Their Adventure Together 12

Black Soldier 

    I led the way to the Room Of Secrets. I unlocked the door and invited the girl in. When I saw the picture earlier, I suddenly realized who she was. It was her. The one I had been searching my entire life for. The girl who was a mystery to me, the one which I researched about to find out if she was alive. I never met her all this while. The girl whom I could never forget. Her, my twin sister. It was her. I'd finally found her. My twin sister. Yet I couldn't even recall her name. 

    She stepped in the room and gasped (I didn't), her eyes full of amazement and wonder. I didn't blame her. The room was beautiful. It was blue in colour, like the northern lights. The ceiling never really ended. It kind of just... went on? Ok, so there wasn't a ceiling, but you could see the night sky with its twinkling stars. Like I said, the room was stunning.  But I had came here way too many times that I forgot its beauty.

    Along the walls, there were tons of papers, pictures, drawings, maps and everything else I had used for research. " What is this place? " she asked. I startled and dropped the papers I was holding.

    " Its the Room of Secrets. " I answered. After a few seconds, I realized that she wouldn't know what the Room of Secrets was, so I explained. 

    " The Room of Secrets holds the truth of everything that happened. Like, if I want to find out who killed uh, a certain soldier in World War 2, then I just have to step in the ring there, " I pointed to a silver glowing circle in the middle of the room, " and ask the room. But the room only knows what has happened in the past, not the present or the future. So, if I ask whether we are going to die, the room won't be able to answer. Or if I ask where is your friend now, the room also won't be able to answer. So.. that's how it works. " I finished.

    She nodded, still mesmerized by the rare beauty of the room. As far as I knew, Earth didn't have places like these, so I just let her look around for a while as I retrieved the black heart pendant from my coat. 

Sirena

    I was speechless for a few minutes. The room was beyond beautiful. It was.. there's no word in the dictionary to describe it. The most I can say is that its amazing, like nothing I had ever seen in my 13 years of life. Extraordinary. This realm was taking me by surprise. Looks like even the Dark Realm couldn't refuse a little light. 

    The black soldier explained to me everything about the Secret Room, and, I must admit, I was a little excited to try it. But I didn't think that he would let me. Anyways, I had absolutely no idea why he even brought me here. Considering the fact that we never really said more than 10 sentences to each other and how distrusting and rude he was throughout the entire trip, its astonishing that he suddenly decided to trust me and take me to this Secret Room of his.

    I asked him what he brought me here for. What he said next completely took me by surprise. " What's your name? " he asked, instead of answering me. I was shocked. I was offended. He was with me and my friends for more than a week, but he didn't even know our names? I call that bad conversational skills.

    But since I didn't want to offend him and make him lose his sudden trust in me, I answered him. " Sirena. I'm Sirena. My friends are Chris and Aisha. " I added, in case he didn't know. He just nodded coolly as though he knew that all along. " Now, what have you brought me here for? " I asked, my interest growing.

    " Do you know who you are? " he asked, once again avoiding my question. I wanted to know why he didn't answer me, but his question was too tempting. Who I was? What kind of question is that? It was a weird question to be asking, but I knew that he was smart, so I guessed there was a reason. 'And that reason probably was that who I thought I was is not the truth.' I concluded. Impressive. My conclusion surprised even me. 

    " Yes? I think I do. " I answered hesitantly. He waited for an explanation. " I am Sirena Alexander, and I'm 13 years old. I live in Ohio, USA. I am an only child, and I have a cousin named Dina James. Her father is my father's brother. " I stated. 

    " Hmm.. Earth has made you blind. The lies that were planted in your brains and body is impressive. You have completely forgotten who you are. This is what I feared when I tried to find you. " his words stung me. What was he saying? Everything and everyone I had ever known was a lie? How does he even know that? I don't understand.

    " I.. I don't quite understand.. " I stammered. I tried to ignore his words, but there was truth in it. How did I know? The same way I knew how Aisha was feeling the other day. I felt him. He was telling the truth. But I couldn't accept it. How can it be possible? I just came to know him, but he knew more about me than I knew about myself. A hundred thoughts swirled in my already confused head. 

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Their Adventure Together 10

 Aisha

    " Change of plans! " Chris announced, walking in the cabin. He dumped a map, compass and a lantern on the wooden table. 

    " What change of plans? " I asked, joining him at the table. I poured a cup of warm tea and handed it to him. 

    " Thanks. We are not going to meet the Black Soldiers' leader. We are going to the Hidden's territory first, get their elder's approval, then go meet the Black Soldiers' leader. Since its on the way. " Chris explained. He took drained the cup of tea and sighed contentedly. " I'll get going then. " he said and called out farewell before closing the door. 

    Just as I started reading the map, the door opened again. I looked up. It was Sirena this time. " Did Chris tell you that we're changing course? " she asked, pouring herself a cup of tea. " Yum...  this tea is good. Where do they even get it from? " she mumbled. 

    " Yes. Chris just informed me. What are you doing? Want to shift? " I asked, gathering the two cups and standing up. 

