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  “To hoping maybe a little magic sticks around once you’re gone,” Colin muttered timidly.

  Jae raised his bottle clinking it against the others.

  “To my new friends! I hope we meet again.” They downed the tonic, which bubbled and stung their throats. Sebastien was the first to finish and belched loudly and proudly. Meghan swished her hand across her nose, choking over hers. Colin could do little better than 167

  tiny sips at a time. Jae guzzled his and slammed the bottle down.

  The sun was fading fast.

  “Do you want to have dinner with us, Jae?” asked Meghan.

  “I need to rest, save my strength for later. Just in case,” he added at the end, seeing their untrusting faces. They said their goodbyes, hugging and patting each other on the back. Jae waved to the trio as they departed, somberly.

  Sebastien walked the twins to their camp and joined them around the fire. Uncle Arnon had dinner simmering over the fire pit and glanced oddly at the gloomy trio as he stirred the pot. Meghan, noticing her uncle’s stares busied herself setting the dinner table, and ordered Colin to help.

  The last thing they needed was for him to question their worried demeanor.

  Every few minutes their eyes drifted toward Jae’s soon to be deserted wagon. In between their worried gazes, they listened for any sign of the Scratchers.

  After dinner, which Sebastien ended up staying for, their uncle told them it was time to come in for the night.

  Colin went in first, not wanting to watch Meghan and Sebastien awkwardly say goodnight to each other.

  “Night, Sebastien,” Colin called out, taking one last glance in Jae’s direction.

  “Yeah, later, Col.”

  Before Meghan could follow him inside, Sebastien pulled her into the shadow of the trailer, so they could not be seen.

  “What?” she asked anxiously.

  “I…I wanted to say, I’m sorry,” he stuttered, keeping his gaze on his feet.

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  “Sorry for what?”

  “Earlier today, we all sort of ganged up on you. I thought maybe we might have hurt your feelings, or something.” He squirmed.

  “Oh, that,” was the only reply she could muster. Meghan thought back to her talk with Kanda. And although she was still afraid of things changing, she thought maybe it was time to talk to Sebastien, really talk to him.

  “I was upset,” she admitted. “So many strange things happening.”

  “That’s why I started feeling bad, a lot has happened. I am sorry.”

  “Nothing makes sense to me anymore,” she continued. “I hate that.”

  “I would bet that after tonight everything will go back to normal,” he reassured her.

  Meghan shifted her feet in the dirt and took a deep breath.

  “I have this feeling, Sebastien. It keeps telling me nothing will be the same again.”

  He put his arm on her shoulder to comfort her and smiled his famous smile. For a moment, she lost all her worry and smiled back.

  Meghan knew her uncle would be calling her inside any second.

  “I better head in,” she sighed.

  “Yeah, tomorrow then.”

  He started to turn away and as he did, an uncontrollable urge surged through Meghan. Without thinking twice about it, she sprang at Sebastien, planting a kiss on his unsuspecting lips. She could not believe she had done it!

  Her heart skipped twenty beats.

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  Before Sebastien could respond, Meghan darted away.

  She saw, from the corner of her eye, that he stood frozen in place and to her incredible delight, he was beaming.

  She rushed inside drowning herself under her bed covers.

  Before she could stop it, Colin was in her head.

  “Oh, come off it! I don’t want to hear about that!” Meghan was too electrified to get angry.

  “Then stay out!”

  “Fine, goodnight.” he said grumpily.

  Their uncle came to the door.

  “No talking, out loud or how ever else you do it! I want to hear snoring,” he chuckled. He walked into their room and gave one of those speeches that grown ups give, and kids despise. Meghan thought she had heard enough of that for one day, but listened anyway, her heart still strumming.

  “Look at you two, practically all grown up.” Meghan’s first thought was that he had seen her kiss Sebastien, or worse, heard them talking.

  “Before I know it,” continued their uncle, “you’ll be all grown up and living lives of your own.”

  “No need to worry,” said Colin. “We will be around for a while yet. I mean, I can’t legally leave until I’m sixteen.” His uncle laughed and ruffed up his hair.

