The Forbidden Room

Sydney

        I woke up Courtney last. I started telling them about what happened. In the middle of the story Jacob got up from his chair and left. I stopped talking.
    "What are you doing?"
    "I need to check something out."
    "What do you need to check out?"
    "Something I dreamt. I'll be right back."
    "Okay, that's fine." It wasn't fine though. What was he doing? I needed to figure this out.
    "Ryan you continue the story I need to use the bathroom."
    "Okay"
    I walked down the hall after Jacob. He went down stairs. Unlike the fancy upstairs. Everything was made of wood down here. The stairs creaked as I walked down them. Jacob didn't notice. He seemed to be a trance. I wondered if it was just an affect of the potion.
    I tripped over the last step and nearly landed on my face. I came down with a big thud. Jacob turned around.
    "Sydney? What are you doing down here?"
    "What are you doing down here?"
    "I told you I need to check something out now go back up stairs."
    "Why can't you just tell me what's going on?"
    "I...I can't explain it. Please."
    "You should no by now that I do take no as an answer very easily."
    He was biting his lip and eyes kept darting back at forth between me and whatever was behind him.
    "Fine." He left out a big sigh. "Your kind of a part of this anyway."
    "What?"
    Without answering my question he turned around moving quicker now he walked up to a closet door. It was only a foot across but very tell. It was a broom closet that could only fit a few things in it. I wondered what was in there that he was getting so worked up about.
    There was a key panel by the door similar to the one I found behind the clothes in Lilly's closet.
    Jacob typed in the numbers 2468. I heard a soft click. He reached out for the door handle. Slowly he turned the knob and swung open the door.
    Inside crouched down on the bottom of the closet was a girl. She was sleeping . She looked like she was only twelve or thirteen. Her face was browned with dirt and she wore rags as clothes.
    I crouched down next to her. I was shocked. How could someone put a little girl in a closet.
    Reaching out my hand I slightly shook her. She didn't wake up. I shook her a little harder and she still didn't wake up.
    "Do you think Lilly made her fall asleep the way she made you guys fall asleep using the good."
    Jacob shrugged his shoulders.
    I dug the bottle out of my pocket and opened her mouth, dropping a single drop. Suddenly her eyes fluttered open.
    Under all that dirt she was very pretty. She had long dark drown hair like me and green eyes. She looked at me and Jacob confused.
    "Who are you?"
    "I'm Sydney and this is Jacob.
    "Sydney who?"
    "Sydney Bailm"
    "Oh" she seemed almost disappointed.
    "Why don't you get out of there."
    She crawled out of the closet. "Is Lilly here?"
    "No, and I have a feeling that you won't be seeing her for awhile."
    "Good."
    "What's your name?"
    "Christina Sholts, but most people call me Tina."
    "Why were you in the closet?"
    "I came to this town to investigate what was going on with no one coming back out."
    "But your just a kid. How do are you thirteen?"
    "twelve."
    I looked at her confused. "What good can you do here at twelve."
    In an instant she stood up and gave me her hand to help me up.
    I grabbed it and she flipped me over. Her foot in the gut of my stomach. I struggled to breathe.
    Jacob stood watching us.
    Christina looked at me with a determined glare. "A lot" She released me smiling.
    "Remind me never to contradict a little girl whose been asleep in a closet. So finish your story."
    "I came here to figure out what was going on. I met Lilly and at first she gave me the impression that she wanted to help me. I found out that her real plan was actually to take over the town herself so when she heard she put me to sleep and shoved me in the closet to keep me out of her way."
    "That's terrible."
    "How'd you find me anyway?"
    "Jacob here can see parts of the future in his dreams. He saw you and led me here. So how do you know so much about fighting at your age."
    "I used to have an older sister or name was Sydney too. She was very talented and gifted in ways she would never know. She was also very valuable to others. At least she would have been when she grew up. A secret group called the X-group kidnapped her when she was only a year old. My parents were devastated. They had tried to protect her but they didn't know how they never learned how to defend themselves. After I was born they became obsessed with keeping me safe. They learned how to punch, martial arts, how to use a gun, that sort of thing. Growing up around it I learned a few things and when I was five they finally agreed to teach me everything they know."
    "What happened to Sydney?"
    She shrugged "No idea. She could be dead, or with the X-group but if she's with them in a matter of years we could all be their servants."
    "She's that powerful"
    "She has every single gift. As she gets older she will unlock more and more of them."
