Betrayed (Keys To The Elements Story 2)

Chapter 16

When we landed at Lost Lagoon, neither Zoey or Bizaria were in sight.

"Where could they be?" asked Diego, securing Liberty beside a building and the lake.

"Diego! Clover! Hurry!" was something we heard from behind us. We spun around and saw Zoey flapping her arms rapidly towards us. Together, Diego and I rushed to her.

Now, we were closer to her and obvious worry and fear was displayed on her face.

"Zoey!" I cried, grabbing her arm. "What is it?"

She swallowed. "Bizaria. A chandelier fell on Bizaria." Diego and I looked at each other in horror.

"Bizaria got smushed by a chandelier?" Diego yelped.

Zoey didn't say anything when she led us into a small building. We found Bizaria lying inside with a few adult elves surrounding her. She was wrapped in some blankets and had a lot of medical devices on her.

"Are you okay?" I questioned immediately.

She waved her hand at us, but I saw her wince while doing so. "I'm okay. It's okay."

"What happened?" Diego murmured to Zoey, who was gesturing for us to come outside.

"That's Bizaria's family's house. She went inside to find the gold shell she had been talking about and then suddenly the chandelier dropped and..."

"Well, is she going to be okay?" I demanded, nervously. My whole body was trembling. "This is all my fault. I'm so sorry."

Diego glanced at me, frowning. "Why would it be your fault? Did you make the chandelier fall?"

"No, but she was trying to help me. To help find Daisy."

"She volunteered to do that. Bizaria's a strong girl. She'll get through this," Zoey consoled, reaching into her pocket. She took a gold seashell and smiled weakly. "We have this now, though."

"So is Bizaria just going to wait here while we go find the water key?" I wanted to know.

Zoey looked towards the house. "Yeah. She'll recover and join us again to find her beloved air key." The three of us created a plan to look at places where mermaids could be. Diego recalled that he had heard a sighting at Doveseen Bay months ago. Doveseen Bay was the only place doves were found. Every year during Spring, elves would come by and watch the doves fly around. Sometimes they would fly in a formation and it was an amazing sight to see.

"So I guess I'll have to fly alone," Zoey said, looking disappointed.

"No, no. You two go," Diego suggested. "I can teleport."

"Liberty's more comfortable with you. I'll teleport," I immediately countered.

"Are you guys seriously fighting over who gets to ride with me?" harrumphed Zoey. "Why don't I just ride with Liberty. She adores me."

I sniffed. "Does she?" Zoey's mouth fell open and smacked me gently. She flung her hair and ran off towards Liberty's direction. Diego said he would go help her and then he'll teleport too.

"Okay. See you there," I smiled.

Bring me to Doveseen Bay.

After a few seconds of spinning, I landed on my feet staring right at a dove. I jumped back and screamed. Gosh, what's wrong with me today? Why am I getting scared of everything? The dove flapped its wings and flew away. I let out a sigh and sat on one of the logs that were out on the beach. Mermaids. Where would I find a mermaid? As if on cue, a splash sounded from the sea.

I gasped. "Ohmygosh. It's a mermaid." I rubbed my eyes to see if I wasn't imagining this, and I wasn't! I sprinted towards it and grinned in awe.

It was a girl. She had luscious golden blonde hair and a gorgeous V-shaped face. Her tail was a mix of turquoise, sky blue, and violet. It shone in the daylight, as she swam gracefully with what seemed to be a dolphin. She eventually turned and our eyes met. Her eyes widened in surprise and she sunk deeper into the waves.

"Wait, no! I need to talk to you!" I called out.

"Who may you be?" Her voice was so calming and smooth. It sounded like she was singing, instead of just plainly talking. Her hair magically turned from a long braid to a bun that sat on top of her head.

"She's with me," a voice said from behind me. I recognized this voice but who could it be?

"Good to see you again, Southland." Nobody called me that except...