Orb Of Love

Their challenge was to obtain the Orb which was hid somewhere in the mountain peak.

They were split into two teams. The head of this contest was Olivia, who is in her twenties. She was wearing a white cap in her and a sleeveless T-shirt.

Ben, Robert and Gwen were assembled in a team which they termed as THE SMASHERS. Kevin, Lily and Steve assembled in an another team which they termed as THE THUNDERSTORMS. Surprisingly, all are teens and they don't know about their past lives and histories. Yep, they were struck here and they don't know what to do.

Kevin said to his team, "The orb, we should take it." Steve said, "Whatever it takes."

Meanwhile, the other team, Ben didn't look excited to play this. He even didn't know what's the purpose of getting an orb, and why should they climb a mountain to take just a sphere? He and his teammates were frustrated.

"Heads up!" said Olivia," It isn't easy the way you see it. It takes a leap of faith to attempt this. As, loss of lives will occur." she paused.

"WILL occur?" Ben asked under his breath. He seemed nervous and so his team. Gwen, was chewing her necklace and Robert plucked it. "Don't eat!" he warned.

"It is of three rounds. The Smashers are asked to take the right side of the mountain and the Thunderstorms are asked to take the left side. Each side has the same three rounds. You need to succeed it and reach the peak, face a twist, then find the orb." Olivia said.

It was too much for the contestants to store this in their minds. Three rounds? Loss of lives? Face a twist? What the ...

"If you don't mind," said Lily, from the Thunderstorms, "can we all know what are those rounds?" The teammates remained silent.

"Don't ask questions." Olivia said. Lily nodded.

"The team which gets the orb will be declared the winner." Olivia said," Your time starts...now."

Both the teams began to run towards their respective sides of the mountain.

The Smashers, Ben, Robert and Gwen climbed certain distance and they met up with a big vessel. They were baffled on seeing a vessel, with a diameter of around 20 metres and they don't know what's inside.

"What should we do? Just ignore it and run?" asked Gwen.

"I don't think so" replied Ben and he approached the vessel. There was a parchment pasted on its surface. He took it.

"FIND THE KEY" he read it aloud. Gwen gave a twisted look and asked, "What about the lock then?"

"Will you stop asking questions?" asked Robert.

"Will you stop intruding me?" asked Gwen.

"Will you stop fighting?" asked Ben.

"Let's check what's inside" said Ben. They found a ladder attached to the vessel. "Who's going to have a look?" asked Robert. "I shall" replied Ben.

Ben climbed the ladder and peeped his head into the vessel. It was filled with water, he guessed, upto the rim.

"What's there?" asked Gwen. "Water", said Ben, "I guess..."

"Then why wait? Let's dive in to pick the Key. It was mentioned FIND THE KEY. Easy guys!" said Robert. Ben nodded.

"Um, I don't know swimming.."said Gwen, scratching her head.

"Good. We will do it ourselves" said Robert and climbed the ladder and stood closer to Ben. Gwen stood down, staring at her teammates.

With a splash, the boys went into the vessel.

Gwen's mind began to think. If it was just to take a key in a vessel, filled with water, why should Olivia say "Lives will be lost"? Gwen knew that she was pessimistic in nature but in this situation, it need to be thought that way. Minutes passed by and there was no sign of the boys. Gwen got tensed and she climbed the ladder herself and craned her head inside.

No sort of movement. The water was still. "You guys there?" she shouted.

She realized that something was wrong. "Uh, no." she said to herself and she dived in.

Of course, she shouldn't have entered. She found Ben and Robert tied to the wall of the vessel and fortunately, they were alive yet. Before she could move towards them, a hand rested on her shoulders.

"HeHe" said a mermaid. She lashed her tail on Gwen's face and Gwen flew and hit the surface. She knew she would suffocate soon or before that this mermaid will kill her. The words of Oliver were damn true.

She should do something. She should not lose her life so easily. And, her friends' lives too matters. She was running out of time and then she noticed the thing which they were searching for. The Key. It was few inches away from her. She moved towards it. Will the mermaid allow her? Nah.

The mermaid intruded her way and lashed her once again. Gwen's face began to burn in pain. Also, her red blood corpuscles pleaded her for oxygen. Then, she did the thing, which she has been practising from the beginning of her arrival. Punching. She punched so many trees and people while practicing. And, this is the time for her to apply her skills. She stood once again and the mermaid chuckled and came towards her.

"Even, the boys couldn't defeat me." the mermaid said.

"To make you clear, I'm not a boy." said Gwen as she punched the face of the mermaid hard. The mermaid lost her consciousness and she fell down with a thud. Without wasting anymore seconds, Gwen raced towards the Key and she took it.

The water and the mermaid began to disappear. Gwen didn't know how it happened but she didn't bother. She climbed the ladder and sat.

Ben and Robert came back to the reality and they screamed at each other.

"She..she..." They were thinking about the mermaid.

"Excuse me," said Gwen,"Shall we move to the next round? Or let's wait for the mermaid to reappear?"

Both the boys chuckled and the trio left the place. Then, the vessel got refilled and the mermaid with a swollen face, kept swimming in the vessel.

"Thanks, Gwen" said Ben when they continued their journey up. "It's okay...Ben" Gwen said and smiled. Her smile reached deep down the heart of Ben. He smiled back.

"So," said Robert,"What's the second round?"

"Let's see..." Ben said.

