Young Writers Society

Colleen frowned. In an ideal world, she wouldn't have to believe either Crystal Ball or this wolf, as anything out of the ordinary, such as a talking wolf was suspicious. Getting as much information as possible though was key before she could really make a decision.

"Why couldn't you leave before we appeared here, if you know how to get out? Not to mention, both you and Crystal seem odd. How can we believe either of you?" Colleen paused, thinking over everything that had been said. "Why didn't she mention you before, and how do you know her backstory?

"I don't really find anyone trustworthy right now," she muttered into her palms.

James pursed his lips and sighed, looking down at his crystal ball. Breaking it was they way to get out. That seemed so... simple, and yet, Colleen was right. They had all been toyed with, and trusting this wolf almost seemed too good to be true.

But if it was their only other option? Shouldn't they take it?

He watched as the wolf wilted under Colleen's questions. The wolf's ears lowered and he sighed.

"It took me a very long time to figure out Crystal's story. Her mother actually came to check on her. Once. I wasn't able to get out with her when she left because Crystal locked me away, but I managed to eavesdrop on enough of their conversation to piece things together."

He sighed. "Look. I know I don't look trustworthy right now, but I'll try to explain. I have been stuck here for so long I've lost track of the years. The reason she didn't mention me is because she made me her servant, and to her I'm disposable. She was obsessed with your lives, not mine. My name is Haybell, but she doesn't even call me that."

"As for going home - why I didn't leave before - well, all of us were... magically connected for this spell to work. As long as these crystal balls were active, and until you came here, I wasn't going to be able to get out. The person who has to break them is the person the crystal is tied to. And none of you were here yet. So I just had to wait."

His tail tapped against the floor, and a faint yell could be heard down the hall.

His eyes widened a little. Anxiously.

"Look. I know it's not an easy decision. But I want to go home. You want to go home. And we don't have long before my spell breaks and Crystal is free to use her magic and will know where we are again. And - well -" he took in a deep breath. "I don't know if she'll want to agree to any sort of deal after this. I don't think she ever planned on sending you home in the first place, but... definitely not after this."

James held his breath, and slowly reached out to the crystal ball, looking down at himself in it.

He didn't want to stay in this prison forever. Even if this was another trick from Crystal, they had to at least try. If this was all just some kind of test or game... well, he wasn't sure what the end goal was. But he couldn't imagine things getting any better if they waited it out.

"...I say we try it," he said.

And then, with a heavy heart, added: "And if this doesn't work, blame me for it."

Odris looked over at James.

He was still hesitant to trust Haybell, but it also made sense. Crystal idolized them; they were her heroes. Even if she did get free, would she really let them go? Or would she keep them here forever just so she could keep interacting with them?

Odris let out a tiny sigh.

"You can blame me, too," Odris said, "because I agree with James."

If James was going to trust Haybell, Odris would, too.

Queenie rolled her eyes.

It was her chance to get out of here, probably, and what had she to lose? The worst-case here was if Queenie refused and the wolf actually was telling the truth.

She picked up the crystal ball correlating to herself.

"How about we stop stalling and just get the hell out of here already."

Colleen glanced at everyone else, looking at the rest of the crystal balls. It seemed like most of them agreed to trying to leave. With a heavier heart than she expected, she picked up a ball with a brilliantly colored cardinal bird in the middle of it.

This one was definitely hers.

"I don't want to hold the rest of you back, so I suppose I'll agree to this as well."

"I'm ready to go back," Tara said quietly. "So let's go."

With everyone in agreement, Haybell let out a small sigh and nodded at all of them.

"Okay. On three, shatter your ball."

Haybell picked up his crystal ball in his mouth, and James held his in his hands, giving a small glance to the others. Everyone was ready.

The faint sound of CB's screaming down the hall started to get louder, and something in the air started to feel off. The floor beneath them began to tremble. Everything piled up on the shelves and tables started to clatter against each other.

Haybell started counting.

"One."

James backed up and turned away from the others, so the crystal wouldn't shatter in anyone's direction.

"Two."

He gave a quick glance towards Odris. If this worked, and they saw each other again, they could tell Maahes all about this.

He lifted the crystal ball, and launched it towards the floor.

"Three."

Everyone's crystal balls shattered in unison, and for a split second, nothing happened. James make eye contact with Haybell, ready without hesitation to accuse him of deception, but then it was as if every sensation was sucked out of the room along with everything around him. Dust seemed to fill the air as the room around them turned to void.



He was home.

In his normal clothes, in his normal blanket, with his horse Shadow, standing over him.

It looked like a few hours might've passed, but he couldn't be sure. It was morning though, and it was only Shadow and him camping out this far in the wilderness. He sat up with a grunt and reached for Shadow's snout, stroking it gently.

"How long was I gone?"

He looked up at Shadow's dark eyes, which revealed neither surprise nor knowledge. Shadow was simply content.

He sighed through his nose and stood up, grabbing his bedroll off the ground. He started rolling it under his arm as Shadow sniffed his head.

"You're even harder to spook that Elliot was," he said softly.