    "Every gift?"
    She nodded.
    Jacob who had been quiet until now started talking. "Sydney there was one more thing that I dreamed."
    "What?"
    "Well, I figured out what happens to this girl named Sydney."
    "Is she okay now. Does the X-group have her?" Christina asked
    "No" Jacob stared directly at me. "She ended up in a place called earth. There she was adopted by two lovely people named Susan and Andrew Balim."
    "Jacob what are you talking about those are my parents."
    "Your adopted parents."
    "So your saying I'm the Sydney from Christina's story?"
    "Yes."
    "Your crazy."
    "Sydney I'm not. If I was lying then how did I know your parents names or how did I know that you've never been to a restaurant with your parents since you were nine because you didn't want to go that one night for your birthday. Or how mad you were when you misspelled black in your second grade spelling bee."
    "How do know all of this?"
    "I dreamt your whole life before and after you came to earth. This little girl here is your sister."
    He had to be lying. He couldn't be telling the truth it's impossible. I looked from Jacob to Christina. Christina's eyes were big and a huge smile was spread across her face.
    I tore myself away from them I sped up the stairs. I ran out the door and continued to run. I continued to run until I was out of the town and in a small forest. I grabbed at a low branch and swung myself on top of it. I climbed as far as the small branches would let me.
    I sat down on a branch putting my head against the tree I cried. I cried until my eyes were red and blotchy and my head hurt. I wondered if Jacob was telling the truth, if my whole life had been a complete lie. Once I stopped crying I lookout towards the town.
    It was so small, only a little bigger then a speck. I hadn't realized how far I had run. I strained my eyes trying to see anything. Suddenly everything around me zoomed in. I was back in the town Jacob and Christina were looking for me.
    I jumped a little and everything went back to normal. I was sitting on a branch in a tree.
    My breathing quickened. Did I just unlock a new ability to see from far distances? My heart was racing. I didn't want what Jacob said to be the truth.
    I climbed down the tree and ran back to the town where I found Jacob still looking for me.
    "Is Christina really my sister?"
    "Yes, I'm not lying."
    "I was just back in the grove of trees and I could see the town as well as if I was here."
    "What grove of trees?"
    "It's to far back to see."
    "It sounds like your already unlocking more gifts."
    I was ready to believe Jacob and to accept the truth.
    "Let's find Christina and get back to the group."
    We found Christina in a tree she was hopping the higher distance would make it easier to find me.
    I told her about me getting a new gift.
    "So you believe Jacob now that your my sister?"
    I paused not really wanting to answer the question. "Yes"
    She gave me the biggest smile and hugged me.
    Though it's a simple hug it weighs down on me saying that this is my real family and that I can forget about my parents back on earth. I felt betrayed by them. I'm seventeen now and you think they could have mentioned before.
    When we came back into the kitchen Ryan had long since finished the story.
    "Where were you guys" he didn't seem to notice Christina
    "I went on a little walk that's all" I lied
    "Who's this?" Isaac said looking at Christina
    "Oh, this is Christina. I found-" I stopped realizing that if I said I found her in the closet in the basement they'd realize I lied. "Jacob found her in the closet and then found me. She had been put asleep by Lilly."
    "And I'm Sydney's sister" she added
    My heart dropped I was hoping to keep it a secret. At least from Ryan the others don't know we're from earth but Ryan does and from what he knows Christina is not my sister.
    Ryan looked at my funny and I gave him a face saying I'll tell you later.
    "We should probably keep going."
    It was only 7:30 and we could get in at least another forty-five minutes of travel but we decided to camp out for the night.
    I kept thinking about how easily Christina got me on the floor before. It bothered me that I was that helpless to protect myself. At home I wouldn't think anything of it. I don't need to be able to protect myself but here anything can happen to me.
    "Isaac?"
    "Yah."
    "I was wondering if you could teach me to punch."
    "You don't know how? I thought that was something we all learned as a kid?"
    "Well I know how but I'm not very good at it." I lied I had no idea how to punch. The basic punch yes I knew but I didn't know kicks or defense straights or other punches besides punch.
    "Okay sure. I don't have anything else to do."
    I wished for a punching bag and practice dummy to practice.
    Isaac showed me the different types of kicks first. I was able to lift my legs high enough and position myself for the kicks easy enough thanks to gymnastics but I had a difficult time putting any power behind it. I didn't have much muscle.