    " No thanks. I'm sure you're busy as well. " she stood. " By the way, Chris is reading the map and helping the Black Soldier guy to ride the horses. " she added before I could ask. 

    " Okay then. " I said. I started scrubbing the pots and pans.  A few minutes later, I was done. I took out my apron and flopped on a nearby chair to have a nap. 

Sirena

I put on a coat - it was really cold out there - and grabbed a broom. I called out goodbye to Aisha before leaving. " Bye Aisha! " I called, but she was already snoring. I smiled and quietly made my exit. 

         I entered the cabin that I shared with Aisha. I hummed a song and started sweeping the small room. But as I swept, I realized a strange thing. Every time I swept, the dust on the floor was still there. The broom didn't pick up the dust! I stopped humming and stared at the broom suspiciously. 

    As I squinted at it, it suddenly made a fizzing noise and whizzed out of the cabin, dragging me along! " Fizz! Whiz! ARGH! " the sound from the broom clashed with my shrieks of terror. The broom dragged me past all the cabins and whizzed straight into the Black Soldier guy's personal cabin that he strictly forbid any of us from entering. My eyes widened with horror. He was definitely going to kill me now! I tried to stop the broom, but it just went faster. Finally, it dropped me on the floor.

    

        I stood up slowly, massaging my poor hands. " Bad broom! " I scolded. " Now look what you've done! You ... " I trailed off as I spotted the Black Soldier standing at the door. 

    

    " WHAT are you doing in MY cabin? " he asked, crossing his hands. 

    " I didn't do anything! It was the broom's fault! The broom brought, no, dragged me here! How can the broom even fly?! Look at my hands, its all red and it hurts! I couldn't even stop it, it wouldn't listen to me! Don't blame me for what it did! The broom even dropped me on the floor! " I ranted, tears of frustration coming in my eyes. I sniffed. 

    

    It seems like my ranting had done the trick. Its not like I was lying anyways, it was all true. The Black Soldier's stern face softened slightly. He walked to me. " Which part of it hurts? " he asked, taking my hands. 

    

    The moment he touched me, I felt something that was similar to an electric shock. My entire body tingled with his touch. I looked at him. Once again, it hit me that I had seen him somewhere before. I noticed that he felt the tingles too. Confused, he let go of my hands. 

    I rubbed my tears away and showed him my palms, which were now red and was full of cuts and scratches. " It hurts. I didn't do anything, honestly! " I burst out. 

    

    The boy sighed. " Alright, I know you didn't. Where could these bruises have come from then? " he said. He turned to the broom. " You, you are coming with me. I shouldn't have left you unchained. You naughty thing. " he added to the broom, who whimpered and dropped down, as if it was dead. The boy shook his head and continued reprimanding it.

    A glowing light caught my eye. ' What is that? ' I wondered. As the boy was scolding the broom. I slowly walked to the light. I saw a half of a heart. I gasped as I realized what it was. ' The half of the necklace! Finally, I had found it. ' I rejoiced silently. 

    

    Before I could ask the soldier where he got it from, the necklace piece displayed a picture of the soldier and me. It looked like the picture was edited. The bright background behind me was clashing with the dark background in his picture. 

    There was a purple force field around me, and the boy-soldier was holding his sword and shield. It looked like we were battling each other. I wondered if the necklace was showing the future. 

    Then the necklace piece displayed the two halves of the heart necklace, one half in my picture, the other half in his picture. The heart was connected, and there was a flash of light. " What are you doing? " the boy shouted. 

    

    He grabbed the necklace piece from my hands and paused when he saw the picture. After thinking a while, he stuffed it in his coat. " Come with me " he said, walking out of the cabin. I followed him to a secret room. When I entered, I was shocked. And then I realized what I had missed before. 

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Their Adventure Together 9

 

Gowri

    " Wow. " Deva said once we passed through the gateway. 

    " That's one way to see it. " Raju replied. " If I were you, I think the term remarkable is what should be applied in this situation. "

    " Oh quit bickering you two. " I quickly intervened before they started. I definitely didn't want to ruin the moment.  

   ' The Light Realm is such a nice place '  I thought. ' Surely there can be no harm here? ' I wondered if it was true. 

    " Excuse me, who are you? " a voice from behind startled me. 

    I turned around. A man wearing what looked like a kimono - you know, the type people wear in Japan - was staring expectantly at me. It would be an understatement to say that he glowed. In fact, he was shining so brightly, I had to shield my eyes to not go blind. Not to mention that he had a halo over his head.

    " Er, we're just.." I started. 

    " Visiting " finished Raju. I breathed a sigh of relief. I had panicked for a moment there.

    " You're VISITING? " asked the man, almost shouting the word ' visiting'. I winced. 

    " Can I, uh, we, get directions to meet your leader? King or something? " Deva asked, his tone sounding doubtful. 

    " KING? " shouted the man again. Deva nodded. " AH, KING! I WILL HELP YOU FORIJERS. I WILL GET A FIRL! " he continued.

