The Chest of the Lost

Chapter 9: Home Again

We made it out of the forest in an hour and by looking around, I could recognize where we were.

"Wait, how did you know where my house was?" I asked as we turned down a long street, lined with houses.

"Let's just say after I found out who the girl in my Prophecy was, I wanted to see what you were like." He looked forward, a guilty smile forming on his lips.

I laughed at his comment. "So you stalked me?"

He tilted his head to one side. "I mean, I wouldn't say 'stalked,' I just kind of got to know you even though you had no idea who I was or that I even existed," he said and I giggled. I couldn't remember the last time it felt this good to laugh, even despite our terrible circumstances.

We turned down a road called Wilson Avenue and continued walking. We passed a few brightly colored houses, all of which had orange and red leaves that sprinkled the lawn like a colorful rug. Finally, we arrived at the corner of my street and I led the way from there, eager to at least see my house, even if I wasn't going home quite yet.

When we arrived at my house, I paused and looked up at it. It had only been a couple days, yet it felt like forever since I had run out of the yellow front door. So much had happened since then and I couldn't believe how much had changed.

Taking a deep breath, I walked up to the front porch and turned the doorknob, then walked inside. Griffin hesitated at the door, then followed me inside, shutting it behind him.

"No one's home," I said, and his look of uneasiness faded. I could tell that he might feel awkward if someone were here, so I was grateful no one was, though it would be nice to see my parents again. But I knew it would be hard to explain everything that had happened since I left, and why I wouldn't be staying.

"The address book is over here," I said, walking into the kitchen and pulling open a long drawer. I dug around in it till I found what I was looking for, then pulled out the thick book.

"Ron and Jentry Skai," he said, and I flipped open to 'S' section. I ran my finger down the page till it landed on 'Skai, Ron and Jentry.' I quickly wrote down the address on a sticky note and stuck it in my pocket, then replaced the book back inside the drawer.

"Let's go," I said. "Before someone thinks we're breaking in."

He smiled and nodded, then followed me back through the kitchen and to the living room. I glanced at the floor underneath the window where my small, velvet bag containing my Crystal lay, tossed aside carelessly the night I left..

"Is that-?" He didn't need to finish- he knew. I walked over and picked it up, pulling the Crystal out of the small bag.

"I didn't even watch it," I said, sitting on the couch. "I was too afraid."

I stared at my hands that were closed over the Crystal. Griffin watched me, then walked over, standing next to the couch.

"Do you want to watch it now?" he asked, sitting down next to me. "I mean, I'm in it, right? How bad could it possibly be?" He smiled and I knew he was trying to lighten the mood. I gave a nervous laugh, took a deep breath, then swiped across the glass.

It immediately started playing scenes from the past couple days. The way it works is it starts with your seventeenth birthday and plays important days from your future. In my case, with the Dark Crystal, it played the worst parts of the last week, and I watched in horror as it began to replay the part when Griffin's Crystal was acting up on him. Soon enough, I couldn't take it. I grabbed the bag and sealed the Crystal back up, tears streaming down my face. Griffin wrapped his arms around me and I cried into his shoulder. I didn't watch past Kira's disappearance, so as not as to discourage us on our attempt to rescue her. If something were to go wrong, I didn't want to know. I wanted to try with at least a little hope.

I put the bag back where I found it under the window and we walked out the door.

"You can stay, you know. You don't have to come."

"I know," I said. We continued to the end of my driveway, and he stopped, looking me in the eye.

"I don't want you to get hurt. The fewer people there are, the easier it is to get in and get out without something happening." He continued walking again, and I followed, but I didn't say anything. I couldn't tell if he was just trying to protect me, or if he actually didn't want me to come.

"Well, what if you get captured too? No one will know," I said.

"And if we both do?"

"My parents will know. They'll call the police."

He shook his head. "No, your parents think you ran away. Besides, the police won't be able to find us anyway. I told you, they're very secretive and very careful. For all we know, they could be holding Kira in a building on the bottom of the ocean. You saw that building on that island; it looked like a regular abandoned building or something. That's what they do." We walked in silence till we reached the forest, then began going over different plans we could use to rescue Kira.

"I assume she's in the island building, but I'm not sure. She could be anywhere at this point." He was trying to hide his grief and I remembered what he said about it being his fault that his sister was gone.

"It's not your fault, you know," I said.

"What?" My comment caught him by surprise.

"I said it's not your fault. You couldn't protect her. Not at that moment."

"Yeah, but I could've tried." He sighed. "Maybe I should give them what they want. Then they might at least leave you and her alone."

"No," I said. "They still won't. After all, they've gone through to get it, I don't think they'll stop. Besides, that will put you in danger."

"Yeah, but at least Kira will be safe."

I stopped and turned towards him. "Griffin, we're not just going to give in! There has to be some other way!"

"And if there's not?" he asked.

We were silent as the truth sank in, a discouraging mood settling over us. We trudged through the thick mud that blanketed the forest floor, a bright afternoon sun shining in thin streams through gaps in the leaves above us. Small animals scurried away as they heard us approach, taking cover in trees and in holes in the ground. I immediately stopped, bringing my arm out in front of Griffin to stop him too.

"What?" he asked.

"Shh." We stood there for a few seconds, silent, listening for anything out of the ordinary. A faint cry came from behind us, and we turned around, proceeding faster in the direction we came.

"Be careful," Griffin said as we crept silently, avoiding twigs that might snap under the pressure of our step.

We walked quickly, following a trail that led to where we thought the sound came from.

"Kira?" Griffin shouted, sprinting toward the source of the cry. I followed on his heels, trying to keep up as I dodged branches that hung in our path.

"Kira!" I heard him shout again as I arrived at a clearing, where I saw Griffin squatting on the ground, his arms wrapped around Kira. She was crying and he was running his hand through her thick blond hair, holding her tightly against his chest. They hugged for a moment, then split. Griffin was teary-eyed now too. "Kira, where have you been? We've been looking for you. Oh baby girl, I was so worried." He pulled her back into his arms and picked her up, turning to me.

"I'm sorry," she said, through tears. But she couldn't pronounce her 'r's correctly and it came out more like 'sowwy'. "When I waked up, you were gone. I didn't know where you went, so I went and looked for you."

"I'm so sorry. I'll never leave you again." I saw the look in his eyes as he realized he was lying. But he couldn't tell her that. Not now that she was still upset. "Come on, baby. Let's take you home," he said, drying the tears from her small face. She buried her nose in his chest and he looked down at her, cradling her.

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