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MY ghost twin

By Chelsea

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Contents

Chapter 1…………………………………………2

Chapter 2…………………………………………8

Chapter 3…………………………………………23

Chapter 4…………………………………………33

Chapter 5…………………………………………38

Chapter 6…………………………………………45

Chapter 7…………………………………………60

Chapter 8…………………………………………71

Chapter 9…………………………………………81

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Chapter 10……………………………………….92

1: Amy’s Back

I had to get home quickly. It was past my Curfew and my parents were going to kill me if I came home past nineten-thirty: there were strange things happening in the little town of Woodenbrough, including the mysterious disappearance of my twin, Amy. My parents didn’t want anything like that happening to me. Woodenbrough is a strange place to live in; as far as I know, the least throng of people would be off on out living here. About eight hundred live here, and they are a set of very paranoid people. If you are out past eight, you’ll hear eerie howling — there are wolves on the Rackin hill. They don’t like it when there are humans out

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on the premises. That’s why most parents have jobs abroad, because it seems like no one wants to work here in England. Woodenbrough is a poor town, for there are always places to stack old rusty supermarket trolleys and abandoned cars and there are at least only two camping sites you can go to. There are clairvoyants and no beach sites and no gardens. There are spooky parks and launderettes that you watch for hours and hours that seemingly lure you into a trance. The mayor isn’t even trying to do anything of the sort about it. Why, if I was the mayor, I would turn Woodenbrough into a beautiful city, with a bouquet of flowers at every doorstep. It seems that there is something strange going on about my family, that every set of twins seems to become single, because one always goes missing. And every man with a job goes out for a business meeting, and never returns. I’m just glad there is only one tragedy in my family, because I’m not in the mood for any more accidents, like what happened to my twin. Some say my sister, Amy, was pushed of Branky cliff, high atop a beautiful crashing sea in the horizon. My parents tell me it was a depressing accident that is best forgotten. My friends say that if you answer a question saying “she was accidentally pushed”, or “she was being dangerous or careless”, that she will kill you by stripping your face off with her bare hands, and hanging you on the edge of Branky cliff. I, for once, had actually never known her

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because she was always overseas with my Aunt Cathy in Norway, so I’m not so sure what to think about the situation. I watched as buses and vans and cars trundled along the silent road. It’s funny really—I thought they would all be at home at this hour. However, I too, was in my school bus, and I trundled quietly on the ghastly road. Sure the outside was quiet, but the inside of the bus was a madhouse! Children screamed, and bits of chewed up lunch was flung onto the walls every now and then. I stayed in my corner, at the back, and looked outside to the fearful world I knew. Ding-Dong went the church bell. I was late. Wolves howled. I heard the shrieking cries of spirits. I was witnessing it today. I was witnessing The Darkest Hour. “Okay, kids,” said Marian the bus-driver, “Time to quiet down. Pack up your things. At this rate I could get you home in about thirty minutes. That should be enough time for each of you.” My heart was racing. I had to get home fast or I would be trapped in the ghost realm forever. It wouldn’t be all bad, though. I could see my twin again! Surely that’s the good in it? However, that wasn’t the problem, now. The problem was I wasn’t home when I should have been. I ran, chasing the stars like a wild cheetah. That’s the animal I would want to be if I was one — a cat like that can beat Usain Bolt! Frequently I checked my phone but it kept on shutting down. The fading light stayed for like a minute so I sent a quick message to Dianne, my library buddy,

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saying that I couldn’t make it to her house tonight. Curfew’s at nine-thirty, and right now, it was ten-twenty. At this rate, I’d be home at about ten-twenty-five. Gazing outside the window, I caught a glimpse of a gleaming oval object submerged in earth, and the magpie in me couldn’t resist further investigation. I had to find out what it was. It was brilliant. It was shiny. And it was about to be mine. Quickly I flung my bag onto my shoulders and scampered to the front of the bus. “What’s the matter, Adelynn?” Marian queried with a mighty snort. It was a very curious noise; and I bet you could hear if you went to the farmers’ market where the horses are fed. “You don’t usually get off here.” “Um…this is a short cut,” I murmured. “My house is three blocks from here.” Twenty-nine pairs of eyes burnt through the windows staring at me, as I walked past the length of the bus, touching it gently with my fingers. I looked around the muddy ditch. I saw nothing. I started to regret leaving the bus, aiming to search for a meaningless object that wasn’t even here. Surely, it was a trick of the moonlight? Maybe I was just tired? It was certain my eyes were deceiving me, because there was obviously nothing here, in this dirty ditch in the middle of the St. Peterson’s Park! However, the light was so alarmingly pleasant and hypnotic and real that it couldn’t have been a trance. I walked on the sidewalk slowly, decreasing my speed with every step. Furtively, I called out to the

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countryside: “Hello,” and then even louder and less furtive, “Hello?! Anyone out here? Can you help me?” I felt stupid. I was talking to plants and moss and grass and dirt, along with some hills and botanic wilderness. Suddenly,, when I was only three blocks away from my house, I heard a shifty voice from a muddy pit next to wear I was standingthe St. Peterson’s Park. “‘Adelynn… Adelynn… come here… if you wish to get back home…”’ It said. The voice sounded out of breath. Cautiously, but quickly, I plodded over, looking around for the mysterious speaker. “‘I’m right here… look down…”’ the voice whispered. I was fixated on the mysterious beguile object; hence, I obeyed. Was I hallucinating? Was I dreaming? Was I in shock? Those were the most common things to happen to me really. When I looked down, I saw the most beautiful amulet. It was gleaming pink, and seemed to float. “‘Pick me up…”’ Iit instructed. Again, I did as it said. “‘Good… now, focus your energy, and imagine your sister… the one you lost.”’ “‘You mean Amy?”’ “‘Yes… focus your energy… and you will see amazing things…”’ the voice whispered once more. I closed my eyes, held the amulet in my hands, and imagined, that I was standing next to Amy, and that I could speak to her for the first time. In a blazing, pink, electric flash, a misty figure appeared before me. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was Amy!

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“‘A… Amy?”’ I stuttered, leaving my chapped lips wide open in two opposing arcs. “‘Hey there,”’ she said calmly, smirking. I just stood there, nervous. I couldn’t speak. I was in a stupor. My long-lost sister just appeared, and I was seeing her for the first time! How could I speak??? I shakily touched her forehead, but I didn’t feel anything; just a faint breeze on my nervous finger. “‘You wanna get home? It’s starting to rain, you know,”’ she said. “‘W-What? Oh sure, but what do I do?”’ “‘Focus your energy once more… and you will appear at your doorstep…”’ ssaid the eerie amulet. Once more, I closed my eyes, and imagined my home. Suddenly, in another blaze of pink electricity, we appeared home. “‘Good… you’re ready for the next step…”’ “‘Next step?”’ I asked. “‘Yes… but we shall deal with it tomorrow…”’ it answered. “‘O-okay then,”’ I said, shivering. “‘L-let’s get in quick.”’ As I picked up the key, the amulet stopped me. “‘Young stone-keeper… your existing family and everyone in this town will not see Amy—she is a mere ghost. You must keep her waning existence a secret, as you will only be able to talk to her for a limited amount of time each day.”’ “‘Sure thing,”’ I said. “‘However, when the time is right, you will be ready to bring your sister back to life… but only

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if you have enough focus. While she is still here, she can train you. Do not be careless. Take your amulet everywhere, but do not allow people to know of the power it wields. You cannot use it to win prizes, or any flimsy thing like that. Use it to make things right. You can use it to bring you back into time, and discover all the wonderful things the past life had to offer. Is that clear?”’ “‘Yes,”’ I answered. I thought very wisely about how exactly I could use this emerald’s power. I soon heard footsteps. “‘Hide the amulet,”’ the voice rasped. “‘Your mother must not get suspicious.”’

Quickly I stuffed my amulet into my drenched jacket pocket. I knocked on the door and it creaked open very slowly. My mother was in a huff, her red hair swaying out of her face as she opened it. “‘And where have you been?”’ she snapped. She was obviously worried. “‘I’ve been waiting for you all night.”’ “‘Um… the teachers kept me in, a.nd you know the librarian likes me helping Dianne with book shelving.”’ Lie number one. “‘Oh, curse those teachers! You know I don’t like you coming home alone. You know how dangerous it gets at this hour at night; you could have gotten seriously hurt, or… even worse…trapped, in that ghastly spirit realm.”’

