The Banished Hybrid book 1: Hybrid's Revenge (14+) (Draft 1)

Chapter 5 Part 2

When we reappeared, we were back at the cave we had been at the night before. I felt a hint of pride as I was able to use my magic to go to a place I had already been to. 

"I did it Jazy!" I exclaimed with happiness. I turned to face her with excitement. "We're back in the cave we were in the other night!" 

"Yay!" Jazy squealed with delight as she responded to my excited voice and my eyes shining with happiness. She hugged me tightly, praising me for what I did. "Emi did it! Emi did it!" 

At least Jasmine was back to normal. She hated seeing her past. The past hasn't been good to her. If she blamed me for what happened, she sure forgot about being angry with me. 

"No more house! No more house!" Jasmine said after she let go of me. She turned around and sat on the cave floor. "Bad house! Bad house!" 

"Don't worry Jazy," I promised. I sat down with her. She wrapped her arms around me. I nuzzled her reassuringly. "I'll never take you back there again." 

"Promise?" Jasmine asked with pain in her voice. She looked at me, wanting to make sure that I'll never do it again. 

"I promise," I told her. "Besides, I want to find Mommy and bring her home." 

Jasmine nodded. "Jazy too! Jazy too!" She said in agreement. 

We sat together, with me thinking silently on how to find Mommy. It was almost mid afternoon when I asked, "Jazy, do you have an idea of how to get Mommy?" 

"I do!" A loud voice said from behind us, startling Jasmine and me. 

We turned around to find Alice standing at the entrance. I immediately gave her a sour look. Jasmine whimpered and hid behind me. How did Alice find us? 

"What are you doing here?" I asked ungratefully. 

"Don't look at me like that!" Alice said quickly. "You know Emily, you're starting to be on my nerves!"

"Hmm," I said as I raised an eyebrow in annoyance. I didn't care if I bothered her. In fact, she was annoying me! Did she just come to find us only to tell me what to do? "Well, that makes two of us," I added. "How'd you find us?"

"Pretty easy after I realized that you left," Alice said. She dug in her pocket and pulled out a stuffed wolf. "Found this on your bed." She tossed me the stuffed wolf.

"Mr. Wolf!" I cried after I caught the wolf.

I hugged him and nuzzled his head with my cheek. I couldn't believe that I had forgotten him back at the apartment! I had been so busy thinking about Mommy that I forgotten about my prized possession.

Jasmine reached over from behind me and petted the wolf on its head. "Pretty wolf," she said.

"No Jazy!" I said sternly, jerking the wolf away from her. She shrunk back, looking a little scared under my harsh tone. "Don't touch him! He's mine!" I nuzzled the wolf some more.

"You're weird, Emily," Alice said with an air of annoyance in her tone.

Jasmine looked up at Alice and gave her a glare. "Emi no weird!" She said. "Alice weird!"

"Right," Alice replied, not impressed and rolling her eyes. "Well, anyways, I'm going to check the perimeter which obviously you didn't do." She finally stalked off and went away.

I stuck out my tongue in her direction. "I'm going to check the perimeter!" I mumbled with mock annoyance. "Arge! Who does she think she is?" I said with frustration. "Bossing us around like that?"

I turned around and looked down at Mr. Wolf as I fiddled with him. "I don't like her!" I said sulkingly. "Why can't she leave us alone?"

"Yeah," Jasmine agreed, leaning against me. "Leave Emi and Jazy alone!"

I smiled warmly, despite the cold, and nuzzled Jasmine for a while. "We don't need anyone else, right Jazy?" I asked her.

"Right Emi," Jasmine agreed. "Only Emi, Jazy, and Mommy!" Then she looked conflicted.

"What's wrong, Jazy?" I asked, concerned.

"Mommy not here?" She asked me with sadness.

I shook my head. "No," I said quietly. "Mommy not here."

"Jazy want Mommy!" Jasmine said as she sniffled.

"Yeah, I know," I said quietly. "I want Mommy too."

Jasmine whimpered and a part of me was afraid that she was going to throw another tantrum. I definitely didn't want Alice to see how childish my sister can be.

"Jazy, it's alright," I told her as I held onto her shoulders. "We'll find Mommy soon, okay?"

Jasmine nodded her head. "Okay," she said softly. She snuggled up next to me, trying to be comforted.

I snuggled her back. At least we had each other. Jasmine was starting to realize that. Now to find a way to get rid of Alice.

I was just dozing off, with Jasmine sleeping against my shoulder, as I fiddled with Mr. Wolf, when Alice burst back through the entrance.

I sighed. What did she want now? I wondered impatiently.

"It's all clear, just to let you know," Alice said impatiently

Jasmine jerked awake, whimpering a little as someone else other than me woke her up. "Emi!" She whined.

"Look what you did!" I said angrily. I whipped around to glare at Alice. "You woke up my sister!"

"Well sorry!" Alice snapped back irritably. "Maybe you two shouldn't be sleeping!"

Jasmine whimpered some more and tried to get my attention. "I know Jazy," I told her as she tried to touch my face. "The bad wolf woke you up! I'll make the bad wolf go away."

"Bad wolf?" Alice cried, outraged. "That's it! Maybe you're the bad wolf here Emily!"

I snarled, startling Jasmine, as I whipped around to face her. "Get out!" I cried angrily. "Leave us alone! We don't need you!"

Jasmine whimpered and tried to nuzzle me. Alice and I glared at each other for some time, before I won the argument and Alice gave in.

Alice sighed. "Fine," she said with annoyance. "I'll leave." She turned and walked toward the entrance but before she walked out she said, "But when you don't find your mother, don't come running to me!"

She turned and left before either of us could say anything. I glared in her direction for a while before turning back around. I silently fiddled with Mr. Wolf, angry that Alice had come and interrupted us.

"Bad wolf gone?" Jasmine asked tentatively.

I nodded. "Yeah," I told her. "Bad wolf gone."

"Good," Jasmine said sternly. "Bad wolf make Emi mad! Jazy no like Emi mad!" She snuggled up against me like she always did.

"Yeah. Hopefully she stays away forever," I agreed. We were silent for several moments before I said, "Hey, why don't we see if the egg is still there?"

"Egg?" Jasmine asked, confused. "Big egg?"

I nodded my head. "The one where I had taken you away from," I explained.

"Oh," Jasmine said sadly. She looked away from me. But her expression soon changed from sad to happy. "Emi and Jazy have big egg?"

"If it's still there where we left it," I told her.

"Big egg! Big egg!" Jasmine said with excitement as she clapped her hands. "Go now! Go now!"

I smiled with amusement and shook my head. As long as she forgot about the incident at her old house and was happy no matter what we did, I was fine with giving a big egg to Jasmine as a present.

I got up and took Jasmine's hand. I helped her get up. I pictured the egg in my mind and both of us disappeared.

This marks the end of Chapter 5 Part 2.
Chapter 5 will continue in Part 3
As always, thanks for reading!
J. D. Driscoll