Dark's Descent (19 page)

Twins Of A Tear Of Joy

      Susan placed the ornament in her pocket, saddened by their failed attempt to bring Cassie back. They had been so close, but Evangeline took her away before they could finish. As long as Eva was around, they would never get Cassie back.

      Charlie was so close! If he had moved faster, he'd probably be sitting next to Cassie right now, talking about where to go for their first date.

      Stella was really hoping. If Cassie didn't come back soon, she was probably going to die, and Stella didn't want to die! She had so many plans. Stella wasn't sure what plans she had, but dying young wasn't one of them.

      “Everyone get to Betty's van.” Susan ordered, “She says we can use it. It's good on gas, has a full tank, and we can all fit without having a giant limo to deal with.” Will, Stella, Charlie, and Susan all got in the van and drove back to Everlanon.

      Betty wasn't sure why the twins hadn't come out of the storage space yet, so she went to go see. The group left a half hour ago, and she figured they were waiting for an 'okay' to get out. “Vander! Vanessa! You can come out now!” she called, opening the door. To her surprise, the twins weren't there! There was only a note written in crayon by Vanessa. Vanessa was smarter than Vander, but her spelling was still way off. The note read, 'Wee r goin wiv momee too find Casee. Dunt woree ubot us. Wee r O K.' It was signed Vanessa and scribble-loop. Betty didn't know what to do. She began to panic, and then she passed out.

      Vander and Vanessa were hiding under a blanket in the very back of the van when the group went through the portal. Who knew Mommy was such a bad driver?

      Susan flew past the Good Woods at a dangerous speed. “Do you think we can use any of these spells to get to Cassie faster?” Stella asked. Will shook his head no, “They are forbidden.”

      Charlie laughed and flipped through the book. Nothing was forbidden when he was talking about Cassie. “Ah-ha!” Charlie announced, pointing at a page, “It says transportation spell, it works to send you a distance of 5 million gonshavs?” Will grabbed the book. “That will only get us to the Dark Forest! And no one here knows magic anyway!” Will explained, throwing the book in the back.

      A big book hit Vander over the head and landed open in front of his sister. “Trans-port-ate-on?” Vanessa read. The rest of the words were easy! Vander scooted closer for a look as Vanessa read the page.

This book is for using,

We need to go far,

Send us on our trailing,

Says one who dares no spar?

      Black smoke surrounded the van and they were lifted up. “What's happening!” Stella squealed looking around, “Who's doing that!” The van soared over the burnt market and over the Rawshkin Mountains. They began to lower elevation as they approached the Dark Forest.

      Will knew that it must be the spell, but who did it? He looked behind the seat and saw two lumps under a blanket. “Gotcha!” he yelled whipping the blanket away. It was the twins with the book? How? “Mrs. Smith!” he called as the van landed at the edge of the forest, “Did you know your twins are here? And they can perform magic?!”

      Cassandra looked around her new room. It was so dark and gloomy, but she just remembered she was a bad girl, and bad girls don't have pink wallpaper and unicorn nightlights. The room was mostly black, with a few highlights of red and grey spread throughout the mix. There was a desk, and a bed, but that was it. The desk itself was cluttered with junk like bottles, books, and a crystal ball. A crystal ball? Cassandra had to investigate.

      Cassandra hopped down from her bed. It was pathetic! Just hay on the ground. She sighed and remembered something. She had magic! Cassandra waved her hand and transformed the hay into a luxurious hotel type bed, perfectly made.

      Turning back to the crystal ball, Cassandra picked up the orb. It must weigh like twenty pounds! Maybe it would make a good bowling ball. Cassandra walked up to the hall and rolled the ball at the wall. She thought it would just bump into the wall, but no. It kept going, sliding straight through the wall with ease. Oops.

      Forgetting the ball, Cassandra started thinking about what she would do when she became ruler of, well, everything she knew. She would first get her old friends and put them to work. They would spend the rest of their lives pleasing her in any way she wanted. She thought of killing them if they messed up.

      “You didn't clean my shoes properly, Charles!” Cassandra would roar, as she reached for her sword. Charlie would beg for his life, and for some reason, she dropped the sword and gave him a hug. He then became her personal servant, and did everything that she demanded.

      Back in reality, Cassandra wondered the reason for Charlie's luck. She imagined it different ways, but for some reason, Charlie never died. “Ugh!” she yelled, tipping over the desks. She soon found out that the bottles weren't empty. They broke open, and different colored solids, liquids, and gasses spread throughout the room. Cassandra frantically tried to contain them, but it was too late. Her sight blurred, and the last thing she remembered was her mother repeating the same three words, over and over again. 'Love is weakness'. Love is weakness.

