Kit opened his wizard's manual. In black, bold ink, the word active
sat stubbornly under his name. He sighed, and snapped it shut. 'I'll just
have to do it alone then,' he thought. He decided to pay Tom and Carl a
visit to see what it was all about. Saying a few syllables in the speech, a
small pop of signaled the air displacement as Kit appeared in Tom and
Carl's backyard. Tall hedges surrounded the yard with a small greenish pond
in the middle with fish singing and leaping out of the water. Kit was about
to rap his knuckles on the back door, when Tom swung it open and looked at
him gravely.
"What are you doing here?" Tom asked bewildered. Kit was startled.
"What do you mean? I'm here for help," Kit retorted. Tom raised his eyebrows.
"You should be working on your assignment," Tom told him simply. Kit sighed.
"How? I don't know what the assignment is! I came to ask you!" Kit cried out, frustrated. Tom gave him a peculiar look.
"Have you talked to Nita? You really don't know?" Tom asked. Kit groaned.
"No, I haven't talked to Nita. Why can't you just tell me?" Kit asked.
"I don't know what the assignment really is, that's why. But I know it has something to do with Nita," Tom said slowly.
"Well, Nita's not active, so I don't know what to do!" Kit sagged on the side of the house, completely confused. "Thanks anyway," he muttered, and did the beam-me-up-scotty spell, and vanished in a pop of air.
* * *
"Help! Somebody! Kit! Dairine! Mom! Dad! ANYBODY!" Nita screamed at the top of her lungs. Her hoarse voice started to burn her throat. She slumped against the wall. 'Dairine. Dairine, please hear me! I don't know if you can, but try! Try!' She thought furiously. There was no response of her little sister's voice in her ear. Even though her sister was annoying most of the time, her voice, her bright red hair, her intellectual brain would have been comforting to her.
Nita let a silent, wet tear roll down her cheek at the thought of never seeing her family again. And how long would her mother be around? She was still battling cancer, and now Nita was gone.
Nita had no idea how long she'd been down in the dark cave, but her eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark. When she had fallen, she remembered the glede had been wrenched from her hand. She searched around the inky blackness until she came across a small round object. She picked up the dull dragon's eye, and placed it on the rock beside her. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around herself and hugged herself tight, the sweeping cold coming over her.
* * *
"Nita? Nita, where are you? Nita, come out right now!" Mr. Callahan called out into the house. Her frantic mother searched for her in empty rooms, her bedroom, and anywhere she could look. The two parents were tearing the house apart, looking for the daughter that should have been in her bed hours ago, but wasn't.
Dairine was forced to listen to this madness all the while, laying in her dark room. She turned over and checked the green glowing numbers on her digital clock. 1:43. 'At this rate, I'll never get to sleep. And I have a math exam tomorrow!' she thought angrily. 'Besides, they should know by now. she's probably just out doing wizardry.' Dairine flipped her manual open and checked the names. 'Kit's active, so Nita must be too.' but when she looked under Juanita Callahan, there was no indication that she was active. 'Strange." Dairine thought. She shook the book around as though it were a television that had gone snowy for a moment and could be fixed. but nothing changed.
Dairine's stomach bottomed out. What was going on? Where was Nita, if she wasn't on assignment, at this hour? Dairine, chilled and worried, laid down yet again. Even if her parents stopped ripping through the house, she knew she wouldn't be able to get to sleep now.
* * *
Kit thought about what his assignment could possible be. He knew it was early in the morning, too early to talk to Nita, she would be asleep. Still, he tried to hear her. He focused his whole attention on listening to Nita. The other sounds around him muted. But still, it was like he couldn't get through to her. He could tell she wasn't asleep though.
'Dairine? What's wrong with your sister?' Kit thought, noticing Dairine wasn't asleep either. 'Oh no-' he thought, remembering the last time something like this had happened. 'Did her mother.' he gulped.
'No, no, nothing like that!' Dairine's voice came back in his ears. She sounded almost defiant.
'Then what is it? And what's with Nita?' he thought. Dairine hesitated with the response.
