Mythical Link ▸ Link Neal {Book One}

Eight

     The clouds blotted out the sun and thrust an eery darkness upon them. Wind from every direction picked up and whipped hard enough to cause Rhett to stumble. He had to shout over the wind to get Link's attention. "Link!"

     Link turned to Rhett with a petrified look in his eyes. He reached up to his glasses to hold them on to his face, and Rhett had lost his grip on Link's sleeve. The wind caught Link under the heels and blew him sideways. He hit the pavement on his hip and cried out. His glasses fell off of his face and hit smacked onto the ground with a crack, and Link cringed knowing he was going to have to replace his glasses and have his car fixed. The pain blinded him, along with the fact that he didn't have his glasses. He could hear Rhett's calls, and he could hear another person.

     A female voice. It was Stevie. "Rhett! Link!" 

     It was like trying to shove through a solid wall, and Rhett bared his teeth with a grunt as he was shoved back every inch he was able to advance forward. He finally reached Link and dove for the ground, nearly missing another huge gust of wind. He scooped Link up into his arms, and Link flailed around like a child in distress at the grocery store. "My glasses! Rhett, I can't see!" 

     Rhett looked like he was playing a game of twister with a full grown man in his arms as he leaned backward and reached for Link's glasses. He hastily slid them onto Link's face and as soon as Link's vision went into focus, through the whirlwind of black specs and howling wind, he saw Terra stand tall through the thick cloud.

     A maniacal grin was plastered to her face, which spilled into her now grey eyes. She bared her teeth menacingly at the boys, fangs protruding from her upper and lower lips. Her growl ripped through the air, sending chills down both of their spines.

     "Guys! Get inside now!" Stevie was frantic.

     Rhett finally regained his footing and high tailed it toward the open door. Stevie's hair was blown across her face and she struggled to hold the door open while she pushed her hair out of her face. She enjoyed the idea of having long hair, but at a time like this it was inconvenient for sure. 

     Link felt like a fool as he latched his arms around Rhett's neck, and trembled as if he'd wound up in the Tundra. His teeth chattered and he buried his face in Rhett's chest just as they'd crossed the threshold into the studio. 

     Stevie leaped in and slammed the door shut. She locked it up, then plastered her back against it before sliding to the ground. Alex, Chase, Jen, and Kevin flew out to the front from the back room, alarm etched in their faces.

     "What's going on," Jen asked, her eyes wide as she laid sights on Link.

     "A really bad dust storm," Stevie said, gasping for breath. Jen moved toward the nearest window and looked outside. Her mouth moved but she couldn't find the words. She tucked her short blond hair behind her ears and turned to face everyone.

     "Looks like nobody's going anywhere for a little bit," Kevin said as he brushed his shaggy hair away from his forehead. 

     "Doesn't it seem unusual that we're experiencing a dust storm in Burbank?" Chase didn't want to believe it but when he looked outside, he had no choice. He wondered how far his beanie would fly off of his head if he opened the window, but decided not to test that.

     "Who cares about what's going on outside now. Is Link okay?" There was a sharp edge in Stevie's voice as if she'd swallowed a knife. If only the others had seen what she had seen through those clouds, they wouldn't be acting so thrilled.

     Rhett realized then that he still held his friend in his arms, and decided to place him on his feet. Link stood for a second, then crouched to the floor. He held his head in his hands as he fought the urge to laugh, cry, and scream all at the same time. Everyone looked at each other warily.