Kingdoms

12

{Lauren}

"She's either dead or her powers are gone, either way he should be here." Shelby says. I look at Scott who's pacing nervously.
"That should've worked." Auni says
"There's a difference between should've and did." Perry says
"I know." She says
"How much time is left?" Scott asks
"A day." I say. Callum and Alex appear.
"Where's Parker?" Bolt asks
"He was hit and just disappeared." Callum says
"Teleporting beams, how old school." Ursa says
"Guys, Eli's offline." Liam says. Greta sits up breathing heavily.
"Did it work?" She gasps.
"No." Ursa says
"Ursa!" Bolt says
"No, I'd rather have the truth." She waves her hand and nothing happens, "It's all gone."
"Guys, Eli's back online." Liam says
"Where is he?" Greta asks
"Still in the Eternal Kingdom." He says. Greta disappears and appears again.
"Damn it." She disappears.
"Eli, are you there?" Sapphire asks.
"Guys, I can't teleport back." Greta says. Ursa disappears and appears with Greta and Eli.
"Is he ok?"
"He's not dead, that's a start." Ursa says, "Don't know for how long though."
"Hey Scott, how's it going?" Greta asks
"Pretty good for turning into a shadow spirit." He sighs
"Teleporting beams leave strong traces which is why they're not used anymore." Chase says, "It can be traced back to the attacker."
"The attacker needs to be thinking of where they want to send who or what they hit." Greta says.
"Put E on the bed." Rose says.
"Don't." Greta says, "Those are a different kind of Phantom beam, if you put him flat on his back he'll get worse."
"Nightmare beams." Chase says
"They still use those?" Ursa asks
"What are nightmare beams?" Rose asks
"They force the person they hit to live their biggest fear over and over until they wake up or die." Chase says. Scott waves his hand, that shadows in the room shift.
"That's new." He says
"Shadow spirits can control the shadows near them." I say.
"He shouldn't be able to do that until he has three hours." Ursa says. Scott looks at all of us. Eli starts breathing heavily.
"What's happening?!" Rose asks
"He's living his worst fears, he's reacting." Ursa says
"Ok, how do we help him?" Rose asks
"Chase? Greta?"
"Wake him up now and he'll probably go into shock or something." Greta says, "Your best option is waiting for him to wake up."
"Are you kidding? He's living his greatest fears!" Bolt says
"You don't think it's hard for me to just sit here and watch this happen?" Greta asks, "Do you know what happens when someone gets forcefully woken up from this? When you first wake up you're terrified, you can't think straight and you can't breathe, it feels like your suffocating. You're mind takes days to recover from what happened and during that period all you can do is sit there because to scared to even move."
"Does that happen every time or is there just a chance you'll get that outcome?"
"I've been through that twenty-seven times with the same result so I'm gonna say it's the same result every time." She says
"So we just sit here and watch?"
"Yeah."
"So Scott is turning into a shadow spirit, both Rose and Greta's powers are being annoying, Eli's living his worst fears, and Parker is missing." Bolt says. The big screen lights up.
"A mission?" Rose says
"I thought the deliverer was dead." Alex says
"It's an all powerful being, it's not gonna be dead." Ursa says
"It's been a while since we had an actual mission." Shelby says. Liam plays it.
"Guardians, you must find and eliminate the leader of the Phantom rebellion." A map pops up on screen.
"So we're private eyes and assassins now?" Reni asks
"You've always been an assassin." Ursa says. A knife flies past her ear.
"You won't kill me." Ursa says
"I know where to hit someone that won't kill."
"You guys are on the same side." Lilly says
"Guys, my hand is fading." Scott says
"Ari, we need a lot of light." Greta says. Balls of light float over to where Scott is.
"Hopefully that'll slow it down." Greta says
"This map is of a the Great Hall in the Phantom Kingdom." Ursa says
"The Phantom Masquerade." Chase says, "The leader will be there."
"Luckily for you, everyone is gonna be wearing a mask." Ursa says
"Greta, Chase, and Ursa can't go in there." Ari says
"Neither can Rose, Bolt, or Scott."
"Siri, how're your ribs?" Ari asks
"Healing, they still hurt a little." She says
"This is tomorrow night, you probably shouldn't go." Daisy says. Eli starts breathing heavily again, the plant in the corner starts growing uncontrollably.
"Reduce plant powers to five percent!" Rose says. The plant keeps growing.
"That's not good." Greta says. Scott flickers.
"Guys, Scott's back." Liam says

{Skye}

"Remember when I said not to wake him up? Forget that." Greta says. Auni sticks a needle in his arm.
"Skye, we're gonna need you to calm him down." She says.

