Wonder Lost

The Oasis

When Isabella entered the building, she jumped, because at the doorway was a circle of five people smiling at them.

“Welcome to the Oasis!” said a little girl. She wore a blue dress and her brown hair was perfectly brushed out. “I’m Cora, and these are my sisters, Remi and Beatrice.” Remi looked about thirteen, with jeans and a white shirt, the sleeves rolled up, and her brown hair in a ballerina bun. Beatrice looked about a year older than Isabella and was wearing a gray tank top and jeans, her chestnut colored hair in a braid on her shoulder.

“This is Beatrice’s boyfriend, Tony,” Cora said smiling.

“Oh, hush!” Beatrice exclaimed, her face flushed. Isabella looked at Tony, who blushed and looked at the ground. He wore jeans and a white t-shirt and his blonde hair stuck out, wild.

“And this is Shane,” Cora said. Shane looked to be a little older than Cora and was holding her hand. He wore black pants and a white t-shirt. His golden brown hair reminded her of Simon, but she smiled at him and looked away.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Leo, and this is Isabella,” Leo said.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Beatrice said. “Now, let’s get to business. Laurel told us that we had to go to Liam’s palace to find your siblings, Elizabeth, Rose, and Simon. We don’t know how to get their, but Laurel said that the book would guide you. Before it can, you have to read it. Or at least the first few pages.”

“Liam’s palace is across the sea. We just escaped from it,” Leo said. Beatrice shook her head.

“It’s not that one. Laurel said he has two more houses across Duestro besides the one you escaped from,” Beatrice said. “Well, it’s okay. Rest for now. We will have to leave in 3 days. Cora can show you to your rooms.” Cora held out her hands and Isabella and Leo grabbed them. She proceeded down the blue hallway with them. Soon they got to a room with a dining table and a very high ceiling.

“Oops. Wrong room,” Cora said. She went back, checking the rooms one by one.

“So, Cora, how old are you?” Isabella asked.

“I’m six. Shane’s seven. Remi’s twelve and Beatrice is nineteen. Tony’s nineteen, too. Or is he ninety? I always forget.”

“I think he’s nineteen,” Isabella said smiling. A moment later, Cora found their rooms and Leo entered his.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Cora asked. Isabella nodded. “Beatrice, Remi, and Tony were planning to come with you guys on your trip. They knew who you were a long time ago.”

“Cool. Thank you, Cora.”

“Breakfast is at 9:00 sharp. Bye!” Cora ran down the hallway, leaving Isabella to her room. She entered and sat on the bed. It had gray sheets and white pillows. The walls were painted a light purple and smelled faintly like fresh paint. The room was freezing.

She went to the bed and covered herself in the sheets. Her eyes closed and she slipped into the world of dreams.

Simon was being held in a cage in the center of Liam’s main room. The front doors were wide open, showing the tops of towering buildings of Fenraltz and a plain in front of them. His eyes looked sleep deprived and his form looked starved. His face was marked with small cuts, and his breathing sounded ragged.

“Where is she?” Liam asked. His hands were gripping the bars of Simon’s cage and his knuckles were white.

“I told you I don’t know where she is. I haven’t seen her since she started her journey that one morning,” Simon said, with a voice filled with sorrow.

“Oh, just save your lies,” Liam said. “You communicated with her one night by means of a holograph. The cameras show it. There is no denying it, Simon Jacobs.” He paused. “And if you do not tell me, consequences will be placed into action. I’m almost twenty years older than you, Simon. You’d better listen and obey me, or else I can put you into a prison cell that’s even worser than this one!”

“If your twenty years older than me and my grammar is better than yours—”

“If you insult me again,” Liam said, gradually increasing the pressure against Simon’s throat, “I won’t hesitate to kill you. I already have your two brothers and Rose. I’ll get Isabella sooner or later.”

“Don’t… hurt them,” Simon breathed, gasping for breath.

