Secret in Hiding
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 8: Armstrong Crystal
The six of them were meeting at the abandon house that Friday after school. Cassie and Diana were smiling to themselves as they waited for Jake to finally show. They had gotten a ride with Adam. Jake finally came in. "Cassie, Diana, I told Amelia the two of you would be gone for a while." Jake told the two.
"Okay," Cassie said. "We're going now. We need that last crystal."
"Yeah, Adam I'll take Cassie and Diana in my car. You follow in yours with Faye and Melissa." Jake told Adam and then gave Adam direction just in case they got lost from each other. "By the way, Cassie, Diana, how was your first week of school?"
Cassie and Diana didn't say anything and Faye started to laugh. "I heard the person who was hired to tutor them got so mad they wouldn't talk to her. She just nearly quit. My mom had to talk her down."
"You know you two are going to have to start talking to other people soon if you expect to make it in the world. School is important." Melissa told the girls.
Cassie and Diana looked at each other and then smiled. "I think we'll be fine." Diana told Melissa. "Come on, let's go." Diana and Cassie ran out the door and into Jake's car.
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A while later they finally arrived at Jake's grandfather's place. The six of them stood outside the door and looked at each other. "Grandpa," Jake said knocking on the door, but got no respond. He tried the door and found it locked. "Lock, unlock." The door opened up and the six walked inside.
"What is all this?" Faye asked looking around. The walls were covered in papers and a lot of other things.
"I don't know. My grandfather is crazy. I haven't seen him since my parents died." Jake told the group as he too looked at the wall. "Look, he has our birthdays written down and what's with the three circles." While the four were staring at wall Cassie and Diana were looking around for the crystal with no luck. They were starting to doubt it was here since there seemed to be nothing in this place besides what was written on the walls.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" An older guy, everyone assumed it was Royce Armstrong, yelled as he stormed in.
"It's me. Jake,' Jake said.
"Yeah right," Royce said and went to pin them against the wall with a table, but Cassie stopped the table and moved it back at Royce knocking the older guy off his feet. Royce got up and then looked at the group. "Witches. It really is you."
"Touching family reunion," Diana mumbled. "How about you tell us where your family crystal is?" Royce looked at the girl and then back at the other four.
"I hid the crystal where no one would find it and I'm not telling anyone where it is." Cassie and Diana looked at each other. I think we're going to have to use a little magic to make him talk. Cassie nodded and Diana lifted Royce off the ground. "What are you..." Royce had to stop as Cassie started choking him.
"What are you doing?" Melissa asked shocked.
"Getting the information we need," Cassie explained as she stopped choking Royce. "Only talk if you're going to tell us where the crystal is. Then we'll let you go"
Royce looked at the girl. He knew these two were Cassie Blake and Diana Meade and he knew they were raised by John Blackwell. He might not get much information from the outside world, but he did get that message about them. He knew they probably knew a lot of ways to make him suffer and now he knew they were up to no good. It was better to tell them where the crystal was and then go get the other elders together to take care of this. "I hid it in an abandoned mine back at Chance Harbor. The map is on the wall."
That was too easy. He plans on stopping us. Cassie told her sister who nodded her agreement. Diana threw Royce again the wall banging his head. Jake could see a cut form at the top and ran over. "Why did you do that?" Jake asked.
"So he won't go running off to the other elders," Diana stated finding the map on the wall and taking it down. She came over to Royce and said a spell. The cut healed a bit and then she said another spell. "He'll be out for a long time now. We can go get the sixth crystal and then be ready to stand up against the witch hunters. Hopefully he'll wake up with no memory of this." Too bad I can't remember the spell father taught us to take away memories. Do you?
No, father wouldn't be happy we forgot that. Why did you heal him? Cassie responded.
To keep up appearances, Diana answered. Glad it worked. I suck at healing magic. Cassie giggled. So do you. Diana then looked at the other four. "Come on let's go."
Jake, Adam, Melissa, and Faye looked at each other. The events that took place had made them nervous, but they knew they needed that crystal. They nodded as they started to walk out.
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They got to the mine not too long later and started in side. Diana was in the lead since she had the map with Cassie following her. The minute they went inside the mine though things changed. Cassie and Diana couldn't take a breath. They backed out of the mine and everything was fine.
"What's wrong?" Jake and Adam asked together.
"The mine is spelled. We can't get in." Diana explained.
"We're all in. We're fine." Faye pointed out.
"It must be spelled against Blackwell magic." Diana told them and then held out the map to Jake. "You four are going to have to get the crystal and bring it back. We'll wait here." Jake took the map and nodded.
As the four disappeared into the mine Cassie and Diana looked at each other. This is not a good turn of events. Cassie pointed out.
