Beautiful Souls (40 page)

    
              As soon as Will and Emmy were out of sight, Leo bolted down the exit ramp of The Monster with me in tow.

    
              “Where are we going?”

    
              “To get your necklace back. They must have been planning this for a while, probably ever since I killed Zoey. They already got The Book of Magic, they’re not getting the amulet too.” Leo paid little regard to those that could’ve possibly overheard his words.

    
              “How do you know where it is? Where they are? Who they are?” I ran fast, but Leo was faster and still pulled me along after him. He led me through a gate into a restricted area reserved for only park employees. I tripped and stumbled over my own feet a few times due to the impossible task of trying to keep pace with him.

    
              “They could be long gone with the amulet by now,” I called out as Leo pulled me down a path carved from the ground, twisting and coiling through woodsy terrain directly below the belly of The Monster.

    
              “Doubtful,” Leo replied, tugging me forward. He whipped me around a corner of a metal shed. It looked to be some type of utility building that probably housed all sorts of electrical wires and controls for the rollercoaster.

    
              “Why not?” I asked, breathing heavily into the crook of Leo’s neck as we crouched closely behind the metal shed. Leo was looking up toward the wooden tunnel of The Monster.

    
              “Because, there are a lot of protective enchantments on that amulet. One of them protects the necklace from anyone other than the owners and protectors of the amulet from being able to even touch it. Only the Wizards in which it has been entrusted to, along with their direct families, are able to even lay a single finger on it without being burned,” he spoke quickly and quietly.

    
              “Burned? Seriously?”

    
              “Whoever snatched it off your neck in that tunnel wouldn’t have been able to hang on to it for long without being seared down to the bone.”

    
              “Wouldn’t they have just used magic too, in order to take it from me?”

    
              Leo shook his head, still scanning the vicinity of the tunnel for any sign of the red beaded necklace. “Unlikely…too many enchantment blocks have also been placed on it for someone other than a Natural or their immediate family to be able to break through. I don’t really know anymore than that. I can’t explain how it all works, that’s just what I’ve been told.”

    
              “Do you really think it’s still here?” I asked doubtfully, but hopeful.

    
              “It has to be. That amulet shields you and enhances your powers. You need it, and we’re not leaving here without it. We’re going to find it and then lay low for the rest of the day. We’re stuck here till the bus pulls out at six o’clock this evening, and I’d guess that they’re not going anywhere till we do. If they tried to steal it once, they’ll try again. Hopefully, though, they’ve learned their lesson, and when we catch them we’ll know for sure. There will be a nice big scar marking the hand of whoever did this.”

    
              “Do you know who did it?”

    
              “No, not for sure. But I have a gut feeling it has to do with Zoey. Her so-called parents could have planned this.”

    
              “What about Luke? He’s here today. He won’t be safe from them either if they find him,” I panicked.

    
              “All the more reason to get the amulet back. Look, right over there.” Leo pointed to something lying in the brush about fifty yards away from us just under the wooden tunnel of The Monster. A red glimmer shined into my eyes as it caught the glare from the late morning sun.

    
              I bolted.

    
              “Becca, no!” Leo pleaded.

    
              I didn’t think. Nothing but getting the amulet back passed through my mind. I crossed the underbrush more rapidly than I’d thought possible. I closed in on the necklace. Almost there. Just a few more yards till I could reach it and everything would be fine. Or so I thought.

    
              That’s when I saw it out of the corner of my eye. A dark hooded figure came out of nowhere. I was terrified, but I couldn’t let anyone else get to the amulet first.

    
              I darted forward, attempting to reach the necklace first, and that’s when I realized the hooded figure wasn’t after the amulet. It was after me. This was a trap, and I’d played right into their hands.

Chapter 18.

Tidal Wave

wave

/wav/

Verb

Move one’s hand to and fro in greeting or as a

signal.

Noun

A long body of water curling into an arched form

and breaking on the shore.

    
              The hooded figure flew through the underbrush, mere feet away from me. I dove for the necklace knowing that I was the only one after it, but I was so close. I needed to get the amulet back for me, for my family, and for Leo’s.

    
              I stretched my arm as far as I could, feeling my muscles scream their protest at my overzealous reach, and swiped my fingers through the antique chain of garnet-colored beads. The necklace swayed dangerously beneath my hand, my fingertips barely hanging on as I was whisked away.

    
             
Oh God, what did I do?,
I thought. I had the necklace back, but for what? Just to be kidnapped, taken hostage by this hooded being, and killed? I tried to think my way out of this, but I couldn’t wrap my head around any singular thought. The force of being swept away by an evil Wizard abductor had my brain reeling.

    
              I couldn’t navigate through my thoughts, so I gave up and concentrated on Leo’s words:
“too many enchantment blocks have been placed on it”, “that amulet shields you and enhances your powers”, “only the Wizards who it has been passed to…can lay a finger on it without being burned”
all played out in my mind.