  “Goodnight,” he said, lingering at their door, before closing it. The twins did not speak after that, but also did not sleep. They continually checked the time for when Jae would be passing by them. The campground was in complete silence. No breeze rattled against the trailer, no peepers peeped in the night air and thankfully, there was no cry of the Scratchers.

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  The twins felt that it was too quiet and wished that something would happen. It was ten o’clock now, another ninety minutes and he would be leaving for the fallen pine tree. Sleep came in waves after that. What felt like hours passed, when an echo pushed its way into the minds of the twins, rousting them from their fitful slumber.

  “Scratchers!” gasped Colin, sitting up.

  Meghan jumped softly out of her bunk and began dressing, and for the first time, Colin did not argue.

  Meghan opened the secret door and they slipped out.

  “We are so grounded,” Colin murmured as they crawled away.

  “I am thinking a full year this time,” agreed Meghan. A few minutes of running later, they were at the path’s edge leading to the pine tree. Meghan noticed Colin’s empty hands.

  “Col, where’s the book?”

  He felt around as if the book would be up his sleeve.

  “I can’t believe it,” he stammered.

  “Forget it, there’s no time, but be ready to do that spell.” She started running down the path.

  “I’m ready,” he yelled. “I am just not sure it is going to work,” he added under his breath.

  It had to be nearly time for the door to open. The Scratchers howled, stopping the twins in their tracks.

  They saw a blast of light over the trees.

  Jae was fighting!

  They raced as fast as they dared, trying not to stumble over jutting tree roots and jagged rocks. Soon, the clearing was in front of them. Jae stood alone, close to one of the fallen pine tree’s empty, but still dark rooms. He did not 171

  hear them come up behind him. The Scratchers’ howls were deafening.

  The twins watched as two began to dive from behind Jae, while he held the ones in front at bay. Jae nearly fell over when a voice shouted behind him.

  “Emissio!”

  Colin’s magic still worked!

  “What are you doing here?” Jae screamed in dismay over the noise of the flying beasts. “You’ll be…” Meghan did not allow him to finish.

  “We remember what you said, Jae, but you cannot do this alone.”

  Fear rapidly turned to acceptance, as he knew she was right.

  “How much longer?” asked Meghan, staying between the two boys.

  “Any second now,” Jae said, over the noise.

  Colin helped Jae fend off the Scratchers, now constantly diving into the blasts. One of them was nearly breaking through, when, finally, a light began emanating from within the empty rooms of the fallen pine tree.

  “Hurry, Jae, go through,” said Meghan.

  “We’ll be fine,” said Colin, ending his own spell.

  “Where’s your book?” Jae asked frantically.

  “Ah, sorry, forgot it hurrying to get here.”

  “Jae, just go, you have to,” insisted Meghan.

  Two shapes emerged from the now lit pine tree. Jae let
go of his spell appearing weak, and was caught by a man the twins assumed to be his father.

  “I cannot believe you let yourself get stuck behind! Do you have any idea what this last month has been like for us?” the man shouted.

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  “How mean!” the twins thought in unison. “Shouldn’t he be happy to see him?”

  Jae’s father then noticed the twins. His face contorted fiercely.

  The second man that had come through shot spells at the Scratchers, pushing them higher into the sky.

  “Dad, do you have to? If not for them, I don’t think I would have made it.”

  His father’s eyes darted between the twins and Jae.

  “I am sorry son. Rules are rules.” He pushed Jae into the pine room. He waved to the twins one last time, dissolving into the light. His voice echoed back to them.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, knowing they would soon lose all memory of him.

  Jae’s father approached the twins as the second man neared the doorway of the pine tree. The Scratchers were looming overhead reorganizing for another attack.

  Out of nowhere, one lone flying beast flew over the twins, knocking them to the ground. Another dove head first into Jae’s father, catching his shoulder and digging in deeply; so deep, that the sharp talon cracked and then snapped off, remaining in Mr. Mochrie’s shoulder.

  The creature backed away in agonizing pain at the loss of its talon. Jae’s father, also screaming in pain, rolled over on the ground, close to the still brightly lit pine room.

  The second man still defended on the other side of the tree. The twins, now on the ground, crawled carefully over to Jae’s father.

  “I’m okay, he winced. “Stay close to the ground.” Jae’s father nudged the twins to move closer to the edge of the tree for extra cover.