I know, but what can we do. Diana looked at the mine. She wanted more than anything to be able to go in there and get the last crystal for herself. She pulled the bag with the other five in it closer to her chest. They'll get it and give it to us. Then we can leave.
I hope so, Cassie said staring off into the mine waiting for the four to return.
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Most of the time in the mine, the four didn't talk. It wasn't until Adam had the last crystal in his hand that anyone said anything. "We have all six now."
"Actually, we have one. The Blackwell sisters have the other five. They carry them around in that bag of theirs," Faye stated.
"Diana and Cassie are on our side. They have five and us having one means we have all six," Jake told Faye getting annoyed at Faye's comment.
"I'm not too sure they're on our side," Melissa said causing everyone to look at her. That had been shocking coming from her. She was always so fast to see the good in people. "Look a few days ago I would have said they were helping us, but now I'm not so sure. You saw what they did to your grandfather Jake."
"They were just trying to get the location of the last crystal. They didn't kill him or anything." Jake defended the girls not believing he had to actually defend them. All they had done since they came into the Circle was help them.
"We could have just told him what was going on and he might have given us the crystal, but their minds went right to torture. Also this mine is guarded against them. You have to admit that's a little strange."
"It's not against them. It's against their father," Adam defended.
"They were raised by their father or does everyone seem to forget that." Faye pointed out and Adam and Jake didn't have anything to say to that. "I agree with Melissa. There's something not right here. I say we find out what."
"How?" Jake asked the two.
"Well first give me the crystal." Faye held out her hand and waited. Adam looked at Jake who nodded. Adam placed the last crystal in Faye's hand. Faye looked at the crystal for a second before putting it in her pocket. "They can't get into this mine. I say we stand right behind the ward and talk to them. Ask them to answer our questions. We have something they want. They should answer."
Melissa agreed with the plan right away and Adam and Jake finally nodded their agreements. "You'll see. They are only trying to help us." Jake mumbled and Adam agreed with him.
The four walked back to the entrance to find Diana and Cassie waiting for them looking very bored. Somehow Cassie ended up sitting on the floor looking up at the ceiling and Diana was looking in the mine. As soon as Diana saw them Cassie was up on her feet and looking at them with a smile.
"Did you get it?" Cassie asked sounding very excited. Faye took the crystal out of her pocket and held it up into the air. "Great, now come out of there and let's go." Cassie held out her hand expecting Faye to come and give it to her and was shocked when no one moved. "What's wrong?"
"We got some questions for you and if you want this crystal you better answer them," Faye told the two girls.
Diana looked at them and then her eyes went to Adam and Jake. "Adam, Jake, what's going on?" Diana asked. Her voice sounded so innocence that it broke Adam and Jake's hearts that they were doing this. They didn't even understand.
"Don't expect your boy toys to get you out of this one." Faye commented causing Cassie and Diana to look at each other.
"Boy toys?" They asked clearly not understanding what Faye meant.
"You heard me. They're not helping you on this one so you better just answer our question like why do you want this so much?" Faye held up the crystal as she said this.
"To stop the witch hunters," Cassie stated real fast. "We told you putting all six crystals together is the only way to stop them."
"Isn't it kind of strange you just have this knowledge about these crystals? As though it was your mission in life to get them so you studied hard," Melissa stated and Faye agreed. There complete knowledge of all things crystal related was a little weird. It was like a kid who wanted all the right answer and knew them off the top of their heads. So far the answers they were giving sounded the same way.
"Our father trained us in all things magical and related to our families. If we got questions he asked us wrong he punished us. The crystals were a part of his teachings. That's all." Diana answered.
"You were right on top of it though," Faye said. "The minute the witch hunters' thing happened you bring up the crystals as though it was planned."
"I don't understand. Do you think we're helping the witch hunters?"
"We're not saying that. We're just saying you've been a little too eager to get your hands on them." Melissa stated. "Also it seems to me that a couple of people, our grandparents, went through a lot of trouble hiding these things. It as though they never wanted them together." Melissa paused for a minute as she thought of something else. "Also Royce Armstrong went through a lot of trouble to make sure no one with Blackwell magic could get his hands on this crystal. As though he was protecting it from you."
Melissa took a step forward as she said this and that was a mistake. Diana was able to grabbed hold of Melissa's arm because Melissa came to close and before anyone could do anything Melissa was out of the mine. Diana had her floating in the air in a matter of minutes. "Okay, now hand us that crystal. Unless you want to see poor Melissa dead," Diana stated and then started to choke Melissa who was shaking her head no at the group.
