Fantasy

21-Abby

The next morning I throw on some clothes and my glasses and go collect the chicken eggs. When I get back to my room, I check on the locket and... it stopped glowing! I cautiously pick it up; it's not hot anymore. It looks pretty much the same as it did before, but there's only one way to find out if all my hard work did anything. I try opening it, and click, the heart-shaped sides swing apart. Inside is a turquoise-colored sphere of light. It floats above the inside of the silver shell; I've never seen anything like it. It radiates power. To think, that's been inside all these years and I didn't have a clue. I decide not to touch it and snap the locket shut. Grasping it in my hand, I run downstairs and grab the phone. Hurriedly, I dial Jenna's number.

"Hello, you've reached the CMRA; this is Jenna speaking," she says when she picks up the phone.

"Hi, Jenna, this is Abby. I wanted to tell you that...I got the locket open!"

"Yay!" I hear her scream on the other end, "Congratulations! Um, I've got to call Mr. Shaw right away! He'll be so pleased with you. And Jessica, I'll call her too...oh this is awesome, Abby."

Once I hang up I return to my room and take the hot pad and frying pan back to the kitchen. As soon as my sisters get up I bombard them with the good news. "That's great, Abby," Marie smiles, and then the phone rings. Sarah answers it. After a brief exchange of "Yes" s and "No" s, Sarah hangs up.

"Riley's calling an emergency meeting and he wants you to bring the locket," she informs me enthusiastically.

"What exactly is an emergency meeting?" I ask.

"That's when every agent in the CMRA has to be at its headquarters within a few hours. They only happen when something major is going on," Marie explains. My eyes widen, but we'll have no trouble getting there. Mom and Dad have already left for work.

"Come on, let's go. Jenna's picking us up," Sarah informs us. I quickly brush my hair and teeth, and grab a bagel on the way out the door. Sure enough, Jenna is waiting in her Prius and is giddier than ever. Sarah gets in the front seat while Marie and I take the back. She drives us to the CMRA, praising me all the way.

We aren't the first agents to arrive; the lobby is already beginning to fill up. I see some familiar faces, like Randy, Phil, Patrick, and Charlie, but I see tons of people I don't know. Marie catches Randy's gaze and glares. He holds up two fingers in a peace sign, and she scowls. It seems Marie was right about the whole "be here in a couple hours" thing, because that's all it takes for everyone to get here. Over 72,000 people all crowd into all five floors of the lobby. I stay close to my sisters. Mr. Shaw makes his way to a small stage set up near his office and stands behind a podium. On the wall above his office is a giant screen stretching up to the bottom of the first balcony. There's another one on the other side of the lobby.

Into the microphone Mr. Shaw says, "Attention, ladies and gentlemen!" Other languages appear on the screens, probably translating what's said into the microphone. The whole room becomes silent. "I have called this meeting today to announce that one of the biggest breakthroughs for us has occurred today. Today, Miss Abigail Worldd and Miss Jessica Anderson have succeeded in opening the locket of the World Defenders!" The crowd cheers. "Abby and Jessica, will you please step up here," Mr. Shaw addresses us. My hands get sweaty as I follow Jessica to the stage. "May I have the locket now?" asks Mr. Shaw. I swallow and hand it over, almost dropping it. He grins when it's in his hands. He raises it above his head and the crowd cheers again.

Once it quiets down he opens the heart charm carefully and touches his finger to the glowing orb. Immediately it disappears, but his finger is turning the same blue/green color. Soon it spreads to his hand and then up his arm. Within seconds every inch of him is turquois. Once it fills the last tip of his finger, the color fades and his skin returns to normal. He smiles wider. "For those of you who are unfamiliar with the World Defenders, they were an old group of agents who thought they knew better than the CMRA. They broke off claiming that we were "corrupted" and "evil". Now, true, the CMRA's mission had changed a bit, but for the better! You see, instead of trying to weed out the imperfections in the world one by one, just resisting, we wanted to stop the flaws from being born! Reach out across the world and use our powers to mentor and guide people and help them realize their mistakes! It's our duty; we have these powers for a reason! So, appropriately we changed our name to the Reaching Army..." Wait, didn't Bert say my dad was part of the World Defenders? And didn't he also say that he gave the locket to my dad so it wouldn't fall into the hands of the Reaching Army? "...for an army is made of troops, and surely we are soldiers standing strong for what's right! The only reason we've been stalled in our mission after we defeated the World Defenders is the fact that they had all developed an extra power each, powers none of us had. Before they were captured they preserved those powers in the very locket I hold. Why would we move forward only to be halted by these pesky powers, both if the locket fell into the wrong hands, but more so by the poor souls who inherited them from their ignorant parents. We, of course, took certain precautions to make sure these children weren't polluted by their parents clouded views, and it paid off! These kids, in fact were the ones able to deliver the locket into our hands, and they have thoroughly redeemed their family name, well, what's left of it. Some quite literally bear the burden of the so-called Worldd Defenders in their surname! But, this is a joyous day! Finally, there is nothing stopping the RA!"

