Here it is: The finale to 'The Lost Chronicles.' Warning: This might be a little sad. After this chapter I will continue from where I left off before. Enjoy!
December 20th, 2007
Classified location
Isabel Kabra took a delicate sip of tea.
"What is it you want, Elizabeth?" She snapped. Her sister, sitting across the table, leaned forward.
"Do you thing all out problems have ended, since you've killed that traitor Arthur, and his jackal of a wife?" Elizabeth Kabra asked. Isabel snorted.
"Well, things certainly have been easier for me." she replied. "Why do you care?"
"Because things haven't been going so smoothly on my side, no thanks to you." Elizabeth told her.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Isabel asked irritably.
"I mean, killing Arthur and Hope wasn't the complete solution." Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. "That traitor Neha and her family are causing more problems."
Isabel smirked. "Seems you have a lot of traitors on your side, sister." Elizabeth waved her hand dismissively.
"I know. But didn't your agents also fail on their last mission?" she asked.
"Yes, unfortunately, my agents have failed to finish off those pigs so far." Isabel grumbled.
"And your last attempt with the serum was also a failure, I presume." Elizabeth sneered.
"Of course not." Isabel replied hotly. "I managed to inject the serum into the prisoner, just like I said I would."
"Very well." Elizabeth decided. " Then I will take over the operation from here."
"Just remember," Isabel warned, "The boy with the serum is valuable. Kill everyone else, but take him hostage."
"Fine." Elizabeth stood up. "I believe we've met an agreement?"
"Absolutely." replied Isabel. "However, there is one agent I would like to recommend..."
After her meeting with Elizabeth, Isabel walked outside.
"How did it go?" asked Elias, who was waiting for her out side the meeting room.
"It went splendidly. My sister is going to lead the next mission to eradicate those traitor fools once and for all."
Eradicate them? thought Elias nervously. Sure, he liked a good victory over Zai, the annoying pest who insisted in hindering him, but he wasn't sure he wanted to eradicate him. But he didn't dare say anything out loud.
"When?" he asked instead.
"In two days." Isabel replied. "And..." she looked at Elias, "I managed to recommend you for the mission."
"Me?" Elias yelped.
"Just look at it as a chance to redeem yourself." Isabel told briskly, as they got into her limo.
Gulp, thought Elias.
December 22nd, 2007
Kauai, Hawaiian Islands
Eleven-year-old Zai Kului was walking by the beach under the full moon. He was trying to calm himself down. He listened to the soothing sound of the waves crashing against the rocks, and the sound of birds calling to each other. He closed his eyes and breathed in the salty ocean air. He looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were gathering. A storm was on its way. He sat down in front of the water. There was nobody around. He had been walking for about ten minutes now, just walking and thinking.
He looked over the ocean and sighed. How could things have become so different? A few years ago, he, his twin sister Zana, their older brother Zade, and their mother Yasmine were a happy family. Weird, but still happy. Zade was nice enough most of the time, and Zai and Zana usually got along. But now, things seemed to be breaking up. Zade had become sort of moody and withdrawn, sometimes lashing out at people. Zai suspected his behavior change had something to do with what happened a year ago, when Zade had been captured by the viscous Kabras. Zana also had also started spending more time alone. Zai was sure that she was unhappy with their...unusual lifestyle, and wanted a normal, non-Cahill life. But Zai knew that was not possible. It their world, they would probably never be normal. And their mother, Yasmine, seemed very tired and sad recently. This was making Zai depressed.
The fact that Zade was supposed to start college soon didn't help. He would've gone earlier, but some problems with other Cahills had held him back. He would be attending the University of Hawaii-West Oahu, so his family would be close if any problems arose. Zai would be a little sad to see him go. Most of his life, Zana, and Zade were his only friends. Because of his difficult lifestyle, Zai really never got the chance to make friends. Sometimes he told himself that when he grew up, he'd leave the Cahill world behind and try to blend in, but he knew that could never happen. Being born into the Cahill legacy was a gift, but it was also a curse. He would be cursed to serve the 39 Clues for the rest of his life.