"You won't kill her. If she dies we have no reason to hand this to you." Faye told the girls. The two boy seemed frozen in shock by the turn of events. Diana stopped choking Melissa seeing Faye's point, but an evil smile came across her face and then Cassie's face.
"You're right. We won't kill her.'" Diana lowered Melissa to the ground and Cassie put a hand on her shoulder. A second later Melissa was screaming in pain. "You see my sister is boiling Melissa's blood. It hurts a lot trust me, but she won't die. Just a bit of torture. It will stop when you give me the crystal."
"NO," Melissa screamed out between the pain. Faye looked at Melissa. She didn't want to see her best friend in pain, but she would respect the fact that Melissa didn't want the Blackwell sisters to have the crystal. She looked at the girls and Diana realized she wasn't coming around.
"Okay, let's have a little more fun. I've been awfully bored these last two weeks. Haven't' you Cassie?" The three knew Diana was talking out loud so they would hear them.
Cassie took her hand away from Melissa who dropped to the floor. "You know I have. Being away from home and not practicing our spell work is pretty boring. How about you go next?"
"Love too." Diana got on her knees and lifted Melissa's head up with one finger so Melissa was looking Diana right in the eyes. Diana lifted up her other hand so two fingers were pointed right at Melissa's eyes and then she said something in a language Jake, Adam, and Faye didn't understand. A few second after she was done Melissa screamed and then curled up on the floor crying and mumbling things to herself.
"What did you do?" Faye asked nearly running out of the mine, but Jake stopped her. Jake now knew there was no way he could let the two girls get the last crystal.
"I'm making her relive her worst memories and her greatest fears are coming to life. Best part about this it's her own mind causing her the pain." Diana laughed and then turned to Cassie. "It's your turn. What are you going to do?" After a minute Diana smiled. "Oh, I like that and it goes well with what I did."
Cassie bent down and started moving her hands around Melissa's body. "What are you doing?" Faye yelled at her.
"My sister is looking for Melissa's magical core," Diana told the group.
"Magical core?" Adam asked confused. "We channel magic through nature."
"You four so untrained. You know nothing." Diana stated. "Every witch has a magical core. It's what makes us different from non-witches. It's the reason we can do spells. It's sort of like the heart of magic. It pumps your magic through your body when you need to do what you want. Cassie is going to make Melissa's own magic turn against her. Cause her horrible pain worst then anything she's ever felt. Of course is might corrupt Melissa's magic forever, but oh well."
"Found it," Cassie announced. She had her hand right on Melissa's stomach. "Such an obvious place too. I'm surprised it took me this long." Cassie started mumbling and Faye looked at the other two. They couldn't let this happen.
"Wait," they shouted and Cassie turned around. Slowly the three of them walked out of the mine. Faye held up the crystal and threw it at Diana's head. Before it hit her the crystal stopped in midair and floated right into Diana's hand.
"I knew you would see it our way." Diana said and then sent a blast at magic at them throwing the three back. They banged their heads and were out cold. Melissa was still crying on the floor. Well that spell will last a long time. I might have over powered it. Diana looked at Melissa as she said this. Melissa was clearly going no where anytime soon. Oh well. Let's go.
Diana started to walk away. Cassie ran over to Jake and took his keys out of his pocket. What are you doing? Diana asked looking at Cassie. Cassie held up the keys.
We need a ride. Cassie told Diana. Let's go. They started to walk away, but both stopped and turned around taking one last look at Adam and Jake. Ignore the feeling. They're going to be nothing more than a memory now.
Your right, Diana thought and the two left. Diana got into the passenger seat of Jake's car as Cassie took the driver's seat. You think you can work this thing? Even in her mind Diana sounded nervous and Cassie could feel how nervous she was through their link.
No, but I believe I can spell it to drive itself. Cassie smiled at her sister who smiled back. Cassie turned the key started the car and then mumbled a spell. A second later the car was driving itself away from the mine.
AN: okay, that is where I will leave you for this chapter. Now isn't this chapter far more interesting than the other crystal chapters. It's like my personal favorite chapter of this story so far.
Anyway update on the poll. So far we have a tie. I'm not going to tell you who between, I want it to be a surprise on who gets killed, but I need more votes. Remember you can only vote once and I will be looking at my reviews for last chapter to make sure the same people aren't voting twice. So remember vote on who you want to die: Henry Chamberlain, Kate Meade, or Penny Glaser. If the tie stays by the time I'm writing the death in I'm the tiebreaker.
The Secret Circle Project update. Episode 6 is up on fanfiction and it's my personal favorite episode so far. Read it and tell me why you think it is. Lol. Anyway go check that out and I'm going to end this author note before it gets any bigger by saying REVIEW.