Chapter 22: Stella's POV

The never ending droll of Mr. Henry's monotonous voice buzzed in my ears as he lectured on about something I couldn't bother to care about, for I was to busy scribbling in the margins of my notes. I lifted my pen to see that I had been sketching a beautiful gate made from snowflakes, the same gate that I had seen with my siblings. The memory burned in my mind, brighter than the world I was in now. My heart ached, and a certain regret pooled in my head. I should have listened to Leo. I shouldn't have shut my own brother out like that.

"Stella?"

I straitened abruptly at the call of my name, and felt the dark gaze of Mr. Henry. "Sorry, what?"

"The document that declared that the Western Hemisphere was not to be further colonized by European countries, what was its name?"

"Umm..."

The Monroe Doctrine, a familiar voice buzzed in my head.

"Leo!" I exclaimed.

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, I mean the Monroe Doctrine."

Mr. Henry gave a grim nod before turning away.

I'm glad you're not gone, I thought to Leo. I lowered my eyes to the doodles on my paper, painfully aware that my entire class was staring at me like the lunatic I am.

I'm glad I'm not gone either. We need to go back, Stella. We have responsibilities.

I know. I know. I paused. I'll go back... for mom.

I knew you'd come around. Get a ticket to Sigel, Illinois as soon as possible. We can work this out when we're together.

Okay. Leo?

Yes?

I'm sorry about being such a... you know. I guess the real-world-Stella isn't the same as the daughter-of-Stelliana-Stella. I chuckled to myself, and again my eyes searched for my sanity-which was nowhere to be found. Leo? I asked after a great length of silence. Hello?
Silence. I was starting to grow worried.

Stella! HELP! Leo exclaimed in his thoughts.

I jumped out of my seat, throwing my chair back into the desk behind me with a thud. Classmates were murmuring about me now, but I could have cared less-my brother was in danger.

"Stella?"

I snapped my head to the doorway, where Mr. Henry's eyes were wide with confusion. Next to him was another man, a stranger to me, although something in his appearance set something off deep inside of me. He was massively tall, with onyx hair brushed back to his head neatly. He was finely dressed in a suit complete with a thin black tie, although the most staggering thing he wore was his sinister smirk.

Fear crept down my spine with icy fingers, and I found myself trapped in the sapphire gleam of the man's eyes. I was sure of three things: that this man was dangerous, that I had never seen him before in my life, and that he wanted me to go with him.

"Mr. Foster is here to take you home, Stella," Mr. Henry said.

Every bone in my body screamed against it, but before I even knew it, I was out the door, trailing on the shadow of the stranger.

"Who are you?" I asked, begging my body to stop being stupid and listen to my commands, yet still I continued to follow.

"It's no use trying, Stella. No matter what sort of sorceress you are, you are nothing to my black energy."

Fear stabbed me like a knife, and I couldn't help but shudder. This man was no doubt from the other world. He was no doubt an enemy, and I had an overwhelming feeling that he was going to kill me.

"You're surprisingly stronger than the younger one, I must say."

Coventina, I thought, biting my lip.

"Although, I have to say that your twin put up more of a fight," he said, coupling his sentence with a chuckle.

I balled my fists up so tight that my nails dug into my skin. "What did you do to them? Where's Leo?"

"You have no power to ask me, daughter of Stelliana."

The man led me to the old park, where kids hardly played anymore, and much less during school hours. I knew I needed to run. I strained and fought until my head ached, but I continued to mindlessly follow until he stopped on the dilapidated basketball court, which was now riddled with graffiti.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

The man reached into his pocket and retrieved a green orb.

Obelia! Stella realized. The orb was not speaking, just glowing faintly, flickering with green light.

"What's wrong with her?"

The man scoffed. "Her? Oh you're so much like your mother."

I glared at him. "Well, what am I doing here?"

"The orb. You're going to enact it-sorry, her," he laughed to himself again. "-and we're going to go back to my palace."

"It doesn't work with only one orb. I need my siblings' help."