Zai sighed again. He had to decide what to do. Maybe he could talk to Zana. He shook his head. He wasn't a fan of the whole emotional, heart-to-heart talk thing. He was just thinking that maybe they could use a vacation when he heard a loud flapping overhead. He looked up, and there, up in the sky, was the largest flock of birds he had ever seen. He couldn't tell what kind of bird they were because they were so high up. They were several hundred of them, squawking like crazy. But they were not flying in formation. In fact, thought Zai, They look like they're trying to get away from something!
Zai was just thinking how weird this situation was when he heard footsteps crashing over the sand toward him. He jumped up and turned around, and stiffened as the person reached him, panting. He had really short dark hair, sunglasses, and the Lucian insignia on his shoulder.
"What could you possibly want with me?" he asked. "And why are you wearing sunglasses at night?" He had always thought that their home on the island would be safe, that nobody could find them there. Apparently, he was wrong. He also wondered why someone would wear sunglasses at 8:30 at night.
"Wait..." Elias panted, holding up his hands. He ignored Zai's question about his sunglasses. Zai took a step back. Elias didn't move.
"What do you want?" Zai asked again.
"Your f-family's in great...danger." Elias panted. Zai tensed.
"What do you mean, danger?" he asked.
"Elizabeth...she's here." Elias said, his breathing returning to normal.
Elizabeth? HERE? Zai's eyes flashed with fear. If she could, Elizabeth would kill them all.
"I'll try to hold them off!" Elias shouted, running into the jungle.
Without waiting, or wondering if Elias was telling the truth or leading him into a trap, Zai started running toward his house. His adrenaline completely took over, he wasn't even thinking straight. All he knew was that his family was very much in grave danger, and he was the only one that could save them.
He ran like crazy, down the beach and over a large hill that was near their home. When he reached the top of the hill, he saw smoke rising from a few hundred meters away.
Oh god, I'm too late! Zai raced down the hill, crashing through the small bushes that dotted the landscape.
He reached his house. It was completely ablaze. He ran around it. Just then, KA-BOOOOOOOOM! A gigantic explosion rang out behind him. He ran around to to the other side of his house to see half of it collapse.
"Mom! Zade! Zana! Are you in there?" he called out. No answer. He ran over back to the other side. One of the walls had fallen in on the rest of the house, and Zai could hear muffled voices from inside.
"I'll ask you one more time: Where is he?" a gruff voice demanded.
"Who, my brother? I'll never tell you!" That was Zade.
"Kid, you're gonna tell us where your brother is. Otherwise, we'll have to kill you." Another muffled voice said.
"Never." Zade retorted. Zai could hear the sounds of fighting from inside, and the screams weren't Zade's.
He seems okay for the moment. I have to find Mom and Zana, he thought. He heard another, smaller explosion behind him. Then, a scream. A scream that Zai would recognize anywhere.
"Zana!" he screamed into the dark.
"Zai! Help!" his sister yelled back. Zai ran to the far side of the house. The wall here had been completely obliterated. It was just a pile of rubble. And at the bottom of the pile, he saw a lot of long, black hair.
"...Zana?" he whispered. His sister looked up.
"Help me." she moaned. Zai looked at her. Her legs were completely buried in rubble, and she was struggling to free herself.
"Don't move, I'll get you out. Then we'll go help Mom and Zade." he told her, frantically moving large pieces of rock and concrete off of the pile.
"Where's Zade?" Zana asked.
"Zade's on the other side of the house." replied Zai, tugging on a huge chunk of concrete.
"Zade?" Zana gasped painfully. "Oh, no. Zai, you've got to help him. He's the one they're here to get!"
"No!" Zai grunted, heaving. "I heard them! They were asking Zade 'where his brother is'!"
"Oh my god!" Zana exclaimed as one of her legs came free. "Zade lied to them! He's trying to save you! He's the one they want!"
"...No" whispered Zai. "So...they're going to kill Zade?"