'Well, she never came home. Mom and Dad are about to call the police they're so worried. I can't get through to her,' Dairine replied. Kit's stomach churned. 'Never came home?' he wondered what could have happened to her.
'I have no idea.' Dairine's voice came back, obviously having heard his last thought. Kit broke off on his thoughts and laid his head down on his pillow. How was he going to figure out what he was supposed to do? Or where Nita had gone? Kit sighed, turning over in bed, and fell into a fitful, restless sleep.
* * *
Nita opened her blurry eyes. She rubbed them, stinging for sleep, which she'd been trying to get for hours, but simply couldn't. She turned over, and felt the hard glede on her back. She pulled it out and looked at the dismal, golden glow radiating from its depths. She turned it over, examining the smooth, shiny object. 'Maybe I could use this to help me get out of here,' she thought. 'Are you crazy?' another voice told her. 'There's no magic left in this thing. Not after last time.' her thoughts wandered away, wondering what Kita, Dairine, Mom, and Dad were doing now. 'I wonder what time it is.'
Suddenly, a black shadow appeared in front of her. A handsome face distorted with evil, rage, and revenge stared back at her. She stood up suddenly, staring at him, too weak to fight.
"You are wondering why you are here. Am I right?" The Lone One asked. Nita, quavering inside, held her head high, and didn't say a word. "I've been creating a new lair, and this is as good as it gets- for now. this cave you are in is in another dimension. I've also made a spell to capture you and bring you here in the first place. Now, all I have to do is wait. This is a win/win situation here. If Kit comes through to save you, I get to create as many universes as I want to be my own. And if he does not. well, you will no longer be one of my rivals." The sleek voice ended and rang through the cave in a never ending, eerie echo. echo. echo.
Nita sat there and could do nothing but tensely wait for the worst. The Lone Power moved towards her, bringing his face close to hers.
"But if I kill you now, I will have no more bait for your friend, so let's just wait and see." He conjured up an hourglass and turned it over, placing it on the hard stone.
"He has five days. If he doesn't tell me by then, you're history." his voice disappeared, and so did he, into a small pop of air. Nita shivered, and sat back down. She looked at the charm bracelet on her wrist. It was shiny silver, and no ordinary bracelet. It was the one she'd used on her last mission, and she felt she couldn't part with it. She ran her fingers over the smooth, cool silver, the Lone One's voice echoing in her ears. 'You're history.'
"What are you doing here?" Tom asked bewildered. Kit was startled.
"What do you mean? I'm here for help," Kit retorted. Tom raised his eyebrows.
"You should be working on your assignment," Tom told him simply. Kit sighed.
"How? I don't know what the assignment is! I came to ask you!" Kit cried out, frustrated. Tom gave him a peculiar look.
"Have you talked to Nita? You really don't know?" Tom asked. Kit groaned.
"No, I haven't talked to Nita. Why can't you just tell me?" Kit asked.
"I don't know what the assignment really is, that's why. But I know it has something to do with Nita," Tom said slowly.
"Well, Nita's not active, so I don't know what to do!" Kit sagged on the side of the house, completely confused. "Thanks anyway," he muttered, and did the beam-me-up-scotty spell, and vanished in a pop of air.
* * *
"Help! Somebody! Kit! Dairine! Mom! Dad! ANYBODY!" Nita screamed at the top of her lungs. Her hoarse voice started to burn her throat. She slumped against the wall. 'Dairine. Dairine, please hear me! I don't know if you can, but try! Try!' She thought furiously. There was no response of her little sister's voice in her ear. Even though her sister was annoying most of the time, her voice, her bright red hair, her intellectual brain would have been comforting to her.
Nita let a silent, wet tear roll down her cheek at the thought of never seeing her family again. And how long would her mother be around? She was still battling cancer, and now Nita was gone.
Nita had no idea how long she'd been down in the dark cave, but her eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark. When she had fallen, she remembered the glede had been wrenched from her hand. She searched around the inky blackness until she came across a small round object. She picked up the dull dragon's eye, and placed it on the rock beside her. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around herself and hugged herself tight, the sweeping cold coming over her.