  “I assume that Jae has told you what I must do.” 173

  They nodded yes, not taking their fearful eyes off the Scratchers, now preparing to dive again.

  “Before I do it, and even though you will forget, I must say thank you. I am truly sorry for what I must do.” Meghan and Colin knew they had done the right thing and no punishment, however great, could change their minds. With eyes closed, they waited for the spell to take away their memories of Jae. Wondering exactly what they would remember.

  “You will have about five minutes until the spell takes effect,” he informed them. “As soon as I say it, run as fast as you can. We will take care of the Scratchers.” A panic-stricken voice rang out from behind Jae’s father.

  “Irving, in front of you!”

  No more than he had said it, the twins saw the Scratchers diving directly for them. Jae’s father attempted to stand and speak at the same time but the spell missed completely. The creature hit Irving Mochrie with a crushing blow, dragging him across the ground with its curved claw. He fell to the ground with a new gash across his chest, a few feet away from the entrance to his freedom. The man helping Jae’s father worked his way toward Irving, still sending defensive spells, which were growing weaker.

  Echoes of voices began to escape from inside the shining room. They had not seen what had happened. They were yelling for the two to hurry. The man helping Irving was now over him, and ignoring the twins.

  He dragged Irving Mochrie’s body closer to the pine room; he was unconscious and bleeding profusely. Colin and Meghan tried to keep low and help the man. Irving was not a large man but his weight was heavy.

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  “He looks bad,” sent Colin uneasily.

  “I hope he isn’t…” Meghan could not muster out the word. The man let go of Irving, leaving the twins to try to pull him closer.

  “Get him close as you can, I will keep defending. Then run, and once I see you’re away, I will take him through,” he said. “You are very brave and the Svoda will have to trust you with our secret.”

  There was no time for a reply. The man fought hard, shouting his spell repeatedly, as the twins struggled to move Irving closer to the doorway. The light inside was growing fainter, and blood was pouring from his chest, leaving a trail behind his dragging body.

  As they got Irving as close as possible to the pine room, without going in themselves, a blood-curdling scream broke their concentration. The other man flew through the air and into one of the other doorways. He disappeared into the light.

  “That’s not good,” Colin said blankly.

  The Scratchers reformed overhead.

  “Now what?” yelled Meghan. “I don’t think we can push him in!”

  Voices were still echoing, but becoming more distant.

  “Maybe we can drag him in before the light goes out.

  We cannot allow him to get stuck here,” said Colin, pulling once again. Without arguing, both twins worked together and pulled Jae’s father into the room. Once in, they could feel the pull coming from the other side.

  Shadows of people from the other side danced around the pine room as the pull sucked Irving’s body through.

  The twins let go of him, holding on to the tree, trying not to get sucked through too.

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  “We have to get out of here,” struggled Colin.

  Meghan and Colin pulled hard and kicked their legs to the ground, bouncing out of the pine tree.

  Then, they froze in complete horror!

  Uncle Arnon!

  Surrounded by the Scratchers!

  “No!” screamed Meghan.

  The light was nearly gone behind them. There would be no more help from the Svoda on the other side.

  Colin decided to break the rules and no longer cared who knew about his magic, if it even still worked now that Jae was gone.

  “Emissio!” he boomed.

  An angry blast tore at the howling creatures. Arnon took a few steps forward and to the twins’ bewilderment, he appeared not worried, scared, or surprised, but instead beamed with pride.

  “He’s going to be killed,” thought Meghan, seeing the Scratchers already reorganizing.

  “Why did he follow us?” questioned Colin.

  Above, two of the regrouped Scratchers dove directly for Meghan and Colin. Arnon saw this and took off, darting athletically through the remaining creatures, as they plunged toward him, their wings poised for the kill.

  When Arnon was ten feet away from the twins, he heaved himself into the air, spinning toward them. A Scratcher hovered over Arnon’s whirling frame, its wings ready to enclose around him. It shrieked hideously over its impending victory.

  Arnon threw something at Colin.

  It hit him with such force that he fell back, disappearing into the pine room.

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  Without a second thought, Meghan dove after him, hoping to catch Colin before he went all the way through.

  Then, the fallen pine tree went dark.

  ##

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