Time is Running Out

Chapter 44

"Okay, let's finish this now." Xana pursed her lips and crossed her arms across her black-clothed chest.

"Finish what," Emma said.

"This." Xana gestured to the whole room.

"Oh." Emma sighed. "Finish this how?"

Xana smiled evilly.

"Easy."

The others only saw her hand swing back, throw something out and then there was a blinding flash of light and smoke filled the room. Something flung themselves onto Emma, Rachel and Gemma. They screamed. The door to the next tunnel was wrenched open and the thing threw the three girls through it, then hurtled through themselves. The door slammed shut and the guards screamed. Their nails dug against the wall but it was no use. Suddenly their screams were silent.

Then the stench hit them-- the thing and Emma and Rachel and Gemma. It smelt like rotten flesh. Emma, Rachel and Gemma gagged and fell to the ground. But they finally saw the thing.

Xana.

She retrieved four air masks from her ever-surprising leather jacket and threw three to the others. Then she put one on herself.

"Safe for now. We must be on our way." She spoke with a different accent. More clear but it was still different.

How many times was Xana's voice going to change?! All three were clearly thinking the same thing.

Xana's stone-grey eyes narrowed.

"You had better not be thinking about that," she growled quietly with the hint of a threat.

"We aren't," they said quickly.

Xana's eyes turned into slits and they looked to be violet. She had grey eyes, not violet...

Emma sucked in a breath. Gemma blinked once. Rachel whispered, "No..."

"You are definitely thinking of that," Xana snarled.

Her eyes widened back to normal and they were grey again.

It could be a hallucination, but... Gemma sent the other two a look and they both nodded back once. They had all seen it.

"She isn't... can't be... no way... dream!" Emma finally concluded.

"This is no dream." Rachel's eyes widened at Xana.

Xana glared back for a long time and at last it was Rachel who dropped her gaze.

"It shall not take long before we are caught if we do not move now," she said.

Gemma looked at her and crossed her arms. "I do not trust you."

"That does make sense when you think of the fact that I am a criminal," agreed Xana. "But. You shall be killed in seconds if you do not come with me."

"I would rather be killed than to go with you."

"Why are you like this?" Emma asked.

Xana glared at all three girls. "Petere non poterit ei quaestiones et absque dolo."

"Ask no questions... and you will be told no lies," whispered Rachel, who had learnt Latin.

"Latin? You know Latin?" Emma cried.

"Si quid igitur faciam?" Xana said coldly.

"So what if I do..." Rachel translated. She glared at Xana. "Qui veritatem vobis?"