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“‘At least I got home a little early. And I had to finish up with my spellings. You know I’m usually tardy.”’ Lie number two. “‘All right, then. Come in, I’ll run you a bath, and you can have a drink. Your brother Tony has been alone upstairs. Father is out on a business meeting, and he won’t be back until Monday. And I’ll be out often for errands and meetings.”’ My heart stopped. “‘What?”’ I screamed. “‘You can’t be sure he’ll come back! Haven’t you heard anything?!”’ Mum rubbed her head and sighed. “‘I know, dear, but he’s working so hard and he seems like he’s never done; he’s doing his best to get us to move to Bales. You remember Bales, don’t you? It’s where your grandmother had me and Aunt Ashlyn.”’ “‘Mum, you still can’t be sure! What if he doesn’t come back? What if we never move? How long until he’ll disappear like Amy?”’ I was bringing it all out now. I was bringing out all my pains, all my worries; all my fears. I wanted her to know how I felt. I wanted her to know how much I loved him and missed him. “‘How long…?”’ I let my voice trail off as tears rolled down my cheeks. Mum sighed. I guess she knew how I felt now. Deep inside, she missed him too. “‘Have faith in God, honey. I know He’ll bring Dad back.”’ As I walked upstairs, my ten-year-old brother played video games in his room with his door

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wide open. “‘You’re home early,”’ he snarled with a voice dripping of sarcasm. “‘So glad you noticed,”’ I said, smiling scornfully. He mimicked me and I ignored. I walked to my room in silence. I removed my jacket and squeezed the rainwater into a bucket. The amulet popped out and landed safely on my bed. It was a bit damp, but I think it will manage. Then I plugged my slim-line phone case phone to charge. After I ran a bath and had my drink, I stayed in my room with the telly on. Wacky Town, my favorite TV show, was on. “‘You still watch this?”’ Amy sneered. She seemed too mature for this type of thing. “‘How old are you? Nineteen? You used to love this show! Lighten up.”’ “‘Whatever. You have some practice to do,”’ my ghost twin snapped. She snatched the remote from me and turned it to The Dream Boat. I hated it. It always ends in stupid Justin Bieber songs. “‘Practice what? How to become a helpless drama queen?”’ “‘No, stupid. You need to practice using the power of the amulet.”’ “‘Weren’t we doing that tomorrow?”’ “‘The amulet changed its mind,”’ Amy snapped once more. “‘Now, you need to take this book…”’ she paused to grab a book from under my bed, “‘…and flip to page two hundred and twenty-one.”’

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Quickly I skimmed from page to page until I got to page two hundred and twenty-one. I read it aloud: “‘‘“How to use the power of the Crystal Amulet: Firstly, the wielder of power must remain vigilant and agile — they might not know where danger could strike; all they know is that it is possible. The wearer of such a powerful crystal should only use such power when necessary. Secondly, the wearer shan’t tell anyone of the power that has been bestowed upon them: this could raise great suspicion. If the wearer is that careless, then many people fighting ‘for’ or ‘against’ such power could become corrupt, thus causing a two century long war. Thirdly…’””’ Amy slapped the book shut. “‘Give it to me,”’ she whispered. “‘Someone’s coming.”’I lunged it at her, and she shoved the giant dusty book back under my bed. I remained on the chair as the door slowly creaked open. “‘What are you doing in here?”’ said my brother as he walked in. “‘None of your business,”’ I snapped. “‘What’re you doing?”’ “‘Nothing. Mum wants us downstairs now.,”’ “‘GThen get out! I’ll be there in a minute.”’ I yelled. Tony shrugged and walked out, leaving the door open. When he was halfway out, I reached out to slap him, but he slammed the door shut and jammed my fingers. I yelled and grunted. “‘Sorry about that,”’ I said. “‘He’ll leave us alone now.”’

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Downstairs, mum poured us some tea and the amulet bulged uncomfortably in my pocket. “So, Adelynn,” Mother called, “what happened tonight?” The colour rushed from my cheeks as she said those words, and I gulped tentatively. “Any…mysterious mishaps?” she asked. My heart rushed and the blood flew to my head. I started to sweat. I felt like I was going to faint at any moment. “Did you meet anyone?” “N-no,” I stuttered, and I sipped my hot tea. It felt like my throat was clogged, because I didn’t swallow the sip of tea I took. It lingered in my mouth, and it tickled the dangly thingy at the back of it. I coughed and spat the tea out on the dining table. Tony frowned and mum ran to the kitchen to grab a rag to clean up the spill. I sat, frozen, as if in a deep trance. “Are you feeling okay, dear?” “Yes, mother,” I said. “Want any sugar?” Mother asked once more. “No, mother,” I stuttered. Back in my room, I sat back down in the chair and Amy opened the book. “‘‘“Thirdly, the wearer must remain calm at all times. If anger must stir inside the wearer, it boils up inside the amulet and it continues to blow until…’”’ Amy snatched the book from me… again. “‘Uh… that’s enough reading for now,”’ she said quickly. “‘What? Why?”’ I asked. “‘Shut up, will you,”’ Amy snapped. “‘That’s enough for tonight. Get some sleep. The amulets on the bedside drawer. It glows a little; try not to make it shine too much.”’

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I nodded and drank my glass of water and got in bed. “‘Goodnight,”’ I grumbled. “‘G’night,”’ my ghost sister replied.

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2: Dianne and the Council of Five

In the middle of the night, the amulet woke me up with its icy glare. “‘Young stone-keeper, you must learn the truth about your history.”’ “‘What do you mean?”’ I groaned groggily getting up gradually. “‘You must understand that your family and town wereasn’t always this worried. Before even your grandfather was born, your grandmother, five thousand years ago, founded Addelya.”’ “‘Addelya?”’ I suddenly perked up, giving attention to the opal opulent pendant. “‘Yes,”’ the amulet answered. “‘It is where we are: this alternate version of planet Earth. You live in its capital, Woodenbrough.”’ “‘But I always thought I lived in England,”’ I replied quietly. “‘I know this is not easy to understand,”’ said the mysterious object, “‘but it’s time you learnt. Five millennia ago, your founding mother named this place after her twin daughter Addelys, who died falling off the edge of a cliff called Branky. You must know that every second female twin in your family has disappeared at the edge of the same cliff…”’ Iit stopped to visualize my reaction to the news; then, quietly it said, “‘Your own mother was also the second twin.”’

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I jumped six feet high in my bed. “‘What?”’ I bellowed. “‘My mother almost died?”’ “‘Yes,”’ the amulet answered wisely. “‘The power of this very amulet you hold in your hand saved her, and she changed history. However, there are two Branky cliffs: one is in Aldenbai and the other is here. Your mother nearly fell off the Aldenbai Branky cliff. Although it had saved her life, after a while, your mother distrusted the amulet’s power and threw it far away, into the Branky’s very waters. It washed so far off, it landed on the shore of Woodenbrough.”’ ‘What?’ I asked softly. “‘She threw it away?”’ “‘Yes, and it landed in St. Peterson's park, where you found it. I knew right then you would be the one; the one to carry on the Addelyans’ legacy.”’ I sat there for a while. I was completely glued to my bed, and I couldn't do a thing about it. “‘Now go to sleep.”’ “‘Wait… no — amulet! Don’t leave…”’ I pleaded, but the eerie glow slowly faded away. “‘Sweet dreams, young master…”’ it croaked, growing quieter and quieter. But I couldn’t sleep. I daren’t! Not after what I just heard. Not after hearing about family history; not after listening to how my mom nearly died. I had better stay awake, in case the amulet calls again. Oh, curse that thing! It’s its fault I shan’t get any sleep! What was I going to do know? Quickly, I sent a text on my phone; there was a brief conversation between me and Dianne:

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Dianne: You home yet?

Me: Yeah. How ‘bout u?

Dianne: I’m good. In my bed right now.

Me: Hey, me 2!

Dianne: We still on for tomorrow?

Me: Dunno. Think so. CU L8R.

Dianne: CL. TTYL. ;)

I dropped my phone. Abruptly, my eyes fluttered shut and I was soon out cold. Maybe I needn’t blame the amulet that much. However, it would have been better if it had told me the news on the weekend — instead of a Thursday school night! Especially when I had a test due tomorrow! How was I going to remember anything now?

The next morning, I rubbed my eyes continuously as I lazily slipped the amulet over my shoulders. Like a snail I wandered blindly to the bathroom. When I walked downstairs towards the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast snack, the amulet glowed. “‘Adelynn, what are you doing?”’ Adelynn is my first name. My grandma likes to call me Rosy, after, when I was three years old, I

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shoved roses in my hair and they got stuck there for weeks. After a few years they eventually fell out, but my hair still smells like flowers: it’s been doing that for ten years now. “‘Um, getting a breakfast snack? Got to break-fast, you know,”’ I said, munching the head of a banana off ravenously, as though I was a great white shark. “‘You must walk to the school bus now, Adelynn. You mustn’t waste time.”’ I paused for a minute. “‘Now, scurry off, before your mother finds out.”’ The amulet instructed. Doing as I was told, I ran to the front porch and waited for the school bus. Again the mysterious light of the pendant glowed. “‘You must walk to school,”’ it said. “‘That way, you can meet Dianne before anyone else.”’ “‘Dianne? Is this what she wants to—”’ “‘Yes. Now move!”’ it said a bit harshly. It sounded a bit like a mother now. “‘Fine, then.”’ I said. As I ran through the school hallways, I stopped to catch my breath. I ran a long way: my house is fifteen miles from here! Maybe I should become a marathon runner… I looked round the giant place like it was an ancient pyramid, full of mysteries and surprises. I took only a quick glance at the library when I saw a petite dark girl about five foot two, sweeping past the bookshelves. That must be Dianne, I thought. (I am six foot three.)