At that moment, a voice rises over the crowd, "Sir, what 'precautions' did you take, exactly, because my parents sure had no idea magic even existed? Obviously they couldn't influence me in any way regarding the RA and/or World Defenders." The crowd becomes silent and turns to face the man; it's Jayce. He's not shouting exactly, but talking loudly, evenly.

"Well, Jayce, you see, a few of the rebellious Worldd Defenders saw the error in their ways and turned back to us. One of these people had the extra power of...releasing people from the weight of their past experiences, specific memories, anyway."

"So you erased their minds?" Mr. Shaw is silent. "Alright, so, uh, how exactly do you plan to 'mentor and guide people'? What if they don't listen to you? Or what if you make a mistake?" Mr. Shaw snickers.

"There are over 72,000 people here. Surely, we can't all make the same mistake. If people argue with that logic then, frankly, they are beyond our help and are acting as a disease of the larger population."

"So, you think that you and your... disciples have the authority to decide who is worthy of life and rights on earth? That doesn't sound like you're ridding the world of evil; that sounds like you're a power-hungry dictator."

"Well, Jayce, if you'd like to put it like that, be my guest. Yes, essentially we are workings towards taking over the world. Humans left to make their own choices will turn corrupt; it is inevitable..." I am shocked; I don't want to work for this guy! What have I done by giving him the locket? Bert was right!

"Do you hear that everyone?" Jayce addresses the crowd. "He's leading you into the third world war! He's plotting to take over the world!" Jayce turns back to Mr. Shaw, but Mr. Shaw looks bored.

"Jayce," he says, "All of these people are aware of my plan. That's why they signed up to be in the CMRA or, more aptly, the RA. The Reaching Army! How many times must I say this? Everyone knows, except for those who have an extra power, which includes you," he points at Jayce, "you," he points at Levina, "You," pointing at Randy, "You," pointing at Jessica, "you two," pointing at Taylor and Jenna "you," pointing at Lucy, "you three," he motions at my sisters and me, "and you," he says sadly, pointing at Aaron.

"Now that I have all of your powers, it doesn't matter if you rebel against us. We can't be stopped. You can choose to join us, and I hope you will, but if you don't, I'll do what I do to every magician who chooses not to join. I'll kill you. And if you think you can escape, look around. You are greatly outnumbered; I've changed the combination on the hatch and bolted the garage door shut. Don't even think about calling the police. In case you are unaware, the CMRA is a division of the US government; we've got ties with the supervisors of law enforcement and emergency care workers. No one can help you now. Even if you do, somehow, against all odds manage to get out, don't bother going home. I know where all of you live and have agents posted at your houses. I've already kidnapped all your parents and siblings, and on top of that I haven't spared the underage magicians with extra powers. I have them and their families as well." My eyes widen. "Don't believe me?" Mr. Shaw challenges. He motions to Phil and Charlie and then shoves Jessica and me off the stage. Phil and Charlie bring out a prisoner each. One of them is a lady with blonde hair. I'm guessing she's Jessica's mom because they have similar features. The other one is, MY DAD! "If you ever want to see them again, join us!"

"Dad!" Marie shouts, tears streaming down her face. She tries to run to him, but agents pull her back. Too late, he is dragged back into the penitentiary. I feel tears wetting my own cheeks. What have I gotten into?

"Now," Mr. Shaw continues, "If you are smart and have decided to join us, step up on the stage. If not, then you have proclaimed yourself our enemy and will be eliminated."

"I'll never join you!" Marie shouts.

"Neither will I!" agrees Levina from near the back of the crowd.

"Pity," Mr. Shaw says; then he gives the order to attack.