Sweet Showdown

The Truth Is...

Carissa got out of the car and gently took Didi into her arms. Zane silently followed them inside, his thoughts grinding over everything he had been through. Once they were inside, he looked sharply at Carissa.

'And now? May I finally know the truth? Or will you keep hiding it from me any longer?' asked Zane angrily, his gaze fixed unflinchingly on Carissa.

Carissa carefully laid Didi down on the sofa, while Zane plopped down impatiently on a chair. She took a deep breath and sat down across from him.

'Look, Zane, I don't know exactly how to explain this. But you have a right to the truth,' Carissa began. 'You, Didi and I ... we're not from here. We are not from this planet. We are from Fruitilia,' she said slowly, trying to gauge the reaction on Zane's face.

Zane stared at her, the words she spoke penetrating him only slowly.

'We are from Fruitilia? What do you mean?'

Carissa continued, 'Your mother sent us to Earth. She was afraid that Cody, an old enemy, would reappear. Cody was once frozen and locked in the kingdom of Berrinia by the combined power of your father and mother. But now... now he is free again, and he has taken over the kingdom.'

Zane's head was spinning. 'Cody... Berrinia...' he stammered, unable to grasp everything at once. At that moment, the Berry Bear jumped out of his backpack, causing Carissa to look at the bear in amazement.

'How did he get here?' she cried, clearly puzzled.

'Oh yes, I forgot to mention that,' said Zane, gently taking the little bear in his arms. 'A girl named Azura attacked us. Altana and Stella helped us, and I think this little bear accidentally came with her when she came here.'

Carissa looked pityingly at the little bear. 'Oh, it must have been so hard for him. Over there in Berrinia it must be terrible now.'

Zane nodded, but something else bothered him. 'But why do Altana and Stella have powers and we don't? What happened to us?'

Carissa smiled mysteriously. 'Those powers will come back. Just wait.' She closed her eyes and cast a magic spell. A pink glow began to fill the room, and soon two small pink clouds appeared in the sky. One cloud drifted slowly toward Didi, who was still sleeping on the couch, while the other flew toward Zane. Before his eyes, a beautiful piece of jewelry - a ring - materialized in his hand.

'What... is this?' asked Zane, looking at it with amazement.

'This is your magical ornament. When you wear it, you will regain your powers. Only you can use it, no one else. It is connected to you,' Carissa explained, watching patiently as Zane spun the ring around in his hands, still in shock.

'I ... don't know what to say,' Zane muttered.

Carissa smiled. 'You don't have to say anything. You'll get used to it, but first we have to make sure you know how it works.'

Zane sighed. 'Wouldn't it be better to explain everything to Didi first? She's lying there but sleeping like nothing's wrong.'

Carissa looked at Didi and laughed softly. 'You're right. Let's wake her up.'

Carissa called Didi's name, and she jolted awake, eyes wide. 'What's happening?' she asked confused.

'Long story, and we need to train,' Zane replied, looking at Didi, who was still half asleep trying to focus her eyes.

Carissa sighed. 'It's necessary, Didi. You must be prepared. You play an important role in defeating Cody, but without training you won't succeed.'

Zane looked at Didi and saw how the information overwhelmed her. He stood up and walked toward his room, wondering how he had ever gotten into this bizarre story. There, on his desk, was the jewel he had been looking at the night before. He picked it up and decided to go back to Carissa.

'Carissa ... what do you actually know about this jewel?' he asked, holding it up.

Carissa looked at the jewel and sighed. 'Your mother gave it to me and told me to give it to you when the time came. But other than that, I don't know much about it. Sorry.'

Zane frowned. 'So you don't know anything about what it does?'

Carissa shook her head. 'No, unfortunately not.'

Zane looked at Didi, who was lying on the sofa again, but this time it was different. 'Is she asleep again now?' he asked in surprise.

Carissa shook her head laughing. 'No, she passed out from the news. She needs to process it first.'

Zane rolled his eyes. 'What a drama.' He turned and walked upstairs, but halfway up the stairs he heard Carissa call out.

'Where do you think you're going? When your sister regains consciousness later, we'll start training. You guys need to be prepared.'

Zane sighed deeply and turned around. 'Okay, okay, I'm coming already. Apparently we're always running up stairs for nothing in this house.'