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Walking in, I tiptoed quickly behind her and waited. “‘Hello,”’ I whispered. Jerking, Dianne faced me and let out a quick little scream. Then, clapping her mouth shut, she calmed down. “‘Oh,”’ she gasped, breathing a sigh of relief. “‘It’s only you. Are you ready What do you need? My mother’s been; she said I would be in charge of the library until she comes back from shopping — that’s from now, five thirty a.m., till seven a.m., when school starts.”’ “‘Um… it’s a bit of a sticky pickle, Dianne,”’ I said, twiddling my fingers. Leaning closer and closer to her, with a very solemn look, I said, “‘Have you heard of The Amulet of Addelya?”’ She left her mouth open, and her cat green eyes were out wide; so wide you could see the whites all round. Slowly, her frightened gaping glare unfurled into an excited smile. “‘Oh!”’ she exclaimed happily. “‘Oh! I’ve been waiting for you to ask me this for ages!”’ Dianne smacked book through book aside, revealing a small little brochure all battered and bruised. I frowned. She turned to me and smirked. Pulling the little thing on the giant shelf slightly, it made a *click! **Whirr-click! **Whirr-click! * A gleaming shade of baby pink rushed through narrow opening spaces like water through a sprinting, dashing river. I fancied the old-fashioned brick-in-the-wall secret entrance myself. “‘Come with me,”’ she said, leaving her hand out for me to take. Furrtively, I gave her my

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shaking, white-as-a-sheet hand and followed her into darkness. “‘Great,”’ I said sarcastically. “‘What do we do now? It’s as dark as soot in here!”’ I felt her squeezing my hand tight. It was no ordinary squeezing: it was the kind of squeezing you do to a friend. “‘Hold on,”’ Dianne said coaxingly. *Ting! * went a tiny, emerald object. Dianne had the amulet too? I never knew! Even though Dianne had her own little amulet, I saw a blazing green light instead of my cosmic pink blaze of colour. As the secret place came to life, in it lay dusty bookshelves, untouched for thousands of years; an opal oval table, with the symbol of the amulet in the very middle; a gleaming cerulean circle lay to the very corner of the room shaped like the Yin and Yang symbol; and some sort of trophy case-like contraption, used to hold fourthree other different colored amulets. “‘This place hasn’t been touched or discovered for thousands of years,”’ Dianne said, seeming to show the place off. “‘Not even after your greatest grandmother founded it. My greatest grandmother, whom I am named after, found this place and called it the Council of Five. It was founded in Northern Addelya, but ; I’m not sure where, exafter the Great War, it crumbled to bits, and this country was built over it. The truth lies beneath.actly.”’ “‘Council of Five?”’ I murmured, baffled. “‘Yes,”’ Dianne sighed breathtakingly. “‘They were the very first keepers of the amulet. I

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haveWe have two of them; we need to find the other owners.”’ If this was the Council of Five, then my amulet would rage. Wherever the amulet came from, it was a foe of their kind. I stuffed it in my pocket so it wouldn’t feel like it was in its enemy’s War Room. “‘Wait — how did you even find this place?”’ “‘I was looking for ancient books to discover five years ago,”’ she said. “‘When I uncovered the little frizzled-like-a-fritter brochure, I tried to pull it out, and then both of the shelves came apart. I was dazzled beyond my wildest dreams, when I discovered this place. Two years after I found it, I mostly used this room to study, reading some of the books never uncovered, seeming to battle the many books at the very edges of the galaxy which only the best of the best have read.”’ “‘Does your mother know?”’ I asked. I was now very interested in this subject. “‘Have you told her?”’ “‘She is the descendant of the Council of Five,”’ Dianne snapped, “‘So I’m sure it’s practically her job to know. She started ownership of this place by the age of six, the same time I came to know and love this library.” “Do you know anything about the power it could bring? What it can take?” I swiped books off the shelves and flung them open. Dianne, with a funny look on her face, picked them up and shoved them back on the shelves. I paused for a minute. “Can I take some home? I’ll bring them back. Promise.”

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Dianne nodded.’ I spun round slowly in the midst of the dilapidated domicile. I felt welcome in this astonishing abode. To walk inside the depths of this hauntingly melodious habitation, should make one feel like they’ve touched the farthest reaches of something even beyond the unknown universe. “‘I never want to leave this place,”’ I sighed. “‘I want to stay here forever.”’ Dianne smiled. Suddenly, a shrill voice beckoned for her. “‘Diannie! Diannie! Mommy wants you! Come now, please!”’“‘That’s my little sister Grace,”’ Dianne murmured. “‘It’s time. We have to go.”’ I sighed and walked out of the glorious library, with the books kept safely in my polka-dotted satchel. I had the urge to pick a book, but I had read nearly everything, like Dianne. My life is like a puzzle: some of the pieces are missing. I cannot even remember when if Dianne and I had first metbecome friends earlier or not. Now I know why I never saw my sister — I forgot all the good times I had had with her. I needed to figure out how. The one thing that seems to be stuck in my head is finding the amulet, and my family history; also witnessing the darkest hour. In a huff, I sauntered out of the room. We were having math now. It seemed pretty boring, until they started talking about geometry and ovals — then it really picked up. It reminded me of my amulet.

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“‘Now, if you can find the area of this polygon…”’ our math teacher droned. I moaned and scribbled the answers in my exercise book. As I scribbled away, Anastasia Rubes poked my arm. I turned to her and scowled. “‘You’re not to submit a question like that without the formula,”’ she said. “‘You’ll lose marks.”’ “‘Fine then,”’ I answered whispering. I felt funny inside, like my amulet was trying to warn me of something. After the lesson was over, I was chatting with a few friends until Mr. Hoare, my math teacher, called me to his desk. Slowly, I edged towards him, prepared to shrink away when things become dire. “‘Yes, Mr. Hoare?”’ I queried. He flicked page through page until he found my today work. There was a glance of green I saw in shape of a fifty-three percent written neatly in between the blue ruled lines. That was my third low score this term. For some reason I’ve felt so tired and dizzy and stressed for the past month.I didn’t care, though. “‘This is your third low score in a row,”’ he said. There was a peculiar twitching he did with his moustache every time he spoke. It seemed to draw my attention forward. I guess that’s why he doesn’t talk too much — he tends to avoid being ridiculed for his very ratty moustache. “‘I wonder if you’re being tutored enough…”’ “‘Yes, I am,”’ I snapped. I try to evade being tutored best I can. Silly thing, those tutors — just sets of strangers rushing to your house which

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parents hire for a full week, seemingly trusting them immediately. “‘My uncle comes to my house every weekend when my mum finds out I’m having troubles in my subjects.”’ “‘Well, maybe you need a new tutor,”’ Mr. Hoare implied. “‘I suggest one of your older cousins from Bailyn University; they should be sure to help you more.”’ I grunted because I didn’t want to leave my uncle — he always gave me a piece of chocolate after I did well when he came over to teach me. Still, cousins are family, so for once, I will go on with Mr. Hoare’s idea. The rest of the day went on smoothly, with no one guessing that I had an amulet. A girl named Priscilla gave me dirty looks though, when she nearly caught me talking to my amulet. I don’t think she saw.

During lunchtime, when we were having fish sticks and peas with a little rhubarb dressing and salad, my amulet glowed. No one noticed — it was bobbing weirdly in my navy blue jacket. I wrapped it around myself. This little thing was clearly clairvoyant: it knew people were going to notice and it knew that I’d be really peeved off. I was really angry now. I felt like throwing the darn thing over the edge. Stuffing a fish stick in my mouth, I quickly Quickly I ran to the bogs (the girls’ bathroom, for American people) and plucked my jacket off. The pendant went ablaze with light. Amy appeared. “‘You met Dianne yet?”’