"Ok, breathe." I say, "It's ok, you're ok." He shakes his head.
"Yes you are." I look at everyone, "Can you guys go into another room?"
"Yeah." They all walk out.
"It's ok." I say, "Open your hand." He holds out his palm.
"Copy what I do." A lightning bolt that resembles a flower forms in my hand. I breathe deeply, the lightning flower opens and closes with my breaths. He mirrors what I do.
"See, it's ok." I say, "What's your name?"
"E-Emerald." He says, "N-No... E-Elliott?" I nod.
"When's your birthday?" I ask
"M-May twelfth." He says
"Ok, what's the last thing you remember?"
"H-His eyes." The flower starts opening and closing rapidly.
"Hey! Hey, it's ok." I say, "He's not here."
"His eyes..."
"What's your name?" I ask
"E-Elliott, Eli." He says
"When's your birthday?"
"M-May twelfth."
"What is your sister's name?"
"S-Sophie."
"What's your favorite color?"
"Green."
"What street do you live on?"
"Hollands Street." He says
"What's the next street over?"
"Poltview Street." He says
"Next one?"
"Main Street."
"Ok, what do you remember before him?" He sits there for a second.
"I- Sophie." He says, "Don't scream, don't scream, don't scream, don't scream." He crushes the flower in his palm.
"Eli, breathe." A vine wraps around his wrist and snakes up his arm.
"His eyes." He says, "Her screams." He looks up at me.
"I was so scared."
"I know, I'm sorry." I say.
"Uh... Skye?" Shelby sticks her head in.
"What's up?"
"Two things." She says, "One, how's Eli? Two, we need your input on something."
"He's ok." I say, "What is it?"
"It's out here." I look at Eli.
"Ok, just stay here." I get up and walk out.
"W-Wait!" He says, "Keep the door open." I nod and leave it open a little.

"So what do you need my help with?" I ask
"Just some codes." Lizzie says, "How's Eli?"
"He didn't live his worst fear he relived it." I say, "I'm doing everything he taught me but I think his is worse." I type in some codes, a tracker appears.
"Who are you tracking this time?"
"The Phantom that hit Parker." Siri says
"So the Phantom Masquerade..." I say
"You actually wanna go?" River asks
"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" I look up at them.
"Because it's a big crowd of people you don't know in masks." Sapphire says, "That's basically everything you hate."
"And it's a party." Daisy adds
"With loud music." Grey says, "And indistinct talking..."
"Ok, ok, I just don't want to be sitting around doing nothing." I say
"You won't be doing nothing." Ari says
"And you don't want me to be something a Phantom can use against us while I'm breaking down in a corner." I say, "Smart, thanks."
"I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not."
"Not." I say, "I have enough scars and memories from last time that happened."
"He has a ton of shields up in his head, you have to break them down mentally." I say. Ivy appears.
"What's up?" She asks
"Oh good, you know a lot about strong mind shields." C says
"What do you need to know about them?" She asks
"We need you to break some down." Honey says
"I can't break down shields but I know how to."
"Then can you tell one of us how to?"
"Uh... no." She says, "It's in a complicated language that can't be spoken or written. The only way to learn it is to sit on a certain hill for a while or something."
"Oh is that were you went last year?" Bolt asks
"Yeah."
"So why can't you just do it?"
"Mental shields are at their weakest when you're breaking down someone else's." She says.
"Is this really about your shields?" Ursa asks
"She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to." Bolt says
"Of course you're gonna say that, you're her girlfriend."
"That has nothing to do with this."
"We won't go through your head." Daisy says
"That doesn't mean someone else won't." She says
"Can you share what you know mentally?"
"Yeah but the only person who could remember all of it is Eli." She says
"And we're back to nothing." I say
"We'll have to wait until tomorrow then." Chase says.
"No, that's just stupid." Greta says
"What?"
"No, not you guys." She points to her head.
"Oh, got it." She walks into the other room. The big screen lights up.
"Oh look, a new mission."
"Guardians, along with your other task all of you must go to the source."
"The source? It's been a while since we've been there." Rain says. The lights go out.
"Ok, who did what?" Dragon asks
"It's probably Eli." Daisy says, "He's emitting energy like crazy."
"I'll go talk to him." I say.
"Wait, let me." Greta says, "I know what it's like to be hit by one of those things."
"Do you-"
"Name, birthday, someone important, streets names." She says, "Got it."