      “What are you two doing here?!” Susan scolded, “What were you thinking?” Susan already forgot about the spell issue, bigger fish. She now had two four year olds on her hands and they were hundreds of miles from home!

      “We just wanted to help!” Vanessa pouted. “It was her idea!” Vander tattled, pointing an accusing finger at his sister. “I don't care whose idea it was!” Susan screamed, “Now I have to worry about you two as we try to save your sister!” The twins started to cry and Susan sighed. “Fine!” Susan exclaimed, restarting the van to drive through the potentially dangerous, scary woods.

      “There are millions of creatures in these woods.” Will explained, “If the twins hadn't used the spell, we could've used it to fly over the forest, but it can only be used once a day.” Susan turned on the headlights and started down the path.

      Will had researched Everlanon in the time he was living there since the portal opened. He read of the Living Screams, trolls, goblins, and such that lived in the Dark Forest. They gave him chills, however, they weren't as bad as the chills creatures from other realms gave him. Will took out ear plugs, a prince is always prepared, and gave them to the twins. “Living Screams are probably the most dangerous creature we could encounter.” he retold, “They are as the name implies, living screams. I call them The Eeks, but they are yips, shouts, and yells of pain, sadness, and anger that have detached from their owner, and have become, living, breathing sound.”

      “That's impossible.” Stella whispered, “Noise can't live!”

      Will opened his mouth to start talking when a loud bang came from the roof. “What was that?” Charlie asked. The bang hit again, and a hideous creature crawled on the windshield. It looked like a brown wrinkled little man. Its teeth were jagged and yellow, and it had pointy ears. The thing banged on the window and growled as it dripped goo from its rotting nose. “Drive!” Will demanded, “If it gets in, we are all dead.”

      Evangeline was now getting a black sheep's wool. She figured it would be easy, but sheep are fast! “Get back here!” she screamed, trying to zap the critter so she could get the wool. It figures the black sheep was a ram known for running fast. The ram changed course and started running at Evangeline. “Oh no you don't!” she teased, turning into a cloud of smoke. The ram stopped and looked at the cloud. Now was the perfect time to put the thing to sleep!

      Eva reformed, but before she could raise her hand, the ram did what rams do best, and butted her in the gut. “Argh!” she grunted as she fell over, “Ow, ow, ow!” The ram walked over her. How could she get beaten by an entree! How embarrassing!

      Cassandra still laid on the ground when the smoke cleared. “Huh?” she yawned, sitting up. As she grabbed the desk for support, she by chance sent a small rock sliding across the floor. The stone hit some crystals and Cassandra got zapped by the resulting burst. She looked at her mirror and saw herself. Clothes ripped, hair frizzed, and a lazy eye, Cassandra counted the scorched spots on her skin. “23,” she announced to the empty, now trashed, room, “I hate clutter.”

      Susan raced through the woods, trying to shake the troll off. It wailed and screamed as it swung side to side by its front paw, but it didn't let go. Stella noticed that its claws had punctured the roof above her, so she got out her fingernail clippers. “This has got to be the grossest thing I've ever done!” she grunted, squeezing the clippers as hard as she could. Snap! The claw flew at Charlie and he screamed as he tried to get it off. Stella proceeded the spa treatment, each claw hitting someone as it broke off. “Ugh! Monsters are soooo lazy with their hygiene!” Stella snipped, as she cut through the last nail. The creature screamed as it flew off and fell on the ground.

      Evangeline returned to the tower. Her dress was half missing, she had a bald spot from where the invalid ovine chewed, and had a black eye from a hoof. Her stomach was still churning from the attack. “What happened to you!” Cassandra inquired, smiling a bit. “A sheep, what happened to you.” Eva shot back. “You know that desk full of potions and stuff in my room?” Cassandra explained, “That kind of isn't there anymore. I mean, not in one piece.” Evangeline snickered at her daughter's clumsiness, and then remembered the sheep. She pulled the wool out and told Cassandra to put it with the other ingredients. “Now for everything else.” Eva sighed.

      Will was still curious as to how the twins were able to perform magic. He had an idea. “Vanessa?” he called, “Can you hand me that book?”

      Vanessa hoisted the book up on the seat and gave it to Will with a scowl. “I don't like you.” she warned. That was the boy who hurt her sister's feelings and she didn't like that. It was a long time ago, but she didn't hear him say sorry.