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“‘Yeah, I’ve met her already. Literally.”’ I snapped. I was ticked off that the amulet had annoyed me, and I didn’t want them to know that I had learned about the Council of Five. She frowned. “‘What did she tell you?”’ she retorted. My heart started to tap-dance and my palms were clammy. The colour had rushed from my cheeks and I bit my lip. It started to bruise and bleed. “‘I’m asking you; what did Dianne tell you?”’ “‘Um…she…she told me about…”’ Suddenly someone started to knock on the bogs’ door. “‘Hello?! Anyone in there?!”’ I recognized the voice — it was Dianne! “‘I really, really, really need to use the bathroom!”’ “‘Come in!”’ I yelled back. Dianne burst the door open and rushed into one of the stalls, taking no notice of me or my ghost twin. After a few minutes of what Dianne calls “sweet relief”, Dianne sauntered out. “‘This is Dianne?”’ Amy asked scornfully. I could tell she was angry. “‘Yeah, I am,”’ she answered. Okay, I guess anyone with the amulet can see ghosts, like I can. “‘What do you need, Amy?”’ “‘How do you…?”’ “‘Shut up and get back to the subject,”’ Dianne retorted. Amy blinked at the girl’s sudden outburst. “‘What are you guys talking about?”’ “‘We were talking about what you told me in the library,”’ I mumbled. A bit louder, I said,

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“‘She wanted to know about what exactly we were discussing.”’ Dianne got the hint and said, “‘Oh! Um…we were talking about quantum physics!”’ I looked at her as if to say: Quantum physics?! That’s all you could come up with? Dianne shot back a dirty look. Gritting her teeth, she asked, “‘Right, Adelynn?”’ I had no reason to argue, so I said, “‘Yes! Yes! We were talking about quantum physics! I learned a lot in the library!”’ Amy, looking suspisciousdefeated, vanished into thin air. Putting my amulet back on, Dianne and I breathed a sigh of relief. “‘That was close,”’ I sighed. “‘Yeah, she could have caught us badly.”’ Dianne replied. Walking slowly to the basins, she turned round sharply and said, “‘You ought to be more careful,”’ I shrank back ever so slightly and watched and listened. “‘Do you know what kind of trouble you can get into if she had caught us?”’ “‘Yes, I actually do,”’ I answered, glaring at Dianne. “‘I know that she could be trapped in the ghost world forever, and that my amulet, along with the other ones, could blow this whole town into oblivion if I don’t do as they say!”’ “‘Fine, but I just hope you know exactly what kind of power you choose to deal with.”’ “‘’Course I know,”’ I said. “‘Come on. Lunch isn’t over for another twelve minutes and I really want to finish that rhubarb dressing!”’

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At the end of the day, I tiptoed into the library and waited, sitting in one of the chairs. There were many interesting books there, but I wasn’t in the mood to read. My phone rang. It notified that I had one text from Dianne. It read:

Dianne: Where r u?

I turned it off. My charm glowed creepily as I sat, slumping in my chair. How many times must it glow before I’m off my rocker? “‘What news do you have for me?”’ I snarled. “‘You are not doing your work,”’ it chafed. “‘What work do you mean?”’ I snapped. “‘I mean that you should be looking for ways to destroy the Council of Five,”’ it scraped. Gaping at the tiny thing, I scowled. I couldn’t possibly destroy it! It would break Dianne’s heart! Why, I ought to keelhaul this little pendant!. “‘Never,”’ I retorted. “‘I will never do it.”’ “‘Young stone keeper…”’ “‘And stop with the young stone keeper! I am not a stone anything! Just leave me alone!”’ “‘Do you not want your sister back?”’ it strictly asked. “‘Destroying the Council of Five is your only chance!”’ “‘Get out!”’ I screamed. “‘Get out of my life!”’ And I threw the glowing thing out the window, in a perfect arc that ended, landing six feet underground in the sandpit. But, on the inside, I

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really wanted Amy back. My heart felt all cramped up and twisted and turned and I felt my head getting lighter. Suddenly, Dianne entered. “‘Need a book?”’ she asked smiling warmly. “I was looking for you everywhere!” Quietly packing my stuff, I walked towards the door. “‘No, thank you,”’ I lied, croaking. I was crying.

We both walked across the street barely looking at each other. Normally, I would enjoy the honking of cars and shouting of mongers on the street, seeing I had lived here all my life, but now, I just wanted to get home. When I was little my daddy used to take me out on the road just for fun, to listen to the beat everything on the street made: honking, shouting, walking, trundling, galloping, clink-clanking, meowing, woofing, and especially ding-dinging; all coincidentally synchronized to make the music of everyday life. I obviously couldn’t tell her. Destroying the Council of Five was, though, my best chance of getting my twin back. I had to tell her. “‘Hey,”’ I said finally. “‘Remember when we were in the library when you came to get me?”’ “‘Yeah, you weren’t talking at all,”’ Dianne replied. “‘Well, I was there…because…my amulet was calling.”’ I answered. She scowled. “‘What do you mean?”’

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“‘I mean, my amulet called me to tell me to destroy the Council of Five, and that it was the only way to get Amy back.”’ Dianne looked shocked and betrayed. I understand that feeling. “‘Are you crazy?”’ she screamed. “‘You can’t destroy it! Sister or no sister, it stays!”’ “‘What’s so important about a dumb old library anyway? I guess you aren’t that smart: family lasts forever!”’ “‘For your information, it’s for my entire family to enjoy, and I lost two of my cousins to a cyclone! Don’t you know how I feel?”’ “‘I don’t care! My life is more important than yours!”’ “‘If it was, I wouldn’t be here to tell you about this!”’ “‘Well maybe you shouldn’t!”’ I bellowed. “‘Maybe you should be locked away in darkness never to see light again, while I’m out, living my life, with the sister I never got to know! How about that?”’ It was silent now. I guess Dianne was thinking of something to say. Oh, who needs her anyway? I can stand alone! Therefore, I walked away before she could think of a perfect comeback.

The decibel of noise was still lofty by the time I had arrived home. Unexpectedly, an uncanny flash of light materialized before me. I knew

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what it was: it was my stone. “‘Stone keeper, I was expecting this.”’ “‘What?”’ I asked. “‘Me fighting with Dianne?”’ “‘Yes,”’ It answered. “‘Now, instead of destroying the Council of Five, you will have to take all of the stones in it by next week; when the full moon rises. In its light, you shall create a swirling beacon of colour, releasing your sister from the ghost realm.”’ “‘Can’t I do that later? I just came back from school and I’m really tired.”’ “‘You shall accomplish this quest on the twelfth hour of the twelfth day of the sixth month. That is the day just before the night of the full moon. Watch it night after night, waiting for the moon’s dull misty glow.”’ “‘Sure,”’ I said, paying little attention. I was busy deleting Dianne from my contacts. When I was done, the eerie emerald rested in my hand as I knocked on my brass door. “‘You’re home,”’ my mother sighed. She was happy now. “‘Come on in. Your cousin Levi has come to visit.”’ I grinned. Levi was a very peculiar cousin of mine, and he’s only twelve. Every time he visited, he brought surprise after surprise after surprise. One time, he brought me a pet snake when I was five, and it bit me when I tried to high five it. The faint mark is still on my palm. As I walked in, the auburn-haired devilish-looking boy sat giddily in our couch. “‘Hiiya!”’ he

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squealed. Levi had a very high voice for a tween; and he also reminded me of Mickey Mouse. “‘Hey,”’ I said. “‘What have you got today?”’ Levi pulled his bag from the table. Stuffing his skinny hand and fingers inside, I heard a *clink! * Levering his surprise out, I was in shock. My heart stopped. My legs stopped. I stopped. I knew what Levi brought home, and I already had it with me. Levi had with him a glowing cerulean amulet. “‘Isn’t it great?”’ he beamed. “‘You always loved the colour blue, especially this shade! It matches your eyes, too!”’ “‘Thanks, Levi,”’ I said uncomfortably, reaching into my own bag. When I pulled my own out, his mouth hung open, and he sat there, pop-eyed. “‘But I have my own.”’

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3: The Truth

“‘It’s impossible!”’ Levi yelped. “‘It can’t be true!”’ He took a deep tai-chi sigh and dusted his glasses. By then he had cooled off and mum had walked upstairs. I guess she was too tired to make tea again. I sat down next to him and crossed my legs on the coffee table in front of me. I let my copper curly hair flow after it had been trapped in a bun all day. I loosened my lady tie and took of my badge. I honestly do feel that this is what parents do after they are done with work, and they have to deal with disturbing or unexpected news. How should I know — my mother hardly goes to work anymore and I haven’t seen my father in nine years, after he’d been on his stupid elongated business meeting. “‘Shall we go upstairs?”’ Levi said coolly. I nodded. In my room, I shut the door behind me as my cousin whistled. I could never get to do that! Levi’s whistle, I think, is the queerest and most beautiful one to hear. It starts off shrill, like he’s a slide whistle, when you pull of the plastic at the bottom down, then it goes low (when you push the plastic up). After that, he goes on, as if

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he’s singing; as if he’s pulling and pushing the plastic of the slide whistle up and down. Then the tunes just go rolling out of his mouth like an imaginary spring bouncing and bouncing, never to stop. “‘So how’d you get the amulet?”’ I asked. After Levi had finished his whistling, he said, “‘I found it in the St. Peterson’s Park,”’ I smiled and bounced on my bed. “‘That’s where I found mine,”’ I replied. “‘It’s today I figured out that all the amulets of the world have different colors.”’ “‘Yeah,”’ Levi said. “‘And that it gives you eerie advice it somehow forces you to do.”’ “‘Do you want to see what I can do with it?”’ I asked, eager to show off. Levi nodded, and I grabbed mine off my bedside drawer. Holding it tightly, I squinted and altered Amy from the ghost realm. She seemed really peeved. “‘What do you want?”’ she snapped. Then she glanced at Levi, who weakly and hesitantly smiled. “‘You have to get ready for the full moon, not hanging out with him!”’ “‘Shush, Amy,”’ I retorted. “‘You need to respect him: he is our cousin. Come on; you can’t be mean to everyone.”’ “‘Whatever. What are we going to do about the full moon? You need to be trained! Forget him!”’ “‘What do you mean? He is family! Isn't that the reason why you talk to me? Don't you want your family back?”’ I asked angrily.

