Next Step 2
Chapter 2: The Great Escape
Teva
I was about to open the windows to air the room when Amalina knocked on my door urgently. “We have to go now! The Dark Seekers attacked Tyng’s bedroom!” Amalina shouted and grabbed my hands. We were running down the hallway in a second. Tyng’s bedroom was at the end of the corridor. “I know you wouldn’t like this but I have to carry you if you want to make it out alive,” I told her. She agreed out of force.
The elf guards were shooting arrows at the Dark Seekers. I saw Caleb with Tyng way up front. Tyng passed out after limping for a while. Caleb tore his shirt and wrapped Tyng’s bloodied arm before carrying her on his back. He yelled at us to keep going. “Ling and Daphne are already with Legolas. We have to follow Caleb,” Amalina informed me as we ducked. I sped up.
“What about Trisha?” I asked when we ran across the field beside Caleb. “They are right behind us,” Amalina replied. Suddenly, Caleb skidded to a stop. I stopped too. “Why did you stop?” Edmund asked. “The bridge is broken. We have to use the forest,” Caleb said and changed course. “You’re crazy. There are more of them in the forest,” Edmund yelled but followed Caleb anyway.
“We need to stop Tyng’s bleeding arm. The Dark Seekers are still far off,” I reasoned when I saw the bandage getting darker every minute. Caleb’s nose flared. So did Edmund’s. They were trying to hold back their breath. Caleb changed the bandage on Tyng’s arm. He tried to cover his injuries too. The red spot on his chest got bigger. “You’re bleeding!” Edmund said.
“I can regenerate. Which way should we go?” Caleb said and brushed us off. Half of the castle crumbled. I can see the butler, Mr. Baile, running towards us. “Follow me! they are catching up!” he shouted and did an awkward u-turn. We followed him and Mr. Baile never stopped running. We reached the peak of a hill. On top of the hill, there was an old boot. I could tell that it was supposed to be worn on the left foot.
“You brought us here to a boot?” Trisha asked disbelievingly. “It’s a portal. The very one used by Harry Potter and his friends,” Mr. Baile explained. “We’ll go to the Cullens. They said that it’s safer there,” Mr. Baile said. We agreed and placed our hands together on the boot.
Everything was gone in a flash. I don’t know what happened but someone carried me and was running into a big house. “Uncle Carlisle, Tyng and Caleb are hurt,” Edmund said. He already put Trisha down and hurried over to carry Caleb who passed out too.
I was lowered onto a sofa. “Thank you, Emmett,” Daphne said to the person who carried me. Emmett nodded and a pixie-like girl bounded over. “Hi. I’m Alice Cullen. I believe we met only yesterday night,” she said perkily. “You’ll be safe with us,” she added without a beat. “You need to lie down. You ran quite a distance.”
I saw Edward standing outside a room with his arms crossed. Bella tried to lighten his mood. It was Caleb in that room. Alice whipped her head around to look at Edward. “You’re not going anywhere yet. We need you here,” Alice told him. I would have followed her orders judging from the tone of her voice. Edward growled and went upstairs quickly.
Trisha, Daphne, Amalina, Ling and I sat on the big couch in the living room. “Tyng is going to be fine,” Daphne said after a moment of silence. Legolas rushed into the room where Carlisle was re-bandaging Tyng’s arm. “Don’t worry guys,” Daphne added. “We’re perfectly calm, Daphne,” Ling said and sat quietly like nothing happened.
However, Daphne was right. Ling’s eyes betrayed her. “Be careful of what you say. Edward is really upset,” Daphne added. She then got up and went over to Carlisle. Carlisle looked too young to be a doctor. Daphne helped him to lift up some small first aid kits. Legolas came out of the room and sat on the couch opposite us. “I’m very sorry for the poor security,” Legolas said.
“I told you that you need to improve your defenses. Amalina and I discussed ways to improve the defenses yesterday,” Arwen joined in. She was making her way downstairs. Trisha glared at Legolas. “How is Caleb? I asked, trying to postpone the fight. Edmund strode over and joined us. “He pushed himself too hard but he’s regenerating rapidly now,” Edmund said. Alice suddenly appeared with Jasper by her side. Jasper whispered to Edmund and exchanged a knowing look. I feel so ugly around them. They look like models.
“Edward said we have to move quickly. The Dark Seekers are making their way here,” Bella announced from the top of the staircase. She carried a backpack with her. Oh shoot. Our school bags.
“We have no time to go back. Your life is much more important,” Rosalie said and interrupted my thoughts. She tossed a bag to each of us. I unzipped mine and saw a pillow and a blanket inside. Edward and Emmett carried four rolled up tents downstairs.
