The Gemstone Chronicles #2

Hatr ed
By Gabby Cruz

 Copyright July 3, 2012 The Gemstone Chronicles- Hatred Contact the author @ ontherocket@yahoo.com read more stories @ www.gabbysstories.weebly.com

Its another journey for our heroes, and this time, the Hidden Jewels are taking them to a whole new district of

Theropolis- the Kingdom of the Souls. This is where all the creatures who have died, from Earth, Theropolis, or anywhere else go. So this means having to give away some of what the class values most- their lives. And with the clock ticking for Derrick, he just might get to the Kingdom of the Souls early.

To Do List (Table of Contents)

1. Reviewing

2. Escaping 3. Poisoning 4. 0015 5. Re-meeting Katrina 6. Meanwhile 7. Blackening Clouds 8. Striking and Receiving 9. 0017 10. Entering 11. Re-Meeting Imagino 12. Battling 13. Destroying 14. Reuniting

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Previously So, if you havent been reading the Gemstone Chronicles, heres what you missed. The class started a quest to find the five Hidden Jewels- Envy, Hatred, Laziness, Fear, and Anger. They were at first led by the class Guardian Angel, but then she left after making them experience extreme heat, extreme coldness, and intensifying waters. The waters were interesting, because they realized who cant swim. At Theropolis City, they found a map saying where they are, where the Black Hart Caves containing the jewels were, and where they had to destroy the jewels.

After, the thirty discovered Nightcreations, which came directly from peoples nightmare. Night Mare invited them to the Nightmare Factory, where he took Zachary Moenter from the rest of the group. Then, the Factory was set on fire! Zachary didnt get out on time, but everyone had to continue on to the Mountains, where a secret was revealed- the Secret of 0004. Gabbys secret was pretty crazy- she could talk to anyone, anywhere, living or dead, through her mind. She was speaking to Zachary, which made it even weirder. After, Jazzy got trapped in a giant pink blob of fluff, which was NOT cotton candy. CeCe, Haley, Caroline, and Madi had to go after her. After that, they all felt the pain of starvation in the Black Hart Cave of Envy. They got the Jewel, but heres the catch Prince Imagino was chasing them out of the cave and into his castle. Now heres an excerpt from book 1 explaining the rest-

NO WAY!!! CeCe shouted slack jawed.

Then her eyes sparkled. Can I have your autograph...? With your dying blood? Lets go outside and settle this peacefully. Prince Imagino said. He was a tall, skinny boy, about sixteen. He had blue, purple, and green hair. Really creative hair. Full of different colors. His clothes were a little big, and velvety. They were the same color as his hair. And lastly, the crown. Prince Imaginos crown was golden, sparkling, and scattered with jewels. Of course, it was the same color scheme. And since no one could argue to peaceful settlement, they followed him outside Where an army of Nightcreations awaited them. What happened to peaceful settlement, huh?! Tiaralei shouted. I just want to get this over with! Anna shouted. The Prince ignored them, though, and had one word-ATTACK!

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Item 2eSCaPing
ATTACK! the Prince shouted at the top of his lungs. Waves of Nightcreations (definition found in book one,) flooded towards them. Time to pull off a Parker! Ruth shouted, smirking. Straight through! No. Riley actually disagreed with her best friend for once. Ruth looked at her, shocked and slackjawed. Seriously? Jazzy asked. Youre gonna stay here and get destroyed by some uh weirdos? Girl, you are gonna get CRUSHED. Im going with you, Riley replied, But not without destroying some of this buttheads. Dude, like, EPICAL! Gabby shouted, taking a long, slender sword out of her bag. Khirys face narrowed and his eyes got thinner. Lets do it. AAAAAAAH! the class shouted their best battle cries, even though Jazzys sounded more like Opera singing. ROOOOAR! the Nightcreations also started shouting, and a

battle with a ratio of 5-1, 5 Nightcreations to 1 student, began. The class kind of followed Ruths plan, running through, but slicing a head here, slitting a throat there, you know, that kind of thing. I mean, Im sure youve done it before. Everyones battled some gory monsters. Its just inevitable. Anyways, after everyone ran past the Nightcreations and through the closing gates of Dream Castle, they all whooped in victory for taking out of the whole army. There was only one problem. HELP! HELP! yelled Ace, Madi, Tristian, and Tiaralei. Oh God. London whispered, covering her mouth in shock. ***