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“‘I don't need you! I don't need anyone! All I need is the amulet and the full moon then I shall be invincible! Goodbye, Adelynn, forever!”’ “‘Wait!”’ I screamed. And suddenly lightning shot out of my fingertips and bashed Amy down. Like a rubbish bin lid, it rolled for a few seconds and fell. As I peered down at my magical palms, they seemed to be bright cobalt. Nah, I don’t think this is natural. Levi snatched my arms and took a look himself. “‘How did that happen?!”’ he asked, gasping. “‘I don’t know!”’ I screamed, hiding behind a closet door. Amy had gotten up, and she looked as though she was one of those bad Marvel Avengers characters. “‘Stay back, Amy!”’ I warned, and my electric fingers rippled, causing my hand (to another person) to feel cramped. To me, it felt rather nice. “‘You better watch yourself, traitor,”’ Amy hissed, her faded hair covering half of her battered and bruised face. “‘You don’t know what you’re dealing with.”’

Later that night, I woke up sweaty and panting in my sleeved chemise. Amy was gone. The room was a mess. Levi was out cold on my couch. Hesitantly and fearfully, I checked my hands to see if what happened earlier on was a dream or reality. They were navy blue. It wasn’t a dream: the amulet must be really mad at me.

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I fell back into bed and closed my sore eyes. Suddenly the amulet shone again, and it was dark scarlet. “‘Young stone keeper, I should have warned you sooner.”’ “‘About what?”’ I groaned, fluttering my eyes sluggishly. “‘About Amy; the way she acted.”’ As soon as it said that, I got up and paid attention. “‘You see, if you release Amy on the night of the full moon, it shall restore her powers: the powers that she betrayed the day she disappeared.”’ “‘What do you mean?”’ “‘I mean, that when she stood atop that cliff, the amulet had spoken to her. ‘“Stone keeper,’” it said. ‘“What do you wish to do, now that your power is at its peak?’” For a while Amy didn’t answer. ‘When she did she said, ‘“I wanna change this town. I want to make it better for my family.’” The amulet did not agree and argued. ‘It said, ‘“Woodenbrough and your family are none of your concern. You have to erase them, and the Earth, to give birth to a dark universe; creating the end of Earth as you know it.’” Amy would not have it and challenged her amulet’s power. However, as you already know, her choices made disastrous consequences.”’ “‘How do you know this?”’ “‘All amulets are connected; therefore, I am able to pass information to you, past and present,”’ The beguile object answered. “‘Even

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the founder of Earth cannot remember what happened over the years.”’ “‘But the founder of Earth is God, is it not? Or are you a non-religious amulet?”’ I asked curiously. “‘I do not mean the real Earth of course,”’ it said a bit harshly. “‘I told you, this is an alternate version of Earth, therefore there is magic, not religion. Of course, there are still churches and mosques and synagogues. But here, the creation of Earth was magical.”’ I thought over and over about what the amulet had told me. “‘My cousin Levi told me that the amulets control you,”’ I said quietly. “‘Your cousin is wrong,”’ the amulet debated. “‘He has been influenced by the descendants of the Council of Five.”’ I thought about what it said. Maybe it was right, and the Council of Five should be my enemy too. “‘Rest now, Adelynn.”’

Saturday. The day when I could finally relax and enjoy myself. When I checked for Levi I saw that he was still snoring on the couch. I breathed a sigh of relief and closed my eyes again. I didn’t wake up until twelve-thirty, because I had stayed up until twelve at night, and I needed thirty more minutes of what I like to call “beauty rest”. When I woke up I saw someone staring at me. “‘Hey,”’ she said. As I heard her voice I nearly jumped out of bed. “‘Amy—”—’ I tried to say, but she covered my mouth.

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“‘Come with me.”’ She sighed. Out the window — after I had changed and ran a bath, brushed my teeth and ate breakfast — I followed Amy into town. I saw the greengrocer and her little shop, the Apples & Oranges restaurant, the fat butcher with his gory lumps of cow, goat and lamb corpses hanging lifelessly, like clueless victims waiting for their worst fate, and the farmers’ market. I knew most of the farmers — they have a cow I named Puddin’ (that’s Pudding)m. On my fourth birthday, my parents took me there for what farmers call a “shindig”. It’s the word they use for “party”. We crossed and went up Rackin Hill. As we stopped, I rested in the little bench swing I created one or two years ago. Amy sat on the grass and played with the ticklish blades swaying gently in the wind, as red, golden, and brown autumn leaves fell lazily on the soft grass to die. A soft pink mixed in with the afternoon sky and clouds drifted off to their next destination. dotted with small, flying, dead autumn leaves. “‘So,”’ she said finally, “‘How often do you take orders from your little amulet?”’ “‘No, I don’t,”’ I yelled. “‘Don’t get hysterical,”’ she snapped. “‘I’m just saying. I don’t think you should take orders from it, now that you’ve already got your powers.”’ “‘I guess so,”’ I said. I felt the strong urge to ask her how exactly she died. “‘So… if my amulet was lying…how did your amulet kill you?”’

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Amy smiled sadly and took a deep breath. “‘It all started the day I walked out here. I was just like you: stubborn, hotheaded, curious, and good-hearted. My amulet had called me, to tell me that I could mold AddelyiaAddelya into anything I wanted, but all I wanted to do was to transform Woodenbrough into a beautiful city, for us to enjoy. I thought that the amulet would be sympathetic and let me make my choices, but I felt like its puppet. I told it that I was going to do what I desired, but it went red and I saw my chance of ridding myself of the tiny demon. However, it blasted me to bits and sent me soaring off the Cliffside.”’ “‘So that’s what killed you?”’ “‘I wish,”’ Amy scoffed. “‘It’s what happened next that took my life. As I lay on the beach floor, I struggled to get on my feet before the amulet blasted me again. I was still alive though. But then it said, ‘“Amiah Montagne, you have insulted every amulet of Addelya. Prepare to meet your fate ! ’” We charged at each other, and in a blazing flash of light, I flew to a bunch of rocks. That was my last breath, and I was happy; relieved, in fact, to be rid of that little menace.”’ I sighed and stared at my feet. I felt sad that my sister had to die for me. “‘Hey,”’ she said. “‘Don’t feel bad. I’m still able to talk to you.”’ “‘But you’re not really here,”’ I cried sadly, wiping tears off my face. “‘You’ll just disappear again like you did that day.”’

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Amy walked up to me and pat my back. “‘Would it make you feel better if you found my body? It’s only a day before the full moon, and people still haven’t decided whether they want to bury my body or not. In fact, they preserve it in a cave near the battlefield of the incident.”’ Still crying but smiling, I nodded and followed Amy down the hill.

When we got to the cave, I lit a light and peered round. I found Amy’s body in a large casket embroidered with sunflowers and poppies; my guess, Amy’s favourite flowers. There were plastic tubes sticking out of it filling the inside of the casket with flower-scented oxygen, that seemed to be keeping her body fresh for so long. Inside, the lifeless Amy rested under a duvet of roses and miniature silk cushions stuffed with bluebells. Her hair spread around her like the rays of the sun, only delicate and mahogany brown. Her eyes were shut, never to open. She was wearing a taffeta yellow beach dress, that was dusty and worn out and covered with scorch marks. Amy was covered head to toe with severe injuries; I could tell by the amount of bandages and plasters she was covered with. I walked around her in silence. On a golden mantel, it said, ‘Here lies Amiah Lailah Montagne.’ “‘You look so peaceful,”’ I said quietly, marveling at the dead beauty.

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Amy smiled and stood next to me, staring at her corpsebody. “‘Yeah,”’ she said, “‘and I still would be if it wasn’t for that dumb amulet.”’ Giggling a little, I walked out of the cave and sat on the sand, running it through my fingers. Amy came out too. Her gloomy, ghastly ghost-grey colour started to fade even more. “‘Dang,”’ she groaned. “‘I’m fading more.”’ Immediately I stood up and held her frail ghost hands. “‘No, you can’t!”’ I wailed. “‘Not yet! Not when I need you the most!”’ “‘Adelynn…I feel weak…can you…take me home…?”’ she panted. Quickly, I carried her back, all the way home. I was going to need all the help I could possibly get.

At my front door, there was a small note. “‘Dear Adelynn, I will be out for a long while on late-night errands, and a ten-hour job interview. XOXO, Love Mama.”’ Good. I don’t think she needed to be there to see this. I bashed the door open and ran upstairs to my brother’s room. “‘Tom! Tom! I need you!”’ “‘What?”’ he said, fiddling with his six-hundred-piece model airplane. “‘Call Levi!”’ I gasped. “‘Both of you; I need the both of you!”’ He nodded hesitantly and dashed to my bedroom. When we were all together, I decided to tell Tom. “‘Tom?”’ I asked. He turned to me. “‘Remember Amy? My twin?”’