“Are we going camping?” Ling asked when she got her bag. They did not answer her but tossed jackets instead. “I have arranged for us to stay with the werewolves. Temporarily,” Bella said silently and shot a look at Edward. She emphasized her last sentence. Edward just pretended not to hear. “Edward doesn’t like Jacob Black, one of the werewolves who is good friends with Bella,” Emmett explained. “Chill. We’re all going to be there, Edward,” Alice said in her perky voice and patted Edward’s back.
“Time to move. Everyone has a first aid kit?” Edward asked and looked around. Daphne tossed the last one to me. “Yup,” I replied and zipped up my backpack. “Let’s go,” Carlisle said and walked swiftly beside his wife, Esme, who was carrying Tyng.
Caleb was recovering. He limped beside Edward. Carlisle asked to place Tyng and Caleb into his Mercedes. Esme and Daphne will be traveling with them too. Amalina, Ling, trisha and I will travel will travel with Rosalie in her red convertible. Arwen, Legolas, Edmund and Emmett went on Emmett’s Jeep Wrangler. Edward, Bella, Jasper, Mr. Baile will be traveling with Alice in her yellow Porsche.
Rosalie drove real fast behind Carlisle. It was scary when you’re sitting beside her. “Where’s Edward’s Volvo?” Trisha asked. “I thought I saw it a minute ago.”
From Rosalie’s rearview mirror, I could see Trisha clutching her seat belt tightly. We created quite a stir in the neighborhood. Four cars speeding in a line on one empty and long road. “He’ll meet us up later,” Rosalie replied. Carlisle took a sharp right turn and so did Rosalie. “I thought he was with Alice,” Amalina pointed out. Rosalie parked her car abruptly in front of a house. We jerked forward and slammed back against the seat. Ow.
“Follow Esme,” Rosalie commanded. “You’re not coming?” Ling questioned. I reached for my backpack and slammed the car boot shut. “I’m going back to get a few things with Emmett,” she said and walked over to the passenger’s seat. Emmett appeared and took over the driver’s seat. “Ready?” he asked and gave us a grin before driving away.
My friends and I sauntered into the little wooden house. I assume that the house belonged to Billy Black. Billy Black is the father of Jacob Black. Edward stood beside Bella and nodded when Jacob greeted him. Jacob tried to be nice and hospitable.
“Edward.”
“Billy,” Edward replied curtly.
Billy is huge but looked small beside his son. He looked Edward over before hobbling towards Carlisle and Legolas. “All of you can camp beside my house. We got a wide field there,” Billy informed, more like a reminder, to Carlisle. “Can my nephew and his friend stay here?” Esme asked and stood in front of the stairs with Tyng still in her arms. Billy sighed and nodded. Jacob showed Esme up stairs and the rooms. “Thank you,” Caleb said while he slowly climbed up. “I can manage,” he added when Edmund offered help.
“Time to set up our tents,” Carlisle announced and clapped his hands. “It’s just like camping when the sun is out,” Alice said mischievously. The field was large. Edward’s Volvo was parked on the field. He was unloading the rolled up tents from the car boot. No wonder he didn’t follow Alice’s car. There weren’t spaces left in her Porsche.
We got to work quickly. I kinda had fun pitching the tents with my friends. Carlisle assigned the tents to us. “Are you sure it can fit all of us?” Ling asked Carlisle when we were given a small tent. “Each tent has about five rooms,” Carlisle explained. “That is impossible,” Ling retorted. Carlisle gave the second tent to Trisha, Daphne, Ling, Amalina and I.
Carlisle wasn’t joking when he said five rooms. All of us gaped and dropped our bags. “Where’s the bathroom?” Amalina asked.
It got dark again. It wasn’t the rain clouds. The rain stopped a long time ago. Esme and Arwen was cooking in Billy’s house. Billy did not look happy. All of us sat around the living room. It was crowded but we still feel the cold. Tyng covered herself in blankets and sat beside Caleb near the fireplace.
Trisha, Daphne and Ling slept on the sofa. The Cullens were all standing or leaning against the walls except Jasper, who sat on the floor and played cards with Legolas and Arwen. Mr. Baile was setting up the dining table with Jacob.
“Why can’t we stay in their house? I saw a lot of rooms,” Amalina whispered into my ear. I said I don’t know. Tyng heard us. “Werewolves and vampires don’t go along well together,” she explained in a soft voice.
“It’s not a secret. The werewolves are protecting us from hurting humans although we clearly stated and assured them that we only hunt animals except humans,” Edward said, loud enough for Billy to hear. “He’s right. They are dangerous,” Jacob said while looking at Bella. “Well, you can crush humans too,” Bella argued. “Yeah but it’s not as bad as sucking blood!” Jacob snapped back. Edward snarled when Jacob took a step closer to Bella.
