Joella: A Supernatural Twist

Chapter XXI: Bubbles of the Past

"Are you guys alright?" Rachael asked tending to Joella's friends. 

"Blink if you can hear me, Chloe." Isaques quickly told Chloe and she did. He sighed in relief as everyone else was placed on stretchers and taken out of the school. Sirens and ambulances showed up and disappeared one after the other just before everything could get hectic.

"Where's Joella?" asked Rachael who was drenched in blood. Chloe slowly breathed in and out trying to bear the pain of her ribs scraping and piercing her lungs. "Where's Joella, Chloe? Did you see where she went?" Rachael impatiently asked seemingly scared. Chloe attempted to talk but it hurt too much to breathe a word so she nodded slightly. "Dear God," Rachael swore.

"It's okay," said Isaques comforting Rachael by squeezing her shoulder firmly. He then paid his attention back to Chloe whose mouth was dripping with blood. "Calm down. Chloe, I need you to show us what happened here, okay? Can you do that?" He calmly asked and she nodded unnervingly. "Good." In a matter of seconds, he reached into his white lab coat and drew out a syringe with a thick red liquid inside of it then quickly, but not forcefully, injected it into Chloe's side. She winced in a little pain then mouthed the words: 'Thank You'. "Okay, give it a few seconds," Isaques stated with a faint smile. 

A few moments later, Chloe was then able to sit upright and breathe normally with ease. Without a second to lose, she took both her hands and placed them on both Rachael's and Isaques' temple then closed her eyes. She began to speak a strange language then instantly all three of them appeared to be seated still in a room curtained by darkness. "Is this it?" Isaques asked waking up. 

"Not exactly but yes," Chloe confirmed. "This room is known as a Time-Space. It allows the caster to see any and everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen. In other words, it shows the past, present, and future." she started opening her eyes. Rachael stood to her feet and looked at all of the images that began to float around in different-sized bubbles. "You wanted to go into my memories but I'm sorry, I couldn't. I think she took them or something when I was unconscious. So instead, bringing you here is more reliable. This space can not be manipulated in any way." 

"Okay, that's okay." Rachael smiled at her then looked back at the bubbles. "So, Chloe, which one is it?" Chloe walked over to Rachael and looked around as well. 

"Well, we have to look in the past obviously and the different sizes of the bubbles are based on which time frame they belong to so since we're dealing with the past... the bubble will most likely be small, almost like the size of a tennis ball and the images in the bubbles will look almost grayish or like the black and white filter on a camera phone," said Chloe.

"Hmm, so we're looking for a small bubble that's black and white," Rachael concluded and Chloe nodded. "Is it smart to say that since what she did was recent, that the bubble is nearby?" 

"Yes. Spot on. That's how it works in here but unfortunately, we don't have much time. If we stay any longer, even a second longer than seventeen minutes, we'll be stuck here and disappear in the real world forever." she warned.

"How long do we have?" Isaques cut in.

"Exactly eleven minutes." Chloe alerted.

"Let's hurry then. Can you do a locator spell?" Rachael asked eagerly and Chloe nodded. "Do it, look for Joella. I've got a bad feeling." While Chloe did the chant, Isaques and Rachael searched for the bubble that showed them what happened. 

Eight minutes flew by quickly and Chloe tried many times to redo her spell but whenever she got close as to where her friend is, something would block her from pinpointing her location while Rachael and Isaques still haven't found the bubble that could show them what happened in the school.

Time was running out. 

"Jeez, we only have three more minutes and we haven't found anything!" Isaques yelled.

"Dammit. Chloe locate that bubble now and fast! We don't have time to search every single one of these things. They are millions of bubble spheres in here. Forget about finding Joella." Rachael said with anger in her voice. Chloe concentrated and began chanting once more. Time was ticking down then a light shined brilliantly to the east of them with a short clip of a girl dressed in black and bodies at her feet. 

"That's it," Chloe stated. "Quickly, grab it!" Rachael sped over to the bubble just when they were at their last-second then a blinding light showered the room and they all covered their faces. In just a split second the light faded and they were back at the school in the same place they were when they left. Not a second went by in all the time they were gone. "Phew! Made it." Chloe rejoiced relieved. 

"Yeah, and now we know what happened," Rachael added. "I just don't believe it's come to this so soon." 

"Really?" Isaques squealed. "You don't believe it? Raven, you raised his daughter and now you're telling us you don't believe this wouldn't have happened?" 

"Um... I'm going to heal the others." Chloe quickly left the conversation and headed to her friends. 

"Isaques, you know it's not like that exactly. Joella's not even seventeen yet. So why now?" 

"After what happened with Recarro, that one time she was exposed to her power, you didn't even consider the possibility?" he asked and she looked away. "You and that messenger deserve each other." 

"T-That's not fair! I had to raise her. Her mother asked me to; she never wanted that life for her daughter so she begged me to raise her here and you know that!" she poked him harshly in the chest. "Her mother was my closest friend and we looked out for each other. I-I only wished I could have protected her too." she sobbed and Isaques face grew soft. 

"Shh, it's okay. I know." He brought his ex-lover into a comforting embrace. "I'm sorry. Let's just focus on getting her back from that fiend." He pulled away and gazed into her eyes. A long deafening silence washed over them then an unexpected voice was heard. 

"What fiend?" They looked at the person then said his name in unison.

"Recarro." A menacing smug was plastered to his lips as he walked from the shadows of the hallway. 

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