When the van stopped, Max
was the first one out. His anger was
building again, pushing his fear back, blinding him to the dangers that he knew
he was about to face. He had one goal,
and only one goal.
He had to get Clare
back.
“Max, wait!” Rita was running up behind him, a flashlight
in her hand. “You aren’t going to be saving anyone if you break your neck. Don’t forget, that house is falling apart.”
He didn’t say anything,
but when Rita offered him a flashlight he took it. Then he was off again, making his way into
the witch’s house, down those crumbling stairs, towards that black pool being
watched over by that angel of death.
The others were following
him, but he was barely aware of their presence.
He had complete and total tunnel vision.
They stood in the
basement, Q and his stupid crystal orb to his right, Ashtyn and Rita to his
left. His eyes were locked on that black pool, that water so dark, and yet no
reflection was cast. He scanned his
light over the glassy top, but the beam just seemed to bounce off the onyx
surface.
“What now?” Max glanced
at Q.
“I… I don’t…”
The orb clutched in Q’s
hands started to glow, a bright white light.
It started to shake, softly at first, and then more violently.
“Let it go, Q.” Ashtyn’s
words seemed to stab the man.
He shook his head. The crystal orb was shaking more
violently. His fingers were clasping the
orb more tightly, trying to hang on.
Max couldn’t take
it. He reached out, grabbing the orb,
pulling it free. Q screamed, reaching
for his prized possession, but Max held him back. The orb sailed through the air, over the
black pool of water, then it froze, hovering over the glassy surface.
The room went still, not
even the sound of the nighttime breeze could be heard. Everyone froze. Then, softly at first, there
was the sound of a woman’s voice. It was singing a wordless melody. The sound was smooth and calming, and with
it, the room began to become brighter.
The orb was glowing, white hot, and its light penetrated the inky, onyx
darkness of the water.
“No…” Q was crying. “Give
me Aria back. Give her back.”
A part of Max felt bad
for Q. He could sense that they both
shared a pain, a sense of loss. Q was
unwilling to take the risk required to bring what he had lost back, but Max
couldn’t let that hold them back.
He needed to do whatever
it took to get Clare back.
They all watched as the
light grew brighter, and the song grew louder. Then, in a flash of blinding
light, the water in the stone lined pool vanished. In it’s place was a steep, polished black
staircase leading down into a darkness that not even the orb’s light could
penetrate.
Standing at the top of
the stairs was a young woman. She was
familiar, she was…
“Aria!” Q pushed Max
away, and rushed towards the woman. When
he reached out to touch her, his hands couldn’t make contact.
“My body is not here, Q.”
She smiled. “It is down there. I can guide you for a while, but…”
“Are the others down
there? Is Clare down there?” Max stepped towards the edge of the now empty
pool.
Aria nodded.
“Then let’s go.”
Aria nodded, turning, and
she started down the stairs. The others
followed her, not speaking. Max was
terrified, and he was sure the others shared this emotion, but it didn’t
matter. They had a job to do.
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