And just like magic, here's chapter number four!
wild black fire: Alright! It's good to see a new reviewer every now and then! It makes me feel like I'm doing something good, something useful, something important! Thanx for letting my writing brighten up your weekend!
chyp: And where would I be without the most loyal friend on here that I know?
Sarah had shielded her eyes as the lights grew brighter in the room. When she regained focus, Jordan was nowhere to be seen, the three mysterious lights having claimed him. She carefully examined her surroundings. The remains of the Book of Light lay scattered around her as if a parade had just run through the basement. Scraps of paper covered the hardwood floor, while the cover of the Book had been blown to larger chunks. She picked up a remnant of the cover, an old dark blue piece of what felt like very hard parchment or cardboard with a felt lining. On it was part of the symbol of three intertwining circles that represented the power of the Complete.
She threw it down in disgust and leafed through the sea of confetti that was the remains of the spellbook. She only got pieces of pages, most with hardly one word written on them. With determination, she continued searching, knowing that whatever means Jordan had used to escape was still in the room.
"Bye," Matthew said, clicking the phone to the other line. "Talk to you later, bye."
He hung up the phone and heaved a sign of relief. He knew that dating two women at the same time was dangerous, but Ariana and Stephanie were both so attractive that he felt that he had to see both relationships through. Besides, he thought to himself, college was a time to experiment, after all…
He had spent the better part of his life as a down to earth person, always taking responsibility for his actions. He helped to take care of his mother in Pennsylvania by working part-time in addition to his boxing training as well as his school activities. After meeting his brothers and suddenly shifting from an only child to the middle child, he had become even more level-headed and rational, especially since he now had the additional task of mediating between his older and younger brothers. The whole idea of two simultaneous relationships now occupied his mind completely for some reason. To him, it was a means of release and escape; he finally had something new that was forbidden and quite exciting which was all his.
His mind wandered through the many possibilities of this secret "thing" he had. The task of keeping both women in the dark from each other seemed somewhat exciting and even mildly titillating to him. He closed his eyes and began daydreaming. He imagined himself, sitting in a large wicker recliner and wearing a t-shirt and shorts. On one side of him, Stephanie fed him grapes, while on the other side Ariana gently stroked his hair. Matthew sighed in ecstasy, completely indulging himself in this cliché fantasy.
"That's it, baby," he said in a soft voice to Ariana, who smiled in return.
"Anything for you," Stephanie said, holding his chin with one hand while sliding a grape into his mouth with the other.
"This is the life," he said to no one in particular.
"Matt," Ariana said in a peculiar tone, "is this how you usually do your English papers?"
"Huh?" Matthew asked lazily.
"Get up, bro," Stephanie said gruffly, becoming more forceful in her grape-feeding.
"What?" Matthew asked.
"Matt!" both women screamed at him, shocking him.
Matthew's daydream was cut short as Wesley and James surprised him. He was so wrapped up in his mind that he never noticed his brothers come in. He jerked back to reality and almost fell out of his chair as Wesley and James gave him a strange look.
"Um," Wesley asked uneasily, "are you okay?"
"Yeah," Matthew said, blinking his eyes more than usual. "Why wouldn't I be? I guess I just fell asleep and started dreaming. You guys back already?"
"Yeah," James said, smacking the back of Wesley's head. "Your little brother cheated during the game and I almost broke my wrist."
"Ow!" Wesley interjected, then pushed James away. "Well your big brother cheated first! He can't stand to see anybody other than himself win, so he has to resort to cheap tricks."
"I was just trying to make the game more interesting," James defended.
"Yeah, okay," Wesley responded, "and what about all the other times we've gone out playing something? Does everything have to be 'interesting' or are you just scared I'll beat you in something?"
"I already know I'm gonna beat you," James said. "I just try to make it more of a shutout."
"Didn't work today," Wesley said, beaming. "I beat you real good, unfair and un-square."
"That's the only way you can," James shot back with a sly grin.
"Okay guys," Matthew said, stepping in between his brothers. He knew that now they were just throwing words back and forth, but it could soon turn into something unnecessary. "That's enough of that for today."
"Fine," James and Wesley said together.
"Did you finish that paper?" James asked. "You've been working on it since we left, and that was hours ago."
"Not yet," Matthew answered. "I got caught up in something else and just lost track of time."
"What were you doing?" Wesley asked, sitting in Matthew's chair. "If you weren't gonna finish, you could've come to Emory with us."
"Next time," Matthew said.
"I should go study myself," James said, abruptly changing the subject.
"You?" Wesley asked in disbelief. "I've never seen you study on a Saturday afternoon before. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever seen you study at all. How did you make it to college?"
"If you'd let me finish my thought," James said forcefully, "I was going to say that I should go study, but I think I'm gonna give Sam a call."
"I stand corrected," Wesley said, bowing lightly.
"You've been seeing her for some time now," Matthew said. "You're pretty serious about her, huh?"
"Maybe," James said.
"Well one thing's for sure," Wesley said. "She's a hell of a lot better than she who must not be named."
"Don't start," Matthew warned.
"I'm just saying," Wesley said, shrugging his shoulders and logging onto the internet.
"There's still something about her, though," James said, laying back on Matthew's bed. "I can't figure out what it is, but she's got some kind of secret. We'll be on a date or something, and all of a sudden she'll have to leave for some reason. It's strange."
"I'd say that's the pot calling the kettle black," Matthew said, "but I don't think her reasons for leaving are the same as ours."
"That's what makes women the way they are," Wesley said. "Most things they do are for no reason. Stephanie did mysterious stuff like that sometimes. Even the she-devil did it, right Jimmy?"
"I guess," James replied.
"Right," Wesley continued. "Matt, I bet your girl Kathleen did it too."
"A few times," Matthew said, having felt a twinge of guilt at Wesley's mention of Stephanie's name.
"Look at this," Wesley said, pointing to Matthew's computer screen. "There's a string of people going missing. So far there've been eleven guys who've just disappeared."
"You don't think it's…you know?" James suggested.
"Well it wouldn't have been if you hadn't suggested it," Wesley sighed. "It says that the police are doing the best they can, but are completely baffled."
"What else does it say?" Matthew asked.
"Not much," Wesley said, scrolling down the page. "None of them had anything in common. They were all completely different people. But all of the disappearances seemed to happen in the same area. Somewhere close to Lenox Mall."
"It could just be a crazy person then," Matthew guessed. "That doesn't sound supernatural, just weird. Besides, everything that happens can't possibly be tied to demons and warlocks."
At Matthew's mention of his last three words, an unfamiliar noise immediately put all three siblings on alert. Something sounded like a very loud bang, then a noticeable thud. The sound came from downstairs somewhere. Wesley gave his brothers a tired look and kept surfing the internet.
"Don't even try that," James said to Wesley, pulling him up by the shirt. "Let's go, quietly."