    

    Raju and Deva blinked. " What did you say? " they questioned. 

    " HE MEANT " I started, pausing when I caught myself shouting. I cleared my throat before speaking again. " Um, he meant, he will help us foreigners and will get a .. a.. What was it again? "

    " A FIRL. F-I-R-L " he spelled patiently. 

    " Ah yes, a firl. " I finished proudly.

    " Quick question, " Deva asked, " What is a firl? " 

    Good one. Even I didn't know what a firl was. I turned to the man, waiting for his response. 

    " THIS IS A FIRL! " the man victoriously announced when a winged person came swooping down. 

    " Hi Grandpops! " she exclaimed happily. 

    " WHAT DID YOU SAY? " the man asked.

    " I SAID, HI GRANDPOPS! " the girl said, landing smoothly on the ground.  After the man nodded, she turned to us." Sorry. All the shouting must have been chaotic. Poor grandad. He's almost deaf you see. But he has endless patience. Not like me though. I am extremely impatient! " the girl said, smiling cheekily. 

    " I heard you asking what a Firl is. I am a Firl. " she continued before we could reply. "Firls are winged people as you may have noticed. Our wings are either black or white. It depends on your family really, if you come from elite families, your wings are black. If not, you're a white winged person, like me. Usually only royals have black wings. " she explained quickly. 

    " Firls can only be girls though. Any boy who lives in the Light Realm are Hamonos, like grandad here. " she added, pointing to the man earlier. " He's the gatekeeper. Its his duty to keep an eye out for visitors. " 

    

Raju

     I took a quick look at the firl. She wore a purple and black outfit that ended with a skirt. Her legs were covered with a tight black pants of some sort, with boots. Her wings were white. I also noticed the hilt of a sword hanging at her side. She looked like a tough fighter. Her fingers were covered with mud and scars that represented the battles she fought.

    " So... are you firls warriors or something? " I asked, gesturing to her sword. 

    She nodded. " I'm a middle-level warrior. After two years of training, I'll become a senior, like them. " she pointed to a group of firls training with shields and sword opposite us. 

    " Wow. " Deva commented, impressed. " When do you start training? " he asked.

    " We start training once we are capable to hold a sword. I started when I was 3. " she said proudly. 

    " That's cool. Now, can you help us? We need to meet your king. " I said. Then I proceeded to explain how the Balance Realm was in danger, and we needed armies to defeat Bellate and Trix. Gowri and Deva explained a few things too. When we were done, the cheeky face was gone. The girl went pale. She agreed to help us, but only tomorrow. Since it was night, she insisted we stay at a motel nearby. 

   Mental note for future reference :

• All buildings in the Light Realm are either trees, mushrooms or bushes. 
• The food in the Light Realm is DELICIOUS. 
• Hamonos are extremely patient.
• NEVER try to fight a Firl. You might as well commit suicide. 

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Their Adventure Together 8

     

Sirena

     I hadn't got slapped so hard before. The taste of blood spread through my mouth. Sure, I got slapped by my foster mom, but only once. " Mr Dark's" slap was way worse. I was sure that I was going to die. Chris jumped up to punch the man, fists ready, but was pushed down. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Aisha trembling with fear. 

    The first man grabbed the collar of my shirt and was about to give me another slap when the second boy intervened. He quickly got off the door and pressed the sharp end of the sword close to the first man's neck. His words were sharp. " Let. Her. Go. " he instructed, his voice so low, I had to strain my ears to hear it. Or maybe my ears couldn't hear well. His voice sounded familiar, like I had met him before. ' But that was impossible ' I wondered.

    The first man carried my collar higher. The boy pressed the sword now directly on his throat. " Let. Her. Go." he repeated, this time more louder than before. " I said let her go! You have gotten no orders to harass them! " he exclaimed. Mr Dark scowled and dropped me down. I breathed deeply. The slap had taken my breath away. The boy ushered the man to the door. He firmly closed the door behind him and locked it. 

    He offered his hand to help me up. " I know you're untied. I noticed it earlier. " he said, smirking. I glared at him and got up, ignoring his outstretched hand. He let his hand drop to his sides. I didn't want to trust him. " Who are you? " I asked.

Chris

    " Who are you? " Sirena asked the mysterious boy. Half his face was hidden in the shadows. I wondered if we could trust him.

    " Who are we? " the boy asked her back in disbelief. " You don't know who we are? " When Sirena shook her head, he laughed. " You're kidding " he said after laughing. When none of us replied, he straightened his face and said, " We are the Black Soldiers". " We are skilled fighters. Our enemies are always defeated. This sword, " he gestured to the sword hanging at his side, " was forged by the greatest miners in the world. It would hypnotize anyone the blade touches. But its immune to Black Soldiers, though it would still kill one if its wielder's good. " he explained.

    " We live in the Dark Realm. " he added. " But I guess you know that already. What did you come here for? You mentioned an alliance," he pointed to Sirena, " what alliance do you want? We are a neutral party. We don't fight in the politics of Vivaria and Miromar. " 

    " We know. But we still have to ask you to help. This is the war of the worlds. Bellate and Trix are trying to take over all the realms! And then they will take over Earth, where we come from. You have to help us before they come to you! " I begged.