"Your orb took you here. It can take you back if you command it."

"And if I don't? What then?"

A sly smile tugged at the stranger's lips, and his sapphire eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "Then I'll make you."

Just as the words were uttered, a pain like I had never experienced before in my life shot down my spine and through my veins and into my bones, raking my body with unfathomable agony. I doubled over with pain and cried out, and just as the first tear dribbled down my face, the pain was ripped from me all at once.

"And if that wasn't enough of a motivator, I'll have you know that your twin is being dealt double the pain every time you defy me."

My eyes shot open, and I quickly wiped the tear from my face, blinking away any shred of insurgence. I wouldn't cause Leo any more pain-he didn't deserve it. "Why?" I asked, my voice as faint as a whisper.

"Because your family is just the type to be noble and do foolish things to protect each other. I've dealt with your kind before, and you're all the same."
I rose from the ground, my mouth filled with every swear word I knew. "Very well then, Mr. Foster. How do I command my orb?"

"My true name is Galvano. Mr. Foster was just a façade I used to get to you and your brother," his icy blue eyes glared at me, and the urge to bore them out struck inside me like an axe. "And to command your orb, that is something I don't know." He handed her the sickly orb. "-But you better find out soon, or... well, you know."

I snatched Obelia from his hands and turned her over in mine. She gleamed a bit brighter, and I smiled at the memory of her cheery voice. I closed my eyes, and the memories of the past few days rushed back into my mind, flashing past in blurs of brilliant color. When I opened my eyes again, a green light had consumed their surroundings, and swirled around Galvano and I like a tornado. The light then retracted into the orb in my hands again, and I observed my new environment.

It was some kind of castle, one carved from black stone and dimly lit by lanterns. An uncomfortable warmth radiated through the halls, and despite it I shivered. Galvano clasped his hands together and smiled. "Good work, Stella." He continued walking, and I followed, still caught in his spell. The hallway opened into a gallant throne room, only it was shrouded in darkness. The great throne at the end of the room was lighted by two great fires at the foot of the throne, which leapt hungrily at the marble.

As Galvano walked, shadows sprung from the walls and spiraled around him like ribbons, draping over his body and transforming his suit and tie into fine black armor, an obsidian crown, and a billowing black cloak. He stepped past the twin fires and perched himself on the edge of his chair.

I quickly shoved my orb into my pocket before Galvano realized I still had it.

My body stopped still at the foot of the throne, and I looked up at the man, who ran his hand over his chin and gave a feral smile. "You have no idea how long it took me to gather you all together," he said. "Bring them in!"

At his call, five doors slid open and five people walked out. They were my siblings-all besides Leo. All of them walked robotically, while at the same time wearing grimaces of struggle. I knew that they too were under Galvano's spell.

Leo, where are you, I called in my thoughts.

Footsteps sounded against the stone floors, and I craned my head around to see the new creature that emerged from the shadows. It was the biggest wolf I had ever seen, covered in scars and tangled black fur. The creature growled deep in its throat as it prowled through the room and past me to the very edge of the throne.

"Ah, King Stalwart, nice of you to join me."

"King Galvano, I see you've collected the last of them," the wolf spoke. Spoke. I shouldn't have been surprised after all of the other things that I had seen, yet I still was.

"Not the last of us!" Glacia shouted, her eyes filled with fury.

The wolf-apparently not just a wolf, but a king, and with the name of Stalwart-barked in response, and two more men entered the room. A girl stood between them, and I inhaled sharply as I saw her long blonde waves and bright blue eyes.

"Coventina..." I said.

The girl's eyes lifted, and she beamed at the sight of me.

"What a pleasant family reunion!" Galvano said. He waved his hands through the dancing flames.

"Where's my twin," I asked.

The wolf snapped his beady eyes to me. "He's not your brother anymore," he growled.

"What do you mean?"

King Galvano sniggered, and I met his eyes, which were flickering with firelight. "He's not even human anymore, Stella."