No way! We cant leave them! We have to force open the gate. Ali said decidedly. It was pretty obvious that she was really just doing this for Tiaralei. Everyone knew, since Tiaralei and her stories were pretty popular. Ali took out her cloth-pod, and asked it for a flamethrower. Stand back, she said to the

four. Like we have a choice. Madi said, kicking the rock-monster holding her back in the leg. FRRROOOOOSH. The fire burnt a hole in the gate big enough for everyone to fit through. DUCK! Ali shouted to the four classmates of hers. CHICKEN! Gabby shouted from behind her. A few people giggled, although Tiaralei, as usual, rolled her eyes. The four kids did, however, duck, and Ali pointed her flamethrower towards the head of the vampire holding Ace, and she set fire to the monsters heads. Come on! Ali cried. She wished for a new gate instead of the old, burnt one. Then, Jazzy started singing to the tune of Set Fire to the Rain as she ran. She set fir--e! To ya face! Watch it burn as we Run away! then everyone fell behind a large tree and started laughing. Did we lose them? Ruth asked after everyone caught their breath. I think so. Lets go. Everyone was panting, but Parker, being one of the fastest boys in class, was fine. Where to? Mohamad asked. Um, dude, I havent had anything to eat since um, like,

lunchtime yesterday. So, to the nearest place we can like, eat something. Gabby said. The answer was pretty legit, and it was best to eat, because the color was draining from everyones faces. In a few minutes of traveling the forest not too far from the castle, the class found a clearing leading to a small lake with sparkling water, and trees with beautiful, shiny fruit. Pears, mangoes, apples, every fruit in the world. Yep. Its here. This is what should be our campsite, you know, because we havent slept either. Parker said approvingly. But dude, in most stories, the beautiful campsite leading to a small lake with sparkling water, and trees with beautiful shining fruit usually like, contains some um, hidden evil. You know, like um, the fruit is poisoned or something, or the water contains deadly nymphs or something. Dude, trust me. Ive read on this. Gabby said, disagreeing with her best friend. Sure, youre just superstitious. Parker said, rolling his eyes. Dude, like, whatevs. Gabby replied, rolling her eyes back.

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Later, after everyone settled down to have lunch, Derrick said, Myuh refresh-pod is uncharged. Ill just go get some uh Mushrooms or something. Later. So while Derrick left, everyone settled down to a hot meal, feeling bad for him.

Meanwhile

HOW?! Prince Imagino boomed, wondering how the thirty escaped past his well-trained army. He knew how to get back, though, and cast a spell poisoning all the mushrooms in all of Theropolis, figuring that they would use them sooner or later. Heres

the surprising part- the poison wouldnt wash off. How indeed, said a voice from behind him. It was none other than King Night. He shook his head and continued, How did this mess come about? My gosh, Imagino, if youre not careful, things like this will happen again! Just Just go to your room. Or search for a female heir. You need a princess. The king looked stressed, and some might say the Prince was a spitting image of the king when he was younger. The only difference was that the king had a different color scheme- red violet, black, and white, and that the king was older and had white hair.

Got my um Mushrooms. Ill just take uh take some of these fruits too. Derrick said, feeling nervous for some odd reason. Im going to uh wash them off in the river. Everyone nodded, rubbing their stomachs contently. Oh, btdubs, we were going to talk to the Guardian Angel after lunch. I mean, umm, Alexis started her sentence, but never finished it, because she noticed Derrick

was looking kind of sick, and as if he was having a seizure. HOLY @$#%! Andrew said, going on a cussing spree. What do we do?! Madi asked, sounding like a character from a little kids TV show. London suddenly came from the back of the crowd and said, I know exactly what to do. The Guardian Angel gave me powers, too. She told me to try and heal that unconscious hedgehog by the side of the road, and I knew all the things to mix together to heal that wound from the tire of that fire truck. Well, HURRY UP ALREADY! Derrick hissed at her through gritted teeth. This is nearly unhealable, because the ingredients for the paste to make it heal itself are very rare. But I know what might slow down the poison. Derricks naturally pale face was getting whiter as London asked Caroline to get leaves, one red, one orange, and one green. Easton was told to get water from the stream, and add it to some crushed pomegranates. Lastly, Noah had to get some stuff from the deer on the other side of the river. Derrick looked disgusted, and London whispered something to him that Derrick apparently found really funny. But his laughing turned into coughing, and London knew to hurry.

