Mystics 3-Book Collection (81 page)

“I’m going to pretend like I didn’t hear
that.” Zoey laughed, took a few steps forward, and stood in the
clearing. It was a little suicidal. She
was
in the perfect
spot to get noticed. But that’s what she wanted. A few Alphas
rushed by, and then two werewolf-babies and a worm-like creature
with a bearded face, but they never even glanced her way. Muttab’s
potion worked. They couldn’t see her.

“Guys,” whispered Zoey, “get over here.”

The mirror effect was so good that even Zoey
had to concentrate really hard to see her friends.

“Ouch!” she cried as something hard hit her
in the nose.

“SHH!”

“Hey! That’s my foot!”

“Lower your voices!” hissed Zoey.

“That’s my
other
foot!”

“Okay, okay,” said Simon’s voice. “But
Tristan pushed me.”

“Sorry,” laughed Tristan. “Didn’t see you
there.”

“Ha, ha.”

Zoey scowled. “Do I have to tie you two
together or can you manage to make it across by yourselves?”

There was still two hundred feet to cross
before they made it to the portal, and they had to get Agent
Franken’s bag back.

“Remember,” she whispered as they huddled
together. “We’re not exactly invisible so try not to draw any
attention our way. We might just be able to make it across without
them noticing us. Be careful and try not to bump into anyone.”

“Why do I get the feeling that was directed
at me?” whined Simon.

“Because it probably was,” mocked
Tristan.

Zoey wanted to slap them both. “Come
on.”

With her boomerang in her hand, Zoey lead
the way. She was ready if anything was to happen, but she hoped to
make it across safely. She suspected that the real dangers were on
the other side of that portal.

They slipped and zigzagged through the
battle. The smell of blood and sulfur hung heavily in the air like
horrid burning incense. Desperately trying not to cough or breathe
loudly, Zoey dodged a large female Alpha with spiked hair and two
large machetes in her man-like hands.

“Now that’s a handsome man,” whispered Simon
once the woman was out of earshot.

Just as Zoey was about to turn around and
slap Simon for real this time, another Alpha charged in her
direction. Tristan pulled them both out of the way, and the Alpha
ran passed them and kicked an agent in the gut.

“Don’t stop,” said Tristan in a low voice.
“We’re almost there.”

It was difficult to see through the dim
light, and Zoey wondered how Tristan could see so well when she
could barely make out his face. Maybe it was because of his
Mysterian blood.

Another group of Alphas rushed by, but they
crept further along without being discovered.

Zoey looked up. The giant blue portal was
only twelve feet away. They had made it.

“Hey, what’s that?”

Zoey froze. Tristan and Simon both crashed
into her, and the three of them toppled to the ground.

An Alpha man rushed their way. He had extra
badges on the front of his uniform, and Zoey was sure he was of
higher rank. A large sword hung in his right hand.

“What is it, Captain?” another Alpha joined
him.

The Captain lifted his sword inches from
Zoey’s face, and she backed away.

“There. You see that? I thought I saw a
young girl’s face right here.”

The other Alpha shook his head. “Don’t see
anything. You sure?”

Zoey’s skin started to tingle. She looked
down at herself. Her hand was visible. It looked like a severed
hand floating in the air. She hid it behind her back and held her
breath.

The Captain eyed the spot where they lay.
His eyes rolled over them.

Zoey felt Tristan’s hand on hers and then he
squeezed. Slowly, and as silently as they could, the three of them
rose to their feet—

“There! Look! I see them!”

Zoey cursed. She could see half of Tristan’s
face and Simon’s jeans. Things were not good.

“Time to go!” said Simon.

“KILL THEM!”

The captain swung his sword dangerously
close to Zoey’s abdomen. She jumped out of the way just as the
blade sliced through her shirt.

Zoey grabbed her friends by the arms. “Get
to the portal!”

They were still half invisible, and it
worked in their favor. They charged through the crowd of
unsuspecting Alphas without being seen. The portal was just a few
feet away. Zoey’s nerves tingled. She was almost there.

“Don’t let them get to the portal!” cried
the captain.