He looked down at the floor. Elliot. Well, that had been one thing CB had forgotten to mention or jab at. At least he was left untouched.

He patted Shadow's head. "Good girl."

The ball smashed.

What felt like a few moments later, Odris found himself back in his bed. He frantically glanced around the room to make sure it really was his room. Nothing seemed out of place. But Odris still wasn't entirely sure if he could trust what he was seeing, so he quietly got to his feet and entered the hallway.

The house was eerily silent. As he walked down the hallway, he peeked into each of the rooms he passed: Molly was cuddling with Arin in Arin's room, Zest was little more than a blob underneath his covers, and Sune was nowhere to be found - Arin must have dismissed him.

He stopped in the living room and took a deep breath.

He really was home-

The front door suddenly opened.

Odris spun around.

To his relief and surprise, Maahes was standing there. Vala - and their car - was nowhere to be seen, but Maahes was really there. He had the same panicked look that Odris had on his face, but it was quickly replaced by relief when he saw Odris standing in the living room.

"You're already back?" Odris asked. "I thought you were going to be off-world for at least another day."

Maahes shut the front door behind him.

"We finished early," he said, giving him a warm, comforting smile. But the smile faltered for a minute, and Maahes seemed to grow more hesitant. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I...I know this sounds weird, but I felt like something was wrong. Like something happened to you. That's why Vala isn't home yet - I flew here instead of went with her in the car. It was her idea, but..."

Odris gave a shaky smile of his own.

"Your instincts were right," he said. "I finally had my first magical abduction since I left the pod."

Maahes's eyes widened. "Where were you?"

"It's a long story," Odris admitted. "We could..."

"Sit down on the couch and talk about it?" Maahes suggested. Odris nodded. "I'll make you some hot chocolate, too."

Odris' smile grew a little more steady.

When Vala returned twenty minutes later, she found the two of them on the couch: Odris, fast asleep on Maahes, and Maahes, too content with knowing that Odris was alright to move.

(The hot chocolate remained forgotten on the counter.)

Tara's alarm hit her about subtly as an anvil to the head.

8:27 am.

She was going to be late to work. At least she didn't live far away. The words of the Beatles played in her mind as she quickly got dressed in her normal work outfit of blouse, pencil skirt, cardigan and flats. Her dream had already faded into some kind of impressionistic memory. She’d eaten a hot dog. Been in some kind of library. There’d been a wolf. Anyway, it was just a dream.

Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head...

At least she was going to be in New York in the evening. Her niece Rachel was a finalist in a national spelling bee. That meant a long weekend in New York. Adam had invited them her and Amy to come. They were still making up for lost time.

As Tara found her car keys and made her way outside, she resolved to get coffee on the way. She was already going to be late, so what difference did ten minutes make? It's not like she was hourly, or she'd ever really been late before, so she was sure no one would notice.

As she got into her car, she found her Frank Sinatra cassette, and counted down the hours until she would see her family. Maybe it wasn't traditional, but she wouldn't change it for anything.

Colleen blinked once then twice, staring at what had only been her hideout for a few weeks. One large tree stood by the structure, while plenty of smaller sizes grew throughout the yard.

She whistled a few notes, eager to see her companions once more. As per her namesake, two cardinals stuck their head out of their nests and chirped back.

Whereas before, the only rumors of magic she had heard about were fickle ideas that seemed false, Colleen now had a marvelous story to tell anyone that might want to listen.

Even stepping back onto solid ground reminded her of that room she had woke up in, that had everything she ever wanted. Maybe she should write a letter to her aunt, coded, yes, but a simple enough pattern.

Colleen unlocked her front door, swinging it wide to spot no visible changes. That was good. But, it was quiet. From when she left her room, there was noise of some kind coming from her companions.

She jumped onto her bed. Maybe some sleep would do her well. Tomorrow, she would pick another mission and discover more of her world. Of course, maybe assassinations was a bit gruesome, but to each their own, right?

With that, Colleen closed her eyes, and drifted into a weirdly reflective dream of talking with all the interesting people she had met.

The sound she shattering glass, and click. She was in the right place again.

Her bed was cold, like she'd just laid down, but she was tucked under the covers just as she always was, her right hand resting on the handle of her knife under the pillow.

Sunlight drifted in through the windows, and Queenie watched as specks of dust twisted and swirled through them. The room itself was a bland reflection of the one that had been designed for her in that other world - or the one she'd dreamt up - with all the lavish comforts, but none of the hints as to what the person who occupied it was like. No weapons on the walls, no dance shoes, no mirrors. It would be impossible to tell that she did anything aside from dress up and practice her makeup, which was exactly how it should be.

Queenie got up and carefully straightened out her bed, taking the life and replacing it in a hidden compartment in the bedframe. If the staff found that, there would be issues.

She yawned and stretched, glancing at the time. Sleeping in on a weekday. Sure, why not.

Her reputation would probably just intensify with a bit of tardiness. Well, so long as she showed up looking like that extra time was well spent.

So, to the closet she went. She had a mask to assemble.