"Go." Zana told him. "You have to save him."
"What about you?" Zai asked.
"I'm almost free. I'll be fine." she answered. "Here." she took his hand and pressed something into it. "Now go save Zade."
Zai nodded. "I'll be back." he promised. With that, he turned and ran toward where Zade was trapped.
As he ran through the dark, big, chubby drops of water started splashing down. Zai looked up. Lightning flashed across the sky. He ran blindly through the dark, his hair blowing into his eyes. He could see his mother running about twenty feet in front of him.
"Mom!" he called out to her. She didn't reply.
"MOM!" he yelled again. Still nothing. His mother disappeared around the corner to where Zade was.
I can't be too late. I have to help Mom save Zade. I can't be too late. I have to help Mom save Zade, he repeated over and over again in his mind. Then, someone grabbed him on the shoulder. Zai spun around. He couldn't tell who it was in the dark. Then, lightning flashed again. For a split second, Zai could make out who it was. He had wet, tangled blond hair, thrown around in the wind, and intense green eyes.
"Kaha!" Zai exclaimed over a rumble of thunder. He didn't stop to think why on earth Kaha would be here. "Help me! You have to help! Zana needs you!"
"Zana! Where is she?" Kaha asked, on the verge of panic.
"On the far side of the house!" Zai panted, "Help her! I'll help Zade!"
"Okay!" Kaha yelled, not asking any more questions. His hair blowing wildly around in the wind, he ran off toward where Zana was trapped. Zai kept running. He reached the wall that Zade was trapped behind.
"Zade! ZADE! MOM!" he screamed, pounding on the wall. "Answer me!" he yelled again. He heard nothing. Suddenly, he heard a rumbling from behind the wall. He put his ear to it. Then...BOOOOOOOM! Zai was thrown into the air from the force of the blast.
"AAAAAHHH!" He yelled, crashing into the ground. He landed on a sharp rock, cutting into his chest. After a few seconds, he stood up. The wall was gone. In it's place was a mountain of debris and rubble. He walked slowly up to it.
"Zade? Mom? Are you there?" he said softly. "Zade? Mom? Somebody? Please answer me!" he begged. He pulled away a large piece of plaster. He started trembling uncontrollably when he was what was underneath it. A large pool of blood.
"NOOOOOO! ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAADE! MOOOOOOOOM! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed, stumbling backward. Tears blacken with ash were flowing freely down his cheeks. He looked around. Suddenly, a dark shape darted out of the jungle and ran toward he had last seen Zana.
"ZAAAANNNAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he screamed again, running after the dark shape. His vision blurred, and he started stumbling. But he didn't stop running. He had to save Zana, because he failed to save Zade and his mother. He saw the dark shape get closer and closer to his sister. He couldn't see her face, but he could see her moving violently under the rubble. Kaha was pulling on her arm. They were unaware of the danger that crept closer to them.
"ZAAAAAAAANAAAAAAA!" he screamed one more time. The dark figure was upon the. Zai ran harder.
BALAM! BLAM! To cracks rang out, followed by two screams. Zai stumbled. Blood was pounding in his ears, and everything looked fuzzy. He fell to his knees.
"NOOO! NOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOO!NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. He was jerking and sobbing uncontrollably. He tried to get up again, but he fell. He opened his eyes one more time. He thought he could see Zana's, Zade's, his mother's, and Kaha's faces floating up into the clouds. They were all smiling sadly at him. He was the only one left now.
"...Zai." voice said in his head. "It's okay. You tried." He didn't even see a man dressed all in black run out of the jungle, nor did he feel the man pick him up.
"You're safe now." the man told him gently. Zai didn't hear him. The whole time, Zai's fist had been clamped shut around what his sister had given him. Zai closed his eyes and passed out. He and Zana weren't 'the twins' anymore. An empty spot had opened up in his heart.
An empty spot that he still carries with him today.
Hey readers. I'm SO SO SO sorry about this chapter. I wish there was another way. *Sniffle.* Read and comment, and stay strong.