My brows lifted, and I suddenly felt eyes boring into the back of my head. When I turned around, I saw Leo. His eyes gleamed with an inhuman glow that I had recognized as the werewolf influence, which was more prominent now then it had ever been. He wore a feral grin.

"Leo..." I breathed. "That's impossible," she said, spinning to face the massive wolf and the dark king. "Owl stopped him from changing completely. He's still human."

Stalwart grinned, and Galvano grinned even wider.

Leo rolled up the sleeve on his right arm and there I could see the many deep wounds that could only be a wolf bite. My heart dropped into my stomach.

"What do you want?" Glacia asked.

"Why, you are the eight most powerful beings in the Realm-besides myself, of course-and I would like you on my side along with the werewolves when I claim this world."

"Claim this world? Why?" Briar asked.

"The shadows are not enough for the Aurogans-not enough for me. I need the world."

A trill of laughter rang through the halls, and I took my eyes off of Leo to search for the source. Shay crept out from the shadows of the hall, her violet eyes alive with mischief.

"That's not why," the mind reader said.

"Why then," I asked, my voice raw.

Galvano's eyes widened, and he straitened in his throne.

"He wants revenge for what she did... for what Stelliana did."

"Silence!" Galvano hissed.

"No, what do you mean, Shay?"

Galvano stood up from his massive throne with a flourish, and with a wave of his hand, Shay was on her back. She stirred once, and immediately a guard went to restrain her.

"Don't touch her!" I growled. I would have raced to her side, but the spell still glued my feet to their place.

"Enough of this!" A shock of pain ripped into me, and I heard the room fill with screams as her siblings too fell to the ground in pain. Even Leo was affected by the dark energy of the Aurogan magic.

When the pain stopped, I was face to face with Coventina, who had crawled close to me during the chaos. She moved her head over to my ear, and whispered softly, "the orbs." I noticed the faint blue glow under her shirt, and my eyes widened. Coventina nodded at me and then shuffled over to Glacia.

My mother's final letter rang through my mind: Once you are al together, your orbs will shine and lead you to the place I am.

"What can we do? We don't even know how to use our powers?" I asked, attempting to stall so Coventina could share the news with everyone.

"You will learn, and you will lead my armies of Aurogans and giant spiders and werewolves through the Realm."

I reached into my pocket, and stared at Coventina, who nodded, grasping at the blue glow on her chest. The rest of my siblings were also reaching for their orbs. I shut my eyes, and thought of my mother, of all I had learned of her from the letters and from what others said. If I had gotten back to this land by thinking of it, I was sure I could get back to my mother by doing the same thing. When I opened my eyes, the room was swirling with colors from our orbs.

Galvano was roaring, pulling shadows from where he could to try and staunch out our light, but we were strong enough. Just as the light began to transport us, I opened my eyes wide and saw Leo, his feral smirk now a strait line. His eyes still gleamed with that wolfish light, but I could see the loneliness. His orb had been taken, and he was a true werewolf now.

Still, I couldn't bring myself to leave him. I ran towards him, finding that the King's spell had ceased and I could move again.

Coventina wrapped her arms around me and snatched me away.

"No," she said. "We can't save him right now."

I tried to pull away from her grasp, but when I looked back at Leo, the light was closing in on us, and he was disappearing. I collapsed into Coventina's embrace, tears falling from my eyes as the light swallowed us up.

............

MLB998 has my full permission to copy this story on her account for "The Writing Game"

Hi, I'm Xaryax!
I tried my best to tie together some of the mysteries that have occurred in this story, although I suppose I have created just as many :P
I'm a reader and writer of fantasy, and I am currently writing a story called The Dragoness. Check it out if you want!
I just completed NaNoWriMo in November, and I'm working on editing my novel. Hopefully it will be up on Wattpad soon!
I hope you enjoyed my chapter. Thanks for reading it :)
I am especially thankful that MLB998 allowed me to be a part of this, she's amazing!

Ps: I can't wait to see where everyone else takes the story. Good luck!