“We had a secret box?” I asked him in awe as he pried the lid open.
He shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal, but the glow of the candles showed a twinkle in his bright green eyes. He lifted the lid off, and all three of us leaned over the box, like we had just opened a trunk of buried treasure.
I had to wonder what was going to be inside a box that was made by two kids—two very strange kids I might add. There was nothing too strange in it, though: a rock, a bracelet, a photo of me and my mom, which I immediately snatched up. In the photo, my mother and I stood out in a field dusted with violet flowers. The sun shined brightly in the background, and we were both smiling—happy.
I glanced at Laylen, remembering our silly little roll ercoaster ride, and wondered if it was the same kind of happiness as what I felt when this photo was taken.
Alex removed everything from the box, and piled all of it onto the floor, except for one thing: a sapphire-blue teardrop diamond.
“Thank God,” he said, clutching the diamond in his hand.
“That’s it? That’s what’s going to get the Queen to agree to free my mom?” I slipped the photo of my mother and me into the back pocket of my shorts, which were almost dry now, and leaned toward Alex to get a better look at the blue diamond resting in the palm of his hand.
“Is that the Cruciatusdiamond?” Laylen’s eyes were huge as he stared down at the teardrop diamond.
“Yeah, it is,” Alex replied, his voice wavering.
“Is it—does it do anything?” I asked nervously, worried that maybe my energy would set it off or something.
Alex closed his hand around the diamond. “The Queen use to use it to suck the fear out of people before one of the Keepers took it from her.”
“But if no one can enter The Underworld, then how did they take it from her?” I asked.
“A long time ago things use to work differently,” Alex explained drowsily. “The Queen used to be able to come up to the castle to discuss matters of business and to make truces with the Keepers. That’s how the Keepers ended up sending people down there as a punishment. This,” he held up the diamond between his fingers, “was once used during a bargain.”
“Well, how did you end up with it?” I wondered.
He almost smiled. “You and I stole it.”
“Stole it,” I said, stunned. “Why would we do that?”
“For fun,” he replied with a shrug. “We used to do a lot of things like that.”
Interesting, I guess, and it was kind of nice that he was giving me a little insight into our past.
Alex closed his eyes, the blue diamond still clutched in his hand. He looked like he was sleeping.
“So what do we do now—just take the diamond with us when we go to The Underworld, and offer it to the Queen in exchange for my mother.” Well, that’s if we even get to The Underworld. We still needed the Ira, which Nicholas had, and after what happened at the City of Crystal it appeared that Nicholas just might be working with Stephan.
Alex didn’t answer, his eyes still shut.
“Alex,” I said softly. “Are you okay?” He still didn’t answer me.
I looked at Laylen worriedly, and he shook Alex gently by the shoulder. “Hey, you okay man?” he asked.
But still, Alex remained silent and motionless with the diamond resting loosely in the palm of his hand.
“Maybe the diamonds doing something to him,” I said, reaching for Alex’s hand that held the diamond.
When I touched his skin, I noticed how dull the flow of electricity was, and I immediately panicked, worried he might me dying.
“Alex.” My voice came out loud and panic-stricken. I grabbed his arm.”Wake up.”
His eyelids lifted, and a rush of relief swept through me like a breath of fresh air on a warm summer day. I started to pull my hand back, but he caught hold of it and grasped onto my fingers.
I stared at his hand grasping mine. “What are you doing?”
“Shhh…” He shut his eyes again. “I just need a minute, okay?”
Like a light bulb clicking on, it suddenly occurred to me what he was doing. He was feeling weak and our little electric connection was…well, it was recharging him. I could feel it too, ascending and boosting my energy.
Laylen got to his feet and dusted the dirt off of his jeans. “I’m going to go check and make sure no one’s coming. I’ll be right back.”
“You think someone would show up here?” I asked, glancing up at the hole.
He looked at Alex and then shrugged. “You never know.”
I almost told him to stay. Something inside me felt afraid—a strange kind of afraid. One I couldn’t quite explain and had never felt before.
Confused about my feelings, I sat there on the ground as Laylen climbed up the ladder and disappeared into the daylight. Alex was still holding onto my hand, the electricity growing hotter and hotter with each beat that went by. In all actuality, its heat was making me feel a little better too. I wasn’t even aware I had closed my eyes, until I heard Alex say my name. I cracked open my eyes and found him watching me with this intense look on his face.
I started to ask him what was wrong, but something in his eyes made me pause. I don’t even know what the look was, maybe a mix between tired and…
vulnerable. Or maybe it was just that he was really looking at me. And I mean reallylooking at me.
Then he was leaning in toward me, and I felt my body tense up. Half of my brain was begging for me to rip my hand out of his and run. But the other half was telling me to stay put. He had done so many bad things to me—terrible things that maybe I should have ran. But he also had gone to the City of Crystal, knowing he would be chained up to the energy sucking crystal ball, all so I could try to get my mother out of The Underworld. There were still small wounds in his skin where the tubes had been inserted. It wasn’t pretty, and he had done it to help me.
So I didn’t move away, watching, waiting, knowing I was going to let him kiss me.
“Gemma.” His voice was soft and shaky. A moment later his lips brushed mine, and electricity spun through me.
But the kiss lasted only a split second, because right as our lips touch, someone shrieked from outside. Alex and I both pulled away, and both our gazes shot toward the ladder.
Alex’s eyes scanned the room. “Where’s Laylen?”
“He said he was going to go check to make sure no one was outside.” My heart raced as I stood up.
“Don’t you remember?”
He shook his head and slowly got to his feet. “How longs he been gone?” he asked as he walked over to the ladder.
“I’m not sure…I lost track of time,” I said stupidly.
“Not too long…I don’t think.”
Another shriek ripped through the air, and this time I knew what it belonged to.
A Death Walker.
Alex’s eyes practically bulged out of his head. He ran over to the small little trunk in the corner and threw open the lid.
“What are you doing?” I asked, watching as he dug around in the trunk. “We need to do something—
Laylen’s out there.”
“I am doing something.” He took a small pocket knife out of the trunk and flicked open the blade.
“Why would you ever hide a knife in here,” I asked, gaping incredulously at the knife.
“Why wouldn’t I,” he replied, brushing passed me.
Well, look at him, all Mr. Prepared.
I followed him over to the ladder. “Yeah, but that tiny things not going to help us much if there’s a Death Walker out there.”
He stared up at the top of the ladder with his thinking face on. “You got a better idea.”
“I…no.”
“Well, then.” He placed his hands on the ladder and then said, “Stay here.”
“No,” I told him firmly. “I won’t. There’s no reason for you to go up there alone. And besides, even if I stay down here, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be safe.” He shook his head, and I suddenly felt the prickle. I was sure what emotion was trying to surface, but a voice inside my head whispered, take the knife. So I did, quickly snatching it out of his hand.