The Magic Within; Shadows of Two Worlds

Chapter 52 ~ Ella

     Immediately after our classes ended on Friday, we grabbed our bags and left for Virginia. We decided to let loose and have fun on the way to the hotel we had found. It was a couple miles away from the entrance to the tunnels. We listened to some of our favorite music. We laughed and belted out lyrics out of tune. The time seemed to fly by. When we reached the hotel, we swiftly checked in and settled into our room. I glanced at the pamphlet that the clerk had given me. "They serve breakfast from 7-10. We can eat then head to the tunnels." Jamie smiled. "Sounds good. We're going to have to get up early." I groaned. "I know... which means we better go to sleep." I flicked off the lamp at the bedside.

 ~~~

     In the morning, we quickly got ready then went down for breakfast. At one point, a boy came up to us. He looked at me and smiled. "My name is Jason. You're really cute. Can I have your number?" I smiled awkwardly. "Sorry. I have a boyfriend." He shrugged. "That's too bad." He turned his attention towards Jamie. "You aren't too bad looking either." I rolled my eyes. I decided to stop being polite. "She has a boyfriend too. Back off." He sneered. "Whatever." He stalked off. Jamie and I giggled. "What an asshole," I said. Jamie nodded. "At first I thought he was kind of cute but his personality leaves something to be desired." I raised an eyebrow. "Plus you have to keep up appearances on social media with Chris." She smiled. "Can't have Jeff getting suspicious," she said. "Though I suppose we will have to 'break up' eventually." Or you could date for real, I thought. Out loud, I said, "Naturally." We finished up eating then got in the car. Before long, we reached the tunnels. The more public entrance to the magic world wasn't all that far away, so we had to be cautious. Of course there were still mundane people patrolling. We stood at the precise spot and spoke the key words. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that there is peace in the human and magical world." Slowly, the entrance to the tunnel opened up. We grinned at each other and climbed in. The ground closed up behind us. We walked through the tunnels for a few minutes before emerging on the other end. I breathed in deeply. "I can feel my magic growing stronger. I wish we didn't have to leave." Jamie nodded sadly. "I feel the same way." We were soon gladdened. We looked forward and saw the field. There must have been thousands of the charms. Nearby, there was also a medium sized lake. I opened the bags we had brought. "Let's take as many as we can. As we find other hybrids, we can provide them with charms." I looked at her and saw that the look in her eyes matched mine: pure excitement. "We can save so many people. We can try to prevent what happened to our parents. I know they don't work against the other invention. The Rastreador. Still, they will block the Magic Locator!" Jamie replied. We quickly started picking the charms and putting them in our bags. Around an hour later, our bags were bursting at the seams. We each carried two bags. We were about to speak the words to open up the tunnel again when we heard a voice behind us. "Stop! Who are you? How did you get here?" We both whipped around to see a young man there with a gun raised. He seemed to be around our age. I'm going to play dumb, I sent to Jamie. She nodded slightly. I smiled charmingly at the man. I let the bags I was holding slide to the ground. "What do you mean?" I walked forward slowly. Be ready to use your fire, I sent. Just tell me when, she replied. The man sneered at me. "Do you have magic? I will shoot." I was only a few steps away from him. I considered for a moment then let water appear in my hands. "I think the real question is..." I leaned in and whispered in his ear. "Why is filth like you in my land?" I pushed him to the ground. Now Jamie! "Filthy half-breed," the man hissed. He swung the gun around and aimed. Suddenly, Jamie was behind him. She put him in a gentle chokehold, one hand aflame. "I wouldn't do that." Startled, the man dropped the gun. I quickly kicked it away. When I give you a signal, run, I sent. I prepared myself. I nodded at Jamie and she took off. As the man fell, I summoned a lot of the water from the lake and pushed it at him. He fell back again. He hit his head hard on the ground. I let the water wash over him then guided it back to the lake. I quickly knelt down by the man. "Well?" Jamie asked. I brushed myself off as I stood. "Unconscious not dead." She smiled with relief. "I have to say, that was pretty awesome." I hooked my arm in hers. "It was. I never could have done that in the mundane world." We scooped up the bags of charms and recited the words once more. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that there is peace in the human and magical world." We were about to step into the tunnels when we heard a roar. We looked up in surprise to see a dragon. It seemed to wink at us then flew off. "Wow! That was so cool," I said. Jamie looked pale. "I understood her." I grinned at her. "That's great! I can understand sea creatures. It makes sense." Jamie was still pale. "We need to leave now!" She dragged me into the tunnel. As the ground closed behind us, I thought I heard yelling. "The dragon...she said her name is Ryoko. She warned me that there were more guards coming. She said that we are the first hybrids she has seen in years. Everyone is either hiding there or in the human world." I gaped. "I can't wait to tell Amelia and Lilly about this." I winced. "We are going to have to be even more careful once we exit the tunnel. We quickly reached the other end of the tunnel. When we climbed out, we looked around before sprinting to the car. Jamie sped to the hotel. When we were back in our room, my phone rang. I picked it up without looking at the caller ID. "You know...attacking a guard isn't exactly being careful." I heard Frank's voice. "Shoot, the guy is awake and you heard about that already?" I asked guiltily. "News travels fast. Where are you? I must alter your appearances immediately." I sighed and gave him directions to the hotel." Jamie glanced at me when I hung up. "Frank?" I nodded. "He's on his way."