The three came back in a few minutes, carrying the things that London told them to gather. Easton held out the bowl he put the water and crushed pomegranate in. Noah quickly threw in the stuff and washed his hands in the lake. Ewewewew. Noah said disgustedly. Caroline held out two leaves of each color. London took three, and threw them in the bowl. She swished around the contents of the bowl, and sprinkled some shiny blue stuff from a small gingham pouch. London whispered something inaudible, and the mix shone blue. London threw a heavy punch at Derrick and knocked him out. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. WTF man? Andrew asked. Ok, you shove it down his throat. London replied, handing Andrew the bowl and giving him a stern look. Wanting to be man, Andrew couldnt refuse. He just rolled his eyes and poured the sludge in the bowl into Derricks mouth. Nothing happened. Derricks veins were still popping from his neck; he had a look on his face that said he was nearly dead. There was an odd silence until Mohamad cried, You fraud! How could you?! Mohamads usually joyful expression turned to angry. I-I didnt lie! London cried, shocked at Mohamads disbelief. But now almost

everyone ganged up on her. Liar! Ali shouted, I thought you were a nice girl! Faker! Easton scowled. Boo! Noah shouted. I never liked you, and now I know why not! Parker said, and as everyone but Gabby, who stood beside London, closed in on her, someone shouted, STOP!

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Derrick? Alexis said. Um Youre not dead? Not yet, idiots. Derrick replied, rolling his eyes. He seemed to be his normal, snappy self. Oops. Andrew said, and offered London

a high five. London only turned around and folded her arms. Okay, anyways. Parker said, then his eyes widened and he quickly said, Holycrapwhat isthat?! Everyone turned around, saw nothing and no one, then when they turned back around, Parker was on the other side of the lake, being dragged away. Parker! Michael shouted, concerned for his best friend. Well, are we going to do something or what? Tristian asked. Yes! Ruth replied as fast as possible. Everyone turned to look at her and she responded, I mean, not that I care or whatever. Just lets go. Everyone ran as fast as they could around the small lake, and followed the long streaks imprinted in the dirt. It lead to a place where the sky was gray, the few trees appeared to be dead, the ground was barren and had cracks in it, and you couldnt see anything through the thick fog. How are we supposed to see anything here? Daniel asked. God. I cant even see where you guys are. CeCe said with a bad feeling. Her stomach was churning. Well, Ill put it simply so that you guys get it. Tiaralei said, rolling her eyes, because she thought she

knew everything. What does a car do when its in fog? It drives away from the fog. But we cant leave if we want to find Parker. Riley said, confused. Wrong. Tiaralei said. Yeah, youre wrong, Riley, Ace agreed, trying to copy Tiaraleis know-it-all tone. The driver stops and waits for the fog to go away while eating donuts. Duh, everyone knows that. Guess what Ace? Tiaralei said, Youre wrong too. Ace frowned and drooped his head as Tiaralei ignored Gabbys raised hand and said, Duh! The driver turns the lights on. My gosh, that took forever. Thats what I was going to say. Gabby remarked, London, what would you have said? London said nothing except for, I dont really want to contribute to this right now. In other words, I dont like to plant Carrots in my garden of Mushrooms. Oh well, Noah said, shrugging. Ok, so the answer is to wish for a flashlight on our cloth pods? Austin asked Tiaralei. Yes. Why, you dont get it already? So, after three

minutes, everyone had a flashlight. The dirt streaks were a little clearer, but it was still hard to see.