    " Well, normally, we won't take any sides, but in this case... You mentioned Bellate and Trix? They're the one who's in this? " he asked. 

    " Um, yes. Why ? " I questioned.

    " Interesting... " he muttered softly. I stole a glance to Sirena and Aisha. They were nodding encouragingly. 

    " Do you think you can get an alliance with us? And what about the Hiddens? Have they agreed? " he asked, narrowing his eyes. 

    Oops. He was starting to get suspicious and impatient. Time for a distraction. But before that, a quick history lesson. " What are the Hiddens? " asked Sirena, raising her eyebrow.

    The boy sighed. " The Hidden are the girls that live in the Dark Realm. They are almost always covered, have magic and are super powerful. " he explained, running his hands through his hair.

    " Can we have a quick discussion? " Aisha asked him. He nodded, frowning at his watch. I was amazed. He had a watch. Perhaps they were like normal people. 

    I gathered around the girls. " So...we ask the Hiddens as well?" Aisha asked. I shrugged my shoulders. 

    " We should. The more people we have, the better. " Sirena suggested. " Though we should have knew about all the inhabitants of the Dark Realm before coming here right? " 

    I nodded. " I'm so going to kill Neil when we get back. " I muttered.

   

    " Are you done? " the boy interrupted. We turned back. 

    " Kindly take us to the palace to meet your leader. " Aisha asked bowing. 

    The boy pondered on it for a moment. "Very well. On one condition. We visit the Hidden territory first, and, only, and if only the Hiddens agree, then I will take you to my leaders. Agreed? " We nodded. "Good. Sit here quietly while I take us there." he said.

    " Wait. " Aisha caught his sleeve before he went out. " How do we know if we can trust you? " she asked. I waited for his reply. 

    " If I wanted to harm you, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be so polite. " he said shortly and went out the cart. 

    I looked at my companions. " I guess that's a yes then. "  

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Their Adventure Together 7

 

    Neil opened a portal to the Balance Realm. One by one, they made their way through the portal. When Sirena opened her eyes, she expected to find a war happening before her eyes. Fortunately, there was a beautiful sight before her. A river was flowing happily, as the birds flew above her chirping. The sun was shining, and the breeze was cool. She smiled.

    " Welcome to the Balance Realm " Neil announced. " Turn to your right and you will see the entrance to the Light Realm, and on your left is the gateway to the Dark Realm. 

       Dark Realm gateway

Light Realm entrance

    "Wow. Talk about a neutral party" Raju muttered. "So, which one are we going into first?" he asked.

    " The Light Realm? Does anyone want to go to the Dark Realm first? " Deva asked, shaking with fear. 

    " No. " Aisha disagreed. " We have to split up. " she said, ignoring her brother's shocked gasp. " You are the one who said there's no time to lose. " she said to Neil. 

     Neil frowned. " Never quote me unless I give you the permission to. " he said. After thinking about it, he agreed reluctantly. " Normally, its bad to split up, but, given the circumstances, fine. We need to get there before Bellate and Trix do. ". 

    So Aisha, Sirena and Chris left to the Dark Realm and Deva, Raju and Gowri went through the entrance to the Light Realm.  Neil made plans to wait for Asish then go to the Balance Realm's main palace to plead for help.

    Aisha

    'Sirena and Chris look brave.' I said to myself. 'Hopefully there's nothing dangerous waiting on the other side. ' I thought as we passed through the gateway. Our surroundings were dark. Gloomy. Scary. ' And cold ' I shivered and quickly put on warmer clothes. 

    " So.. where to first? " Chris asked a few minutes later. I glanced around us. Something wasn't right, I could sense it. And I was right. All of a sudden, a pack of ferocious wolves leaped out from the shadows, circling us. Their eyes were red, with thick black coats. 

    The wolves growled and bared their teeth. A few men slinked out out the shadows. They blended in perfectly in the dark. " Well, well, well, what have we got here? " one of them asked.

     I looked at them carefully. Each of them were dressed similarly, a black mask covering their faces, a black cape, a sword hanging at their side, black leggings and black boots completed their look. Everything was black, even their swords. 'Strange' I remarked softly. Before I could study them further, the men rushed forward and captured us. The last thing I felt was the world spinning as I fell down.

    

    Sirena

    Someone groaned. 'Aisha probably,' I guessed. I slowly opened my eyes and sat up. Or at least I tried to. A jolt made me fall down again. We were in a wooden cart. My hands were tied behind my back. I saw Chris beside me, unconscious. Before I could wake him, another jolt, more harder than earlier, did. 

    He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. I saw his eyes widen as he realized that we were captured. He spun around, looking for Aisha. I looked for her too. I spotted her. I tried to call Chris, but my words were muffled. I was gagged. Just great. This couldn't get any worse. I thumped the bottom of the cart. 'Yes! He heard me! ' I nodded my head in Aisha's direction. Once she woke up, the three of us sat down, staring at each other. We had failed. What were we thinking?

