Chapter 13
There was a chest in the middle of the room. It was covered in cobwebs and had a dusty, thin cloth wrapped around it. Leo sliced the cloth open with a claw. Spiders went scurrying out of it. Maya gave a shriek (it reached about 95 decibels) and the spiders scuttled away. Leo lifted the lid and one more spider came out. Brian turned into a frog and ate it before Maya could scream again. Light bursted from the chest and made each SMC back up. Their eyes were wide as things come out of the chest… they had found the orbs! Geraldine and Tika (who had gone with Maya and Jaymi, who had decided to go together because they didn’t want to follow the boys and get all muddy) got their own orbs back, but it surprised everyone when the orb that came to Maya said, “Hello, Lila. Long time no see!”, Nikki got an orb that changed color, and told her that this wasn’t the time to try new forms, and turned her into a gryphon, apparently to try to help out, Brian got a little pink orb that spoke in riddles, Jaymi got an orange orb with an adventurous look about it, and Leo got an orb full of swirling water.
“I can’t do anything with fire magic!” wailed Jaymi.
“Yeah? Well, try an orb that’s exactly the opposite of your element. Watch this.” Leo blew fire, and the orb he got – Nikki’s – freaked and doused it.
“Gotta agree here! I got a girly orb! I can’t even understand the thing!” said Brian.
“I can’t fly! I’m a water creature!” Nikki said, testing her wings “I have no clue how to do this – eep!” The wings lifted her off the ground and she started to panic. She froze and was grounded once again.
“What am I to do with this? Oh, I know. Take us to Lila, please, Emma?”
“Ha ha! You’re funny, Lila.”
“Um… take us to Maya, then.”
“Well, why don’t you follow her orb?”
It was true. Maya’s orb was out the cave exit. They ran after it.
The orb took them to the far shore of the island. Lila was lowering her sunglasses and trying to recognize the handwriting on the scroll. She turned, and everyone was trying to read over her shoulder at once. Jaymi spoke up at once.
“That’s the wind’s writing! I’ve never seen that before! It’s supposed to be so rare that only those who are the most powerful will ever see it!”
“You’re seeing it now,” Lila pointed out. “And you must have seen it before, because you recognize it.”
“No, I haven’t,” Jaymi argued. “I’m a pixie. I’m kinda supposed to know my own element’s handiwork when I see it.”
“You’ll see it. We’ll all see it. I just happen to be first. The time will come. All I have to say is pay attention to your dreams tonight. I came here because I just somehow knew I was… supposed to. It’s hard to describe. And we’re supposed to stay on this island for eight more nights. No… not eight. Nine. There’s a reason. Dreams are more real here than anywhere else.” Lila glanced oddly at the scroll. “Something has passed here recently, and it has to do with the fate of the universe.” The others were staring at her like she was mad. Lila had an expression that said, I’m dead serious.
“And I thought I was the only one who could predict the future,” Leo muttered. “But she’s right. It’s a fuzzy prediction, though. Probably none of us will know more until… until… tonight. More will happen at night than is thought about right now.”
“Yes. Do not anticipate an early leave. Things will be revealed soon.”
“Out of curiosity, can you control plant magic? By the way, to save time, all the orbs think you’re me, I’m you, Jaymi’s Leo, Nikki’s Brian, Brian’s Jaymi,” she giggled, “and Leo’s Nikki. But we’re not exactly opposite elements like Leo and Nikki, so you might be able to use mine.”
Lila pointed at the ground and said, “Pepper plant.” A pepper plant was growing so fast that they could visibly see it moving.
“Um, I’m thinking that’s a yes,” Leo said.
That night, Maya had a dream.
“Hello?”
Maya turns around. The voice comes again.
“Hello?” It sounds small and meek, but Maya knows from experience that things like that can be devastatingly ferocious. Lila was a pretty good example.
“Hello,” Maya said, keeping wary.
“Help me…”
Maya rushed to the source of the voice, her auburn hair flying behind her. There was a plant talking to her, but it did not appear to be hurt.
“What? Looks like you’re fine.”
“There’s magic… a spell put on by unfriendly flarkneazer snabadabrrrrrr…”
“Sorry, what was that?”
“Snarideflaritosis braaarrrrrrrrrrrr…”
“What?”
The plant waved two leaves in the air and desperately tried to talk, failing all the while.
“Feaererdkjieihvner gerabrensnakent despintanarro shontanixiiieeee!”
“Kujifrednesstoronnn adeflaaabbbaaaneees barinitararararana ieniftsojarinass sharana!”
“Harinarothiknederink! Carrotanitosis speaeelkfrthns? Raaaaraah!”
It whimpered a little bit and tried to get Maya to understand Confused Plant.
“Ohhh, a spell was put on you to mix up your speech?”
The little flower nodded furiously.
“So, you can’t speak English?”
It shook its head sadly.
“I have an idea,” Maya said…
…but dawn was here.
“I will be back!” she called, but she found herself lying in bed just after saying this.
She wondered if the plant had heard her. A voice of gibberish babbled on in her head, however, and it was somehow incredibly reassuring.
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