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He nodded. “‘Well…”’ I went on, “‘This is her. This invisible girl, is Amy.”’ Tom smiled and chuckled a bit. “‘Yeah, I knew.”’ I stared at him, speechless. “‘But…how did you…?”’ “‘I have the amulet too. I know why you came home late that time, and I knew about your secret meeting. My amulet is purple.”’ He said. Looking down at our ghost twin, he held her hand. I think it felt cold and bony. “‘Hi, Amy. Are you okay?”’ Amy smiled weakly and shut her eyes. I suddenly remembered something. “‘Hold on,”’ I said. “‘There’s one more person we need to get to come over.”’ I ran in the night darkness, all the way to Dianne’s house. I rang her doorbell and she answered. She was definitely shocked to see me. “‘What do you want?”’ she snapped. “‘Dianne, I’m sorry, for everything,”’ I said. “‘I was stupid and selfish and hotheaded, more than usual, and I never should have said those dumb things about you! I do care! About our friendship, our love for reading, our families—everything! I was just jealous, because I’ve had to live a life without a sister, and it makes me feel so sad when I see two sisters walking together and having fun, like you can do with yours! Please! Just help me! And when we’re through, you can go back hating me! And I won’t care! I will stay out of your way forever!”’

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With hands on her hips, Dianne smiled and squeezed my cold fingers. “‘I do forgive you. And I will help you. Come on!”’

Back in Tom’s room, we discussed the Council of Five and our amulets. “‘Do you think we can trust the amulets?”’ Tom asked. “‘Not really,”’ I said. “‘They are very…manipulative little things. As far as I’m concerned, the only ones we can trust are the ones from the Council of Five.”’ “‘Then it’s settled,”’ Dianne exclaimed. “‘We’ll dump these amulets and take the ones from the Council of Five.”’ Everyone seemed to be liking Dianne’s suggestion, but I didn’t believe it would solve our problems. If we buried the amulets, then they would probably, in the next century, manipulate Woodenbrough’s descendants. I couldn’t have that on my undead conscience! “‘Wait!”’ I yelled, before all of them left. “‘What if, after we buried them, they could disrupt the people of the next century. We can’t have that!”’ “‘You’re right,”’ a voice behind us croaked. “‘Amy!”’ I screamed, running to her bed. “‘I heard everything,”’ she said. “‘About the amulets, and what you’re gonna do to them.”’ “‘Yeah, we’re getting rid of ours, starting with mine.”’ “‘Wait…”’ she rasped. “‘Before you do…I must tell you one thing…”’

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“‘What, Amy? What? You’re fading more!”’ “‘I wanna tell you…that your amulet…is mine.”’

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4: Make Your Choice

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I stared hard at the ghastly, beautiful being who had shared such bewildering information. “‘You mean to say,”’ I managed to stutter, “‘that the amulet who had told me that you had betrayed it; the amulet that told me The Council of Five was evil; the amulet who had lied to me all this time…was yours?”’ Grimly, Amy nodded. “‘You cannot let it control what you choose to do. You have to choose your own destiny, without listening to a crummy jewel. Will you promise to be independent? For me?”’ “‘Yes, Amy! I’ll do everything!”’ “‘Good,”’ she wheezed, then she closed her eyes and disappeared. That was even shorter than yesterday’s visit. She was nearly gone. “‘I think this meeting is adjourned,”’ I said sternly. “‘But…”’ Levi tried to say. “‘Shut up and get out!”’ I screamed. Taking a deep breath, I turned to them. “‘Just wait outside. I’ll be there in a minute.”’ “‘I think we all know what we need to do,”’ I declared when I walked out. “‘And that includes disposing of our recent amulets, so we can take those from the Council of Five.”’ “‘Should we go there tonight?”’ Tom asked. “‘That depends,”’ I said. “‘Is the library open 24/7?”’ Everyone turned to Dianne awkwardly. She rolled her eyes and jangled the keys to the school in front of our faces. “‘Don’t look at me

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like dopes,”’ she snapped. “‘It’s open for the next four hours! We’ll need to be quick!”’ “‘Good,”’ I said. Looking back to Tom’s open door, where Amy lay sleeping, I ordered the others to wait. “‘Someone will have to stay with Amy. And that person is me.”’ “‘Adelynn, we don’t have time,”’ Levi said. “‘I’ve known Amy for twelve full years and I understand her like the back of my hand,”’ I snapped. “‘I know she’d want me to be with her, especially when the full moon is two days from now, and she’ll disappear forever if we don’t hurry.”’

I woke up around one o’clock in the morning. I had slept next to Amy while the others had gone out cold one the floor and couches. I think their parents (Levi and Dianne) had made arrangements for them to stay longer. I had slept better than yesterday and the day before yesterday, maybe because my amulet had shut up and because I was next to my sister again. When I walked to school with Dianne, I saw posters everywhere around the school hallways. “‘What’s this for?”’ I asked one petite girl staggering under a thousand paper-pile, that seemed to have the words ““Full Moon Tomorrow!” on ithem. “‘Don’t you know?”’ she asked, smiling. “‘It’s the full moon! Here!”’ she said, handing me one. “‘Be sure to enjoy it with friends and family!

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Bye!”’ she skipped off and Dianne and I waved goodbye. That’s when I remembered. “‘What did you find out last night?”’ I asked. “‘About what?”’ Dianne murmured. “‘Don’t be dotty,”’ I snapped. “‘About the amulets in the library.”’ “‘Oh!”’ Dianne laughed weakly. “‘Um… we didn’t find much exactly…just random stuff. Don’t bother about it. Let’s get to class.’” I knew she was lying. Dianne taps her feet when she lies. It’s really conspicuous. “‘Okay,”’ I said slyly. “‘Sure. Let’s go.”’ Later that day, I was pacing around the library, waiting for Mrs. Haives, Dianne’s mother, to finish work. I heard that she had a doctor’s appointment to get to, so Dianne had to be in charge for the next six hours. I saw the petite woman stuffing paper after paper, into her bulging handbag. She seemed really peeved, that she had to leave her twelve-year-old daughter in charge, by herself. My mother gets that feeling every time she’s off on out on business meetings, and I have to run her Sport Store, called All Sorts Sports. When she was finally done I sprinted inside and started tearing the books off the shelves, looking for the dead brochure. I didn’t find it, and I had checked all the shelves. Suddenly, when I was about to finish checking one, I saw and open slot with torn dusty pages with crumpled pictures of resorts on it. Someone had torn the brochure, and now I

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couldn’t find the Council of Five! I was crestfallen. Now I couldn’t find the information I needed to save Woodenbrough! Angrily, I slammed a spot in the shelf and it gleamed the same colour it did on the day I first found it. My handprint stayed there. Now I guess I was the true leader of the Council of Five. I ran into the empty darkness and pressed my hand against the ancient wall. The colour brought it alive and I peered around. When I glanced at the Yin and Yang circle, I saw people floating inside glistening blue pods. They were not ordinary people: they were my friends — and Amy! Trapped inside, they looked as if life was being sucked out of them…so the Dianne that walked to school with me was a clone!!! “‘Adelynn?”’ someone behind me asked. Swiftly I turned around. “‘I know you’re a liar! And a clone!”’ I yelled. “‘Umm…this is none of your concern! Get out!”’ “‘Never! What do I do to get my real friends back?”’ I picked up a big book called “History of Addelya”. “‘You better put that down!”’ “‘No!”’ I screamed. Flipping through the pages, I found one that talked about clones stealing people’s life forces; and if the spell to be rid of them was not done properly or not at all, the clones would stay forever, and your loved ones would be no more. Out loud, I said the spell: “‘Airraanya-freeis!”’

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I wondered if the spell worked. I daren’t look, mostly because I didn’t trust the Council of Five that much, so closed my eyes tight, until someone ruffled my hair. “‘That was weird,”’ Tom said. “‘No kidding,”’ I added. “‘I’m just happy I have my friends and family back. Can we get back to school, please?”’

We walked home together in the deadly silence. I doubt you could hear a cough or a pin sound. I looked up at the sky, painted with black dots of fae glitter and a nearly perfect formed circle glimmering faintly, hidden now and again by grey cotton-like clouds. The moon was nearly full. I wondered what the fun things Amy and I would do after she was human again would be. Maybe we could go fishing by one of the Koi Ponds, and keep two as pets. Or we could sled down Mini Mount Grainard. Perhaps we could watch a movie and sleep late, or play games, or eat sweets, or study together. Those were some of my favourite things — the rest would be too many to write down. Surely it would be better to just wait for the full moon before making final decisions? “‘Don’t you think it would be better,”’ I suggested, “‘if we brought Amy’s casketbody from the cave, so we wouldn’t have to walk so far?”’

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“‘Yeah, I guess so,”’ Levi said. “‘But I’m really tired. Can we do that in the morning?”’ “‘Fine,”’ I moaned. Perking up, I said, “‘I’m just really excited! After we get Amy back, we can watch the full moon together!”’