Meanwhile

HELP! Parker shouted, thrashing around and resisting the stranger holding him by the arms. HE-HE-HELP! He was super sad that no one had heard him, and really scared of what would happen if no one did. Shut up, you kid! hissed his kidnapper. His voice was growly, but Parker couldnt see any of the features on his face. The man was wearing a pair of what looked like lightning rods for pants, and wearing a giant cloud for a shirt, and a large grey hood. Who-who are you?! Parker asked, deciding that struggling wouldnt work. Me? His kidnapper asked, Lets just say Im your worst nightmare. The man then removed his hood and Parker fainted in fright.

Is that a person? Riley asked, shining her flashlight on what seemed like a far away

speck. I I think it is. Caroline replied, squinting to see farther. And it looks like its carrying a burlap sack. A really big one too. It could fit Parker in it Then she realized what she just said. Thanks, Caroline! Michael said, giving her a high five. I guess thats a benefit of not thinking about what you say, Caroline replied with a broad smile. So, the class quietly followed the speck, getting closer to it. It eventually became a dot, a big dot, a blob, an unidentified mass, and a person. The man had a big hood, so nobody could see his face, and the class was lucky that they couldnt. What now? Easton whispered, letting the wind carry his voice. We grab the bag. Haley replied as quietly as possible, but not quietly enough, because whoever it was turned around, saw the kids, and made a run for it. STOP! Ruth shouted at the top of her lungs, but the figure only wove back and forth to try and lose the class. The clumps of dirt on the ground were rumbling with every pounding step. Hurry up guys! Noah shouted, ahead of everyone. This was pretty surprising, because every day in gym was another day he got to do

his signature fat dude run, which was basically really fast running where you barely move your feet with each step. And so the daring chase begins! Madi says heroically. Madi, weve been running for nearly five minutes, you could have said that long ago. London said, sighing. *CRASH!* The class ran into Noah and Michael, who were first to get to the edge of the cliff. The man with the hood had stopped too, and was slowly walking backwards, as if threatening to take his life and Parkers with one shot. Let him go. Gabby commanded, using the meanest and most grown up voice she could. Ha! All right. The man held the bag out and dropped it, but, it was on the other side of the cliff. PARKER----! Michael, Noah, Ruth, and Gabby shouted simultaneously. You! But the man with the hood was gone. Suddenly, everything the class could see began to crumble into white. Everything started disappearing. There were no more trees, no more barren ground, no fog, no nothing. All there was was a set of paints and a

brush. There was a note saying, Create the world.

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Create the world. London read back. Completely useless. Not entirely. I think we could create a world with the Lemon and Carrot. Michael suggested. Thats impossible. Said a bright light in front of everyone. Its you! Riley said, I mean, uh The Guardian Angel Right? Exactly. She agreed. Great. Anyways, I need to ask you something. Derrick said. He leaned over to the angel and whispered so that no one else could hear, Im really afraid of uh You probably know.

Am I gonna die? I cant tell that, Im afraid. She whispered back. I wanna know who you really are. I mean, whats your real name? No one names their kid Guardian Angel. Jazzy blurted, being curious. Ok, Im Katrina Creatia, nice to meet you. Creatia Havent I heard that before? Caroline asked herself, Creatia Thats pretty, isnt it? HOLY COW! Austin shouted, even though he would have liked to say something different. Youre the PRINCESS! Everyone wants to know where you are! Creatia sighed. They all know what happened. The Curse of Fire and Water. Oh, right. Daniel said. Madi then asked, What happened? Thinking quickly, the Princess said, Ill tell you, but you have to promise to create a district of Theropolis thats perfect. Nothing bad, nothing evil, then you must go straight back to finding the Hatred Jewel. Deal! Jared shouted happily. The brushes multiplied with a note from Creatias magical harp and everyone ran for them in order to hear the story. With everyone working on something for their district, decidedly named LOLtopia, Creatia

