Unseen

Chapter 21

"Resist the devil and he will flee." (James 4:7)

Star was going around, doing her mental checklist.  Again.

"Weapons?"  

Everyone pulled out their weapons to show her.  She counted them in her head, then gave a thumbs up. 

"Check."

"Chocolate chip cookies?" Star pulled the container out of her bag, which was half empty. "Oops.  I guess I may have eaten a lot while we were imprisoned in that cell."

"You're lucky you could eat in your cell.  Wet cookies?  Ugh," Milly said, and everyone laughed.

"Friends?" Star smiled but then her face dropped.  "I mean, we're missing two of them, but everyone else is here

Eloise nodded sadly.  "We'll save them," she reassured.

"Yeah." Star nodded, then nodded again to reassure herself.  "Yeah we will,"

"To the church!" Ley punched a fist into the air.

"To the church!"  Everyone followed after him.  Then they began the slow walk to the church.

"So what's the plan again?" Ashim asked.

"We're heading to the church," Eloise stated.  "We figured that's where the demons would try to go next."

"Wait, why would they go there?  That's like the worst place for them," Jem interrupted.

"Because now that they've supposedly brainwashed Kayta and Xale, they're gonna try to use them to take over the church.  If they do, they'll be really, really powerful," Eloise explained.

"Why would they be powerful?" Star didn't quite understand what church had to do with demons.

"Well, church is where people go to worship and learn about God," Ashim replied. "The demons want to go against their biggest enemy, God."

"They think they'll easily defeat us there," Ley said.

"But they don't stand a chance," Star added. "Not if we're there."

"And we have God by our side!" Milly finished.

Star scratched her head, still a little confused.  "Right," she mumbled.  "God...."

The six of them kept walking and talking in pairs.

"Hey, Eloise?  I have a question for you."  Ley playfully nudged her on the elbow.  "Do you like Xale, or something?"

Eloise blushed.  "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean," Ley smirked.

"Well, I like Xale just as much as you like Kayta," Eloise shot back.  Ley, embarrassed, looked down.

"Do you think we'll be able to save them?" Ley said, more serious.  Eloise patted him on the back.

"I'm sure we will," she reassured him.

"I've been working on a new sword combo," Ashim was telling Star.

"You have?  What does it look like?" Star replied.

"Well, first I go like pow, and then I go like whoosh, and then this happens, and then I turn and I slice, and then I land like this," Ashim waved his arms in many directions.  Star chuckled.

"And when will you ever need to use that combo?" she teased.

"Oh, I will," Ashim replied.  "Trust me."

"Why are you doing all those fancy moves if no one can see you?" Ley called, turning his head to look over at Ashim.  "Cause you know, the invisibility thing,"

"Because... it looks cool."

"But-"

"And I like it that way, okay?!!!" Ashim exclaimed, exasperated.  

Star rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Milly, I'm worried," Jem told her twin sister.

"Don't be worried," she responded.  "We'll all be working together."

"No, I'm worried about you," he corrected.  "That you'll just get kidnapped again."

"Jem," she sighed.  "I won't get kidnapped again.  I'm stronger now.  Plus, we know how to fight the demons this time."

Jem half nodded in response.

Soon enough, everyone had reached the church.  It was empty, so they explored it, observing places where they could set up traps and where not to run so they wouldn't get stuck at a dead end.

"Milly, check out the bathroom," Jem said to her.

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"It's pretty cool," he replied.  

Milly squinted her eyes at him but went down the stairs leading to the bathroom.  She went inside as the door slammed behind her, the lock twisting in place.

"JEM!" she yelled.  "What are you doing?" 

"Stay here!  I don't want you to get hurt!" he yelled back.  

"You're gonna protect me by locking me in the bathroom?  Let me out!"  She pounded on the big wooden door.

"Just get in one of the stalls or something," Jem suggested.

"No!  Let me out!" she protested, but Jem had already gone.  She yelled out in frustration before leaning against the wall.

"I can't believe him," Milly grumbled.

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"Are we all here?" Star asked, her voice low and quiet.

"Yup," Jem whispered back.

"Okay.  I think they're coming so be careful!"

The group nodded and split up.  Just as they did however, lightning struck and the kids heard the thunder.  It started to rain and darkness loomed over the church.

"Here we go again," Ashim mumbled.  He was positioned near the doors beside Ley, ready to strike out at the demons.  All of a sudden, Ley's eyes widened and he jumped up with excitement.  He was about to run down the stairs when Ashim grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"It's Kayta!" Ley exclaimed.

He pointed at the figure in the distance, who was quickly approaching the front doors.  Ashim could see her unmistakably red hair.

"No!" Ashim corrected him.  "She's been brainwashed! Be careful,"

Ley felt his heart sink.  The demons had brainwashed them.  Kayta was so strong, yet she was being influenced by them.  How could this be happening?

Ley pulled out his bow and fired an arrow in the opposite direction.  Kayta heard the arrow land and followed the sound.  Ley breathed a sigh of relief. 

A/N Just a note, after this chapter there are three chapters left, which means one more week of posting new chapters! :)