Author's note: Hi! Thanks again for everything! Your support makes my day!
So here's Chapter 27! We finally get to know what happened to Eight, Nine, John, Six, Sam, and Malcolm! Hope you like it!
Six
I let out a string of curses before jumping out of the car. I go into position as John and the others file out of Malcolm's car.
Mogs in hideous black coats stream out of the vans, holding up their canons.
They fire.
I quickly activate my new-found Legacy. The bullets go straight through me, making me feel even more powerful. The Mogs are shocked by this, momentarily stopping, giving me time to use telekinesis to stab them with their own swords.
They never fail to amuse me with their stupidity.
Out of the corner of my eye, John turns into a human fireball and rummages through the battalion of Mogs, burning them to ashes.
Sam is constantly firing with one of Malcolm's guns, the bullets erupting in the air like volcanoes. Malcolm is using his superhuman strength to lash out at Mogs. The Mogs sneer at him, as if meeting an old enemy.
I summon a storm with my Legacies, raising my hands up in the air and swirling the clouds around. Thunder strikes and zaps the Mogs in their reverie, making them explode into ash.
We're winning.
It didn't even take a whole lot of effort to win against the Mogs this time. Even if there are only two of the current Garde present in this fight, we still won. And it was an easy win, too.
"So, where are we heading to now?" Sam asks, dusting his pants.
I concentrate, shutting my eyes, trying to get a signal from Ella.
"Six?"
"Ella! Where are you right now? Are you okay?"
"Yes, Six. We're fine. We're in Bridgewater, Virginia right now. Are you guys oka—"
The connection stops because John interrupted my thoughts with the loud, obnoxious sound of him revving the engine.
"Come on, Six!" he yells with an impatient hand gesture.
I run towards the car and get in, slamming the door beside me.
"I was talking to Ella!" I yell.
Instead of even apologizing to me, John turns to me and says, "So? Where are they?"
"Bridgewater, Virginia!"
The rest of the trip was filled with angry silence.
...
Eight
"So, I was thinking maybe we could just chill for a few days then we could track down the others, beat Setrakus Ra, get our ship and fly back to Lorien." Nine muses, thrusting the remote towards the TV.
We're in a hotel room in North Carolina. I don't know exactly where in North Carolina (the receptionist was less than helpful), but I think we're pretty far from the government's radar.
"No," I tell him, snatching the remote from his fingers. "We're leaving. Tonight."
"What?" he demands, looking up at me. "Dude, we can't travel properly if it's nighttime. We don't have night vision like your little girlfriend."
Marina.
Where is she? Is she okay right now? I hope so. I hope to Pittacus Lore that she's doing alright.
Don't worry, Marina. We'll get you soon enough. Stay safe.
"Dude." Nine says, snapping his fingers at my face.
I nod before packing our bags. "I don't care what you think. We have to go. Now."
I don't let him argue. I toss the bag over my shoulder and wait for Nine to finish up.
Just then, a voice enters itself inside my head. It sounded young and vulnerable.
"Eight! Is that you? This is Ella. I don't know if you can reply or if you can even hear me right now, but Five, Adam, and I are in a hotel room in Bridgewater, Virginia. I hope you guys stay safe. Bye."
"Ella!" I shout before I realize that she communicated with me telepathically. All those days of depression over Marina and having to share a room with Nine has taken its toll on me.
"Ella!" I think. No response.
I try again. "Ella!"
It's no use. I don't have telepathy like her.
"But at least now I know where they are…" I mutter under my breath.
"Huh?" asks Nine, stuffing a bottle of Gatorade into his backpack.
"Ella talked to me. She says they're in Bridgewater, Virginia. She's with Five and Adam. They're safe." I relay the details to him.
A look of sadness crosses momentarily over his face, like an eclipse. It was then replaced with determination.
He slings his backpack over his shoulder roughly before looking at me. "Get ready, Ocho. We're going to Virginia!"
...
"Can you please slow down?" I beg as we fly over the roads, sending spirals of gravel to fly beneath us. The road was rough enough, but with Nine driving, I just became aware to a whole new level of roughness.
"Sorry, boy!" he shouts over the screeching tires. "We gotta find the others, so buckle up!"
We've been driving for the past two hours, and we're nearly there. I can feel it.
Nine screeches the car to a halt, sending both of us flying.
A convenience store looms over us, its concrete walls looking like prison. People stream in and out of it carrying bags of produce, their faces painted with smiles. I wish I could feel the same.
Nine jumps out of the car and dashes through the thick double doors of the store. He's been grumbling about having to pee for the past thirty minutes.
I slowly trudge through the door, my hand clutching the wallet we stole yesterday. Our money is running out. We definitely need to make a run sooner or later.
I walk over the aisle filled with baggy two-dollar shirts. We definitely need some of those.
And then, I see her.
Her dark brown hair is practically shining in the dim light of the store. Her timid face looked vulnerable; scared and lost. Her body movements were meek as she shuffles through the waves of people.
Her clothes were torn and her arms were dirty.
But she still looked beautiful.
Without thinking, I shout, "Marina!"
Her head whips around, trying to find the voice.
And then, she spots me. Her dark brown eyes light up as bright as stars, illuminating her face. She runs to me, hands stretched out and tackles me with a bone-crushing hug.
I did it.
I finally found my Marina.