    I scanned my surroundings to find something useful. It was dark. Really dark. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I found a jagged piece of wood. I moved myself nearer to it, and started rubbing my hands up and down, trying to cut the rope. Chris and Aisha just stared at me, not daring to make a sound. 

    After what seemed like an hour, the rope binding me was finally cut. As the last pieces of rope frayed, I heard the distinct sound of voices. The same voices from earlier. I quickly glanced at my companions. They were coming.

    The door to the cart opened, and two men stepped in. I peeped around the door before they closed it. We were in a clearing in the middle of the forest. It seemed like we had stopped for a break. The two men removed their masks, and I let out the breath I had been holding. They were normal people after all, with human faces. Before they realized I was untied, I quickly placed my hands behind my back, pretending to be tied.

    The first  man knelt down beside Aisha. The second person - who I realized was around our age, just leaned on the door, watching. The first man roughly yanked the gag off Aisha. He did the same to Chris. When he came to me, I was trembling. God knows what he would do to us. He removed my gag. I gasped for fresh air. 

    " Who are you strangers? Why intrude in our home? " he asked, his voice ringing in our ears.

    " We didn't mean to intrude. We just humbly request to meet the king. Or your leader. Whichever that you have. " Aisha said.

    " And who do you think you are, that you can request the presence of him ? " he asked. I doubted that Aisha knew what to say now. 

    " We mean you no harm. We have come to make an alliance. " I said.

    " You're taking a huge risk you know, " he sneered. I swallowed. I knew I was. I held my head up high regardless. I noticed that the second man, or boy, was amused at my boldness. For some reason, my determined look annoyed the first man. I held back a satisfied smile. I had found Mr Dark's weakness - he was too proud to be challenged. I maintained my gaze, looking in his black eyes. Seconds ticked by. ' What was he waiting for? ' I wondered. I got my answer sooner than I expected. 

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Their Adventure Together 6

     The holo-call ended abruptly. Aisha turned to look at Neil. " What is the Balance Realm? " he asked. " What else are we not supposed to know?" he added annoyed. 

    Neil didn't try to defend himself. " I was about to tell you." he pouted. " Anyways, Asish told you already. The Balance Realm has been divided into two parts, the Dark Realm and the Light Realm. We don't have time to tell you the entire history of Vivaria and Miromar you know. The Balance Realm is located half in Miromar and half in Vivaria. Though they are a neutral realm, no creatures or people EVER go there. " Neil said impatiently. " I'm never giving a history lesson again, especially to kids" he muttered while they processed the information.

    " So...we are headed there right?" asked Raju. 

    " Yes. Get your stuff. And also, get some warm clothes but, pack some casual clothes too. " Neil gave instructions as they left the table to get ready. 

    Sirena, Aisha and Gowri went to the room they shared. Aisha, the last one to come in closed the door and sighed. " So now we are going to the Balance Realm, where no creature ever went, but of course, we are going there." 

    Gowri pulled out her backpack from under her bed. " We should pack some food. So that we don't end up dying of starvation. " she suggested as she frowned at the clothes on her bed. " By the way, which scarf should I use? The grey one or the red one?" she asked. 

    " Grey. I have two grey ones. I can lend you one. " she offered to Aisha. When Aisha nodded, the three of them packed their grey beanies into their backpacks. Sirena lent the two girls one of her grey mittens - she had three pairs. (They decided on grey to recognize each other.) Then the girls packed a few T-shirts, pants, food and water. Then they cleaned their room and went downstairs solemnly. 

(The Grey Girls)

       " What took you so long? " Deva exclaimed as he spotted the girls coming down the stairs. "We've been waiting for ages!" 

    " We packed food and drinks, which, I'm sure, that neither of you packed! " Aisha retorted. " Anyways, let's go now. We're ready. " she continued, after getting the satisfaction of seeing all the boys flush with embarrassment. 

     Their small group went out the cottage, each and every one of them nervous at what they were going to face. They worried about their safety. But together, they had faith that they would make it. 

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Their Adventure Together 5

     " Let's move people. As fast as you can. " Neil ordered as the children bustled about, covering every single mirror they could find with cloth and rags, anything they had as long as the mirrors we covered. They were quite a number of mirrors in the small cottage, but soon enough, every single one of them were covered or brought down. ( Now that the mirrors are covered, no magical contact could be made. )

    After they finished clearing the lunch dishes, the entire household had a meeting. " Those two were Bellate and Trix, the most evillest twin sisters in the entire Vivaria and Miromar! Bellate is in charge of Miromar, while Trix handles Vivaria. It seems they have joined forces for a reason that I believe, is because of the 6 of you. " Neil paused for a dramatic effect. " You two, " he pointed at Sirena and Chris, " are clearly in trouble. I'm assuming that Trix wants you. Trix doesn't always interfere with her sister, but it seems fate has brought them together for this particular case. 