sat down on the soft, green grass Madi was painting, and started the story. Alright, it was my sixteenth birthday, and Imagino was only eleven. The royal chef, my best friends father, had baked a cake big enough to fit maybe three of you in it standing up. I was blowing out my candles, and all the lights went out simultaneously. See, there were these two gods back then, Firenza and Watron. They were the gods of Fire and Water, obviously. They absolutely loved each other to bits. Almost as much as, well, I wont say who, but the point is that they loved each other so much. Anyways, every time they touched each other, though, Firenza disappeared. Watron was infuriated, and in his rage nearly destroyed the Spirit of Fire, which would get rid of the sun, and all light in the world. Anyway, this is where I come in. Anyways, it was my birthday, as I said, but all the lights went out. Watron and Firenza burst through the wall and said that my father and mother, King Night and Queen Day, must choose between Fire, or Light, and Water. What do you think they chose? They chose Water. Ace said. I just feel it. Thats completely illogical. Tiaralei snapped

back. They obviously chose Fire, because theres still a sun, she said, pointing to the sun London was painting in extreme detail before continuing, And we havent run across any lakes or streams recently. That makes no sense, Mohamad replied, Because we just camped out for a while at a lake where Derrick got poisoned. Remember? So, as you would say, thats completely illogical. Wait, so since I dont really care and havent been listening to a word you guys have said, what did they choose? Anna asked. The Princess sighed. Both. They chose to have both fire and water. Firenza and Watron agreed, but only under one condition- they had to give up one thing that was very valuable to them, and it had to be a lot of it. They gave up many of their jewels, gold, and riches, yet Firenza and Watron thought it wasnt enough. The two asked for me. They asked to take my life, to put me into eternal service. And my parents agreed. The two gods thought that there was only one thing possible that I could work as, and since they thought I was so beautiful, they took my sin and made me an angel. Firenza gave me the most important angel job of all. Not harp player, not warrior, but a guardian angel. Your guardian angel.

Then Creatia sighed. But I failed my job. I let Zachary and Parker go. And I know how you all thought of them. Im sorry. If only I could bring them back. She closed her eyes, and when they opened, LOLtopia was a real place, and it was perfect.

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MeANwhiLe
Oof! Parker was thrown against a hard cement wall, and the rust-covered door slammed on him. Parker? someone asked from the cell beside him. He turned his head to a blond haired boy with freckles. Zachary? he asked. Then he realized. Oh crud, are we both dead? I dont know. Zachary replied. Hey, you know who else is here? Or, should be? he asked Parker, who replied, No. monotonously. The Prince. Zachary replied mischievously. Sure. Parker said. By the way, I have to ask you a question. Parker said. Shoot. Zachary replied. Do you and Gabby really, um You know Talk to people, um, through your mind? Thats highly probable. Zachary said, Anyways, what happened to you? Oh, right, if we do happen to be dead, and if you mean how I probably died, then it was because some creepy dude dressed up with clouds and lightning bolts came and threw me off a cliff, because I was apparently trapped in a big burlap sack. Thats a total clich. Zachary said to Parker. Do you even know what that is? Parker asked. No. Not really. It just sounds cool. Whatever. Parker said, Im bored.

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Anyways, were like, stuck. Hit like, a dead end. Gabby said, crossing her arms, she continued, So like, where do we go, how do we like, get there and um What now? The Princess

said, You have to go to the Kingdom of the Souls. There, the soul of, well, someone, is guarding it. You have to get rid of that soul by giving it the thing it asks of for in exchange, whatever it may be. Just be careful to not disturb Darionite, king of souls. He has sworn himself in with my brother, and he swears to try his hardest to stop you on your quest. Ive already marked out the way on your maps, and you can contact me and each other with these. Creatia gave each child walkie talkies as she spoke, and then she left in a flash of light. Typical. Austin pulled out his map. Okayyyyy Anyways, Im guessing we follow the glowing harps? Duh. Mohamad replied in a know it all tone. Whatever. Austin replied. You wouldnt be able to figure that out yourself. Touch. Alexis told him. Anyways, she continued, It, or the path, goes through the Mountain, down the River Styx, and once we get under the bridge, were in the Kingdom of the Souls. Looks like Princess Poop extended our maps to the Kingdom of the Souls. Huh. Well, she can *@%$ on my face! Whatever. Austin said again. Can we go now? Um, how did we get here again? You know, LOLopolis? Andrew asked. Topia. Jared

