Chapter Forty-one: No One Figures

When I noticed Jopp, Thorn, and Chichi were missing, I headed to the beach to look for them. The only sounds I could hear were the people talking in the house and the lapping ocean waves. I stared at Gabby and Fayeth's footprints in the sand, but they didn't lead anywhere.

"Jopp? Thorn? Chichi?" I called. No one answered. For a second, I thought I would be all alone, friendless and anxious like before. I took a deep breath and steeled myself. I had a feeling something bad had happened, but I didn't know what.

Familiar golden eyes gazed at me from the shadows. A violet shimmer made me smile. "Penny Lou! There you are!" The crystal panther was a relief to see, but I wasn't sure why she had decided to visit. She sniffed my hand and stared at the footprints. "Do you feel it, too?" I mumbled. She swiped at the footprints, revealing a crimson portal.

"If you were a human, I'd definitely kiss you," I admitted. When I glanced back, she had a human form! Her violet crystals glimmered before she gained a nice flesh tone. My ears tingled at hearing her soft voice.

"Tark, they'll need your help," she uttered, her large golden eyes flashing violet. "If you go, you could die."

I stared at her for a moment, not quite believing what I was hearing. "You think that will stop me?"

Her smile brought a light in my heart that I didn't know could ever exist again.

"You saved me from certain death," she uttered before she gazed at me with determination. "I'll go with you."

"It would hurt my heart to see you injured," I confessed.

"It would hurt my heart to not help you in your time of need," she revealed.

I smiled as I thought she and Penny Lee would've been great friends.

We leapt into the portal, hand in hand. She was warm and her emotion of courage flowed through me. Our hands delved into a warm liquid, but it was too dark to see what it was. Her hand tightened on mine as she led the way. A flash of her violet lightning revealed the body of Gabby, dismembered and headless. Our hands had been in the remains of her corpse. Penny Lou didn't let go, and we kept on walking towards a soft rustling.

A deep, masculine voice echoed in the darkness. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time, Tark."

A strong hand grasped my throat and lifted me in the air. I swung my legs over his arm and brought him down with me. I kicked his jaw for good measure until his hand released its grip. Penny Lou grunted ahead of me, and I searched for her as I got to my feet. A harsh kick to my back sent me sprawling to the floor. A sharp object cut my hands, and I could tell it was deep. Warm blood flowed from my palms, coating my arms as I tried to stay calm. My heart raced as I thought we were trapped. I chided myself for being so stupid and for bringing Penny Lou with me. I wanted to be strong for her. I gulped as two pairs of eyes shimmered, one gold, and the other violet. A painful punch to my head felt like it cracked my skull. The pairs of eyes faded like mist before the quiet darkness took me.