“Oh, I won’t. At least, not yet. The Oasis will have five days. And if I don’t get 500 liotts from your sister,” he looked straight at her, “I’ll kill them all.”

The dream changed to an image of Will’s death, but this time Isabella was watching the whole scene, including her former self. She watched as Leo put his hand over her eyes, and saw Will being blown up. Leo held her as they went flying across the room, holding her tight so that she wouldn’t get hurt.

The dream changed once more to Will again, but this time he was wearing all white again.

“Isabella, you have to find Simon and get him out of Liam’s palace. It’s on the left side of the city, and I can’t talk for long. I have to go to my trial, so I might not talk to you for a while. Good luck, Isabella,” he said. His form flickered.

“Wait! Will, I’m really sorry for everything and—"

“Isabella, it’s okay. I forgive you,” Will said, disappearing. Isabella’s dream faded to black, and she woke up.

Isabella got ready and walked downstairs, but paused at the hallway when she heard Beatrice and Leo talking.

“...We can’t tell her yet. She has to find out by herself,” she heard Beatrice saying.

“But she deserves to know. My mom showed me mine when I was nine!” Leo exclaimed.

“Well maybe that was for a reason, Leo. What if her mother didn’t want her to find out?”

“Maybe she’s wrong. And now is the perfect time to do it anyway.”

“Just wait a little longer. We can’t tell Isabella yet,” Tony said.

“Tell me what?” Isabella asked, entering the room. Beatrice’s face turned a bright red, as Isabella’s eyes flashed a determined orange. The room was silent.

“Well…” Beatrice said slowly, “the people of Elm Valley were feared by the other citizens of Liviette, back in the 1700s. The reason for that was because they had… strange talents.” Isabella looked at her.

“Like what?” Isabella asked. Instead of answering her question, Beatrice nodded to Leo.

“Isa,” Leo began, “ my family used to live in Elm Valley, but when people started to suspect us, we had to give most of our money away and live in that old house that was destroyed. Remember when we were in the bunker and there were blooming white tulips next to my mom? I made them with my ‘talent,’ which is making plants and trees grow from anywhere. Compared to yours, it’s nothing.” Isabella was afraid to ask the question that was about to burst inside of her.

“What’s my ‘talent?’” Isabella asked. Leo looked at Beatrice, who nodded again.

“You can fly.” Isabella looked at the three of them, waiting for someone to start bursting into laughter and say “You really fell for that?” She tried to form words, but none came. Finally, Beatrice broke the silence.

“Isabella, the power of flying is very hard, because even a couple of seconds in the air can cause headaches and nausea if you aren’t experienced. Once you have been properly trained, you might be able to fly short distances by yourself. If you are trained by a flyer, you might be able to fly longer distances, or fly with someone.”

“Can I learn now? We have only 5 more days until Liam’s expecting us with the liotts,” Isabella said.

“What liotts?” Beatrice asked.

“Isn’t Liam waiting for us to give him 500 liotts?”

“No…”

“Isa, are you okay?” Leo asked. “Did this flying stuff get into your head?”

“I’m not imagini… oh. Never mind.”

“What?” Leo wondered.

“It was a dream. Sorry. It looked so realistic…” Beatrice smiled.

“That’s because it was real,” Beatrice said. “Those dreams are called Lobelts and they basically look into the future or present.”

“We could tell that you had important dreams. Some of the people that come here get that, too.”

“I talked to Will, if that counts.”

“You… talked to the dead Will?” Leo asked. Isabella nodded, an expectant expression on her face.

“That’s amazing!” Beatrice exclaimed. “We’ve only had one person who was powerful enough to talk to the dead and remember their conversation. What did you talk about?”

“He told me that I had to find Simon and that he wouldn’t be able to talk much because he has to go on trial.” Everyone looked at her.

“He… hasn’t gone on trial yet?” Beatrice asked. Isabella shook her head. “And you still were able to talk to him?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Nobody has been able to talk to a dead person before they went on trial!”