That night, when we all slept in my room, I woke up to find an irregular-shaped casket-like figure before me. Could it be? I jumped out of bed and switched on my desk light. Yes, it was! It was Amy’s casketlarge incubator! But…I didn’t bring it. Tom didn’t bring it. Amy’s too tired. Dianne had to restock the shelves, and Levi had a long call from his seven other brothers. So who did it? Suddenly, a raven or falcon, swooped in from my open window (there was a power outage and I would get rashes if I got too hot—I had a mild fever), and landed on my bedside drawer. Just then, it went *Ting! * and transformed into a pointy-eared woodland creature. Her eyes were but a slanted black line in the middle of her gleaming white eyeballs. Her hair was ebony black and the bangs at the sides of her face covered a little part of her elongated ears. She sat on my drawer beside me, and I quivered in her presence. “‘Who…who…are you?”’ I asked, stuttering. She grinned and got off the drawer. “‘I’m a shapeshifter,”’ she said. Her voice reminded me of Raven from the American show, Teen Titans Go. Raven’s voice was croaky and

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low. I bet she never sang beautifully all her life. “‘My name is ZarydiinZarydiin.” Then she handed me three glowing amulets.’ “‘Zar…Zary…Zaridee…can I just call you Zara?”’ I asked. “‘Fair enough, human,”’ she said. Looking towards my friends, she said, “‘Are these the rest of the Council of Five?”’ I looked at her, confused. “‘What do you mean, ‘“The rest’”?”’ “‘I mean,”’ she answered, revealing a small, opal, orange glowing pendant, “‘I am a part of the Council of Five.”

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5: Full Moon at Rackin Hill

“‘Who invited you?”’ I asked quickly. “‘How did you get here? Oh! And WHY?”’ Zara smiled and grabbed my hand to pull me out of bed. She was about three inches taller than I was. “‘Your sister, Amy, invited me. Using your amulet, she transferred a message from Woodenbrough to the Woods of Noea. Then, I tracked the signal to this house.”’ “‘How do you know my sister?”’ “‘We were comrades in the battle against Aldenbai. She stuck by my side no matter what, and it just crushed me when she died,”’ Zara replied. She stared hard at me. “‘and every time we were free, she just talked away about you. She always said that you were just like her.”’ “‘That good to hear,”’ I grinned. “‘And thanks for bringing her casket and the amulets. We’ll need themit when we bring her back to life tomorrow night.”’ Zara nodded. She then transformed into a bluebird and perched on the neck of my desk light. There she had lain, until we woke up the next day.

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Tuesday. The day of the full moon. The day I would get my sister back. I couldn’t wait! As we walked on the street, Amy squeezed my warm fingers and smiled happily. I squeezed her fingers back, smiled, and stuck my tongue out. She seemed stronger than yesterday and the day before.

No one seemed distressed that a tween elf was walking with, not one, but five, other tweens. Why? Because elves usually visited Woodenbrough during the full moon. They would bring flowers and dates and pomegranates and berries. It would be like a festive picnic at night in the Noea countryside. The music would be from lutes and harps, flutes and horns, and occasionally, there would be harmonicas. Zara told me it was to welcome the new moon and the birth of a new “field of stars”. When I asked her why, she said, “‘Have you been studying at all?”’ And I said, “‘What do you mean?”’ “‘I mean; you would know why if you read the History of Addelya!”’ “‘Well, I did read The History of Addelya…not really…but…”’ “‘See?”’ Zara boomed. “‘You would know if you read the entire thing!”’ And that’s how I ended up spending my entire morning reading that book. Every time my mum stepped in, I had to put it on my lap, and it was

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so heavy, it left a big rectangular bruise there, so I had to wear my smelly khaki shorts. I wore the khaki shorts canoeing, and the canoe turned over. When it did, I sank to the bottom, and barnacles and mud got stuck to it. That’s why I never wear it, but I was determined this time because it was the only thing that would cover the bruise. I rarely wear tights, and all the skirts and dresses I’ve got are worn out. My mother hasn’t bought me new ones since!

Our walk ended at the top of Rackin Hill. We had a mini picnic there and chatted about different things. It was wonderful to be on that hill that time of day. Why? Because if you sat on that edge, you could see the sun sprinkling its midday light on the sea below; a mere wave swimming with its thousands of brothers and sisters. The sky would be the most beautiful cerulean colour, the one colour you couldn’t find just anywhere. I wondered, and asked the others, if it was possible to wash your hair in the sea. Dianne just laughed and said, “‘Would you like to find out?”’ I frowned. I guess she was planning to dump my Lavender Hair Honey shampoo over my thick copper brown hair and scrub it so hard, it would look like a bubbly white afro, then she would submerge my head into the sea and I’d “sea” what would happen. I didn’t like that idea, so for the rest of the picnic I kept my mouth shut.

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It was starting to get really boring in the afternoon. Most of us were just lying down on the soft grass and earth, basking in the scorching sunlight. I watched Amy float majestically, and Zara, who was entertaining us with the many animals she could shapeshift into. Tom had kicked his shoes off and swung very slowly on the bench swing. Dianne hunted for butterflies and Levi sat on a sturdy tree branch in order to collect apples. “‘Shall we go down to the beach?”’ I asked. “‘We can hang out in the cave, like bats!”’ The rest of them looked at each other, then at me. “‘Are you sure?”’ Amy asked. “‘I don’t think it’s safe.”’ “‘Don’t worry,”’ I said reassuringly. “‘I’ll check it out and use this whistle to tweet you if it’s all clear. If not, we’ll stay on the beach.”’ “‘Alright,”’ Amy said. And off I was.

I used a kerosene oil lamp to light my way. It seemed murkier than before, and I wondered why. There was an empty space where the casket had been, so there was more room for about twenty children to stay in. The rocks by the sides made great climbing walls, and stalactitesicicles hanging from the ceiling were sturdy and didn’t seem that cold, so they could be used as gripping poles. There was plenty entertainment. The only problem was that it was too dark to see anything. I decided to get luminescent algae

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from the depths of the sea, then I would rub it on sea shells and make little neon sea lamps. When I gave the okay to come down, they were in the cave faster than lightning. “I guess it is a great place to stay in,” Dianne sighed after she walked around and gently touched the smooth rocks at the corners. Then she spun around like one of those dramatic characters from old movies, when they say they love their room and then they collapse on the bed behind them. Taking a deep breath, she then said, “It’s nearly to die for!”

After dusting the last inch of the place, I turned and round and said, “I told you it was perfect!” Dianne stuck her tongue and checked the density of the stalactites hanging like bats on the bleak black ceiling. Suddenly, Tom appeared hanging down from one stalactite, and Dianne screamed so loud it rippled through the entire pothole. Zara dashed over and clapped her mouth shut. “Shut your mouth, will you!” she screamed. Dianne screamed but it was muffled under Zara’s pale silver fingers. “You want to alert the whole town?” When Dianne calmed down, but still quivering she turned to Tom. “What’s wrong with you?” she yelled silently. She was really riled, I guess. Tom backed off and looked away to hide his muffled gasps of laughter. Amy glared at him as a warning. “I’m going to be on the beach, if anyone needs me.”

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Out on the beach, I watched Dianne hug her pale knees on the sand. The sun shone on her, and she was as red as a boiled lobster in the heat. One might have said, at this time of day, that the sun would be coming closer and advancing upon you as if it wanted to learn what happened on God’s third planet. Of course, that wasn’t possible, but it was still inevitable, that the sun was edging nearer — if only the Earth would shrink away. But enough about that. Let’s focus on the real thing. I stood in the shadows like a sceptical vampire, unable to trust the blazing heat which was liable to scorch me in two seconds. Slowly, I sauntered into the light and sat beside Dianne, whose head was shrouded in between her knees. “Are you okay?” I asked. No answer came. I asked again. “Are you okay, Dianne?” This time, I gave her a good shake too see if she would arouse with anger and finally open up to me. “Alright, alright,” she whined like a child. “I’m not okay. It’s your foolish brother that’s the problem. Truth be told, I don’t know how he was even trusted with an amulet, be that as it may the good one or not.” I smiled and laugh a little. I looked towards the sun as it gradually plummeted into the depths of the earth, whilst the sky changed from sky-blue to sunset pink. “We had better get going,” I breathed. “The full moon is nearly upon us.” As soon as I spread the news to the others, we packed up and headed out. The sky was already dark navy blue by the time we reached the city. It was silent and ghastly and there

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was a strange shrill shrieking in the distance, made by the Deer Antler Bini. The Bini is a very strange animal. It’s like an owl with deer antlers. “So, how was our outing?” Zara asked. That was the first thing she said ever since we came back from Racking hill. “Seemed okay,” Amy said. The boys shrugged. I looked up at the sky. The full moon’s light was growing stronger by the second. We had about ten more minutes before it’s queer light diminished. “We had better get home quick,” I piped. “The casket and four amulets from the Council of Five are still in my room.” “Sure thing,” Amy said. “Oh! And would you like to hear a story on the way?” The others nodded and I smiled. It was fun to hear stories from my sister, but it would be even more fun when we got her life back. “Okay. About five years ago, there was something called the Drainer,” she said, “and it went around town draining the life out of people. Soon enough the people of the little town of Mila left and it was deserted. Until one man came along, and…” “Okay, stop right there,” Tom snapped playfully. “If I was a policeman, I’d give you a ticket for telling one of the most boring stories ever! I’d squeeze you like a sponge if I could!” At that point, we were home. As I opened the door, I saw an angry mother clenching a glowing emerald in her hands. The librarian stood behind her. “Well?” mum said sternly. “Care to explain, children?”