said in reply, Its LOLtopia. Yeah, isnt it LOLtopia? Jessie agreed, And, we were running, running, away from the fog thing, no, wait, it all crumbled around us, and um before that we were running to find Parker at the lake, and before that we were running from Prince Imagino, and before that we were at the school, and before that we were We get it, Jessie. London said in an annoyed tone. Ok, so if we just walk backwards, I think, then well get back to the fog place, then more and well get back to the lake, and if we do even more, well be back at the castle. Then we can go up the Mountain. Tiaralei said. Or we could run backwards. Der! Andrew told her. Whatever. Lets go. Ace said, running as fast as he could backwards, which wasnt very fast. Gabby was actually pretty fast, though, because she ran, walked, and skipped backwards all the time. Later, dudes! Peace out! she said, disappearing in a little Pop. One by one, the class Popped away from LOLtopia, and back to the Castle, outside of the gates. Great. And now, we have to find a way to get back up the Mountains. I brought a giant hair clip, Jazzy said, contributing without a joke for once.

Guys, take off your DISGUSTING! Michael cried. Jazzy rolled her eyes dramatically and continued, I was going to say belts. All the guys stood, dumbfounded. Tiaralei turned around and covered her eyes, which were shut tight, with her hand. All the girls turned around too, and the guys felt comfortable. Done! Jared said a short wait later. Almost every boy was holding out a belt. Except for Andrew and Easton, who tended to wear sweatpants. Thats not enough. Jazzy said. Come on, somebody must have more stuff to use! Trees! Ace shouted out joyfully, throwing his arms in the air and skipping around. Are you kidding me? Andrew said. Ill admit, Im no Superman, and Im sure as #^*$ that youre not. Shut up, Andrew. Austin said his catch phrase for probably the 100th time that day. Trees might actually work Oh, hey, is anyone here a hair stylist? Done! Jazzy, Jessee and Ali said simultaneously. Um, hello? Jared said, HELLO?! Thats my line! Whatever, Jessee the diva said, brushing him away. Okay, we need some sort of hook to grip onto that ledge. She continued,

pointing to the top of the cliff. The edge of it was jagged. Arrrrrright! Madi said. Using Jazzys huge hairclip as a hook, London tied the end of a soft and bendable tree branch to the clip. Andrew, who had awesome aim, threw the homemade grappling hook. It gripped a stable enough large rock. Andrew shook the belt firmly with his big hand. The sky was getting filled with clouds, covering up the lemon sun. Hurry up, lets go.

To dO LIsT Item 8StRIkING aND rEcIEviNg

Hurry up, guys, if it starts raining, we have to find somewhere to shelter. Alexis said, as if she was in charge. Fine. Whatever. CeCe said. The black, unwelcome clouds said hi to the class and smiled mischievously. The mountains were almost

coming to a stop, and the class knew there were a few caves beneath them. Ruth yawned. Im tired. She said. Wouldnt you love to nap with you-know-who? Gabby asked, reading Ruths mind. Ga---bby! she said, embarrassed. What? she said, giggling mischievously. Honestly, you two! Madi said. They were only a little bit behind the group. Gee, Ruth whispers to Gabby, I never knew we brought a MOM with us. Gabby giggled, like she always does, for no reason sometimes. Madi rolled her eyes like a mom would, and continued walking, adjusting her black and pink backpack strap. The sun was looking down at them, smiling, but then the rain came pouring down as quickly as possible. Oh, God. Ruth said. The two of them began running to the cave where most of the class was. They could see the home made hook dangling from the edge, wiggling. The lightning began to strike so close to Ruth that it was SCARY. They were bending their backs to avoid getting struck now. It was almost over. But the last person had slid down the grappling hook now, and someone else pulled it off. No! the two girls cried, reaching for the hook like it was still there.

