Aru Shah 3.5 (DISCONTINUED)

Where's Aru?

Brynne awoke in her bed, heart hammering. The last thing she remembered in her dream was talking to Sheela. Then some strange force had ripped her from the dream and into the waking world. Even now she felt its reach, like dark tentacles on her skin. She shuddered and rolled over, blearily checking the alarm clock. 6:31 in the morning. She rubbed her eyes. Her phone lit up on her nightstand.

WE MET ARU, Mini had texted.

Brynne grabbed her phone. TELL ME EVERYTHING.

A pause. Then, It's easier in person.

Let's do it at my place, Brynne texted back.

OK, I'll tell Aiden.

Brynne turned off her phone and slumped back into her bed. She suddenly felt wide awake, like someone had injected her nerves with caffeine. She knew it would be no use to go back to sleep. So she got out of bed and padded down to the kitchen, where she did the only thing that calmed her down: cooking.

- - -

"Wow, Bee," Aiden said, looking at the wide array of dishes on the counter. "You've been busy."

Brynne nodded. "Had trouble sleeping after...it." She'd texted him about the meeting and told him about the strange workings against their astral travels. Aiden settled on one of the kitchen stools. The others followed his example. "Mini, spill," Brynne said.

Mini related the story. When she started to describe Aru, though, she faltered. "She looked sort of...haunted. She didn't look like she'd been sleeping for a while."

Aiden's hand tightened on the strap of his camera. "They've been hurting her?"

Mini frowned. "She said they hadn't. But..."

"But what?" Brynne cut in.

"I saw marks on her wrists. Like she'd been chained up or something."

"Did she say anything about where she was?"

Mini shook her head. "Nope."

Aiden's face clouded. Brynne felt a stab of pity for her best friend. She suspected his feelings for Aru went a little deeper than friendship. "Let's meet the twins tonight," she said. "I want to try that tracking ability."

- - -

Brynne's dream took her to Nikita's workshop. Many of the riotous patterns and fabrics she favored, however, had been rolled up and tucked into a corner. The room was surprisingly bare.

"Hello," Sheela said, walking past her. She carried a measuring tape in her hands. "Nikki's putting some things away, she'll be here soon."

"Okay." Brynne leaned against the wall just as Mini materialized next to her. "Hi." Her sister looked around the room. "Where're the twins?"

"Cleaning up, apparently."

Mini frowned.

Nikita showed up, striding from a door that vanished as soon as she closed it. She wore a white shirt and a tan muslin skirt that fluttered around her knees like a butterfly. "Make yourselves comfy." She waved vaguely at the four stools that sat at the center of the room.

"Why are you doing this?" Mini asked as she sat on one. There was no judgement in her tone, just curiosity.

"I...it was taking up space," Nikita mumbled, taking a seat.

Brynne shook her head. "We don't mind. And anyway, I think it made you happier to have them in the room."

Nikita looked surprised. She picked at her skirt. "It did," she said softly.

Mini got up from her stool. "We'll help you put them back."

Nikita smiled, but shook her head. "Later. We need to start."

Sheela reentered the room and took the remaining chair. "Tell them, Nikki," she said, clasping her hands in her lap.

"Usually it works better with blood relations. But soul will do as well. First, you have to really think of the person you want to locate. You have to know them well. Think about all of their flaws and their strengths. Think about your relationship with them. Leave nothing out."

Brynne squeezed her eyes shut and thought of her soul sister. With a wince, she remembered their clashes before they'd become friends. Aru could be impulsive, but she was also incredibly loyal, funny, and thoughtful. She would do anything for her sisters and her friends. Aru was, she admitted, the true leader of their group. She kept the Potatoes together. Nikita's voice suddenly sounded a little further away. 

"Imagine a cord that binds you to them. Let it look for Aru. Don't force it."

Brynne imagined a rope, a tether that rooted in her heart and flew out of her chest into the air. Even though she felt silly, she let it hang there. Then something small and bright glowed behind her eyes. She let out a little gasp.

"You probably see some kind of beacon. Guide the cord to it, but don't try to make it go faster."

Although it was excruciating, Brynne went slowly. She was impatient by nature, but she would not mess this up. Aru needed her to succeed. She inched forward until, at last, the cord touched the golden glow. There was a small chink sound, like metal hooking around a clasp.

"Let the cord tell you what it's found. It might be an image, or it might be words. Or both."

Brynne waited, fingernails digging into her palms. At last, an image of caverns flashed across her eyes. Words and numbers floated to the surface of her mind: Uncharted territory in the Otherworld plus a set of coordinates.

Brynne grinned and opened her eyes. "I've done it!"

"Oh, good," said Mini, rubbing her temples. "I was starting to get a headache."

"Maybe Brynne can do it because she's the daughter of the wind," Nikita suggested. "What did you find?"

"Aru's in a system of caves in uncharted Otherworld territory. But--" She raised a hand as her sisters started to groan, "--I have coordinates."

Fresh hope and smiles crossed everyone's faces. Mini raised an elbow. "Elbow bumps, everyone!"

Brynne rolled her eyes but joined in.