Chapter Four-The Girl in the Cellar

"Psst….Mister. Hey,Mister….are you okay?" A hand shook Shadi gently, and he stirred.

"Alexandra?" The Egyptian opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the dark.

"No…I'm Carrie." The young girl spoke up softly. Her voice wavered a little. "Did those mean ladies throw you down here too?"

Shadi sat up, wincing. He was sure he felt blood dripping from somewhere, but that was not his first concern. There was another child trapped by these evil witches. He looked at her. "How long have you been down here, Child?"

"I….I don't know….My leg is badly hurt." Carrie told him. "Who are you?"

"I'm Shadi. I am here to protect another little girl, younger than you. Her name is Alexandra."

"My cousin…she…is here?" Carrie's eyes widened.

"You know her?" Shadi attempted to stand up,but fell against the wall.

"She holds the key to the family fortune. Well, more exactly, we do. Her mother was my father's sister." The child's eyes widened, suddenly. "You're bleeding!"

"Am I?" Shadi touched his brow gently. "It's not as bad as it looks." He looked down at her. "I must see to Alexandra."

"Please! Don't leave me down here! I don't want to be alone anymore!" Carrie clung to Shadi's robes.

"I must for a short time. The child I guard is in grave danger." Shadi knelt to her level. "We will come for you, the both of us." He stood up again, and shimmered, before disappearing into the floor.

*******************************************************************************

Alexandra was trying to make herself walk. The drug the aunts had been giving her had weakened her muscles considerably. It had been four days since she'd seen Shadi, and she worried that her aunts were responsible for it. She crept from her broken dresser to the cot carefully. On her third attempt, she nearly fell, but a gentle,firm hand caught her.

"It would be best if you rested. There is more danger ahead, I fear."

"Shadi! Oh Shadi,I was so worried!" The little girl clung to her friend tightly.

"Shhh! We can't let your aunts know I have escaped. I'm going to need you to be very very brave for a while. I've found someone else here who is also in peril." The guardian picked her up, carried her back to her cot, sitting her in his lap. "It won't be too long now, before they've put their master plan into action."

"What master plan, Shadi?" The girl looked up at him,her eyes wide in fear.

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm going to find out." He stood up now, and laid her back down. "Save your strength, Alex. You may yet need it."

"Where are you going?" Her lower lip trembled.

"I have to find out what these terrible women are up to, that they need two little girls." Shadi told her, before vanishing once more. He hoped whatever it was could be stopped. It may be he would have to get help from the outside.

********************************************************************************************

Downstairs once more, Shadi called on the power of his Millennium Ankh to cloak him from sight. He was determined to find a way to stop these horrible women from hurting the two children he'd made himself responsible for. As he inched towards the living room, he heard one of them talking to the other.

"I don't care! We can't do anything with Carrie or Alexandra until we find the third one." Amelia exclaimed. "We have to keep them weak, and underfed. The less they eat, the weaker they'll become."

"But if we kill them,it will do us no good." Agatha responded. "They need some food."

"Bread will do. I took some up to Alexandra, and Claudia was supposed to feed the one downstairs. We just have to hope they don't find each other." Amelia nodded. "That would be catastrophic for us both."

"It would. What will we do with Shadi?" Agath asked now.

"I am not certain. But we cannot allow him to help Alexandra anymore."

That is what they think. I will not be so easily put to death. I know now that I must get these little girls out of here, and soon. But as to how,I haven't the faintest idea. I must seek out help. Shadi disappeared from the house now. He knew of only one group that would be willing to help these children, and he had to find them quickly.

(A/N:I know….too short, right? Well,it will be a lot longer next chapter. I just needed to get some ideas into print. I hope you liked this anyway! ^______^ )