The cliff came to an end, and everyone was underneath. Jump. Ruth said. Are you CRAZY?! Gabby shouted over the roaring storm. Believe me, its soft down there! Ruth shouted back. Gabby nodded firmly to her friend with a universe of trust. One, two THREE! Ruth counted off but instead of jumping let go of Gabbys hand. Ruth! Gabby cried. Come on! Ruth shook her head. The lightning came right up behind her and flashed away. But then FZZZZZZZT. A surge of electricity shook Ruth firmly. She felt herself vibrating like Andrews iPhone. I might BE a cell phone now, she thought. But then, if she was, someone powered her off.

Meanwhile

Prince Imagino took another voodoo doll with green button eyes and a stitched mouth. This one, among the 28 others, had wavy brown hair, and a cheery, yellow dress, a lot like her outlook on life. Cheery, not yellow. He put it underneath his light bulb, which fizzed the doll. He expected it to fall

into the trash can below him as a pile of ash, but he didnt get the conclusion he wanted. Odd. RUTH! Riley shouted. They had all heard her scream. The storm had stopped once Ruth got fried, so everyone came out from under the cave walking on their hands. Ruth was definitely up on the cliff, but we didnt see her. Ruth! Ali shouted. Where are you?! There was no response again. We were all getting worried. RU-----------TH! Tiaralei cried, louder than anyone else, YOU DEAD UP THERE?! Riley smacked her in the upper arm. Im sorry, Im sorry! she replied, throwing her hands up in surrender. Im co---ming! shouted someone, as if in reply. Ruth! Riley shouted, looking relieved. A bunch of the girls let go of their breath hastily and loudly. Majority of the boys did nothing or rolled their eyes. Riley looked as if she might start crying. In seconds, Ruth had hopped down. She immediately ran to Riley and Ali, who were both grinning madly. The three were immersed in a group hug when Ali and Riley both cried out. Ow! the two girls said simultaneously. Ruth looked at them with a shocked look, then back down at herself. Her eyes widened even more when she

saw the electrical surges bursting from her fingertips. London suddenly found her silver necklace bolting for Ruths hands. So Im m-mmagnetic and e-ee-eelectrical?! Ruth shouted, quickly throwing London back her necklace. Yes, it is true, my dear child. Said the Guardian Angel, appearing behind Ruth. Yeah! Shes back! CeCe said happily. She looked confused at her own remark and said, I mean, Ruth and Katrina Why exactly are you here again? Andrew said rudely. Andrew! Anna glared at him. Katrina simply smiled and said, Just as a reminder. She told them sweetly, Turn around. Then Katrina disappeared. She came back and said, By the way, the word is electric, not electrical. The group turned around. They were now facing the might be grave of a dear friend. The Nightmare Factorys ruins were there, a pile of black ash. Gabby covered her mouth and looked like she was holding back tears, Khiry, Andrew, Jalen, Mohamad, and Alexis all had a respectful look for their sports buddy. Well Michael, who never really liked Zachary, said, We should really get going. Everyone nodded in agreement. Alexis

whispered something that sounded like, *@#% this. So, where were we going again? London asked. Uh Haley pulled out her map. To the River Styx. Derrick said. Everyone had basically forgotten about him being poisoned, but Derrick was now a very pale white and looked really weak. Suddenly, he collapsed- right into a river. Derrick! Everyone began shouting. Madi socked herself in the cheeks, for reasons we didnt know yet. The class all ran down the river as fast as they could. They didnt know where they all were going until the 27 kids reached a tall, crumbling bridge. Oh. Gabby said, That, like, musta been like, the River Styx And, like, this is that, um, bridge or whatever. Wait London looked like she was in deep consideration. So if the River Styx is supposed to be where are the dead people go, and Derrick is in the River Styx, then HES DEAD! Madi cried. Gabby raised an eyebrow at her before Madi said, But you know, I only care because Because Um Because he has A refresh-pod and a cloth-pod that we could