“But I didn’t do it. It was Will who… came into my dream, if that makes sense.”

“That doesn’t matter. Calling upon people is a completely different and more complicated matter. But if you were able to talk to Will, then you might be able to ask…” Beatrice got lost in her thoughts, but Isabella assumed she wanted to say “ask what Liam is doing.” “Tony, can you come with me, please?” They left the room.

“Do you need anything?” Leo asked.

“Yes, actually. Can you get the book that we found? The blue one?” Isabella asked.

“Yeah,” Leo said as he walked out the doorway. Isabella closed her eyes and sat on the couch, putting her feet up. A moment later she heard glass shattering. Her eyes bolted open and she saw Liam in the room. His eyes were mad with power and vengeance.

“Well, would you look at that? I found her,” Liam said, hysterically laughing. “I found her. Yep, I did! You are going to pay, Isabella Jacobs. You’re going to pay for losing me two prisoners.” Liam seemed delusional, and he looked insane holding a sword.

“Liam, why don’t you calm down, okay? Put down the sword and we can talk,” Isabella suggested in a serene voice.

“Oh, but I don’t want to calm down, little Isabella. No, I don’t think I want to,” Liam said, his maniacal laughter continuing. He approached her, his sword raised.

“Liam, what would Maximus say? He would be disappointed that you would fight me when I’m in such a weak state! Maximus would have expected you to wait for me to heal before you strike. He would think it was a wasted death. He liked to have his enemies fight him, right? And if you killed me, you wouldn’t get your ransom.” Isabella said. Liam cursed, and Isabella winced.

“Oh, yes. You are right. He would have wanted me to weaken your family members before I harmed you! Thank you for the brilliant idea, Ms. Jacobs,” Liam said, laughing hysterically again.

“Wait, no!” Isabella cried. He disappeared and Isabella groaned. Her foot tingled and when she looked at it, it had a long scratch on it. How had Liam cut her without her noticing? Blood was dripping down her foot, but before it dripped on the couch, Leo came into the room, almost dropping the blue book.

“What happened?” he asked, grabbing a rag from the other room.

“Liam came in and said that he would weaken my family members,” Isabella sighed. “He seemed drunk.” Leo went into the room and came back with some cloth, which he proceeded to wrap her foot in.

“Leo, I’m fine. Really.” Beatrice and Tony came back, walking in through the doorway.

“What happened?” Tony asked.

“Liam came in here and cut me somehow and then disappeared..” Beatrice sighed.

“We’ve had some encounters with him,” Beatrice said. “Read the book now. Thank you.” Beatrice and Tony left again, their gentle footsteps resonating throughout the hallway.

Leo pulled up a chair and gave Isabella the book. She opened it and they read it together. It was about Maximus and Liam, and their weaknesses and strengths. Maximus’ weakness had been power, because he planned to take over the entire planet of Duestro. Liam’s weaknesses were his dead wife, Ebony Aroh, and his daughter, Ruby Aroh. He was amazing with a sword, and extraordinary at battle plans.

After a couple of pages, the book showed a map of Duestro where Maximus and Liam’s three palaces were held. Isabella and Leo studied the map until Leo closed the book.

“We should get some rest. We read a lot anyway,” Leo said.

“Leo, I just slept for 24 hours,” Isabella said, but she felt tired.

“You were barely sleeping, Isa. Lobelts are barely a form of sleeping. Aren’t you tired?”

“Well can’t you stay with me? I don’t want to get attacked by the drunk or sober Liam,” Isabella said. Leo smiled and rested his head on Isabella’s bed. When she heard Leo’s soft, steady breathing, she quietly slipped out of bed. Looking down the hallway, she knocked on a door.

“Come in,” Cora said. Isabella opened the door and found Cora reading a book on her bed.

“Cora, I need to ask you a very serious question,” Isabella said, closing the door. Cora closed her book and sat up on her bed. “Do you know where I can find a professional flier?” Cora paused, thinking.