    "You four on the other hand, " this time he pointed at the cousins, " have already met Bellate. As you may have guessed, she is the Queen Bella you saw in the palace of Miromar. It was not a pleasant meeting, as you all know. " Sirena and Chris had been filled in on their trip to the castle, " And now, " he concluded. " We are all in terrible danger. Challenges will come, each one more worst and devastating than the other. The witches and their minions will feed on your weaknesses, your worst fears, and your loved ones. My rule? Always keep your eyes and ears open. No matter where you are. You can't trust anyone but those in this house. Don't ever let your guard down " he emphasized. " And be careful. They will do anything they can to destroy you, and nothing will stop them. " he added. 

    " Whoa, whoa whoa. Hang on a minute. Why would that, uh,  Trix lady wants us in the first place? " Chris asked, spreading his hands in front of him. " Why are we such a hazard to her plans? " he added. " I mean, I'm no evil person, but seriously, what does she want from me and Sirena? " he elaborated hastily, after receiving glares from all of them. 

    Neil rubbed his forehead and sighed. " You two are trying to stop the family curse right?" he asked. When Sirena and Chris nodded, he explained, " Trix is the one who's behind it. The black necklace, the black dress, the black lady. That's her all right. Black magic. It's all her. So obviously, I think that you are smart enough to deduct that you are standing in her way. As for the cousins, Bellate wants to be the Queen of Maromir, and since she's not a heir to the throne, she wants to kill those who are. Which is the four of you. You four are the heir to the throne, so she wants you dead. She will stop at nothing to get herself the title. So as you can see, I think we can conclude that we, are in big trouble. " he finished.

       "So, after that massive explanation, what is our plan? " asked Raju, diverting the conversation to their earlier and main topic. They were silent for a while. " I think.." Raju started when a ringing sound interrupted him. " What is that? "

    Neil rolled up his sleeve to show his black watch. " Incoming holo-call from Asish" the watch announced. The 6 teenagers gaped and blinked as the VDA's boss, Asish appeared in a hologram. Neil, who saw their reactions shrugged. " What? We are in the future you know. " he said. 

        "I have some news for you. " Asish begun. " The two realms, Miromar and Vivaria have formed an alliance. Bellate and Trix have officially joined forces. " he informed. " It is impossible for us to seek help now. If you want, we can go to the Balance Realm. It has been divided into the Dark Realm and Light Realm. Of course, usually they don't take sides in any case, so we will have to beg for their help or" he paused. " Give them something they want and need in return. " Asish finished. The connection broke, and once again silence filled their home. 

    

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Their Adventure Together 4

     " The trees were blowing wildly in the strong wind, and suddenly a storm formed right above my head. I wrapped my coat around me tighter and continued on my way.... Suddenly, lightning flashed, and a shadow danced over my head! It was so creepy.." Neil shuddered at the memory. 

        " How did the shadow look like?" Aisha asked, while grabbing a notebook and pen.

    " It was very tall, and disappeared almost after the second I spotted it. There were two men in black clothes. They disappeared, then there was a symbol.." Neil frowned. 

    " Draw it." Aisha said, pushing the notebook and pen to him. Neil started drawing. Gowri got up to get a cup of water. 

    "Here it is. It looked something like this."Neil said, showing the drawing. 

    " This was the same symbol I saw!" Aisha exclaimed. " So it must be the same people!" Aisha concluded. She opened her mouth to say more, but a shrill scream from the kitchen interrupted her. She looked at the others, and simultaneously, everyone rushed to the kitchen to find Gowri shaking, pointing at the mirror.

    

    " What is it? " asked Aisha, running to her side. She looked at the mirror, and froze. 

    " What on earth? " Raju peered at the mirror. Deva tilted his head and muttered something faintly in shock and Neil slowly backed away, as if trying to hide.

    

    In the mirror, instead of their reflection, two ladies, were looking at them intently. " So these are all of you! Finally, after so long, I, um, we have found you! " the lady in black declared triumphantly. 

    " No doubt you recognize me.." the lady in pink said, pointing to Aisha. " Dear" she finished. Aisha fumed as she was right. It was the queen of Maromir. 

    

      " We'll explain later" Raju whispered to Sirena and Chris. They nodded. " And who are you? " Raju asked to the lady in black, shadows covering her face. 

      " Hmm..it seems my prey has made some friends.." The lady in black said sinisterly to Sirena and Chris.

       " Your prey? What do you mean? We're not animals! " exclaimed Sirena. 

       " I'm Trix. Pleasure to meet your accquantaince. " Trix introduced herself. "Or not.. you might be dead the next time we pop in, right Bellate dear? " Trix added, smiling wickedly as her sister agreed.

        "Guranteed dear sister " Bellate drawled, looking at her nails. "Ah. Duty calls." Bellate waved her hand in a motion that looked like she was shooing flies to Deva, and dismissed them. The connection through their mirror was broken. 

