The Magic Within: Shadows of Two Worlds

Chapter 32 ~ Ella

     When Jamie and I got to our dorm, we both started giggling like little girls. "I am so excited for the meeting," I said. Jamie nodded. "This will be a long process, but I'm glad we are doing something." We quickly got to work on the weekend homework we had. When we were both finished, I texted Lilly and Amelia.

Me: We are ready to meet when you are.

Lilly: We are too. We should probably eat dinner with the others first.

Jamie: I agree. I think afterwards we should leave at different times just in case.

Amelia: Good idea! You guys leave 10 minutes before us?

Me: Sounds good.

     Soon after, we went to the food court to get dinner. I couldn't help but smile when I saw my friends waving at me. It has always just been me, Jamie, and Jake. I was thrilled that I had more friends. Although I was a bit leery about Jeff, everyone else was great. Especially Thomas... "Hey, babe," Jeff said to Jamie when we reached the table. She blushed. "Hi." She set her food down then gave him a hug. I sat down. "How was everyone's day?" I asked. Thomas responded first. "Not great...except for whenever I was with you." It was my turn to blush. I pretended it didn't affect me, though. I threw in an eye roll. You're a bad actress, Jamie sent. Shut up, I replied. She smiled at me. I rolled my eyes again. "You're impossible." We chatted and ate dinner. "Anyway, Jamie and I are going to head back to our dorm," I said. We both stood up. "Bye!" Everyone chorused. We started in the direction of the dorms, but turned back towards the parking garage once we were out of sight. We started driving to the park. Right around when we arrived, Lilly texted saying that they were leaving. I pulled out the map and we started walking to the waterfall. At one point Jamie stopped dead in her tracks. "What's wrong?" I asked, scared. Jamie smiled and shushed me. "Look. There's a bunny," she whispered. I looked in the direction she was pointing in. My heart melted and I grinned. "Oh my gosh! The mommy is coming," I said. A rabbit had hopped over and nuzzled the baby. "This is so precious," Jamie said. I pulled out my phone and took a picture. We started walking again, slowly and quietly. We tried not to startle them. They both stared at us. The rabbit started to walk towards us and the bunny followed. "Is this really happening?" I breathed. Jamie nodded slowly. We crouched down. The rabbit started nuzzling Jamie's hand. The bunny, following its mother's example, did the same to me. The moment was magical. The rabbit seemed to wink at us. She turned around then started walking away. I gave the bunny one final pat before giving it a gentle push towards the rabbit. It wouldn't budge. "I think...they might be trying to tell us something." The rabbit had paused. Her head was turned towards us. Her eyes seemed to be asking if we were coming. Jamie and I stood up. The bunny finally ran towards its mother. They both kept glancing back to make sure we were following them. Eventually we reached a rushing river. My eyes widened. There were 4 bunnies clinging to a rock, looking terrified. Jamie and I shared a glance. We knew what we had to do. I stood tall and took a deep breath. I focused then parted the water. Jamie ran through and carefully grabbed the babies. I gritted my teeth. I had never held back such a strong current before. After Jamie got back, I collapsed. She set the bunnies down then ran to me. "Are you okay?" She asked. I nodded as she helped me stand. "Yeah. Clearly I need more practice." It had been years since we had been able to freely use our magic.The five bunnies and their mother were hopping and playing together. It made us grin. The rabbit turned towards us and bowed her head. The bunnies did the same. We smiled and gave them little pats. They ran off together. "This is crazy. Somehow, they knew we could help," I said. Jamie nodded. "I can't wait to tell Lilly and Amelia about this." We got back to the path. "Speaking of whom, they might get there before us now. I'll text them.

Me: You guys might make it there before us. Jamie and I will explain why when we get there.

Amelia: Thanks for letting us know. I'm dying of curiosity now.

Me: I truly don't think this story will be a disappointment.

Amelia: Can't wait to hear it :

     As expected, Lilly and Amelia had already reached the waterfall. "Nice of you to show up," Amelia said with a smile. "I'm getting deja vu," Jamie replied. "Only this time it is reversed." I parted the water, this time with ease. Once we got into the cave, Jamie and Lilly let their wings appear. "I think we should start by telling you why we were late," I said. "Please," Lilly and Amelia said simultaneously. Their eyes shone with curiosity. Jamie told them what had happened. "That is so cool!" Lilly said. "I wish we had been there too," Amelia agreed. "I knew animals were smarter than most people give them credit for, but it is hard to wrap my head around the fact that they knew Jamie and I could help. Rabbits are timid creatures. No way they would have trusted anybody." The others were silent for a moment. "I can't explain it either," Amelia said. After a moment, I shrugged it off. "Anyway, Jamie and I were trying to think of a name for our group. I know it will be a long time before we do anything serious, but it can't hurt," I said. Lilly's face lit up. Her wings even started to glow. "That's a good idea. Any possibilities?" I shook my head. "Not any decent ones. This sounds harsh, but nobody is going to take us seriously if we have a dumb name." Amelia nodded. "True... Oh I got it! The Hybrids," she laughed. Jamie grinned at her. "I said the same thing! Great minds think alike." They both giggled. "Or you're both idiots," Lilly said with a wink. We spent the next couple of minutes throwing out different names. I was starting to get annoyed. "We aren't getting anywhere," I groaned. We were all silent for a moment. "Well, maybe we should have something about freedom. We all know about the slavery," Lilly said with a sneer. It was strange to see a sneer in her usually bright face. "That could work," Amelia said. I racked my brain. "The Hybrid Freedom..." I trailed off. "Advocates!" Jamie finished. We all smiled at each other. We had our name. The Hybrid Freedom Advocates.