    After a while of practicing my kicks I began to get better at them but I still had a lot of work to master them.
    Next I began to punch at the punching bag. My hand quickly got red and sore. I punched it with all my might but I hardly moved.
    I sat on the ground distressed.
    Isaac grabbed my sweaty, sore hands.
    "What's wrong."
    "I feel like I'm punching a wall. The stupid punching bad doesn't move at all."
    "You've got the technique down you just need a little muscle behind it that's all."
    His words echoed in my head. you just need a little muscle behind it that's all
    I don't have any muscle though.
    Late that night when everyone was asleep I sneaked out of our little camp. I changed out of my pjs and into shirts and a t-shirt.
    The cold wind bit my bare arms and legs. I knew I would be hot soon enough though so I didn't pay much attention to it.
    I got Finn on the ground and started doing push-up after push up. After while my arms began to shake and soon my legs did too. After thirty-nine I collapsed.
    I rested on the ground for a moment of too and began doing sit-ups.
    I exercised for about two hours before I was completely exhausted and my arms wouldn't let me do another pull up.
    I changed back into my regular clothes and got back into my sleeping bag. I slept good that night and in the morning I wanted to do anything besides get up.
    For the next couple of day we saw nothing but open ground and trees. Every night I would practice my punches and kicks and then when everyone was asleep I would do my exercises.
    Within a couple of days I could already see a difference.    I became very close with Christina. We spent a lot of time together. Part of it was because she would follow me around and I couldn't get her to leave me alone. We would spend the long horse ride talking about our life.
    One night we were running out of fire wood so Christina went into a small patch of trees to collect some. I went one direction she went the other.
    In only a few minutes I had enough wood so I started back. Suddenly I heard a blood curdling scream. I knew it was Christina.
    "Christina?" I yelled
    "Help." I heard it again
    "I'm coming."
    I tried to follow where her voice came from but I was mostly running blond through the woods.
    I came to a clearing in the woods were I found Christina tied up in a net that was tied to a tree.
    "Look out she said"
    "Before I could react a similar net came up around me and I was hanging form a tree. An older man with gray hair and a wild white beard ca,e out from the shadows of the trees. He had a brown cape on that tied around the front of his boots. His shoes and clothes made of deer skin, like those that and native America would ware.
    "Hello."
    "Let us go."
    "Why should I?"
    "What do you want with us?"
    "Only all of your possessions, including weapons, relics, food, etc."
    I took out out one of my many dangers I had hidden in my clothing a was about use it to cut at the rope when the old man took out a gun.
    "Drop the knife or I'll shoot."
    I gave him a hard cold stare but dropped the dagger. It cut through the material of the net leaving a small hole and dropped to the ground.
    "Good girl"
    I looked at the hole it was a small hole but maybe I could play with it a little and make it big enough to fit through.
    "Any time you feel like handing me your things. I've got all day. You can hang in those nets until you die for all I care."
    "Sydney?" Christina looked at me wondering what to do
    I shook my head trying to show her not to do it. She nodded so I think she got the message.
    I tore at the small hole a little. The material began to rip a little. I couldn't get it to get much farther without alerting the attention of the old man.
    I squirmed around in the net until I was sitting with my legs folded and the hole in front if me. The old man look up but didn't pay any attention to it. Putting my hand in my boot I felt around. My fingers felt to smooth handle of another hidden dagger. I slowly took I out moving only the slittiest bit so I would alert and alarm.
    I wrapped the small blade in my hand and took it out if my boot. Looking around the net I noticed that the main ropes all connected at the top. If I could hit the rope that held them all together the would brake and the thin material underneath would rip allowing me to fall through.
    I quickly angled the knife and with a flick of my wrist I flung it at the rope.
    I hit a perfect shot. There was a loud ripping noise and suddenly I realized that I would fall to the groundwork a painful crash. At the last second I grabbed the last rope.
    The old man. Stood up from his shade under the tree. He looked for his gun.
    I pulled myself in the rope and into the branch it was hanging from.
    The old man had his gun out know. I jumped from the branch I was on to the one that Christina was hanging from.
    The bullet missed me by mere inches.
    I landed in the branch but swung back and forth. I steadied myself. I cut a small hole in the fabric of Christina's net so she could grab my hand and not fall to the ground. I cut the the rope and the net fell.
    Christina screamed as she dangled form my arms.
    The old man had his gun out again and was aimed. I looked up just in time to see him shoot.

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