          There was a moment of silence. Not a sound came from the cottage that accomodated 4 cousins, a boy and girl, which made 6 wild teenagers plus a young adult who turned out to be a wizard. They all turned to Neil, who was crouching undernearth the table for answers. He slowly got up, as if deliberately making them wait. They gathered around the round dining table, eager to get answers. They needed facts. Facts that hopefully would be enough to keep them alive, safe and well. For now at least.

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Their Adventure Together 3

         After setting the table for dinner, Aisha realized that she had left behind something- her blue silver bracelet that she never parted with. She ran up to her room to get it. When she approached her room door, she saw a bright blue light shining through the door hole. 

    Aisha squinted and peered under the door hole. She saw TWO masked men (or women, she wasn't sure which) , holding her bracelet. The bracelet shone brightly. One of them shoved it in a black backpack and they both disappeared in a cloud of red and purple smoke. The smoke formed some kind of symbol, so Aisha remembered how it looked like before it disappeared completely. Aisha was astonished and opened the door. But it was too late. The thieves had gone. 

    Aisha regretted not going in earlier and scaring the thieves. She crawled around her bedroom floor, desperately trying to find the bracelet. But deep down she knew it was gone. Aisha knelt and salty tears traced her cheeks. The bracelet was from her mother. Her biological mother's bracelet, the only reminder she had of her. And now it was gone. 

    Meanwhile, her cousins, was downstairs, along with Sirena and Chris. They were waiting impatiently for food. They just realized that they hadn't eaten since lunch- which was hours ago. Deva boisterously came down the stairs and plopped himself in a chair. Raju was the first to notice Aisha's absence. 

    "Where is Aisha?" he asked Gowri. 

    Gowri shrugged. " She was down earlier. Then she went up to take something. " she replied, after thinking for a moment. They waited a little longer. 

    Finally, Raju decided to go and call Aisha. " She might be in trouble" he reasoned. Eventually, all of them trooped upstairs to find Aisha. 

    They went into her room, and found her still kneeling on the floor. Raju rushed to her, Gowri at his heels. Deva surveyed the room for damage. Sirena and Chris stood awkwardly at the door-they didn't feel welcome. 

    'There are all a family, Chris and I aren't even that close. I feel out of place. I feel like an intruder. ' the thoughts rushed into Sirena's head. 

    Chris has his own doubts too. ' Sure, they are a family, they can depend on each other. But who am I? What am I even doing here? ' thoughts made their way into his heart. For a minute, he felt like an outsider. He then remembered how friendly the cousins were to him, how they had accepted him into their home. He shook his head, clearing the thoughts, which were getting more meaner each second, and focused on Aisha. 

    Tears were still falling from her eyes. Aisha was sobbing, as if her heart had been broken. ' Now I will never remember her! And she will never be able to find me if I don't have the bracelet!' she cried inwardly. Precious memories of her and her mother filled her head. All the fantasies of finally meeting her mother after years disappeared. Then came the anger. 'Who were those people? What did they think she was? A girl who was easily frightened and no confidence? ' 

    Aisha shook off her cousins' concerned hands and stood up, fiercely brushing her tears. " I WILL find that bracelet, even if I have to go to the end of the Earth to find it! " she exclaimed with determination so strong, it brought Sirena to tears - of admiration and strength. 

    She could feel Aisha's feelings, angry and fierce. She could feel it in her. Like she was Aisha. She cautiously met Aisha in the eye, and felt the anger rushing into her veins. She excused herself from the room, which was getting noisier, with the cousin's demanding to know what happened, and what Aisha meant. 

    As Aisha explained, Sirena felt that talking about her biological mother calmed Aisha. She sighed in relief. Her head was starting to spin, and she decided to ask Neil later about what she had felt. Was she magic? If so, why? Who was she, really?

    Soon, everyone, including Aisha were downstairs, peacefully eating dinner without any other surprises. Sirena was thoughtful about her feelings earlier, but she didn't say a word about it to Chris when he asked if she was okay - he said she was a bit pale, she didn't want to him to know more than what he should know. 'Anyways, I doubt Aisha would like it if I went about telling people about her feelings,' she assured herself. 

    By 9.00, the dishes and food had been cleared, and everyone was relaxing when Neil returned, knocking on the door. Aisha, who had been skimming through books to find the symbol she saw earlier in smoke, immediately jumped up from the couch to answer. She opened the door to find Neil standing before her, soaking wet. 

    " Gosh. Where have you been? " Raju questioned, resting his head on Aisha's shoulder to see the who it was. Aisha pushed his head away and beckoned for Neil to come in. 

    " Goodness, Neil. What happened to you? " Gowri asked concerned. She took Neil's coat and shoes to put for drying. " It isn't even raining here" she added, looking out the window. 

    Neil sat down and sighed. " Thankfully, my clothes are still dry" he mumbled. 

    " Hmm? Something to say Neil? " Deva asked, distractedly. He was too busy watching the football match on TV. Aisha took the remote and switched it off. Deva turned around. " What are you ..." he started when he saw Neil sitting with his wet hair and half-wet clothes. He gaped. " When did you... Why are you.." he sputtered as his cousins sighed.  How they were even related was a mystery for all of them.