* * *
"Nita? Nita, where are you? Nita, come out right now!" Mr. Callahan called out into the house. Her frantic mother searched for her in empty rooms, her bedroom, and anywhere she could look. The two parents were tearing the house apart, looking for the daughter that should have been in her bed hours ago, but wasn't.
Dairine was forced to listen to this madness all the while, laying in her dark room. She turned over and checked the green glowing numbers on her digital clock. 1:43. 'At this rate, I'll never get to sleep. And I have a math exam tomorrow!' she thought angrily. 'Besides, they should know by now. she's probably just out doing wizardry.' Dairine flipped her manual open and checked the names. 'Kit's active, so Nita must be too.' but when she looked under Juanita Callahan, there was no indication that she was active. 'Strange." Dairine thought. She shook the book around as though it were a television that had gone snowy for a moment and could be fixed. but nothing changed.
Dairine's stomach bottomed out. What was going on? Where was Nita, if she wasn't on assignment, at this hour? Dairine, chilled and worried, laid down yet again. Even if her parents stopped ripping through the house, she knew she wouldn't be able to get to sleep now.
* * *
Kit thought about what his assignment could possible be. He knew it was early in the morning, too early to talk to Nita, she would be asleep. Still, he tried to hear her. He focused his whole attention on listening to Nita. The other sounds around him muted. But still, it was like he couldn't get through to her. He could tell she wasn't asleep though.
'Dairine? What's wrong with your sister?' Kit thought, noticing Dairine wasn't asleep either. 'Oh no-' he thought, remembering the last time something like this had happened. 'Did her mother.' he gulped.
'No, no, nothing like that!' Dairine's voice came back in his ears. She sounded almost defiant.
'Then what is it? And what's with Nita?' he thought. Dairine hesitated with the response.
'Well, she never came home. Mom and Dad are about to call the police they're so worried. I can't get through to her,' Dairine replied. Kit's stomach churned. 'Never came home?' he wondered what could have happened to her.
'I have no idea.' Dairine's voice came back, obviously having heard his last thought. Kit broke off on his thoughts and laid his head down on his pillow. How was he going to figure out what he was supposed to do? Or where Nita had gone? Kit sighed, turning over in bed, and fell into a fitful, restless sleep.
* * *
Nita opened her blurry eyes. She rubbed them, stinging for sleep, which she'd been trying to get for hours, but simply couldn't. She turned over, and felt the hard glede on her back. She pulled it out and looked at the dismal, golden glow radiating from its depths. She turned it over, examining the smooth, shiny object. 'Maybe I could use this to help me get out of here,' she thought. 'Are you crazy?' another voice told her. 'There's no magic left in this thing. Not after last time.' her thoughts wandered away, wondering what Kita, Dairine, Mom, and Dad were doing now. 'I wonder what time it is.'
Suddenly, a black shadow appeared in front of her. A handsome face distorted with evil, rage, and revenge stared back at her. She stood up suddenly, staring at him, too weak to fight.
"You are wondering why you are here. Am I right?" The Lone One asked. Nita, quavering inside, held her head high, and didn't say a word. "I've been creating a new lair, and this is as good as it gets- for now. this cave you are in is in another dimension. I've also made a spell to capture you and bring you here in the first place. Now, all I have to do is wait. This is a win/win situation here. If Kit comes through to save you, I get to create as many universes as I want to be my own. And if he does not. well, you will no longer be one of my rivals." The sleek voice ended and rang through the cave in a never ending, eerie echo. echo. echo.
Nita sat there and could do nothing but tensely wait for the worst. The Lone Power moved towards her, bringing his face close to hers.
"But if I kill you now, I will have no more bait for your friend, so let's just wait and see." He conjured up an hourglass and turned it over, placing it on the hard stone.
"He has five days. If he doesn't tell me by then, you're history." his voice disappeared, and so did he, into a small pop of air. Nita shivered, and sat back down. She looked at the charm bracelet on her wrist. It was shiny silver, and no ordinary bracelet. It was the one she'd used on her last mission, and she felt she couldn't part with it. She ran her fingers over the smooth, cool silver, the Lone One's voice echoing in her ears. 'You're history.'