“Well… I don’t know a flier, but there is a book about it. I once read it in the library. I don’t know where it is now, though.”

“Do you think you could remember? Because I’m a flier, too and I really need to know how to get my feet off the ground.”

“Umm… okay,” Cora said. “Well, first you have to think of yourself flying. Imagination is the most important thing a Flyre can have. Next, you… well, you fly.” Isabella’s eyes turned to orange as she concentrated hard. She thought about her body being suspended in the air, right in front of the doorway. She thought about flying across Cora’s room and acting like Peter Pan. When she opened her eyes, her feet were still on the ground.

“Why didn’t it work?” Isabella asked. “I thought about being in the air, and I thought about myself levitating.”

“Why don’t you try again, but this time, picture yourself levitating,” Cora suggested. Before Isabella could, she heard footsteps approaching from another hallway. They were getting closer and moving fast.

“Let’s try another time. Sorry, Cora, I have to go, but thank you!” She silently ran back to the living room, where Leo slept peacefully, now on his chair. The footsteps were right outside. She leaped into bed and covered herself with blankets, pretending to sleep.

“We found it!” Beatrice exclaimed as she walked in with Tony. “We did it! I can’t believe it.”

“What did you find?” Isabella asked, suddenly curious.

“We found a way to defeat Liam. Not really a way, but more of a plan. Both you and Leo will go with Tony in Liam’s palace and try to save Simon. This should weaken some of his forces. Then a couple of our forces will come in, create a distraction, and give you enough time to escape with Simon.”

“Okay, I’m fine with that,” Isabella said. Beatrice excused herself and as soon as she left, Leo scowled.

“We’re not ready,” he stated. Isabella groaned, standing up. Her feet felt new and well rested. She left the room, hoping that he would follow, and entered a room. She sat on a green floral couch. Her shoe made tapping noises as she drummed it against the hard wooden floor. The white walls seemed to be closing in on her as she waited, and the ticking of the clock pounded in her ears, in sync with her heart. Finally, she heard footsteps approaching and took a deep breath, standing up. Leo quietly opened the mahogany door and stepped into the room.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. Isabella sighed deeply as Leo took her hands in his.

“I want to go,” she whispered. Leo paused and looked down.

“So do I. But not yet. We aren’t ready.”

“So when is ready?” she whispered angrily. “We’ve both been training for something like this our whole lives and yet you still say that we aren’t ready. Liam is going to attack soon and he still has Simon.” Leo sighed.

“Okay… but only if we train for an hour before we go.” Isabella smiled and kissed him before dropping one of her hands and pulling Leo to the training room. They trained for two hours, much to Isabella’s reluctant consent, and finally went back to Beatrice, who walked them to another room.

Beatrice opened a drawer and pulled out a key.

“You can’t go in there weaponless. Come with me, and I’ll show you the Supply Closet,” Beatrice said smiling. Beatrice led them to a wooden door with a black, metal lock. As she inserted the key into it, the door swung open.

The Supply Closet was bigger than the bedroom she shared with Simon. It was filled with tons of cabinets, chests, and small closets. In the middle of the room were various pieces of furniture and paintings. Most of it was dusty, like the corners, but some of the furniture was new and the room smelled like old books and fresh paint, some of Isabella’s favorite smells.

Beatrice walked to a closet, where swords, bows, and shields were hanging on the wall.

“You can choose any weapon you’d like. Feel free to get two, or even three. These weapons are for anyone with good intentions.” Leo picked out a two-foot-long sword and a longbow. He grabbed a quiver of arrows, moving out of the way so that Isabella could choose.

Isabella saw a particular sword that caught her attention. It was tinted white, and at its tip was a faint blue color. She reached out for it, but Beatrice grabbed her hand.

