The Forbidden Side

Lizzie

...  TWO ARE IMPORTANT, BUT SIX IN ALL.

DEPENDING ON THE OUTCOME, ONE SIDE WILL FALL.

TRIO AGINST TRIO, TWIN AGAINST TWIN.

FAMILIES ARE REUNITED AGAIN.

AND SOMETHING THEY MUST IS FIND THEIR WAY HOME.

BUT THEY SHOULD DO IT ALL ON THEIR OWN.

AND NO MATTER WHO WINS, THEY WILL BE REWARDED.

SEEK THEIR OWN TREASURE IN A PLACE SOME CALL FORBIDDEN.

THE FIGHT WILL LAST NOT LONG, BUT NOT SMALL.

PLEASE, MY ANSCESTORS, I BELIEVE IN YOU ALL.

AND GAINING HELP IS SOMETHING YOU WILL NOT.

YOU WILL BATTLE ALONE UNTIL THE FIGHT IS FOUGHT.

TWO MAY OR MAY NOT RISE ABOVE ALL.

THOUGH DO NOT BE FOOLED FOR THEY ARE SMALL.

            Lizzie couldn't say anything.  She couldn't laugh or cry or even scream, though she wanted to all at once.  Her feet stood glued to the gravel floor.  She couldn't run away.  Her eyes stared at the rolled up piece of paper.  She couldn't look away.

            Lizzie hated being frozen.  It seemed like everything was going on around her, normal, while she was stuck in time.  Erin walked slowly towards her triplet brother.  Justin bounced up and down.  Adam's head shook from side to side, tossing his brown hair every which way.  And her?  She was just standing there, gaping like an idiot.  Two thoughts came to mind:  My brain is slower at processing than everyone else's.  My brain is faster because I know exactly what it means.  The second one made the most sense.  She knew whom the prophecy was about, she just didn't know how to tell the others.  She could give them hints:  Twin, Two, Small.  To Lizzie it was an obvious answer, but her siblings might need a little push.  She got caught up in her own thoughts.  She would have stayed in the dumpster all day, but her triplet brother's voice snapped her out of it.

            "Lizzie?"

            "Wha?"  Lizzie stood up straight and looked at him.

            "You alright?"

            "Yeah why?"  Lizzie blinked and felt wetness on her eyes.  Tears.  She was crying.  A few stubborn tears had escaped down her cheek.  She sucked her knuckle.  Lizzie turned her back on her brothers and sister.  She couldn't face them.

            Then, a voice came into her mind.  It was calm and caring, so Lizzie let it in.  What's up?  Erin.

            Nothing, it's just...

            I know too.  It's us.

            Nothing from Lizzie. 

            Liz?

            Yeah, it's us.

            How are we going to?

            Nothing.

            Do it?

            Without help?

            Without support?

            Just us.

            Alone.

            And that's how Lizzie felt.

            The kids just stood in the dumpster.  They stood so long, Lizzie was beginning to get used to the horrible stench.  Justin's cheeks were wet and his eyes puffy.  Lizzie felt bad for the little boy.  He was only seven.  Adam's hair was sticking out, and Lizzie saw him run a hand through his hair.  He looked stressed, nervous, confused.  Erin just looked stunned.  Lizzie felt the same way.  She sucked her knuckle and took the paper from Adam.  She considered, just for a moment, throwing it back into the safe and locking the door.  No, no, no, too important.

              A gust of wind blow through the dumpster.  Erin and Lizzie zipped up their identical sweatshirts.  Adam and Justin rolled down their long sleeves.  Lizzie looked up.  A man stood at the top of the dumpster.  He wore navy coveralls that were worn out with patches of dirt all around.  On it, there was a sewn in name patch that Lizzie couldn't read.  But Erin and Adam could.

            "Oh," Erin slapped her head lightly.  "How could I forget?"

            "What?"  Justin asked.

            "The Maintenance Crew," Adam explained.  "It's after Home hours.  They patrol everywhere, including the dumpster, for messes and citizens out too late."

            "Well he's coming down the ladder!"  Justin warned.  "What do we do?"

            Lizzie scanned the dumpster. "The safe!"  She exclaimed.  "I think it's deep enough.  Come on!"  They crawled one by one into the small safe.  Sure enough, Lizzie was right.  The safe was so deep; it was like a metal tunnel.  Wait, it was a tunnel.  Lizzie spotted a light at the end of it.  She signaled her siblings to follow and they crawled, creating holes in their jeans, forward.

            Lizzie wasn't expecting the drop.  She fell into the room at the end of the tunnel, landing on her hands and knees.  One of her knees started to burn.  The pain brought tears to her eyes.  She quickly blinked them away and stood up, ignoring the agony.  Justin, Adam, and Erin fell in behind her.

            "Where are we?"  Erin asked.  Lizzie blinked the dancing spots out of her eyes and looked around.  A small room with a wooden desk, a bookcase and a file cabinet was where they had fallen.  The room was painted orange and was warm and cozy, like there should have been a fireplace in the corner. 

            Justin found his way over to the files.  "This thing's empty," he called.  The others walked over.  There were only six files that sat in the drawer.  Lizzie looked at them and gasped.

Lizzie Z.

Erin Z.

Adam Z.

Justin Z.

Julia Z.

Katie Z.