The giant blue portal was so close now that
Zoey felt a cool breeze brush her face. It was as though the portal
was sucking her in. For a split second she felt fear. What was
waiting for them on the other side?

Tristan and Simon’s images wavered beside
her. With a last effort, she held her breath and leaped
through—

Chapter 13

D
arkness.
Silence.

Zoey’s limbs felt heavy and restrained, like
she had fallen into thick pea soup. She didn’t dare to breathe.
What if she suffocated? The effects of stepping through the portal
weren’t at all the same as using the mirror ports. Her body hadn’t
rematerialized, and she hadn’t broken apart into miniscule
particles. She just felt like she was floating and slowing down. It
was as though time stood still and she had stopped moving.

She couldn’t see or sense Tristan or Simon
although she was sure they had entered the portal at the same time.
But she felt alone. Stuck. Maybe they couldn’t pass through to the
other side, and they were all going to die . . . .

And just when she thought she’d be stuck
there forever, her shoes touched solid ground. Dizzy and
disoriented, Zoey moved on instinct with her boomerang ready. Simon
and Tristan landed beside her, completely visible. Their eyes were
out of focus, like they were just waking from a dream. She felt
exactly the same.

Seconds passed. The effects of the portal
wore off. The portal stirred, but nothing came through.

They weren’t being pursued.

The portal on this side was not at all like
the portal on her side. Instead of the watery light-blue surface,
this side was red and churning like hot magma. She took a careful
step back.

When she realized she was still holding her
breath, she let it go, took a deep breath, and coughed. Her throat
stung like she had swallowed liquid bleach. The air was thick, hot,
and reeked of sulfur. It was almost like a poisonous gas. How long
could they breathe this toxic air before it killed them?

“This place smells like my Grandpa Gordon’s
bathroom,” said Simon as he pinched his nose.

“I never realized how different the portals
would be,” she coughed, trying not to think too much about the
quality of the air. “On our side it’s blue, and on this side it’s
red, thick, and angry looking.”

“That’s not all that’s different,” she heard
Tristan say. “Look.”

Zoey turned around.

Vast red deserts of smoke and ash spread out
before her. High winds blew sand into her eyes and thunder roared
from above. The sky was a ruby color with dark maroon clouds moving
fast against two suns. In the distance, black mountains with jagged
peaks rose like spears. Rivers of black waters snaked in and around
the land like dark worms. From what she could see, there was no
plant life, no greenery—nothing, just miles and miles of red
deserts and black mountains. The land was harsh and unforgiving.
The Nexus was unlike anything she’d ever seen.

Thunder boomed. But this time it sounded as
though it was coming from underground. The ground trembled below
Zoey’s feet. A few hundred yards to her left the ground opened up.
An area as large as a lake collapsed and disappeared down into the
crevice.

“Looks like the Nexus is struggling with the
Great Junction, too,” said Tristan, his face worried.

Zoey nodded. “Means we don’t have much time
to find the missing bag
and
my mother.”

“It looks like a giant bowl of tomato soup,”
noted Simon as he turned away from the portal. He rubbed his belly.
“I’m so hungry! Where’s the food?”

“Simon?” said Zoey, her voice rising.
“You’re the one who was carrying the food. Where’s
your
bag?”

“Ooops.”

Tristan loomed over him. “What do you mean
oops
? Where’s the food? Don’t tell me you forgot to bring
it?”

“I, I . . .” began Simon. “I just put it
down for a second when we were sprinkling ourselves with the magic
salt.”

He shrugged. “I guess I must have left it by
the tree.”

Zoey glared at Simon, but then her
expression softened. “I don’t want to fight. If forgetting the food
was the worst that could happen to us, then we still have a real
chance.”

She reached inside her backpack and pulled
out a water bottle. “At least we’ll be hydrated. Here, have some
water.” She tossed Simon her bottle and did her best not to look
angry or disappointed. She doubted they were going to starve to
death anyway. They only had a few hours left. It wouldn’t matter if
they starved if the end of the world was on its way.

Something nagged her. “Guys, pull out your
DSMs. Hurry.”

She waited until they all had them opened in
their hands. “Flip them open. You see anything different?”

