IX

I need to get back to the store. My legs stopped as my mind was drawn into their conversation again. “You know Chack, we should just kill the girl when we see her”, the huff voice said. “I think you make a good point Chach. The boss will be proud of us”. “You numbskulls! You spent your time talking like idiots while the girl got away”, the magician sounded very angry, “she got to Twilight and now, she has the next clue”. “So what should we do boss?” Chack asked stupidly. “What should…grab the girl, you idiots! And bring her to me!” My legs and I complied by hitting the road. The sound of the asphalt under my boot heels increased the speed of my heart. I must not get kidn*pped! That was a firm decision. I need help. The side light of the store gave me hope. I pushed myself to run faster. If only Mrs. Riley could see this, she'd definitely not bully me in all her P.E classes. I was exhausted and scared by the time I got to the front door. After taking my time to catch my breath, I walked inside. “Ah, you’re back!” She said excited. “At least someone’s having a good time”. I sighed resting on the counter. “Can I help you again?” She asked. “Yeah, you can start by telling…” My words were cut short by the goons. “Maybe she asked directions from this antique store”, Chach said, “let's check it out”. “Oh no! I need you to hide me please”, I begged, “some guys are trying to kill me”. “Okay okay. Hide under the counter and don't come out until I tell you to”. “Thanks” I hurried to the left opening and squatted under the wood. Just then, the door bell jingled. I squeezed myself more and I put a hand over my mouth to control my breathing. “Good evening ma’am”. That was certainly Chach's voice, “we're looking for a young girl”. “Good evening”, Heather formed a British accent, “and how may I help you?”. “We were just wondering if a girl came by to ask for directions”, Chach continued, “you see she ran away from her Uncle Phil here-“ I’m guessing he pointed at Chack –“and his too upset to even talk”. “Oh, you don’t say”, she faked her surprise, “well, in that case, I haven’t seen any girl today”. “Maybe you’ve seen her for a couple of dollars”. Chach chuckled. “Five each or nothing”. Heather encouraged. “You drive a good bargain. I like you already”. “Nice doing business with you”. “Now that we're on the same page, where did she go?” “She said she was supposed to meet a man at the In-N-Out Burger some miles from here. She bought an old seashore box and just because you were kind, she was driving a convertible. Her car is parked just around the block”. “Thank you so much lady”. “We need to get her before she enters that car”. Chach mind spoke before I heard footsteps. The steps faded away with the final jingle of the bell. “There are gone”. Heather whispered. I sighed and narrowed my breath. I stood in front of the counter facing Heather with an accusing look. She didn’t say anything though. I coughed loudly to give a sign but when it didn’t work, I used my words. “This is the part where you explain why you suddenly became British and why you willingly helped me”. I stated plainly. She removed her attention from the register and faced me. I knew she was faking the busy attitude. “You want an explanation, Will? I’ll give you one”. She sighed. “How do you know my name?” I asked slowly. “I haven’t seen such hazel eyes since Cammie so I’m sure it's you”. “If you know me then you know why I came here. Why didn’t you say anything?” “I have strict orders from your Dad not to give you direct help. I can only give you simple answers but all the clues are up to you to find”. “Did you know my Dad well?” I asked rubbing my fingers. For some reason, the mention of my Dad made me nervous. Everyone has been talking about my Mom alone like my Dad was invisible. “Know him?” she chuckled, “I was his wing woman. And if it means anything, don’t feel bad that this mission has little to do with him. Your mother handled things on land which is why this whole thing was her plot”. “What do you mean by land?” I asked. When she didn’t answer, I got the message. “Right, you can't give direct answers”. I mumbled. I wondered so much about her and there were so many questions. “Who were those guys?” I decided to start from the whole circus madness. “The one that does all the talking is Chach and his brother is Chack”. She replied. “I know that part but how do you know them?” I questioned, “you obviously didn’t want them to recognize you”. She took in a deep breath, “we all worked in the circus many years ago”, she started, “I got into many rough patches after my parents discovered I could do magic”. I placed all my thoughts around her words, “Magic is an uncommon power in where we're from so they got terrified. They wanted me to be cured and I hated where they took me so I ran away. Algris found me”. “Algris is the magician right?” I asked She nodded before continuing. Apparently, Algris wanted her to practice dark magic but she refused and ran away. She was still connected to him and that’s why she moves wherever they move. “All I know for now is that he's after the cast”. She concluded. “He’s working for someone else”. I muttered. “How do you know that?” she quirked her eyebrows to suggest confusion. “I could hear what they were thinking. It was more of mind communication”. I answered honestly. She gasped and said, “you need the cast. If they find out you still have a bit of the soul already, they'd kill you”. Just then, the doors flew opened and a huge wind blew us. Heather looked almost petrified. “Hold on to something!” She screamed. I jumped over the counter top to hide under but not before seeing a blackish blue portal. I fixed my head in between my legs in fear. The harsh splash of water gave me goosebumps. I knew the store was crumbling. After some heart shocking minutes, everything went quiet. I shivered as I slowly brought my head for a peak. The store was completely trashed and Heather was gone. Can this day get any worse?