The Cat Left Behind

Chapter Five

"Hi, I'll team with you, Steve. My name's Shannon Aldaine." smiled the girl with reddish-blonde hair. Steve walked to stand beside her, perhaps a little awkwardly.

And so on. Chihiro was teamed with the girl with silky black hair, Aria Fairburn. Desdemona was with Skye, and Riddle stood somewhat stiffly beside the brown-haired girl, Kylie Kennicot.

"So, we split up to look for the different ingredients. Aria and Chi, you are going to The Cave of Zombies, to bring back the blood of the Zombie That Still Has Blood."

"I'm sorry," replied Chihiro, her lips tightly shut, "but I prefer to be called by my full name, which is Chihiro."

"Oh, okay." replied Skye, "Go now, before it's too late! We need it for the activating of the awakening solution!"

"Okay," Aria said, and grabbing Chihiro by the hand, she set off.

Skye turned to the others, and continued, "Kylie, can you and Riddle take the Oath of the Vows, and start making the Potion of Eternity? Teach Riddle how, Kylie."

Kylie nodded and swept off towards a side door, Riddle at her heels.

"Shannon, you and Steve go down to the village for the water of the Wisdom Spring, we need it for the awakening solution, which will awaken the potion. And when you're done with that, go and pick seven Isolem Phantentas, which are the magical stones that grow on the tree of icicle."

Shannon and Steve set off. Now, only Desdemona and Skye were left, standing in the dark hall, face to face.

"Desdemona," Skye began, "Our mission is much, much harder to accomplish than those of the others, but I have faith in you."

"What is the mission?" asked Desdemona.

"We are going to sacrifice-" Skye stopped at the look on Desdemona's face- "not really sacrifice! Pretend to sacrifice one of us, in exchange for Lavinia Loralie's pearl."

"And what will happen to the one sacrificed?"

"That person would die. Of course, we won't sacrifice! We will pretend to, and then escape with the pearl."

"Oh, I get it. We stole a pearl, that's what you mean?"

"Not precisely, but indeed, yes."

Desdemona took a deep breath, and turned to face Skye, "I'm ready."

Point of View following changes to Chihiro

Aria had brought Chihiro to the castle closet. Thousands of robes, gowns, nightdresses, cloaks, boots, and ordinary garments either hung on racks or were piled into drawers. Aria pulled two long, thick black cloaks, a black robe, and a large box full of boots out, and instructed Chihiro to put on the garments, while she herself also swung a cloak over her shoulders and pulled on a pair of black ankle boots. Chihiro stared, amazed at how the new, somewhat-dark look suited tall, slender Aria, and she marvelled at how beautiful she looked, with her kohl-black hair flowing smoothly over her shoulders, and the silky eyelashes framing the deep midnight blue. She was petite, and yet there was no colour in her cheeks, and for the first time, Chihiro felt creeped out beside her. Aria seemed cold and distant, yet she was elegant.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

When they were fully dressed, Shannon brought Steve in. Aria nodded curtly to them, before beckoning to Chihiro and sweeping away.

Point of View following changes to Riddle

Kylie opened the stone door, and immediately a whoosh of cold, damp air rushed out onto Riddle's face. He could see a long, narrow stone staircase flanked with dim blue torches, which cast a ghostly light into the grey stone.

Taking a deep breath, Riddle followed Kylie into the doorway, hearing the thump of the door as it closed behind them, now the ghostly torches the only source of light.

After what seemed like centuries, they turned a corner, and Riddle found himself in a long corridor. The same dim, ghostly torches gave off an eerie light, and through the doors along the limestone walls, Riddle could see greenish lights and thick fumes, bits of which were leaking out. The smell of the fumes made him drowsy, and Kylie must have noticed, for she turned around and guided him into a half-open door.

Shutting the door with a whoosh behind her, Kylie took a silver object that evolved around in her hands and put it close to Riddle's face. Almost instantly, Riddle felt refreshed and wide-awake. Holding out the ball of light---the Oath of the Vows that he was holding, he asked, "How are we going to make the potion?"

Kylie simply smiled. Removing a large, leather-bound book from a high shelf, she ruffled through the pages, finally coming to a page made of a sheaf of gold.

Riddle walked forwards, bending down to read the manuscript, "Add seven pints of potioning water to the cauldron and allow to simmer for four minutes. Add one standard-sized twelve beaker of Essence of Shaklower, stir twelve times anti-clockwise and leave to simmer for eleven minutes before taking the cauldron off the fire and leave to cool for precisely twenty-nine minutes and fifty-eight seconds. Then, bring the liquid to a slow boil for five minutes, then add the Oath of the Vows. When the liquid turns pale blue, add a pint of salamander blood and one of pomegranate juice, before taking the cauldron off the fire until the potion within turns to a shade of palest pink. Then, heat it for seven hours before awakening."

While he was reading, Kylie had set up a large crystalline cauldron and was measuring pints of potioning water to put in. After the water was added, Riddle awkwardly conjured chairs, and Kylie sat down with a smile, followed by Riddle himself.

Point of View  following changes to Desdemona

"Are you okay, Desdemona? You look ever so pale."

For Desdemona had not spoken a single word since they boarded the crystal sphere.

"I'm okay, Skye. It's just that...I'm not as good at magic as Riddle, nor as good at observation skills as Yuki-Onna, nor as motivational as Steve, but why did you choose me, for such an important mission?"

"Desdemona," Skye had drawn closer, and her eyes were alive with an odd gleam, "because I could sense something in you. Something unique, something that Riddle, Yuki-Onna and Steve all don't possess. And that something is...I shall not say, you will find out. When, I do not know, but you will know. Sooner or later."

Maybe it was just her mind, but Desdemona could have sworn that Skye shone with golden light when she said the sentence. It was so bright, it shone from every strand of her silvery hair, and every inch of her clear skin, it penetrated everything, from her cloak, her robe, her shoes, to the thick surface of the crystal.

"Skye," Desdemona suddenly burst out, "are you a veela?"

Skye laughed, "You read too much Harry Potter. Like, think. The spell to open locks is Alohomora, but in real life, it's Patentibus. You get it?"

"Yeah."

Point of View following changes to Steve

Steve really liked Shannon. Somehow he thought she was much more easy-going than the rest of Meganne's advisors. Yes---even better than Skye.

"Here!" called Shannon's voice from the other side of the hall, as she threw several pails towards him. Unable to catch all of them, Steve's head got covered.

Shannon giggled, "You're the funniest boy I've ever met, although you look cold. Well, you can't really judge a book by its cover, right, huh?"

"Yeah." Steve emerged from underneath the bucket.

"There's a bit of a problem here. You see, I can't produce a thick crystal bubble to transport us in, so we're going to use the vortex. It's a much simpler charm."

"Okay."

Character fact:

Shannon has a crush on Murakami Junya, who is a character you will find out later in the story.