Take Back the Light

Chapter 9

"Don't I get a say in this? You may be everyone's guardian, but you always told me we were equals here."

"I never said we weren't."

"Then why don't we both talk? Surely we can come up with something better-"

"We don't have time, Nate. I have to do this."

"No, you don't! It can't end like this, Lyn!"

"It may not be the end at all. We still have a chance. But if she stays, the realm will fall tonight for sure."

"Then go. I'll keep them off your trail."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"No... don't," Alana whispered. Then her eyes flew open, and she was back in her bed.

She groaned and sat up, rubbing her sore elbows from where she had been pushed to the ground at the dance only hours before. The gang had sped home and, unsure what else to do, immediately went to bed. Alana's dress shoes still laid on her bedroom floor, and her dress was hanging haphazardly on her desk chair.

Alana stretched out her back before laying back down. Ash and Mage were still laying down on her pillow, undisturbed. Her dream hadn't been violent- she hadn't been thrashing around. But the memory of the conversation made Alana feel inexplicably sad.

"It's been too long of a day to deal with this stuff," Alana yawned before closing her eyes and quickly falling back asleep.

The exact words of the conversation were already fading, but the emotions lingered.

~~~~~~~~

The next few days were spent away from the more civilized parts of Slugterra. Nobody wanted to face anyone who might have been at the formal and retell the events.

Articles on the SlugNet suggested that a troublemaking gang, not Blakk Industries, had tampered with the concert hall's electricity. The slugfire had not been defense, but attempts to stop the rogue slingers. The Shane Gang hadn't been fleeing, they had been going after the suspects.

Trixie encouraged the articles once the gang decided that they wouldn't reveal Blakk's interference until it was necessary. Other than that, nobody talked about the formal. It was a sure way to get everyone annoyed and fired up.

Alana kept her eyes on the news, praying that she wouldn't see anything that would imply that Sam had gotten caught. The heiress hadn't made any contact with the Shane Gang yet, and Alana couldn't decide if that was good or bad.

The gang made themselves busy by spending more time in the wilder caverns. Races through the jungle and more and more training duels in the mushroom-tree forests surrounding the hideout occurred. Things began to feel normal again, although it was obvious that the formal was a landmark in the Shane Gang's journey.

If Blakk had succeeded, they would have been subtly snuffed out. Nobody would have known.

Needless to say, everyone was filled with a newfound drive to defeat Blakk.

After the morning's training session (which included hitting fast-moving targets, and resulted in each member of the gang getting knocked off their Mechas by the others multiple times), the gang gathered up at the first floor of the hideout.