Page 47 of The Void

“Lucas,” Mia said, tapping him on the arm. She could see he was spiraling. What she wanted to do was talk to him alone about his admission that he loved her. “The city of Atlantis is still standing,” she pointed out. “We know that we need Pandora and Elpis to defeat Moros. This is just a setback,” she said, trying to cheer him up. Then she held out a chicken leg towards him. “Hungry?”

He shook his head. “What now?” he asked, looking around. “You’re not here to destroy anything? What about your shadow creatures?” he asked her brother.

Lei shrugged. “They’re the ones who found me, raised me. They’re my family.” He frowned at Mia. “Without them, I would have died.”

Mia felt her stomach roll. “Did the elders abandon you? Are they really the ones who left you here alone?”

Lei shook his head. “No, Feng did that. When I stumbled into the oldest section of the cave on my last trip here with the elders, she saw me and tried to take what powers I did have then. The elders were arguing over what to do with me. They had apparently seen what I would do if I gained the djinn powers. When Feng found out I didn’t have the powers yet, she sent me away. I ended up on the other side of this planet where the shadows rule. It took me years to figure out where the cave was. I didn’t know about the city until I finally felt the power of the cave. Felt your power inside.” He glanced at Mia. “I felt you each time you came here.” He smiled. “Even though you were far away, I knew each time you visited.”

“I had no idea,” Mia said, feeling her eyes fill with tears. “I had always been told never to wonder. I guess because the elders believed you’d wandered away from the cave and had been consumed by a wild animal.”

“I don’t think any of them knew that Feng had regained some of her powers. I doubted she had them until you came here,” Lei said to Mia. Then he turned and motioned to Lucas. “You’re probably the only creature strong enough to break her out of that… statue.”

Lucas groaned and laid his head on the table.

“Hey, don’t worry. She had us all fooled. She’s been in my ear my entire life,” Lei said.

“She has?” Mia asked.

Lei nodded. “She was desperate to figure out how I could help her escape. She knew I had some powers. Every Li family member does when they’re here, though nothing as strong as you are now.”

“They do?” Mia frowned.

Lei nodded. “When they are here long enough, they start to manifest.” He held up his hand and smiled as a few blue sparks flew from his fingertips.

“Nice,” Mia smiled, then she frowned. “You should be the one with the djinn abilities.”

Lei shook his head. “No, from the looks of it, you’re an amazing djinn. I never really wanted the power.” Then he glanced at Lucas “And you are… amazing at whatever that was.”

Lucas chuckled. “Screwing everything up?”

Mia wrapped her arms around him. “There’s no way we would have known,” she assured him. Then she gasped when she thought of something. “Do you think Feng was the one blocking me from getting home?” Mia asked them.

Lucas’s eyebrows shot up. “Have you tried to go back?”

To be honest, Mia was afraid to try. Their parents were going to flip when they saw Lei.

“I can’t go back,” Lei said suddenly.

Mia frowned. “Why not?”

He sighed and shook his head. “I can’t leave this place. It’s… all I’ve known for most of my life.” He motioned around them. “Once you go, I won’t be able to get back in here. The shadow creatures are my family,” he said again.

“No, your family is back on Earth in Atlanta,” Mia pointed out.

Lei shook his head. “I’ve been gone too long.”

“No, trust me, you haven’t.” Mia took his hand in hers. “Send your friends back to where they came from. We’ll say our goodbyes in the city and head home. If we can.” She looked towards Lucas, who nodded once.

Lei sighed and then nodded.

Mia stood and pulled her brother up into her arms. “Thank you for trying to sacrifice yourself to save me.” Just holding him made her happy. “Our parents are going to flip.” She squealed. Then she reached for Lucas’s hand and sent the three of them to the spot on the hill just outside the cave.

While Lei was talking to his shadow friends in an odd chattering language, Mia walked over and wrapped her arms around Lucas.

“How did you get inside the cave?” she asked him.

He frowned. “I’m not sure. One minute I was pounding on the stone there.” He motioned to a solid wall of rock. “Then I was inside the cave.” He shrugged and avoided her eyes.