    
              I heard Leo’s words speaking to me, and I knew what I had to do in order for there to be any chance at an escape. I looped the beaded chain more securely around my fingers and wrapped the antique brass key securely inside my fist. I attempted to roll on my side to get a better look at the hooded figure’s face, but the only features I could make out from under the dark, protective shadows of the hood were a set of pinkish lips and the black, chin stubble forming a five o’clock shadow.

    
              I twisted and fought the fast-moving, forceful figure as best I could to achieve a better angle in order to carry out my plan. A quarter turn toward the hooded figure’s head was as much as I was able to gain, and it would have to be enough.

    
              Still being held in his tight grip, we blasted through the trees behind the coaster. I lifted my hand, tightly wound with the chain of the amulet, and without hesitating for even a moment to reconsider, I slammed my hand, the necklace, and every ounce of power I could muster into a direct hit of my abductor’s face.

    
              He wailed an agonizing scream of torture and pain. I pressed harder and my abductor slowed, writhing with the distress I had caused. I could hear the sizzle of the amulet sheering the skin from his face, and I felt the sickening urge to vomit as the smell of burning flesh drifted toward my nose; only when he finally released his grip and grabbed at his seared face, did he let go.

    
              I didn’t hesitate. There would be no second chance. I ran through the trees and put as much distance between me and my abductor as possible. In the short amount of time it’d take him to recover, he’d surely come looking for me.

    
              I slipped the necklace over my head then immediately engaged my shield, protecting myself from any more attacks.

    
              I ran and ran, never once looking back. I thought I could hear footfalls coming behind me still some distance away but couldn’t be sure. I was moving too quickly to care, or think, about anything other than getting out of here and finding Leo. I didn’t know where he was or how to find him. I prayed that the abductor had left him out of this.                   I suddenly fell. I splashed down and felt cool, rushing liquid that completely engulfed me. I sucked in a breath, my nose and mouth immediately filling with water. My body seized with coughing. I finally found my footing and tried to stand, but the forward charge of the lazy river was too much for me to simply stand still. I must have ran farther than I’d realized and made my way all the way through the woods to the other side of the park where the water park was situated.

    
              Something splashed down hard directly across from me in the man-made river. My instincts told me to flee, but there was no time. I ducked below the surface of the water and chose to hide myself instead, praying that my shield would stay intact and still protect me under water.

    
              A commanding hand plunged beneath the surface but was thrown back. My shield worked but there was no need. I knew that hand; it belonged to Leo. I came up for air and released my shield, wiping the cold water and clinging hair away from my face.

    
              “Take your shirt off,” he commanded.

    
              “What?”
Was his mind really going there at a time like this
, I thought.
Ugh, boys.

    
              Leo ripped off his t-shirt. “Take your shirt off so that we’ll blend in.”

    
              “Oh.” Thank goodness I had the foresight this morning to wear my bikini underneath my t-shirt and jean shorts.

    
              I pulled my shirt off over my head and handed it to Leo. He quickly disposed of them by throwing each shirt under a nearby fountain which spilled a waterfall out into the lazy river.

    
              “Excuse me, I need to borrow this,” Leo snatched a blue inner tube from a girl about our same age who had been floating worry-free in front of us.

    
              “Hey!” she protested.

    
              “Sorry,” I shrugged.

    
              Leo and I both sank our bodies into the water. Only our arms and heads, which were draped lethargically across the inner tube, were exposed to the elements and unwelcome eyes.

    
              “How’d you find me?” I asked.

    
              “I followed you. I knew I wouldn’t be able to fight off that Wizard on my own, so I tracked you in order to see what he’d do and where he’d take you. Quick thinking using the necklace as a weapon.”                   Leo was proud of me.

    
              “Thanks to you,” I smiled.

    
              Leo grinned slightly, but it wasn’t comfortable and I could tell it was laced with fear. I knew he’d never be worried over his own safety; this was about me. I intertwined my fingers with his in an attempt to curb his fears. I always felt more at ease just by being close to Leo, and maybe he felt the same way about me.

    
              “So what’s the plan?” I asked.

    
              “Blend in, stay public till it’s time to leave. We should be all right after that. Here,” he handed me the drawstring which he had just yanked out from the waist of his shorts. “Tie your hair up with that. You’ll look different in your swimsuit and your hair pulled back. Maybe he won’t recognize us.”

    
              “Should we split up?”

    
              “I’m not letting you out of my sight, babe.” Leo squeezed my hand tighter. “Where would I be without my foul-mouthed princess?” he smirked.

    
              That kind of teasing from Leo usually earned him an arm punch, but right here and now all I could think about was the two of us getting home safely together.

    
              I simply laid my head against his shoulder, and we floated along the river looking as normal as any other teenage couple did. Leo and I blended into our environment well. Just about the time we had decided it would be safe --- as safe as it ever would be --- to meet up with Will and Emmy at our predetermined location, that’s the precise moment that all hell broke loose.

    
              The water in the man-made river swelled, cascading over the concrete sides and pathways of the river's borders. The forward rush of the river increased in intensity and speed. It was too strong to fight, and Leo and I struggled to not be ripped apart by the unstoppable current.