The Magic Within; Shadows of Two Worlds

Chapter 61 ~ Jamie

     We were slowly making our way to Delaware. We were hoping to get there by Saturday, when Chris and Thomas would arrive, but we were also using the Magic Locator to find people to help, so that slowed us down quite a bit. None of us wanted to go any faster, though. "Alright, the Magic Locator is leading us to the town over here," I said, turning down a smaller road. "This seems like a pretty nice place," Lilly added. She was right. It was very cozy. Until I heard people yelling. I quickly swerved and parked on the side of the road. "Let's go investigate," I said, pushing the door open and getting out onto the grass. The four of us moved towards the sounds. I came to a halt when we made a turn. The Hybrid Hunters. They must have found this person before us, because the Magic Locator was pointing straight at the person they were attacking. He was young, probably around fourteen or thirteen, and he was struggling to get away from four Hybrid Hunters. They surrounded him and left him no escape. A lot of people were watching from their houses, horrified looks on their faces. Even if they hated Hybrids, watching a group of people attack a literal child wasn't pretty. "We have to do something!" Lilly whispered. I nodded, my heart pounding. Ella held up her phone. "We can't go out there like this. We have to change back to our regular appearances... but..." her voice trailed off, and I finished her sentence quietly. "We won't be able to go back to our disguises. Not without Frank." She sighed, and thought for a moment. "Guys! We don't have much time to think!" Amelia reminded us, pointing to the scene in front of us. Ella looked back at her phone nervously. "Tell Frank to change us back," I said. "We'll have to start driving faster to get to Delaware without being caught. But we're close enough." Ella texted him. "There's no going back if we do this," she warned. I grinned. "I know. It'll be tough to get there, but we will be safe once we reach the beach house." She nodded. A few moments later, we turned back to our regular appearances, and my car did too. "Now we attack," I said, smirking. The four of us rushed out. I let my wings appear and set my hand aflame. I punched the first Hybrid Hunter I saw in the face with that same fist. She cried out, stumbling back. Amelia already had one person pinned to the ground. Ella and Lilly were surrounding another. We needed to do this in the least violent way possible, so I immediately looked over to the teenage boy. "Quickly! Come with me," I said. His eyes were wide, but he nodded. I raced away from the scene, making sure he was close behind. Ella, Amelia, and Lilly quickly saw me and followed, leaving the Hybrid Hunters dazed and disoriented. I skidded to a halt in front of my car. I quickly pulled a charm out of my pocket- one of four. "Here. Take this and run as far as you can." He gasped, but took it. "Thank you," he murmured. "Do you know any other hybrids or magical people who need one? We have more," I added, trying to speak as fast as possible. He shook his head. "Okay. Go then, before the Hybrid Hunters find us." He looked the four of us up and down. "Are you the Hybrid Freedom Advocates?? Word has been spreading about you." I nodded, smiling. "We are. But seriously-" I heard footsteps and shouting from behind us. The boy spun around and bolted before I could say another word. He launched himself into the air, high enough to land on the roof of someone's house. "Huh," I muttered, then turned. I opened the car door quite aggressively, and just in time to swing it into an oncoming Hybrid Hunter. "Let's get out of here," I shouted. I flung myself into the front seat. When Ella sat next to me, she swung the car door closed. I glanced behind me to check that Amelia and Lilly were in the car. Once I was sure they were, I pressed down on the pedal and we shot off. I made a sharp turn and started going down the road that would lead me to the highway. I was most definitely speeding, but we'd committed more crimes in the eyes of the Hybrid Hunters. "I hope that boy is okay," Amelia muttered, looking nervous. I shrugged. "His power seemed pretty good for running away. Plus, I think the Hybrid Hunters are looking at different 'criminals...'" I gestured to us with one hand. Ella sighed. "I'm regretting my decision, but I also know we couldn't just stand by and do nothing." I smirked and added, "Don't regret it." Luckily, the Hybrid Hunters didn't catch up to us, and the rest of the drive was smooth. That day anyway.

