four returned to the elevator, eager to leave floor thirteen behind them.