somebody was outside tossing small pebbles at the windowpane. Standing in surprise two floors up, I reached for my window and pulled it open. The dark starry sky greeted me as it was now nighttime. Man, how long had I been talking with Ripley?
“Lucas,” Olivia called from below. Her voice was filled with worry and she seemed unsure of herself. She looked beautiful, as usual. Long brown hair almost as dark as night with streaks of metallic purple racing through it, danced in the desert breeze. Worried violet eyes glared up at me. My longtime schoolboy crush, Olivia Weaver.
“Olivia? Hi,” I said, like a sap.
“We need to talk,” she called out.
“What time is it?” I asked, confused by the darkness. It was still light out when I came home.
“Midnight. Can we come up?” she asked, quickly.
“We?” I huffed. Just then a smaller version of Olivia appeared from the shadows. It was Sophia. She was all smiles and waved up at me. Olivia grabbed her hand and shot her a grumpy glare.
“Hurry up, before someone sees us here,” Olivia added. She was upset with me for some reason. Could I blame her though. I did almost lose her sister in another dimension.
“Hang on,” I whispered.
With a snap of my wrist the tattoo flickered to life. Ripley appeared in the palm of my hand in a miniature version of itself. Only about the size of a pet lizard.
“Ripley, can you help me out?”
LEVEL 04
MIDNIGHT CITY
Camelback Mountain - Phoenix, Arizona
With a dizzying puff of smoke, we found ourselves atop one of the highest peaks in the Valley of the Sun. Olivia, Sophia, and I clung to each other as Ripley spun around us like a tornado made of static electricity. With one final pop of energy, Ripley slid back into my arm leaving us in a quiet amazement.
“That was intense,” I said, carefully. I surveyed our surroundings as Olivia and Sophia tried to catch their breath. My magical dragon had teleported us to the summit of these famous hills. In the cool darkness of night the large city of Phoenix glowed and flickered with every possible color of the rainbow.
“Where are we?” Sophia asked in a nervous voice. Her hands were locked along her big sister’s arms.
Olivia grumbled, “It looks like Lucas’ pet whisked us away to the top of Camelback Mountain.”
“Why?” Sophia asked, quickly. She was letting her fear fall away and soaking up the blurring lights from below us.
“Ripley took us somewhere safe, and private, so we can talk,” I said, finding Olivia’s worried eyes with mine.
Looking over the edge of the mountain, she doubted me, “Safe, huh?”
I glanced around once more. “Well, sort of.” We both laughed and it echoed through the nighttime sky.
Sophia looked up at us and smiled. “Don’t worry, I still have my rings. I can protect us.” She held her hand out and tightly wrapped around both of her pinky fingers were two shiny bands. They twinkled to life, spinning with golden sparkles. The scratches along my forearm matched their colorful flashes. She had only two of the twelve rings on her. I wondered where the other ten rings were. In my head I could hear Ripley come to life.
~ She must be taught to control the power of the rings. ~
I agree. I spoke in my head.
~ No one as young as her has ever wielded the power of the Jynshee. ~
I know. I thought, quietly.
~ Thankfully she only wields twelve of the thirteen bands. She cannot unlock the full potential of the rings without the complete set. But, this is still extremely dangerous for her. ~
Why don’t we just take them from her?
~ Because once the power of the Jynshee has bonded with its host, there is no taking them away. Only the host can wish the power away, and I do not have faith that Sophia will give them up so easily. ~
I had felt that power myself. It was intoxicating and absolute. I frowned, and agreed. I know.
Olivia stared at me curiously. She knew my history with Ripley and the powers it had. Quickly, her hand fell onto my markings and she closed her eyes. My two-way mind conversation became a three-way.
* Are you two talking about Sophia? *
~ Hello, Olivia. ~
Feeling excited to have her voice in my head, I smiled, and answered her back. Yes, we are.
* About what? The rings? *
Ripley thinks it’s too dangerous for Soph to have the rings. It’s too much power to handle.
* I completely