~~~

     The next day's driving went well too, surprisingly. Ella was constantly worrying and looking out the windows every five seconds, but nobody was after us. That caused us to be relaxed on the final stretch until we got to the beach house. We were singing loudly to some music. I braked when we got to a red light, humming along as well. And then there was a loud crash that sent all of us lurching forward. Lilly screamed. Ella gasped. I fell against the steering wheel. "They found us!" Ella announced. "YES, I can tell," I said, sitting back up and forcing myself out of my daze. I put my foot on the pedal and sped right through the red light. "JAMIE!" Ella cried out. "TOO FAST!" I scoffed. "The Hybrid Hunters don't care about the speed limit either." I started going even faster. "Yeah, well maybe Ella's right about this one. Slow down!" Lilly shouted, but I didn't falter. Amelia was staring at the rearview mirror. "Actually, they're gaining on us. Jamie's right. Don't slow down." "YOU GUYS REALLY AREN'T HELPING!" I shouted, then swerved onto a different, smaller road. "Look at the sign!" Ella exclaimed. I shot a glance at it. "Okay, so cars aren't supposed to drive here. Who cares?" Her eyes widened. "Jamie- CLIFF!!!" My head shot back over and I tried to brake but instead we flew off the edge of the cliff. I was jerked forward when we hit the ground, and we slid into the shallow water. All four of us stayed still for a moment, panting in pure shock. My hands tightly gripped the wheel. "Ow..." I murmured, rubbing my head. When I attempted to open the door, I froze. Two people stood outside- but I immediately relaxed. "Ah, so you must be Thomas's friends?" The woman- Thomas's mother, said. For a moment I forgot how to respond. "Yes- I suppose we are," Ella said. "Well, you got here just in time!" I heard Amelia mutter, "no matter how inconvenient." Thomas's father smiled weakly. "Thomas and Christopher just arrived a few hours ago. They've been waiting for you." Ella gasped. "Where are they!?" Out of completely nowhere, Thomas stepped out from behind his parents, Chris at his side. He was smirking. "I see you made it here... despite minor interferences." I laughed. "It's a long story, but we had Frank change us back to our natural appearances, so we obviously were being hunted down, and we... kind of got into a car chase." Chris was blushing as he said, "Well, I think I like your natural appearance more." I paused for a moment, then jumped out of the car and hugged him. "I forgot how much I missed you," I whispered in his ear. A bit of it may have been because of Jake. Now that he betrayed us, I didn't want to trust anyone anymore... but Chris was different. I stepped back. The others had gotten out of the car too. Luckily it wasn't wrecked or anything. "I'm sorry for crashing into your beach, Mr and Mrs. Thornebrook," Ella apologized. Thomas's mother shook her head, smiling. "Just call me Kathy, and you can call my husband Bill. I have the power to shapeshift into any animal, and Bill can influence people's thoughts. Similar to mind control, but he does have limits. He'll use it to convince the Hybrid Hunters that we didn't help you, so we don't get in trouble and my son can stay in school. Anyways, we understand your predicament. It's not easy." She had kind brown eyes, and I immediately felt safe and comfortable. "Oh," Ella muttered. She stole a glance up the drop off we had flown off of. "I'm sorry to interrupt our introductions, but should we go inside the beach house? I don't want the Hybrid Hunters finding us." Bill shook his head. "Everywhere around a certain point of this house is protected. You're safe in this spot." Ella sighed with relief. "That's good." We promptly introduced ourselves, then grabbed our bags out of the car. We walked over to the giant beach house. There was a pool, and was probably three stories high, with a balcony. "Whoa," I muttered. Kathy chuckled. "Impressive, isn't it? We're lucky to have it." I nodded. We walked into the back doors of the house. "Thomas will show you where you will be staying," she said. Thomas grinned at us. "Are you ready for the most exciting week of your life?"