      Will flipped to the page he needed. It was titled, 'The Test' and had a picture of a hand on it. “Vanessa, can you put your hand right here?” he asked and she obeyed. Nothing happened. Charlie was watching what Will was up to, and he had mixed feelings. Vander yelled, “Lemme see!” and jumped on Vanessa. The handprint shone brightly, and sparkles showed a picture story.

      The sparkles showed Cassie crying tears of joy, and giving a cookie to Susan. A deep voice began, “A tear of joy produced two twins, whose powers were good.” Susan pulled over the car and watched in amazement as she saw herself eating the cookie with the tear. “Born from evil, changed by happiness, and transformed into two, the powers work only when the two are in contact with one another.” the voice expounded, “Vanessa and Vander Smith are all powerful, for they are the Twins of a Tear of Joy, and are capable of greatness.” Vanessa removed her hand once the glow faded away. “Cool!” the twins chirped.

      Just one normal, not magical child? No? Oh well, it's fine with Susan, anyway, she still loves them all the same. Susan sighed. Twins of a Tear of Joy.

Surviving The Living Screams

      Susan continued at eighty miles per hour. This place was giving her the creeps, and she certainly did not want to meet any Eeks. The trees were a blur as the van bumped and lurched around. Susan’s main goal right now was to get out of the woods before night took the sky.

      “Is there a way to kill Living Screams?” Charlie asked. Will just shrugged, “No one knows. We just hope we don't run into any.”

      Stella looked out the window and watched a goblin of some sort shimmy up a tree. It looked like it was scared of something. “Char-Char, Will?” Stella stuttered, “What scares a gob-” Stella was cut off as a blood-curdling scream echoed through the forest. Trees fell over and birds flew away. “Oh no!” Will whispered, “Go faster!” Susan pushed the accelerator down and they zoomed off. A thunderous cackle shook the van, and dirt flew everywhere. Yelps rustled in the treetops, hollers snapped branches, screams banged the ground. “Living Screams!” Charlie yelled.

      Yelps, shouts, and cries. Branches broke, rocks flew, and the occasional goblin fell to its death. The minivan passed a small elf covering its large ears. A loud scream flew down, and knocked it out cold. A yell slammed the side of the van Charlie was on and made him fall on Will's and Stella's lap. He grappled for his own seat, but he was stuck. That is until Will shoved him off. Will had enough problems without Charlie in the way.

      Will slammed on the ceiling as an annoying wail slammed back. The sound was putting dents in the roof, and Will was, painfully, fixing them. Where's a hammer when you need it?

      Susan kept driving. She was determined to get away before she had to buy Betty a new van. She turned around a corner and the screams followed. Were they angry? Hungry? Susan didn't know. She just pushed on the pedal harder.

      The window next to Stella shattered and a screech smacked her in the face. Stella screamed, the screech screamed, Stella screamed louder, the screech screamed louder. Stella tossed her hands in the air as the screech surrounded her. She screamed louder than she ever had before, and the screech went silent. “Mmmm...” Stella said, “Scream louder, Eek silences.”

      While Stella thought, the twins woke up. They were napping, but the screams woke them up, even with the earplugs. “BE QUIET!” Vanessa screamed, and everything went silent. The van sped away with no more attacks and Vanessa smiled.

      “Did she just tell the screams to shut up?” Charlie asked Will. “I guess,” he answered, “and it seems like it worked.”

      Evangeline decided to get the troll claw next. She went to the Dark Forest and disguised herself as a beautiful young maiden. She gave herself long luscious brown hair, and light blue eyes. Dressed in a light green dress, she walked through the forest pretending to be scared. Trolls loved ladies. Sometimes for romantic reasons, but mostly for meals. A damsel in distress would surely get some troll-tention, and maybe a prince, but she could handle that.

      “Help! Help!” she cooed, “I'm so lost, and scared! I'm so in distress, and beautiful!” She hoped a troll would come soon, the last thing she needed was to run into the Living Screams during their feeding time.

      A troll leapt in her path, and roared. “Oh, a troll!” Eva exclaimed, “I've always wanted to meet one! I find them very, um, attractive.”

      The troll stood up and slicked back his three hairs. He picked a flower and chewed it up. The troll strutted over to his dame and wrapped his arm around her. “Hey.” he growled. Eva smiled and grabbed his arm, flipping him over on his back. She ripped off his claw and put it in her pocket. “Thanks ugly,” Evangeline taunted, “I needed that.”

      Evangeline ducked as a scream flew past. “Time to go!” she said, hearing a faint engine in the distance. She disappeared in a whirl of flames, scorching the monster.

      After hearing the scream, the troll scurried up a tree just as the minivan passed.