“I wouldn’t recommend it,” Beatrice said. “That blade’s been cursed since the day we got it. Anyone who touches it will be poisoned. A legend tells of a person who will rid the blade of its curse at their touch. The person would be the descendant of Queen Krynina, who once ruled the destroyed kingdom of Elm Valley. She wore a special ring that transformed into her weapon of choice.” Isabella stared at her.

“You must be joking,” she said. Isabella took off her bracelet and showed Beatrice her ring. “Do you mean this ring?” Isabella put it on, and instantly her bow and quiver appeared. Beatrice gasped. “I also lived in Elm Valley Manor about a month ago, before it was blown up. But I wouldn’t call it a kingdom. It was the size of a town.” Beatrice took a deep breath.

“Try to hold it,” she whispered.

“Wait, are you saying that my great-grandmother was the ruler of my town? Or, kingdom?” Beatrice nodded.

“Try to hold it,” she repeated. Isabella reached for the sword, wrapping her fingers around its leather hilt. She lifted it and seemed not too light or heavy. The tip glowed faintly at her touch.

“Do you feel anything?” Beatrice asked. Isabella shook her head, and heard Leo sigh in relief.

“Thank God,” he muttered. Isabella took of her ring, attaching it to her bracelet again. She grabbed a sheath and put the sword into it. They exited the closet and Beatrice shakily led them to another, this one filled with various kinds of armor.

“Let’s get you some boots and gloves,” Beatrice said. She handed both of them a pair of hunting boots and arm guards. She also gave them each an archery glove.

“Beatrice, I don’t think I need the archery armor. I’ve been doing archery for my entire life, and I’ve never really gotten hurt,” Isabella said. Beatrice took the armor back and they left the Supply Closet.

“I suggest you leave today, because based on the map in your book it will take a couple of hours to get to Liam’s palace. We’ve supplied you with food, water, and jackets for the trip. Our troops will be assembling their gear, and should be about an hour behind you. Tony is packing the car with Remi, Cora, and Shane.” They went through a door that led them outside. Isabella smelled the cigarette smoke and the gasoline from cars and wrinkled her nose.

They spotted a silver car on the street, where Remi and Shane were seen on one side and Tony and Cora on the other. Cora and Shane were putting backpacks filled with food and water under the front seats for Simon. Tony and Remi were checking the gas tanks and the wheels.

“We’re ready to go. You guys can go inside now,” Shane said. Isabella and Leo thanked him and went inside the car. Tony talked to Beatrice and walked to the driver’s seat. Beatrice stopped him before he opened the door.

“Be safe,” she said. He softly kissed her, holding her hands.

“I will,” Tony said, opening the door. He sat down and turned on the car. Beatrice stood there, breathless.

“That was... the first time you kissed me,” Beatrice stuttered.

“I know,” he said, smiling. Beatrice swallowed.

“Good luck,” she said.

“You, too,” Tony said, closing the door. They departed, watching the buildings rush past them.

Isabella went to sleep, and thankfully it was a dreamless sleep.

After a couple of hours, Isabella woke up. She sat up groggily and looked at Leo, who was sleeping with his head against the window. Tony was silently driving, his eyes distant and far away. Isabella looked outside, where a bow and arrow were pointed right at her.

Isabella screamed, causing Leo to stir and Tony to swerve. The archer released the arrow and it shattered the window, piercing the seat.

“Everybody, get down!” Tony shouted. Leo pulled Isabella under the front seats, where the backpacks were. Leo lifted his head up, trying to see what the car was doing. They both covered their heads with the backpacks.

“They’re nocking another arrow. I don’t see anything else,” Leo reported. Isabella thought she heard something above her.

“Did you hear that?” she asked. Leo shook his head. Suddenly, the sunroof shattered, raining shards of glass. Someone stepped into the car, their feet on the leather.

“Well, what do we have here?” Liam said. “A couple of amateurs trying to get to my palace? Well, let me show you a shortcut.” He exited the car and Isabella heard sparking on her side of the car. She dropped the backpack and crawled to the other side of the car. The car exploded, and the world went black.