"Lemme get you a room" The woman called them. They followed her into a small dark room, rugged floor and it had nothing inside — No TV, no chair, it was just the rug on the floor.
"Try to rest till dawn" The woman said and locked the door
"Come on. It's dark in here" Percy said
"Everyone should rest" Mrs. Mason lied down on the rugged floor
"Mum, what about Dad?. We left him there" Cole asked
"Just rest, Cole. He is going to find us" She replied
"He knows this place?" No one answered Kevin
Cole and others huddled themselves on the cold rugged floor. Although, there was no window or an air conditioner inside the room, it was still very cold. Soon enough, Cole closed his eyes and the cold bought sleep, earlier than normal.
Turning and rolling on the rough rugged floor, Cole opened his eyes, waking up from sleep, after what he thought was some hours ago. He sat upright, looking around with everyone still asleep. He didn't just wake up — Something did wake him up, or rather someone. As he crawled slowly to the closed door and set his left ear on it, he heard voices..... Whispering in the dark. He felt afraid for a moment but he then felt curious about it.
"You can't sleep??"
Cole was shocked.
"Ohhh.... Percy!"
"Sorry if I scared you. What's up?" He asked
"You aren't sleeping" He added
"I just woke up"
"You hear that?" Percy seemed to hear the voices.
"Yh.... That was what I was trying to check just now"
"Those are deep voices..... Whispering"
"When we came in, it was just a woman in here. How come we can hear men voices?. Because that isn't one person's voice" Cole said
"Maybe she got company" Percy chuckled
"I say we check it out"
"What??.... We aren't going out there. What if they are outside?. It's dark"
"Then, we look from the windows" Cole said
He slowly opened the door for it not to make any cracky sound and he walked out, with Percy behind him. They both walked out and found themselves in the big hall, where they first ate food.
"We are closer. The voices are coming from there" Cole said, as he pointed to a particular room
"That's the kitchen" Percy Said
"I say we hide" He suggested
They both got under a table closer to the door of the kitchen and Cole tried to eavesdrop on the conversation. The voices sounded a little bit clearer than before.
"Indeed, he will come!..... He has come!" An old shaky voice said.
"We can't be sure of that. They are only looking for a way to get him back" The other protested
They recognized that voice. Cole and Percy glanced at each other.
"I should take a look" Cole stretched his neck, peeping through the door. The place was dark — Darker than any other room in the cabin. The only thing he could see was their legs. But he noticed something. One of them was wearing a robe, his legs were three, with one of it a lot thinner than the other two. It was then Cole got it — One of them was holding a walking stick. Percy also took a look.
"They will do everything..... Everything possible. You have to let them know. Tell them" The shaky voice sounded bold this time.
"Don't you think it's a bit early?" The other voice asked
"That's Dad's voice!" Cole couldn't help but say it loud this time.
"Who's there!?" A fierce voice asked from the kitchen.
Cole and Percy, quickly, ran out from under the table, back to their bedroom, pretending to fall asleep. The kitchen door ripped open and Mr. Mason was the one behind it.
"There's no one there, Alec" Mr. Bruce Deverson said
"Am sure someone was here"
"Maybe not!" A woman's voice interrupted him.
"I didn't ask for your opinion, Miss Ponytail" He said and headed straight to the room where the teens slept. He found all of them, sleeping.
Soon enough, to the teens, it was daybreak. The room's temperature has become hot this time, waking every body up, with their hands rubbing sweats off their face.
"Morning!!" Dominic said, as she yawned.
"Come on, guys. It's hot in here. Mrs. Mason said and opened the door.
"Oh, Lord!!" The teens exclaimed. Getting out, in where was empty when they all came in, was hundreds of people, if not hundreds — thousands of boys, girls, men and women. They were eating, chatting, laughing and doing all sort of things.
"Woah!!.... Now, I can believe this place is a restaurant.... Inside a forest" Emma exclaimed.
"Hey guys!" Mr. Mason voice made them turn.
"Dad!" Lenora was the first to hug him. Beside him were Mr and Mrs Robert, Mr. Skylar and Aunty Sally. The kids all embraced them.
"Good to see you!"
"Good work, Katherine!" Mr. Robert added
"You guys go have breakfast. I will join you soon" Mr. Mason told them.
The teens found a table for themselves and all sat around it. Mrs. Ponytail came up to them, with plates of fried eggs and bacon with fruits. Cole began to hear something. Although, the place was noisy but this one was just directly from somewhere and he didn't knew how he heard it.
"Why are they getting special treatment?" A girl asked her fellow friend.
"I heard some newbies are around. Maybe they are"
Cole sensed where the voices came from and turned to look. He saw the girls who were talking. They had blond hair, pale skin and blue eyes, wearing same outfit — Blue jean jacket with black trousers. Cole could notice that Kevin could hear them too.
"You can hear them?" He asked him
"We all can hear them" They all answered
"Ohhh ... I think we should just focus on our food" Oliver, who has already started eating, said.
They all began to eat. After some minutes, Cole began to cough.
"You need water" Lenora said
"No water here. She didn't bring any" Dominic said.
"Don't worry!" Cole coughed
"I will get it myself" He added and headed to the kitchen with his plate of bacon and fried egg. People fixed eyes on him.
Getting to the kitchen, he found a bottle of water on the washing sink, slurped everything and gasped. He was about to head out of the kitchen when he saw something that really captured him eyes — A Newspaper, with the words written boldly on it in capital letters "The Ember journal ". With a picture of an ancient looking Skyscraper, hanging in the air and a big ocean underneath it. Written under was writings he couldn't quite understand:
Chaos in Regno obscuro, dum carcer Tormentorum impetum ingens superat...
"You don't look different though" Mrs. Ponytail entered the kitchen
"Ohhh..... Sorry Ma'am. I came to get water" He said and left the kitchen, with his meal and with the newspaper.
"Look what I found" He said, dropping the newspaper on the table as soon as he got there. Lenora quickly took it
"This isn't English!" She said.
"Well, maybe Spanish" Kevin took a glance at it.
"Since when did the U.S started talking about fantasies?" Percy asked, confused
"That was what I thought too. I can't read it because of the foreign language" Cole said
"Fantasy?" Oliver asked
"That pic..... Is nowhere in U.S" Cole answered
"Ohhh!. Yh!..... It's old or maybe ancient stuff!" Lenora cut in
"But the language seems familiar. I have seen it most times in my Arts textbook"
"There she goes, Miss Intelligent" Kevin teased Lenora
"It's Latin, Junkheads!" A thick voice interrupted from far behind.
"I have been listening to that vioce silently for hours now" Kevin was getting angry.
"And now, it's stranger. We can hear them, they can hear us too..... From a very far distance" Cole whispered.
All the people inside the hall turned to the owner of the voice, including the teens. It was a boy — A young teenager. Tall hefty guy with broad shoulders, pale skin, black short hair. He was on black T-Shirt and Jeans, with trainers.
"Come on, Albus. Don't start!" The girl seating besides him was trying to get him back to his seat.