Seven

Chapter IV

"You are kidding, right?" I hopefully ask Melody. She smiles at me, bow raised in confusion.

"Why would I be kidding?"

"Mel, I...can I ask you a favor?" I lower my voice so only she can hear me. "My Auntie...the one that took us in...can you...take care of her somehow? I don't know...a spell maybe? I just...can't leave her all alone. She can't take care of herself after the accident."

Melody looks at me with pity. "Of course, dear! I was actually planning to do it anyway but...I am very moved that you thought about her. Consider it done."

I feel a wave of relief wash over me. "Oh thank you, Mel!" She smiles joyfully at me.

"Now go and pack, you will need it there."

I make my way upstairs and place in my backpack everything I think I need. I am surprised to find a toothbrush and toothpaste in the bathroom attached to my room, as well as clothes just my size in the wardrobe. I never had a lot of money to spend on clothes, so my go-to options have always been jeans and a sweater or blouse. But here, I find all kinds of clothes I ever dreamed of wearing. Shorts, T-shirts, leggings and so many hoddies and sweaters. Shoes, however, were low heels boots, exactly my type, combat boots, sneakers, flats and everything I could wish for. I never liked high heels. I am pretty tall, and I find them impractical and hard to wear. I toss some of those things in my pack, then I remember to also take a brush. I may not be intrested in make up like other girls, or fashion, but I definitely don't want to look like a cavewoman in front of the others. I cast one last glance at the room, then head downstairs.

Melody is already waiting for us in front of the door that I assumed leads to the kitchen. I can see that Jackson and Nathalie are already next to her. If Jackson only has a backpack, just like me, it seems that Nathalie decided to take her whole wardrobe with her. She is surrounded by two big luggages. Cynthia rests on her hand this time, turning her head from side to side, examining her surroundings. After me, Andrew makes his way with a shoulder bag in hand. He smiles at me, and I see Fang trott over to him to give his new pal a friendly nudge. I am still fascinated by their closeness, and Fang's attitude towards this stranger serves me as an indicator of Andrew's special presence.

I am awaken from my daydream when I hear Crilia pushing down the stairs a big bag. I am not surprised tho. She likes to experiment, especially with make up and hair products. She also has a great sense in fashion, and she can't go anywhere without her drawing materials. She is a very artistic person and I love that about her. She comes next to me and gives me a sided hug, holding her dog with one hand.

"This is Axel? Where is queen Luna?" I ask when I notice the fluff ball is a little rascal.

"I had to choose between my familiars, and dear Axel here is smarter and has better antics. Luna is as dumb as a sack of flour!" she laughs. I also giggle.

"If he is your best behaved dog, I am worried!" She gives me a light punch.

"Ow! What was that for?!" I ask laughing. She just shrugs at me.

When my laughter dies down, I see that almost everyone is here, except Louis. Somehow, I am not surprised. Then, we see him walking down the stairs, struggling with two large chests, his large dog trailing behind him.

"Um...hello! Help me! I am not used to doing this all by myself!" When none of us makes any move to help him, he sighs. "Um... please?"

I see he actually made an effort, so I nod at him a little. From the corner of my eye, I spot Jackson move and help him with his luggage. I am glad to notice that we are starting to finally look like a team.

"Are you all ready? Please remember that we won't come back. Not until we deal with the reason of our troubles."

"And how much time does that mean?" Ryan asks the question we are all thinking.

"That depends on the evolution of his...condition and on your progress. We don't have a fixed schedule, dear!"

I sigh deeply. I would be lying if I say I'm not nervous. I am. I am scared out of my mind. But I can't let it show. It isn't just me anymore. Now I know they all depend on me and that only adds to my stress. On the bright side, at least I am not alone.

Melody closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. I can see that practicing magic in our world drains her. We hear a sound that resembles a lot with the one a vacuum cleaner makes, and when she opens the door, I can't stop my mouth from hanging open. Where I thought was the kitchen actually is a big rainbow colored portal that spins so fast that I get dizzy by only looking at it. I don't know what I was expecting, but a portal definitely wasn't on my list of possible ways of transport to Vesuvia.

I look around me, curious about my team's reactions towards this. As expected, almost everyone had the same reaction. While Andrew seems perfectly fine, maybe just a little intrigued by it, and Ryan is studying it closely, without a trace of fear, Crilia looks like she is about to faint. And trust me, she isn't the type of girl to faint every time something shocking happens. Nathalie, even tho she always has a collected face, now can't hide her wonder. With a raised brow, she watches in disbelief the spinning portal. Jackson also shows clearly his emotions, face getting paler and paler by the second that passes. But the 'funniest face award' goes directly to Louis. He seems frozen on the spot, with his mouth wide open and a face that only shows terror, while pointing straight to the cause of his fear.

"I am not entering that death trap!" He cries out when he finally found his voice to speak.

Melody turns towards him, with a little smile on her lips. "Louis, you don't have to enter it if you know a better way of getting to Vesuvia, but this is the only one I have discovered so far. Now please, trust me, you won't die." She tells him kindly.

"I will go first. It will show you that there is nothing you have to worry about." Andrew calmly says. He takes an unwavering step towards the hole that will teleport him. He stretches out his hand, then takes a deep breath and enters it. He is gone so fast that I barely had time to blink.
My breath is caught in my throat. I can't believe he actually did it.

"See? It didn't eat him, did it? Now it's your turn." Melody smiles at Louis.

"No way! Why doesn't she go? She is the great heroine after all!" he points to me. He is right but...

"Just because she is the One, it doesn't mean she has to risk her life, Louis!" Jackson angrily replies. "I'll go, you wimp!" With that, he jumps into the whirlpool of colors and disappears. Then, Ryan follows without a word.

"I'll do it!" I say, more to myself. I take a deep breath, I try not to think about all the ways this thing could go wrong and I step into the rainbow. I am sucked in it, and for a few infinite seconds all I see is a never ending rainbow. Then, as fast as I was absorbed, I am thrown out. I have to blink a few times so I can adjust to the light. When I finally am able to take in my surroundings, I am stunned. This world isn't much different from ours, but it has way more colors. Also, the style is very...
unique. I seem to be in some sort of garden, full of strange flowers. A few feet away I see the boys, in the same state of awe.

I feel the air move and next to me appears a very dizzy Nathalie. She too soon recovers, too amazed to even speak. After a few minutes, Crilia is by our side, with a very pale looking Louis behind her. Melody emerges from the colorful madness and closes it.

"You all made it here in one piece! Wonderful!" she announces happily.

"Melody, where are we exactly?" I ask her.

"My dears, welcome to the Palace of Vesuvia!" She points behind us, where a magnificent building stood tall in the lights of the sunset.

Ok guys chapter IV is here! I am sorry, but because of my schedule I will update only on Thursday from now on. Please if you like it subscribe and vote!💗