Sage Hill and the Stones of Power

Chapter 4

As soon as I realized that I just had to do something. Something productive, I simply couldn't stand there anymore and think about it. But I had to address something first.

"You know I can't ask you to come." I told him. It was entirely true, if he, or anyone else for that matter, got so much as a paper cut because of this- because of me- I knew I'd never be able to live with myself.

"You don't have to ask." He replied, a sinking well of dread that had been building in my chest flooded with relief. So long as I didn't have to do this without him I'd be alright.

"Okay." Was all I could say. He pulled away after another blissful minute.

"Let's go find Izzy so we can find Cecilia so we can find Cynthia so we can find your stones." He said, a hopeful grin lighting his face. "That was a mouthful."

"Why do we have to find Izzy first?"

"Because Izzy's the only one who can keep track of Cecilia, haven't you learned that by now?"

"I'm right here," Izzy said, stepping back into the room.

"You were eavesdropping on us?" I demanded.

"No one told me to leave, and I must say: You two are so cute! You're going to have to ask Penny about a ship name you know."

"What? No, wait, what?" I asked, flustered. Zack just rolled his eyes at Izzy.

"Where's Cecilia?"

"Umm, probably trying to find you, maybe looking around the archery range?"

"Okay, bye Izzy, you can leave now, because you apparently need someone to tell you when to leave."

"Bye Zack, I can't wait to tell Courtney I won the bet!" she relied cheerfully.l

"What?!" I demanded again, but she was already gone.

"Come on let's go," He said, already about to teleport.

"Um, could we walk?" I asked. He gave me a quizzical look,

"You're asking me to walk somewhere, you are aware I'm a cabin leader, right? AKA, the most skilled of anyone with my power."

"How very modest of you." I said dryly, "I have to."

"Oh, oh!" Realization flashed across his face. "Right, um, yes, yeah we're walking."

He opened that door of the kitchen for me and we walked out together.

Something was off. I could tell the second instantaneously, it was silent, at nine o'clock in the morning, when there were chores to be done and breakfast to be made and a whole lawn to be picked up, not one voice could be heard.

"Something is wrong." Zack said. It would have been bad if there was no one out, but it was a thousand times worse, because everyone was out, looking around. Everyone in tight groups, with their friends around them, and no one said a word. A friend of Zack's pointed at Zack and I. I tensed up and looked down, I'd grown to hate attention. Zack put his arm around me protectively.
"Hey, Will!" Zack called out, "What's up?" Groups all around us stopped to stare, his voice seemed to echo in the eerie silence. Everyone stayed where they were, as if they were afraid to respond, but not one group, not, specifically, one girl. She walked right up to us, I knew her only from the glares she gave me, she hated me, Cecilia, and anyone I so much as said hi to.

"Lizabeth," I nodded in acknowledgement of her presence.

"Don't you even speak to me, this is all your fault. Go down to the picnic tables and do whatever Julian tells you, without questioning it. Now." She whispered. Zack cursed under his breath.

"Who's Julian?"

"Julian's here? How the-" Zacks voice was a frantic whisper.

"We have no idea, but he's very interested in little miss powerful over here, so she needs to go see him. As I said before-"

"Yes, go down there now, who's Julian?!"

"We can't just offer her up like that! Do you have any idea what he's capable of?! We all need to leave, now."

"We can't."

"Oh. My. Gosh." Zack's eyes were wide with a mix of fear, astonishment, and, not for the first time today, realization.

"WHO'S JULIAN?!"

"I'm so glad you asked, darling." The crowd parted for a boy about two years older than me, with curly dark brown hair and eyes the same blue as an after-sunset-not-yet-midnight sky. "I am Julian, and you should have listened to your friends."