Quest for the Rose
Chapter 11
“Where? Striker? Did you tell them to go without us?” He shook his head, looking just as bewildered as Lorri. “Come, they can not have gone far.” She ran off up the road, the only way they could have gone, Striker following her. She began to run faster, wondering how long they had really been talking back behind that bush.
“Where are they?” asked Lygia, impatiently standing in front of where her friends had gone to talk. “Relax. They’ll be out. Just… relax.” “I know, Kenaz. I just can’t help it. You know?” She waited for more words of wisdom from her friend, but there was silence. She turned around to see why he had not spoken, but was alone. “Guys……?”
Lorri looked behind her to make sure Striker was following. He was gone. Her breathing became short, not from running, but from shear fear. “Striker!!! ANYONE!!!” she screamed, falling to the ground in desolation.
Kenaz stared silently to where Lygia had just been standing. “Ken? Where did Lygia go?” Asked her concerned husband, not being able to spot her around. “I… I don’t know. Zaaman, she just… disappeared” All there heads shot up, looking first to Kenaz, then to look for Lygia. Then they realized Lorraina was missing. “What is happening?” asked Hawkins as they all came close together, back to back. “This can’t be happening!” shouted Safire. “You’ve forgotten where we are. This is a land of magic, the forgotten forest!” said Boaz, reaching for Dayna’s hand, but not finding it. He sighed. “Don’t count anything out. If we can, we’ll try to find each other, but-“ He then realized he was talking to no one… and could not remember if there was anyone there to begin with.
Chapter 12
“Hanna!! Where are your cookies?” asked Leigh as she snooped through the kitchen. “In the fridge! Top shelf!” “Oh, thanks!” she grabbed the bag, and ran through the house, up to the stairs, almost tripping over Hanna’s wheelchair. “Hear we go!” she handed them to Anna and plopped beside Mandy on the huge couch. “So, what do you think of that new mirror your mom got?” asked Taylor. She looked over to her reflection in the gigantic glass. “I don’t know. It’s kinda cool. I hope she doesn’t sell it… She found it at some old shop in… Washington. Said the guy was kinda loony. Said it was from another dimension.” “Like what?” asked Anna. She wouldn’t have been so interested, except for the story her sister Lygia told everyone. Yeah… when Lorri, Amy and Safire went missing. “Um… I can’t believe I remembered it… Poema?” “What?!?” “I think?” Anna jumped up and looked over the mirror. She didn’t know what she expected to find, but there had to be something. “Anne, what are you doing?” Mandy asked, coming beside her friend. “Don’t you remember Lygia talking about it? Poema, the world in the painting?” “You don’t really think she was right, do you?” scoffed Leigh. “It was just something she came up with cause she feels guilty about whatever happened to the others” “Up until now, I would have believed that… but how could the guy Hanna’s mom got it from know the story?” “You guys aren’t telling me you believe this!?!” but Leigh’s words went unheard as they were all gathered round, trying to find something to connect the stories. But it was a mirror. No different then one you might find in your grandmothers attic. Anna sighed. “Told ya.” Leigh scoffed. “Look!” Hanna shouted elatedly. Nothing on the wood frame, but in the mirror itself. No longer a reflection of this world, but of Poema! Well, that’s what they guessed, anyway. It would be anywhere. A small clearing in a thick forest, and in the center a young man lay, sleeping. Anne cocked her head and stared. “Is that Nick Carter?”
“Where am I?” asked a young man to no one, seeing as there was no one in the heavily wooded area he now found himself. He was tall, blond, a certain air about him, saying he was more then he let on. He looked about to the trees as he lay upon the ground, barely a morning light coming through the thick branches. “Where am I?” he whispered again. “I was just wondering the same thing… only about myself,” said a voice, seemingly out of nowhere. “Who goes there?” Said the young man, rising himself up to sit on the ground. A figure came from the shadows. He was not as tall, his hair a slightly darker shade of blond, and his eyes a lighter shade of blue. He smiled down to the younger man. “I wish I could tell you, but you see… I don’t know who I am” The young man sitting tried to think for a while. Then smiled sweetly. “I have no idea who I am either! How can this be?” The other man shrugged, helping him to his feet. They both looked around the woods. The only light was in the clearing, the forest thick and black. “Maybe we should look around for our answers. How long have you been standing there?” The shorter man laughed. “I can’t really remember…”