The Keepers

Chapter 11

Cameron's POV

"Where is she?" I demanded. "The one moment when we all have to be here and she's not here! We have to leave tomorrow!"

Alice grabbed my arm. I was instantly calm. That was her 'special power' - that's what we called them. Only a few Keepers had a special power and Alice was one of them. Alice was able to influence people's moods simply by touching them. Special powers don't always develop as soon as you become a Keeper. If you even have a power, it could come about as many as fifteen years from when you first find out that you're a Keeper. Frank got his power of telepathy about ten years after he became a Keeper.

Alice slowly let go of me and found her way to Frank's side. She looked at him and smiled encouragingly. Frank began to talk. "This could be worse than we thought. Yesterday, I saw her and Gavin Anthony going out to lunch."

"Why would that change anything? Gavin is a part of our school," Principal Perry told us, scowling at the accusation.

Frank frowned. "That's the thing, once I walked in on him talking to someone......" Principal Perry looked unimpressed, so Frank continued, "....On a moon ball."

The principal's eyes went wide and she gasped.

"What's a moon ball?" Isaac asked.

Frank answered since Principal Perry was still in shock. "A moon ball is a device that looks sort of like one of those 'crystal balls' in the human world except it resembles the moon. It's a way to contact the Moon Lord."

My eyes bulged out of my head. If Gavin had a moon ball, then he had to be contacting Lord Luna..........and now he had Alex.

"Is there anyway that he could be talking to someone else?" Isaac asked.

Principal Perry answered, "No. No possible way that I know of." That wasn't good.

"He has Alex," Alice whispered.

"We have to get her back," I said mostly to myself.

I started to leave but the Principal's voice held me back. "You'll start your quest today."

"But-" I was interrupted by a hand before I could utter another world.

"No buts!" Principal Perry ordered. "You will start your quest today and you will find Alex."

My eyebrows furrowed together. How could we do both? I thought.

"If we're correct that Alex has been taken by Gavin and that he's connected to the Moon Lord, then you'll just have to go to one place," Principal Perry told us.

"He has her?" I growled.

The principal flinched back an inch. Frank frowned at me. "We'll find her," he promised. A second later, Alice was by my side and I wasn't angry anymore. When I realized that I couldn't rely on my emotions, I turned around to leave. This time no one held me back. I ran through the hallways and up to my bedroom. Away from everyone. Alone.

I pulled out a big black camping bag and packed it with stuff that would keep me going for about a week. Filled with only the necessities. I also brought a few weapons along.

When I was finished, I sat on the windowsill and waited for someone to come.

About 30 minutes later, Frank came barging in with his lips tight. I rolled my eyes. "Well, hello to you too," Frank said. "Come on. We're all meeting outside."

My eyebrows furrowed together. I stood, puzzled. Frank sighed. "We're going to find Alex," he told me. At that, I rushed outside, almost forgetting my backpack.

When I got outside, the others stood in a line, Frank with them. "How'd you get down here so fast?" I asked, once again confused. Frank smirked and Alice smiled sheepishly. He kissed her forehead, wrapping her up in a hug. I rolled my eyes. Of course I could've flown down on a magic flying cloud, that Alice helped make and fly, but no, instead I ran down a whole bunch of stairs.

For the first time since I came out, I noticed a bunch of long, blonde curls connected to a girl of about our age. She had rosy cheeks, small, sapphire blue eyes and a big smile on her face, showing all of her perfect teeth. "What's she doing here?" I asked harshly.

"I'm Crystal. I'm accompanying you on your trip," she said smiling.

I burst out laughing. Everyone looked surprised by outburst. "You've got to be kidding," I said, still laughing. No one else was laughing so I stopped. "The person supposed to be shadowing us around is supposed to be a fighter," I continued. Everyone was very serious and Crystal had a hint of sadness or anger in her eyes, I couldn't tell. "But she's a.....a........girl," I commented accusingly. At that, Crystal's eyes burned furiously. Yep, I thought, definitely anger.

She advanced me angrily. I swear I saw fire in her eyes right then. She grabbed my shoulders and somehow managed to flip me over. I landed on my back. It all happened so fast I wasn't sure if I just imagined it or not. I was sure I hadn't when Crystal stood over me, eyes bright and a smirk spreading over her face. I could hear the sound of Frank's and Isaac's quiet laughter filling the silence.

Standing up, I began to complain, "Hey! I wasn't ready for that!"

Crystal smiled and quickly answered in an arrogant voice, "Please, you couldn't take me if you tried."

"Let's see about that," I whispered.

While she was turned around talking, I ran at her, ready to pin her to the ground. Before I even made it in her two feet radius, she did a backflip over me. I didn't think it was even possible, but she managed. She landed gracefully on her feet, not a bit of clumsiness in her stance. She moved like a gazelle even though it was more like I was the prey and she, the predator. She moved around me teasingly, arms raised. She knew she could beat me, and at this very moment, so did I. "I'm done," I told her, backing away.

"Turning down a fight? That doesn't seem very manly," she teased.

"I just don't want to fight a girl," I said, rolling my eyes.

Her eyes blazed even brighter than before. She came up to me and hit me square in the jaw. I growled, no one gets the better of me. I ran at her full speed. She leaped out of the way, dodging me. We did this again and again. I felt like a bull being teased by the matador. Both the bull and I charging the opponent, over and over again until finally giving up, too exhausted to continue. "Fine, I give up," I managed to gasp out when she had me in a choke hold.

She smiled, obviously pleased. "But I'm just a girl," she whined, sarcasm pouring into her voice. She walked over to Isaac, looping her arm through his. "Guess I'm riding with you," Crystal claimed, leaping into the passenger seat of the silver Porsche Carrera GT. Isaac shrugged and hopped into the driver's seat.

"Come on Cameron, you can ride with us," Alice supplied, her voice full of humor. I grumbled but complied, getting in to the brownish Porsche Cayman. It was a nice car, but not near as nice as the sliver Porsche and not near as fast. And I loved to drive fast.

Alice drove which was a surprise since Frank was riding with us. Alice drove relatively well and moderately fast, so I was pleased. The other car was in front of us for most of the time. I didn't talk for most of the drive, being lost in my thoughts. I heard a few of Alice's and Frank's conversations but I mostly tuned them out.

When we got to the third closest town over, the sky was dark and full of stars. We were all fairly tired and that wouldn't last us long, so we stopped at a hotel. I told them that we shouldn't stop and that we have to get Alex. I also told them that I wasn't tired at all. The second was a lie and they could tell when we got into our room. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was carried away into a dreamless slumber.