The wind was howling and twirling around her. But even its sound could not hide the screams of despair. She was walking down a glass bridge. Covering her eyes to prevent them from swallowing the flow of the swirling storm surrounding her, she screamed as she saw a hooded figure. She saw someone cloaked move at the end of the bridge. She tried to move closer but in vain. The wind pulled her back like a magnet attracts metal. She felt cold airstream wrap around her ankles and wrists. But she wanted to get out of the horrible place. Over the roars of the gust, she heard waltz music. Slow waltz and loud cackling. She tried to see what was happening. And slowly the squall slowed down and she was able to see what was going on but then wished the storm to start again. At the end of the bridge, stood an old cloaked woman. She had worn a purple cloak and had some chin hair. She was laughing maliciously. She was familiar and so was her laughter. Lucinda had seen her several times in dreams. But she had never met her face to face, at least till that moment. That witch was the reason why she had been several times late to her school. Whenever she had dreamed of the witch, she used to feel like she was stuck in the horrible nightmare. It was worse than Black Time. “At least,” she often thought. “I could forget what happened in Black Time.”
But these nightmares were unforgettable.
These nightmares were also the reason why she had to use dream diaries. Her aunt had magicked a normal dream diary into a magical one which used to note down her whole dream itself. Fortunately, Lucinda knew a little magic and was even allowed to use it as her aunt had no idea that she had Gem Powers, the only kind of powers except illusions that used to work on the earth. She had tried to put a spell to stop the diary from noting her dreams. And after a lot of magic and glitters and potions, she was finally able to at least stop the diary from noting her whole dreams. Now the diary only listed whether she had a nightmare or a good sweet dream even if the diary had magically listed what kind of dreams she had in the previous year. But she would have started writing herself inside the diary if it could stop her from seeing what was next. The witch was dancing with a young boy. And as soon as the waltz ended the witched stopped dancing and she did something very fast. It took Lucinda a few moments to realize what the witch had done. In her old fingers, Lucinda saw a neck, the neck of the young boy. She heard the witch’s sly laughter. She tried to move, but she could do nothing except seeing the witch`s fingers pierce the flesh of the young boy. She tried to shout but she was horror-struck. After few long moments of standing there and searching for her voice, she finally cried- “Leave him, please……” her voice was very tiny but still, the witch heard. She turned her old, ugly face to her. She freed the boy and raised her hand towards Lucinda. She started pacing slowly towards Lucinda. Lucinda tried to run. But the air was still pulling her back, so she fell. The witch cackled and started walking faster towards her. She was a few feet from Lucinda when Lucinda heard a worried voice of a boy- “Get up Lucinda, come on!”
Lucinda closed her eyes as death approached her but, in few seconds, the cackling died. She opened her eyes to find that someone was towering over her. She tried to stand up when she heard few loud bangs.
“Who’s there?” she asked turning the lamp on with a flick of her finger.
“Helio!” she cried as the person`s face came in view. “What are you doing here?”
“I was told by queen Rayne to take you to Gem land.”
“Why did she tell you this?” Lucinda asked doubtfully wearing a pair of glasses with thick lenses. “Why not Jessica?”
“Jessica has gone to bring Jackson,” Helio replied.
“Really? Who`s more important to her? Her best friend or a boy with whom she fights three times a day?”
“She was scared to come here. She thought that you would kill her thinking she was an intruder.”
“So, she let you risk your life?”
“She suggested we both should come here together but I insisted on going alone since we didn’t have much time!”
“The lunar eclipse, of course!” Lucinda said worriedly. “Why do we have to come to Gem Land, again?”
“`Cause a witch called Dancing Witch has been spotted and partly because of Spanish flu!”
“I understand!” Lucinda replied changing her tone. “The times are harder than ever imagined!”
“You should’ve come to Gem Land with me and Jessica two months ago! The training was pretty cool! It was even safer than here!”
“I know what I should do and should’ve done! That castle has the scent of foes. Every place there senses like an enemy!” Lucinda answered coldly.
“You mean because of Black Time? You can trust anyone there now. Black Time’s gone!”
“It’s not Black Time! My father was murdered inside that castle. So, pardon me for not trusting anyone in that castle!”
“Look Lucinda, I understand your sorrows but it would help if you would come to the castle right now! It’s for your own safety! I have the Queen’s orders! If you deny I’ll have to take you forcefully!” Devin said flatly.
Lucinda scoffed. “You do realize I can vaporize your soul right now, don’t you?”
“Only your Gem Powers will work here. And technically electricity is more powerful than telekinesis! I hope you do realize that!”
“You boys are so full of yourselves!”
“Are we now?” Jackson said teleporting there.
“Jackson!” Lucinda squalled and hugged him. “It’s been so long!” she let go of him.
“Ahem, ahem! I am here too you know!” Jessica said smiling.
“No need to be jealous Apollonia, I am still your bestie!” Lucinda hugged her too. “Well, to answer you Jackson, yes you boys are very full of yourselves!”
“I wouldn’t challenge any girl since I have you as a sister! Though a little challenge wouldn’t hurt, would it?”
“A challenge?”
“A contest between you, Jessica and Chancy and me, Ethan and Devin! A competition between the girls and the boys!”
“Well, you can keep Darien too! We don’t mind, do we, Jessica?”
“Nah, just make sure that you boys have time for at least a month of bed rest. We might be girls but we aren’t so gentle!” Jessica winked at Lucinda.
“What kind of competition, but?” Devin asked.
“We’ll decide later! Right now, we need to go to the castle.” Lucinda stood up saying that. She was in her white cotton sweetheart neckline nightgown. “You boys go, we girls will come after I get dressed!” she insisted.
“Okay,” Jackson agreed and teleported back to the castle with Devin. Lucinda put up a decent dress, brushed up her and hair, and teleported to Gem Land with Jessica.
“How did you break through the enchantments?” Jessica asked looking around at the white castle. There were unicorns tied close to them. All of them were fast asleep, with their head in their wings and body in a sitting position. There was a small baby unicorn who was awake and was staring at then, looking scared. Despite her uneasiness about coming to the castle, she smiled at the sweet unicorn to make it feel comfortable. “I told everyone last year that enchantments could be broken.”
“You are quite powerful you know!”
“Thanks!” Lucinda replied her voice softening slowly as she looked at the full moon. “There is going to be a lunar eclipse in fifteen minutes! I`ll go to my room now, I suggest you should do the same!” she walked to the North tower where the girls lived with Jessica and they both went to their rooms.
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