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Chapter Fifteen The celebration was as good as ended by the time Kali, Sophia, and Gary were leaving. Dawn was braking and the village was tired from dancing and partying. They had stuffed themselves with food set out by the bakers of the village. Sometime during all the celebrating, Brigitte had slipped away. The group, now decreased from five to three, had no idea where Zale or Brigitte had gone. In any case, at the moment they were too tired to care and laid down on empty mats in the medical hut. They all fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the mats and snoozed until noon the next day. Sophia woke first to the sounds of voices. Most of the people in the hut were still asleep. Yawning, she stretched and looked around. There were people talking quietly in one dark corner of the room, closest to their mats. She blinked at them, at a loss for what to say. They noticed her and stopped talking. Looking at each other first, they came forward. Sophia was surprised to see her mother standing next to two men who looked a bit like Gary--one of them a good bit older than the other. "Mom?!" Sophia exclaimed, jumping to her feet and running into her mother's arms. She was so happy, tears spilled down her cheeks, but it was the first time she had ever cried. Her mother hugged her back, gazing down at her daughter lovingly. When her they parted, Sophia had a million questions to ask. "How did you get here? How did you find me? How long have you been looking? Where's Drake? Does he know…" "Whoa, slow down! When you didn't return after a few days I got worried because you've done this before," her mother started. Kali and Gary were awake now, Kali just staring off into space. "I checked around, and someone at a hotel said that you had helped him for a day or two, and were venturing off with a group of people who said they were criminals. He described them to me, and I knew you were among them. He also described a boy." She looked over to Gary's father. "At first, I thought you were traveling with him, but I decided to come here to see what was going on. I was wrong, and I found the valley overflowing with reinforcements for whatever Nwon-Knu was planning. I was kidnapped by this village--actually the guards who had captured it--and found Taron and Alexander roaming the streets. "Naturally, I questioned them and they told me that they didn't know what was going on. By then, word was travelling that a girl named Kali had been taken prisoner by Nwon-Knu. There were rumors that Nwon-Knu was getting impatient and wanted to start her invasion as soon as possible and that this Kali was the only electric-powerful human in the last five-hundred years. "As for your stepfather, he is still at home taking care of Matthew and the twins. He doesn't know I'm here, of course, he doesn't even know magic exists--" Gary's father, Alexander, looked astonished by this--"but he does know that I'm out looking for you." "Wow. That was long . . . wait until you hear my story!" Sophia declared. "If it's that long, let's wait 'til the ride home." "Oh. Okay. Hey, I wonder where Brigitte and Zale are?" Kali looked at the door. "Well . . . I suppose Zale and Gabrielle had a busy night . . . " Sophia grinned, while Gary through a look of distaste toward Kali. "Don't know where Brigitte is. Maybe she made up with that Kedar demon, do you think?" "Well, this sure is unexpected," Gary said. "I don't think I can take any more unexpected surprises," Kali replied. "Kali, surprises are already unexpected. That statement was redundant," Gary teased. "Unexpected surprises," Kali teased back, sticking her tongue at Gary. "You shouldn't stick your tongue out at people, it's rude." "Yeah, well you shouldn't correct a hero!" Gary countered, "Hero? Who, you?" Kali faked a look of hurt. "I happened to save your life, Mr. Grammar!" "Well, Miss Hero, if you want to put fame before brains, be my guest." The two continued arguing and teasing each other while Sophia left the hut, the flap of the doorway swinging behind her. ~ Out on the street, Sophia walked around the market place, looking at the items in the market. She was surprised to find that the market place was fairly similar to the ones she had seen. She hadn't been walking long when she ran into Gabrielle and Zale. "Hey, Zale, Gabby!" she greeted as they met around a corner. "Hello Sophia," Gabrielle greeted in return. "I hear that you are the one who defeated the great Eclipse, if you could call what she did 'great'." "Aye, it was great--a great terrible and horrifying experience to any who came across her. I must have slept a whole day after that!" "Not quite a whole day," Zale pointed out. "Yes, Zale has told me much of you. Your parents are in the medical hut." "Yes, I know. I spoke to them earlier. I will be returning to the city with my mother, I suppose." "Ah, that's too bad. Zale and I are going to stay here awhile and see what kind of living we may be able to make." "Hmm. Well, I suppose that Gary will go to the cliffs with his father. And perhaps Brigitte will stay here. But what will happen to Kali?" Sophia asked. "That is up to her. I know where her heart is, but I cannot tell you that information. It would be invading her privacy, but I cannot help this psychic power I have. But then, if you know her well enough, you would know, too." "Yes, I suppose I would, but I don't." "Zale and I must go now. Oh, and in a minute, a little boy will crash into you and spill his cup of juice on you. Thought I would warn you," Gabrielle said, and Zale and her disappeared into the crowd. "Yeah, a little boy with a cup of juice." Sighing, Sophia headed back in the direction of the medical hut. Just as she turned, a little demon child ran into her, spilling his cup of juice all over her. Gasping, she glared down at the boy when his mother came up. "Please excuse him--I'm dreadfully sorry--I . . . " "It's okay, it's okay," she muttered, pushing past them and hurrying to the medical hut. When she turned the last corner to the hut, she saw Brigitte and Kedar standing outside. She met them and asked, "Brigitte? Will you be coming with us to the city?" Brigitte looked at Sophia, noticing the stain on the front of her tunic. "No, I'll be staying here. I already told Gary and Kali. We're going now." Brigitte and Kedar walked past her and continued down the street, melting into the crowd. Sophia entered the hut. "Oh, good, you're back, Sofi!" Kali exclaimed. "As soon as you're ready we'll be going to the city. Gary, his dad, and his granddad are comin' with us! So hurry up, if you need to change!" "Hmph. And where do you