“Boys!” Esme and Billy shouted simultaneously. “Behave yourself,” Billy warned Jacob and Edward. “No name calling,” he added when both Jacoba nd Edward mouthed to each other. “Dinner’s ready,” Arwen announced, breaking the tension.
We went back to our tents after cleaning up. I saw Jacob rinsing the plates that were washed by Edward after we left. Although I’m not a vampire, I felt insulted. “Isn’t there anywhere else for us to go?” We’re clearly unwanted here,” Edward mumbled. He was speaking to Carlisle and Legolas. “This is the nearest safest place,” Carlisle tried to reason with Edward. “I think we still have to move tomorrow. Billy wouldn’t let Tyng stay if she isn’t hurt,” Caleb piped up. They stood in a circle.
I crept into bed and tried to get some sleep. “Good night, Teva. Good night, Daphne,” Trisha said. She gradually dozed off while greeting Amalina and Ling.
I turned to look at Daphne. Daphne sat on her bed with her head in her hands. “Are you alright?” I asked and moved towards her. “I’m hearing stuff lately. I’m having a headache,” she said while massaging her temples. “Stuff like?” I asked out of curiosity and boredom. Amalina let out a light snore. Hmm.
“Mostly emotions of people. Trisha feels confused, Edward feels insulted, Bella feels guilty for bringing us here, Caleb is worried about Tyng and our safety and Edmund is hard to tell. His emotions are bugging me,” Daphne blurted.
Lately, Daphne has been hearing thoughts, mostly emotions. We did not tell Trisha because we did not want her to worry. Ling managed to translate the book she read. It says that the seven maidens will have gifts. The book even listed down the names and gifts. Trisha’s gift was stated as Undiscovered. Amalina could make a person keep quiet. I guessed she used it on Jacob when he wanted to talk back at Edward.
“My head hurts,” moaned Daphne. “Let’s find Arwen. Maybe she could help,” Ling said. She sat on her bed silently all the while. I forgot she was there for a moment. The three of us went to Arwen’s tent. Arwen invited us in.
Her tent was much bigger than ours but same nonetheless. Legolas and Mr. Baile already slept. Esme was reading in a corner. Arwen looked at ease throughout the whole day. She wore a gold silk night dress. “What is the problem?” she asked and smiled. “Daphne is hearing thoughts again. This time it hurts her head,” I explained after sitting down. “Where’s Carlisle?” Ling asked.
Arwen placed her hand on Daphne’s temples. “He went to change Tyng’s bandage and to make sure that they are comfortable,” Arwen replied while rubbing Daphne’s temples using her thumbs in circular motion. “Better?” she asked Daphne after awhile. “Yup. Thanks,” Daphne said and wore her spectacles back. “Go to sleep now. Tomorrow will be a long day,” Arwen said and let us out of the tent.
Carlisle was about to enter the tent when we exited. “How’s Tyng and Caleb?” I asked. “They are recovering rapidly,” Carlisle said and smiled. “Good night girls.”
We walked back to our tents. Alice wished us good night. “Rapidly,” muttered Ling. “What about it?” I asked. I stifled a yawn. “He loves the word rapidly. Either he’s recovering rapidly or something rapidly,” Ling said out loud. “Oh,” I mumbled. I was too sleepy to hear what Amalina said so I slept.
I woke up when a lightning struck nearby. It was very windy. I pulled the zip of my jacket up to my neck. Amalina, Ling and Daphne were packing their backpacks. “Why didn’t you guys wake me up?” I asked in a groggy voice and slowly put on my spectacles. “We did. You couldn’t wake up. You better pack your stuff. We’re moving,” Trisha said. She standing near the entrance of our tent with her bag. The flap of the tent was blown vigorously by the wind. Edmund came in. He wore a raincoat and brought raincoats for each of us. I felt so spoilt.
“We need to pack up the tents before the rain falls. The rain clouds are coming in a about 10 minutes,” I heard Alice say from the outside. “You guys go ahead. I’ll dismantle the tent,” Edmund said.
It started drizzling when we got into Rosalie’s car. The guys rolled up the tents and hurried over to Edward’s car. I saw Tyng in Carlisle’s car. She waved and smiled at us. Daphne saw her and followed suit. “Alright. Wear your seat belts girls,” Rosalie announced as she got into the car. She backed out into the road. Emmett signaled her to go first when both of them reversed at the same time.
“Where are we going?” Trisha asked as we whizzed by some houses and later trees. It was too green. I think I saw liverworts on the trees. Like Bella said, an alien planet. “We are going sailing,” Rosalie replied. “In this weather?” I said skeptically. She looked at me. “It’s much better than staying there,” she added and pointed to the back. I got what she meant.