use? Oh sure. Jazzy said, rolling her eyes. Something floated by on the river. Well, Ace said, Looks like were going under The bridge! No $%#@, Einstein. Andrew said, rolling his eyes. The class all tried to get under the bridge, but as big as it was, they couldnt. A strong force bounced the class backwards. They even tried floating in through the River Styx, but the strength of whatever it was in the opening of the bridge was forcing them out. Why the #$@% isnt it working? Andrew asked in his usual annoyed tone. Because its the River STYX, dumb-nuts. Tristian replied. And that helps because? Andrew shot back. He had a good reason to be angry. It was cold, it had just rained, they were all hungry and had been traveling for miles, and the power of Hatred had somehow begun to seep into their hearts and souls. It helps because you have to be DEAD to cross the River Styx, London said simply. So, we all have to DIE. Andrew said, I bet that youre wrong and dumber than !#@*. You dont know anything about Greek or Roman mythology, idiot! London replied, So how do you know what to do?! Because I am smarter than all of you combined! All of you are stupid, and I bet even a two year old

without a brain is smarter than you guys! I hate you all and I AM BETTER THAN EVERYONE! Andrew screamed. Andrew, we ALL know that all you are is a mean, stupid, insensitive, disrespectful, lazy, stuck-up, arrogant, fat, PIG! Gabby fired. Now can we PLEASE go ON?! NO! Andrew said. He stayed right where he was and said, Not until you apologize to me! Not until you apologize to ME. London said firmly to him. Why should I? Andrew asked rudely. Because you were rude first. Tiaralei said, speaking for London. London had some choice words for Andrew when he said, This isnt about you, &%$#@. Suddenly, there was a scream from behind them. Gabby! the class was shouting. AHHHH! HELP! HELP! the girl was shouting. Since Gabby was the youngest in the class, the rest felt some kind of older-sibling/friend instinct take over. The figure looked like the same they had seen capture Parker- gray hoodie, lightning rod pants, but who was this mysterious person? Gabby was thrashing around. Let me GO! She shouted at the figure grasping her wrists. Shut up! he hissed, Or else Ill take the hood

off! I dont really like, care Gabby said dryly. She cleared her throat. HELP! HELP! she shouted again. Alright, you asked for it! the man said. He stopped. With one big hand, he yanked off the gray hood covering his face. No, NO, NO! Gabby cried. She was so scared of what this man might do to her, just because of who he was. The man took his hand and drew his fingers close to her face. AAAAHHHHH! Gabby shouted before blacking out. Where is she? London asked. Nobody knew what had happened, and it was the last scream we just discussed that they heard. By this point, the Mystery, as they called it before, had dragged Gabby almost to the end of their short journey by now. Mystery had dragged her to the other side of the bridge and thrown Gabby Into the River. Ruth was pacing back and forth. Thats when she noticed the two figures- the one floating in the River and the one atop the bridge. Thats Gabby! she said, pointing past the bridge. It is! said the person sitting on top of the bridge, Duh! A little figure said. He jumped off the bridge. You humans sure are stupid. The little man was, well, ugly. He

had a long, pointed nose, like a knife. He had little beady eyes and barely any hair on his head. The little man had round glasses that lied on his nose and a thick British accent. Who are you? Riley asked. Im Whopper. He said, Who are you? Well, first of all, Tiaralei said, Your name is an oxymoron, since youre short and look totally defenseless, and second of all, were the, um 27. Well, I knew that, Whopper replied in an aggravated manner, I knew that you were the 30, but 3 of you were captured0015, 0016, and 0004. So know youre 27. No, my name is not an oxymoron, and I was asking who you are, I know all the rest of you, I just cant remember your name. Whopper pointed to Riley. Uh Im Riley. She replied, sighing. Riley, Riley, Riley. Whopper repeated. Yes, her name is Riley. Ace said. Shut up, Ace! Andrew hissed. All right, Whopper said, What do you want? he ignored one of Andrew and Aces frequent arguments. Well, its a long story Ruth said, And it goes a little something like I know, I know! Whopper interrupted. I know what your story is! I just need to know what you want right now! Oh, well then, we need to get under the bridge, and

um Into the Kingdom of Souls. London said timidly. She was afraid of Whopper making a rude comeback, but instead he just smiled at her. Wow, London thought, so he can show happiness. You wanna get under the bridge, eh? Whopper said in consideration, Well-a-well-a-well-a