After several minutes, they reached the center of the mountain. "My legs are aching." said Gwen. "Yeah...a small rest?" asked Ben.

"I don't like it." said Robert,"anyhow, let's wait"

The trio sat on a huge rock. Gwen turned back and saw the top. Just...it's okay, we will go, she told herself.

"What would be the second task?" Robert repeated.

"Come on, man" said Gwen, " let's be ourselves for certain time." Robert began to hate Gwen. Once she saved his life, so? And, he didn't like the relationship between Ben and Gwen.

"Alright, you both do your personal things here" said Robert," let me move on."

The next second, the rock on which they were sitting, began to raise up. "Oh. no..."whispered Ben.

The rock on which they were sitting was nothing but the Rock Man. The Rock Man stood up and the trio fell down with a thud. Alright, their second task is here.

"Destroy him is the way, it seems" said Ben to Gwen. He didn't look at Robert.

The Rock Man roared as he swung his hands on the trio. Ben pulled Gwen by holding her waist and they fell side-wards. Robert became the victim as he was hit hard by the Rock Man and he flew away.

"Robert!" yelled Gwen. Ben didn't seem to help him. Instead, he ran towards the Rock Man, ducked and slid between the rocky legs and climbed the back of the Rock Man and reached his neck.

"Gwen! Throw me the Key." he shouted. And, unfortunately, the Rock Man too sensed the presence of someone on his neck. He began to rotate his head and Ben began to lose his balance. And within a minute, Ben fell down with a thud. Gwen was about to throw the Key to him but now he was down. The Rock Man began to target Ben.

He picked Ben and glared at him. Ben couldn't do anything. One small punch by the Rock Man would end his fate. LOSS OF LIVES WILL OCCUR...alarmed in Gwen's ears.

And, in a second, Robert plucked the Key from Gwen and climbed on the Rock Man. He knew what he has to do. The Rock Man was about to punch Ben when Robert inserted the Key through a hole in the neck of the Rock Man.

The Rock Man began to lose his balance. He dropped Ben and he began to crumble. Robert who was on the neck, didn't know how to get down. Instead, he met with the eyes of Gwen. Gwen too caught his eyes.

"I loved you." said Robert. "Take care, Gwen."

The Rock Man crumbled to rock pieces and Robert got crushed to death.

Tears rolled down Gwen's cheeks. I LOVED YOU...those words pierced her heart.

Ben came back to consciousness. He was lying under a tree.

He found Gwen, beside him, holding the Key and weeping. He approached her and she stopped weeping and said, "Let's move on."

Ben was worried about Robert. He shouldn't have been rude to him. They lost him.They reached the peak.

And they saw the third task.

They saw a table with three glasses. Each was filled with a green fluid.

"Poisons, eh?" asked Ben.

"I'm already dead" said Gwen. That hit Ben hard.

Gwen found a stroll on the table. She opened it.

"GOOD TO SEE THAT YOU ARE ALIVE. TWO OF THE THREE IS SAFE. DRINK AND GET READY TO FACE THE CRUEL UPCOMING. RIP IN ADVANCE"

"Goddamn," said Ben,"Even if Robert was with us, if we drank all three, one would die." He was angry.

Gwen was silent. "Let's drink"

Ben took the center one and Gwen took the one on her right.

"To Robert" Ben said as he drank it. Gwen remained silent.

Seconds passed by and they seemed the same. Nothing occurred, which meant they didn't choose the wrong one.

"We won." said Ben.

"Not yet" said Gwen.

"Yeah, not yet" came a voice from the peak.

It was Olivia.

"Come up, little hearts" she said.

Ben and Gwen went up. "Any guess?" asked Ben. "I'm blank" said Gwen.

And they found the two members from The Thunderstorms team. Kevin and Lily were there and there was no sign of Steve, like Robert he too was dead.

"What should we do?" demanded Kevin.

"Search for the orb." said Olivia nonchalantly.

"Where?" asked Kevin. Olivia disappeared.

Gwen held the hands of Ben and signaled him to come aside. Ben obeyed and they went certain distance away from Kevin and Lily.

"What?" asked Ben.

"Listen. The Key. The Rock Man. The Poison. Any link you got?" asked Gwen.

"No..." said Ben.

"The remaining glass, which was supposed to be the poison...Then, the Rock Man who had a hole in the neck, like the same, search for a rock with a hole. Insert the Key into the rock with the hole. Then, pour the poison. We'll get the Orb."

They started to search for the rock with a hole. Meanwhile, Gwen asked Lily regarding the death of Steve. "He chose the wrong glass" Lily replied reluctantly.

Robert has sacrificed his life. After inserting the Key, he could have got down from the Rock Man. Instead, he died so that Gwen could live with Ben. Teen love madness. But, yeah, if Robert had not been dead, anyone of them would've drunk the poison. To open the Orb,they needed the poison. And, Steve drank it and the Thunderstorms couldn't open the Orb. All Ben and Gwen have to do is, search for the rock-with-a-hole and insert the Key and pour the Poison to get the Orb.

What did it cost? The life of a boy who thought he was useless on seeing his girl with an another boy. He didn't seek vengeance. Instead, he sacrificed his life for his girl. Gwen knew it.

Soon, they got the Orb and they were declared the Winner. Gwen christened it as ORB OF LOVE and had a picture of Robert saying I LOVED YOU in her heart. Forever.

******