suppose I'll get a change of clothes?" "Oh, Gabrielle dropped them off when she and Zale came by. She said to give them to ya, since ya 'might be needing them'," Kali replied. "Right, right." Sophia took the bundle in Kali's arms and went behind a curtain to change. A few moments later she came out in a new, clean tunic. The group headed out into the bustling street. ~ Not much happened from the time they went from the village to the city, leaving Kali deep in her thoughts. The group--consisting of Kali, Gary, Sophia, Sophia's mother, Gary's father and his grandfather--didn't keep a long conversation, leaving most of them to their own thoughts. Kali lagged behind the rest of the group. She would take in the view, as she had missed everything that was beyond the cliffs while stuck in Nwon-Knu's hologram. She would have loved to stop and smell the flowers, but that would slow the group down. She would have to come back here one time. Sighing, Kali looked up at trees above her and beyond, where the great blue sky loomed over the world like a giant blue cup. What was she doing, following these people around? They need to take care of their own problems and sort out the family discrepancies. Shouldn't she just mind her own business? But you have no where else to go, a pitied voice reminded her. She closed her eyes in anger, and opened them again, still lagging behind everyone else. She had hoped that by some chance it was just a nightmare and that she would wake up, five years old, with her life back. And then she promised herself that she would never pity herself and would make up the time she lost, finding her parents and family in the process. By the time they reached Sophia's house it was well into the night. The moon was high over their heads and they were all extremely tired. Sophia's stepsiblings were at a sleep over, which Sophia whispered excitedly behind her parents' backs to Gary and Kali. Kali and Gary would sleep in their beds that night. ~ Kali woke the last one up the next morning. Laughing was coming from the living room. She sat up and looked around. The sun shown through the window and Kali could see it was almost noon. Stretching, she rose from her bed and went out into the living room, where everyone was gathered. Sophia's stepsiblings were back home and sat on the couch in between Sophia's mother and stepfather. Sophia and Gary sat down at their parents feet; Gary's dad sat on one chair and his grandfather across from him on another. "Good morning, Kali!" Gary exclaimed. She sat down cross-legged next to him. "Morning." "Dad, granddad and I have decided to move here to the city and try to make a living. Sophia is moving back in with her parents. What do you plan to do?" Gary asked. Kali looked back at all the staring faces. She had decided to go find her parents, and was slightly disappointed that Gary was moving to the city. She had hoped he would travel with her, but . . . well, she should tell them. Maybe Gary would change his mind . . . "I'm going to search for my parents. Do any of you know anyone with the last name 'Krisone'?" Kali had remembered the name from Gabrielle. Sophia's parents, the Lemone's, hesitated for a moment. Mrs. Lemone replied, "Well, the name sounds familiar. Perhaps you should ask the Mayor if he knows them?" "Where can I find the Mayor?" Mrs. Lemone gave her instructions to the Mayor's office and home and Kali was at the door in a heartbeat, leaving everyone else behind to wonder what had suddenly possessed her. ~ She reached the Mayor's house a few minutes later. Slowing down, she walked up the steps to his front door and knocked the knocker three times. It hadn't been a second before his butler had answered the door. "Do you have an appointment with Mr. Mayor?" he asked, his voice dripping with a snobby tone. "Um, no, I was just --" "You may not see Mr. Mayor without an appointment. His next open appointment will be--" the butler took out a notepad and flipped through it. "In three weeks." "But I can't wait that long! It's really urgent, you see, I just need to speak with him for just a minute-" "You may not see Mr. Mayor without an appointment! Now go home little girl and--" "But that's just it--I need his help to help me find my home, if you'd just let me-" "Good day, Madam!" The butler was about to slam the door on Kali's face when a figure walked by. Kali heard him ask who was at the door. The butler explained that it was just a street girl asking for directions. "No, that's not it! I need to see the Mayor because I think he can help me find my parents. I was kidnapped ten years ago, Mister, and it'll just take a minute if you'd let me talk to him," Kali spoke to the figure in the house. "Ralph, would you please let this girl in. I'm free for the next ten minutes, and I wouldn't mind talking to her." "But Mr. Mayor--" "Ralph, let her in." Rather reluctantly, the butler allowed Kali to enter. The man she had seen must have been the Mayor, though he was still wearing a night robe. The butler shut the door behind them and went off somewhere within the house. "Now, what was it you wanted?" the man asked her, sitting down. "Well, you see, ten years ago I was kidnapped by a powerful and evil sorceress named Nwon-Knu. Well, she didn't exactly kidnap me herself but she had demons do it. Anyway, I defeated her and I've come back to the city in search of my family." The Mayor looked at her as though she were crazy. Then he started laughing. "Dearest, you needn't spend your time pulling a fast one on me. Now tell me, what do you want?" Kali blinked. "I was hoping you could help me find the Krisone's?" The Mayor hesitated for a moment, then said, "They moved five years ago across the sea. Funny, though. I remember they reported a missing child ten years ago. Well, anyway, I have business to attend, run along." "Wait - where across the ocean?" "America, I think." "Thanks!" Kali left the mayor's house in a hurry. She ran back to Sophia's house to find that they were all gone. She figured she didn't have enough time to wait for them, so she grabbed a pencil and paper and scribbled down a note. With that, she ran out of the house and melted into the crowd. ~ That night, Gary and Sophia's family returned after shopping in the market. Kali still hadn't returned, or if she had, there was no sign of her. They had left a note for her, but apparently she hadn't entered the kitchen, where the note sat on the kitchen table in plain view. There was, however, a note on the couch left by Kali. Sophia picked it up and read it to herself. They all awaited anxiously for the news. "Oh my gosh," Sophia whispered. "Kali's went to America to find her family." |