“Where are we sailing to?” Amalina perked up right away. “You guys love to ask questions,” Rosalie mused. “Well, it doesn’t help if you keep moving all of us and keep us in the dark at the same time,” Trisha pointed out while looking out of the window. Rosalie smiled and shook her head. “Edmund didn’t tell you?” she asked and glanced at her rearview mirror. Trisha shook her head. “He must have been interrupted by Alice then,” Rosalie said.
“We are sailing to Alaska, Caleb’s home,” said Rosalie. The car turned left. Before we could ask again, she continued speaking.
“We’re sailing from Port Angeles if that’s what you wanted to know.”
I wonder where in the world Port Angeles is. It didn’t take long for us to find out. Port Angeles is different from Forks, where the Cullens reside.
Port Angeles is sunny. It was a tourist hot spot. We carried our backpacks and walked along the jetty to a big, white ship. “Wow,” I gaped. We climbed up a staircase onto the deck. We were greeted by an old man. “Going back early, Master Caleb?” the old man said when Caleb got onto the ship. “Change of plans. Have to keep my friends safe, Captain Jordan,” Caleb replied after embracing the captain of the ship. “I heard about the attack. You’re healing well. How’s the girl?” Captain Jordan asked while leading us to the bunkers. Gosh, he knows everything.
“I think I’m doing pretty well. I can’t see the cuts anymore,” Tyng piped up. “That’s good,” Captain Jordan said. He smiled and winked at Caleb. “I’ll get to know your friends later. Men, prepare to sail!” he shouted while climbing upstairs. Immediately, we could hear people scrambling about.
“He lives in the ship,” Caleb told us. “I can tell,” I said and chose a bunk. “Get yourself each a bunk. You can sleep right away, if not, I’ll meet all of you at the deck,” Carlisle said while leaning in to check on us. This time he grinned. A very fatherly figure. The cool dad.
Esme pushed him away lightly and helped us to unpack. She also made sure we had everything like pillows, blankets, and heaters. She even got us hot water bottles and checked whether our bunks are stable.
After unpacking, we went to the deck. Tyng and Trisha were already there. They were leaning against the railings with Caleb and Edmund by their side. Edmund was pointing something at the distance while Caleb squinted to see whatever Edmund pointed out. “I think you’re imagining stuff,” Tyng said as she squinted. “No, it’s there,” Caleb said. “You guys have telescopic eyes,” Alice reminded as she skipped past the four of them.
“Right. I forgot,” Caleb said. Tyng rolled her eyes. I sat on the cushions stuck on the deck. It was higher than the floor so I could see the dolphins and whales swimming beside the ship. “Hello kawan!” Daphne said and sat beside me. Kawan means friend in the Malay language. She sat beside Amalina who was leaning on the railings to watch the swimming mammals. Ling went to get drinks.
“How long is the journey?” I asked. “Caleb said that it’s about seven hours,” Amalina replied. “You know what?” Trisha said cheerily. Edmund went to the bunkers with Caleb. “I still don’t know what happened,” Trisha said. She was looking at us one by one. Tyng came over. “What’s up?” she asked. She had her arm in a cast.
“What happened to you? You didn’t have a cast on before,” I said. Tyng winced guitily. “I fell just now. Nothing serious,” she said. “Guys! I’m not invisible you know. What happened?” Trisha asked again. “The Dark Seekers broke into my room. I got thrown against the lamp and hit the cupboard. The rest I don’t quite remember. It all happened in a flash,” Tyng told her story. “Then, I woke up in Jacob’s house,” she added. “Oh, now I understand,” Trisha said with finality.
Tyng shrugged. “I’ll live,” she said when Trisha apologized for making her remember. All of us giggled. “Was Caleb hurt?” she asked after that. “He bled but since he could regenerate, he should be all right by now,” I told her. “This reminds me, Trisha, if you want to know more, I remember seeing someone fending off the Dark Seeker,” Tyng mused.
“Must be Caleb,” Trisha said. I gave Trisha a look. “Does he know about Ryan?” Ling asked and sipped her warm drink. “Believe it or not, he knew everything before he even met me,” Tyng said. The wind blew my hair onto my face. “Did he say anything?” I asked while pushing my hair back.
“He just told me what he knew and said that I was better off with Ryan,” Tyng said. “A typical reply of a vampire,” Bella said. Edward came up behind Bella and tossed us life jackets. “Don’t you fall off the deck and drown,” he warned all of us.
“I’m so tempted to fall into the water,” Trisha joked. Edmund flashed a worried look as he came up the deck. “Don’t worry, Edmund. We’ll tie her to a bunk,” I said while Amalina rubbed her palms like someone plotting revenge. “Uh oh,” Tyng said. “You’re in big trouble miss,” Emmett laughed.