“Yeah,” noted Tristan. “My reflection’s off.
I look like a ghost. I’m not
solid
.”

Simon stared at his DSM, “What do you think
that means?”

“I think I know.” Zoey stared at her own
phantom-like reflection and waited. When their specter-like
reflections didn’t shimmer, she looked up at her friends.

“It means they don’t work here, we can’t use
them to get back. It means the only way home is back through
that
portal.”

Tristan pocketed his DSM. “What about you?
What about your abilities? Maybe it’s different?”

Zoey concentrated on the Hive. She had been
able to create her own anchor points before, but after a minute had
passed, her image still didn’t shimmer.

“Nothing, sorry,” she said a little
deflated. “I can’t make it work.” She was just like any other
Seventh.

Simon tossed the bottle of water to Tristan.
“So, now what? This world is probably just as big as or bigger than
our world. How are we supposed to find Traitor-Martin?”

“There.” Tristan kneeled. “Fresh tracks. It
has to be him. They head out north towards those black mountains
over there. If we hurry, we might catch him.”

Zoey stared at the ground and dug into the
red sand with her boomerang. “And if we don’t hurry the wind will
blow away the tracks. Come on, we
need
that bag.”

With Tristan in the lead, the three of them
followed the tracks in a jog. As they ran, Zoey glanced a few times
behind her. She was still expecting some Alphas to come through the
portal, but they never did. It was odd that they hadn’t chased
them.

They passed a curved stream of black water
that bubbled like hot oil. As she examined it more closely, a pair
of eyes broke the surface and blinked at her. Zoey lost her footing
and tripped.

Tristan whirled around. “Zoey? Are you
okay?” He pulled her up.

Zoey stared at the water. “I saw
something.”

“What?” Simon leaned over the stream. “I
don’t see anything.”

“That doesn’t mean there’s nothing there,”
warned Zoey. “I wouldn’t get too close to that water . . . there
could be Grohemoths, or something more evil.”

Simon jumped back. “Right. Let’s not disturb
the water.”

“Come on,” urged Tristan, “I’m losing the
tracks.”

After about a half hour of running, Zoey
thought her lungs would burst.

“Water,” she heard Simon grumble behind her.
“I need water.”

Tristan stopped and turned. “How much water
do we have left?”

“Just two bottles,” said Zoey. “We need the
water for the way back.”

Simon pinched the cramp at his side. “What?”
his face was as red as the sand. “Listen, I need just a sip, just a
sip. Please.”

“We can’t. Maybe if we walk the rest of the
way? This air is really hard to breathe. I don’t think I can run
anymore, either.” Zoey’s legs started to shake.

Simon hung his head. “I’m going to die.
We’re all going to die.”

Tristan wiped the sweat from his brow.
“Okay, I think we’re getting close anyway. I can sort of see a city
near the bottom of the mountains there.”

Zoey squinted into the wind. Tristan was
right. She could barely make out the silhouette of a city below the
black mountains. She hoped her mother would be there somewhere.

“I’m so hungry I could eat my own foot,”
whined Simon, dragging his feet.

“The tracks lead to that city,” pointed
Tristan. “We get to the city, and we’ll find Director Martin—”

“And punch him in the face,” said Simon
brightly.

“I have a feeling it won’t be that easy,”
said Zoey. The black mountains loomed in the distance like an
upside-down clawed hand. She fought down an eerie feeling in the
pit of her stomach.

“Sure it will,” she heard Simon say behind
her. “You hold him, and I’ll use his face as a punching bag.”

Zoey turned around—

“Simon! No!”

Green crystals dribbled from the corners of
his mouth. His eyes widened at the realization of what he had just
done. He spit on the ground, but it was too late. He’d already
swallowed most of crystals the Minitians had given them.

Zoey smacked the empty bottle from his
hand.

“You idiot! You’re not supposed to eat that
stuff! You’re supposed to sprinkle it over you!”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was
thinking,” said Simon backing away. “I was so thirsty and hungry,
I—I wasn’t thinking clearly. I found it in my pocket. I don’t know
why I ate it. I don’t know why I do most of what I do. But it’s
weird, I feel better now.”