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6: She Knows

“You knew Amy was a ghost all this time, you knew about the amulets; the full moon, and you didn’t tell me?” my mother asked. “Well…mom…” “I suppose,” she went on, “that the amulet told you that Amy betrayed its power, or any rubbish like that.” I stared at the marble floor, ashamed. I knew my mother had the amulet and had trained her whole life

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to protect us from it with the rest of the previous Council of Five, so why not tell her? I was a fool, to think I could keep this a secret from my mother for so long, especially when she could teach me and train me! “You all are in big trouble,” Mrs. Haives said. But that was already pretty obvious. “But mother…” Dianne managed to say. “I don’t want to hear anything from you,” Mrs Haives snapped. “I thought I raised you better, Dianna!” “I think you all better hand in your amulets,” My mother declared, glowering at us below her, like she was the Queen of Darkness, and we were descendants of the Mafia, and she could trample over all of us. “And Zara, I thought you were trained against this.” Zarydiin folded her arms and stared at the floor. “Wait,” Amy said behind us. “Don’t do this.” My mother sighed and put her arms around Amy. “How are you feeling dear?” “Better,” Amy replied. Then she looked towards us. We stood there, waiting for her next move. “But I would feel even better if you didn’t blame Adelynn. She worked, this entire week, trying to solve this problem on her own. I mean, even if you knew, you could have told her, right?” My mother thought for a while. Then she said, “I guess so. In fact, I should have filled you in a year ago, so you would be prepared now. But I just got so wrapped up in living a normal life in an abnormal town, that it slipped my mind. I’m sorry.” “That’s fine, but we had better get ready to revive Amy,” I said. “Let’s get to my room.”

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In my room, the ghost Amy stared at her empty body. The amulets were hooked to it, and my circular window in the ceiling shone the light of the full moon. Its moonbeams twinkled as the fell gently to the glass of the casket. “I’m actually doing this,” she sighed. “After all this time, I’m actually going to be human again.” Then she squeezed my fingers and turned to me and said, “I can’t wait.” “Well, you had better get inside,” I said. “We have four minutes left. That’s just more than enough time.” Amy stepped in the open casket like it was a swimming pool, and her legs vanished. She then threw her whole body inside the casket and the ghost disappeared. “Now, hold the amulets,” I said, “and say ‘Eudipherues vrys!’” A swirling beacon of colour submerged Amy in its rainbow river. She squinted and groaned, tossing and turning. Then, she opened her eyes. Amy, the human, was back. “Where am I?” she asked quickly. She looked around and calmed down, seeing she was in her twin sister’s room. Her posh little hat fell off her head. “Good,” my mum said. “Amy, in the bath.” When I woke up in the middle of the night again, everything was back to normal, and human Amy slept next to me. She was really worn out, and instead of her taffeta dress, she wore a silk nightgown, and all her wounds were healed. My old amulet was replaced with the one from the Council of Five, and it glowed in a red light instead of pink. I wanted to talk to Amy, but I

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heard mum say that she needed twenty-four hours of rest, so I was on my own. We had a Family Reunion the next day. My uncles and aunts and cousins were so happy to see Amy’s face again, and I felt as if a huge weight had been take off my shoulders now that I could talk to Amy and mum about the amulets. Amy and I ran into my grandmother’s poppy fields to talk in the old gazebo. “So what are we going to do now?” I asked. Amy sat at the table with me and chewed a sunflower seed. “Maybe we could go fishing in the Koi Pond,” she said, “and use our bare hands to catch the fish.” “I have a special technique!” I squealed. “We should try it!” “Sure thing!” Amy said. And here’s what we did. We rubbed our hands with sunflower oil Amy brought with her. Then, we grabbed worms and stuffed them with boiled dates — the trick is to make the dates as soft as possible. They get really soft after they’re boiled. The sunflower seed worms would make the fish slow so they would be easy to catch. After that was done, we held the worms in our hands and stuck our sunflower oil-coated hands in the pond, and when the fish caught the worms, they immediately slowed down. We tickled their stomach and they jumped out onto the grass. The deed was done. I’m not saying do this yourself, though. Find your own technique! Our fish wriggled in our fingers, but eventually, we were able to drop them in our fish bowls. Amy and I called them Fisher and Bubbles; Fisher because one kept swerving and diving to catch its fish food before

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Bubbles, and Bubbles, because bubbles always came out of its mouth. During the afternoon, Amy and I walked around the town. The best spots to be in were even better, now that my sister was with me—literally! “What else should we do?” I asked. “I don’t know; I feel really tired,” Amy yawned. “I did wake up five hours earlier than I was supposed to, but I don’t feel like going back to the town.” “But we’re going back to school tomorrow, and you need to be at the top of your game,” I said, but I didn’t want my sister to be sleep deprived. I looked around the poppy field. There were vines and leaves I could sew to make a blanket, and the grass was like a giant bed we could have all to ourselves. When that was done, Amy was already out cold. I covered her and braided poppies and sunflowers into her mahogany coloured hair. Amy woke up at around five-thirty. By then, mum had picked us up and drove us back home in her Rolls Royce. “Next time, try to tell me about your fish before you catch them,” mum said. “Okay,” Amy and I chirruped. At home, we had fish and chips from the Apples & Oranges restaurant downtown, because mum was too tired from making snacks for the Family Reunion. It was my favourite, but I couldn’t eat it. I was too excited, because Amy would be going to school with me. Mum said that it would be dangerous to go abroad to Norway, but I don’t know why — what I do know is that the British Airlines keep on disappearing.

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“Hey kids,” mum called from the dining room. Amy and I lay on the living room floor stuffing fish nuggets in our mouths watching Tough Life, a movie about best friends that go through one problem after the other. “Daddy wants to talk to you on Skype!” We sped to the kitchen like lightning. “Hi daddy!” we screamed in front of the screen, and daddy nearly jumped out of his seat when he saw his twins. “Is that…is that…Amy…?” he managed to ask. Vigorously, Amy nodded her head. “Hey dad,” she smirked. “Miss me?” Dad sighed and turned off the Voice chat. I frowned and Amy scowled. “What was that about?” I asked angrily. “We said hi, didn’t we? We said we missed him, didn’t we?” Amy nodded. “So why the rudeness? Doesn’t he love us anymore? Or did your death change anything?” “I don’t get it either,” Amy sighed, “but come on. We have some dinner and a movie to finish!” “I think that’s enough for one night,” mum called. “Get in bed. You have school tomorrow. The both of you.”

The next morning, Amy and I shared a banana and wore our amulets. We felt absolutely sure we could trust them. “Bye, mum!” we said, and then we walked out. I texted Dianne on the way to school. We didn’t take the bus. My text read:

Dianne: U awake yet?

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Me: Yes. I’ll b @ school in 5. CU there.

Dianne: We’ll meet at the library in 10. BE EARLY. XOXO

“Who was that?” Amy asked. “Dianne,” I answered. “She said to meet at the library in ten minutes. Can you make it?” “Sure,” Amy replied with a grin. The reason I asked that question is because, before Amy died she was in the junior soccer team, and they always practised early in the morning, like now. I guess Amy wasn’t in the mood for soccer. She lately seems dreary and worn out. In the library, everyone sat at the desk and waited for the very tardy Dianne. Why did she want us here early if she didn’t make it early in the first place? This is oddly suspicious, I thought to myself. I should probably look around for Dianne. She would never be this late, and she never has been; as long as I’ve known her. I chomped on a carrot and read a novel. If you believe in God, he shall give you wisdom. He is omniscient, after all. That’s what the Bible said. And so I walked into the Council of Five, and I prayed. I prayed hard; for about twenty minutes. When I was done, I called everyone inside our headquarters (A.K.A. Council of Five). Suddenly, Dianne burst in through the library door. She seemed flustered and out of breath and surprised at the same time. “Guys,” she murmured, panting, “you will not believe this.”

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“What?” we said in unison. “What’s wrong?” “I found out that the first finder of an amulet receives a curse.” said Dianne. I froze. My heart pounded. “C-curse?” I stammered. “Well… yes…but… Adelynn? Adelynn? Can you hear me? Adelynn?!” At that point, I felt my face turning red and it felt like the whole inside of my body was lava and snow at the same time. I toppled over and started wobbling. Soon, everything went black.

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