    Gowri brought out some warm soup for Neil. He started drinking the soup. After a while, he put down the bowl and pushed it aside. " WELL?? WHAT HAPPENED??" the children almost deafened Neil. 

    Neil winced and rubbed his ears. " You all are going to make me deaf soon," he mumbled under his breath. " Alright. When I was walking home, I came across the most weirdest thing I have ever seen..." 

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Their Adventure Together 2

      " I guess you're the help. Hi! I'm Raju. " Raju waved to Sirena and Chris. There was a flurry of introductions, and soon everyone got back to the problem at hand. They stared at the thing in disgust. 

    " What in the name of Whitbrick is that thing?" Gowri asked. (She was getting used to Whitbrick and their ways, so she says Whitbrick phrases all the time now.)

     " Its called an Aakatharisto. Which is greek for.." Deva said proudly.

    " Gross. Its greek for gross. " Gowri said frowning. There was absolute silence. Everyone in the cottage inspected the fruit. 

    " Where did you two even find this fruit?" asked Aisha at last. She turned to Deva and Raju.

    " We found a whole plantation of it. " " Somewhere near the forest. We can show you!" Deva said.

    " It seems that people around here eat it. I mean, nobody, nobody can even give me a decent burger here." Raju added.  

     Gowri snapped her fingers as she remembered something. " That's what it was! We saw some kids eating it when Aisha and I went to the market earlier! " she exclaimed. 

    " OH!" Aisha exclaimed. " Remember we asked them what it was, and they said its .. their snack? " she doubted. " No, that doesn't sound right.."

    " Their snack" Gowri confirmed. " They eat this um, Aakatharisto as snacks in Whitbrick. Well, that's one bad thing about this place. "

    Sirena and Chris were silent throughout the exchange of information. Now Sirena spoke up. " So, we are going to eat this? "she asked. 

       " I suppose. " Aisha said, glaring at Deva and Raju. " Since they brought it here, we must " she added.  

    Before she could say anything else, a loud sound was heard from the hall. " Thud, thud, thud." The door was pounded on. Everyone was alarmed, and began to panic as the door burst open and a few men in suits entered, all holding guns. " Put your hands up! In the name of the.." 

    " STOP! We are coming to help them, not arrest them. " explained a man, supposedly their boss. The men lowered their guns and the cousins, Sirena, and Chris relaxed. 

    " Who are you? " asked Aisha. 

    " Mrs Aisha Shanmugam, we are your allies. We have come to.." started a man in black.

    " Hush! Don't tell them yet! " interrupted their boss.  He turned to Aisha. " We are the members of the VDA. " he said. " Neil called us as backup. " he added. 

    " He did? " Gowri asked. " Where is he anyway? " she asked. They twisted around, trying to find him. " 

        " I did." Neil suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs. " Asish..." he said, as he opened his arms for a hug. 

    " Neil.." the boss did the same. They embraced each other as old friends. The others stared on confused. 

        

        " Ok. Can I ask you a few questions? " Raju started. " One, who on Earth is Asish? Two. What is the VDA? Three. Do you two know each other? " he asked. 

        Asish and Neil laughed. " I'll explain. Come, let's have a seat. " They went into the living room and sat down. " This, " he announced, " is my best friend since childhood. Introduce yourself. " he said. 

        " I'm Asish. Delighted to make your acquaintance, " he said with a bow. " Also, I happen to be the boss of the VDA. The VDA stands for Vivaria Defence Agency. We go around Vivaria helping people and stopping crimes. "

        " So.. you guys are like spies? Or secret agents? Ooh, are you guys Men in Black? " Deva asked enthusiastically. 

    " Um, I don't think I'm familiar with the term Men in Black... but you could say that we are like spies and secret agents. I suppose. " Asish answered, scratching his head. 

        " And what, or where is Vivaria? " Aisha asked, confused. 

        " Its where. Vivaria is the land you are standing on right now. This country is called Vivaria. " Asish explained. " And I'm the head of it " he added proudly. 

        " Oh... I see. " Deva said. " But then, how come we never heard of Vivaria until today? " he questioned. 

        " It was because Neil didn't want to trouble you with all the information. " Asish replied. 

        " Asish is right. I didn't want to tell you even more about Vivaria, which would burden you even more. " Neil explained.

        " But you should have told us anyway! " Aisha exclaimed. 

        " I should have. I'm sorry. " Neil apologized. 

        " Well then, it looks like we should get ready for dinner then, " Raju said decidedly. 

        " Dinner? " chorused his cousins. " Is it night already? " Deva asked, peering out of the window. 

        " Yes. Let's meet back in here, in half an hour, for dinner." Neil said, exiting the cottage with Asish. " I'll be back in a while. I want to make sure that Asish and his volunteers are safe at their hotel. " 

        Raju nodded. They all went to their separate rooms to get ready. Little did they know that their problems were just beginning..

 

Aisha 

                                                                     

                                                                           Gowri

                                                                        Sirena

                                          

                                                             Chris

Raju and Deva

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