Free The Two Worlds by Alisha Howard

teeth and crouch down behind the
counter as the rays began to pour in.
    “ Nia, watch out!” I yelled,
darting under the hole so the KaKonian wouldn’t be able to see me.
But it was too late. He gave a sharp glance to where I was hiding
and paused for a moment, hesitating as another ray hit the floor,
this time leaving a trail of smoke behind it. My rays were heating
up faster that I thought they would. I crouched there under the
hole with my back pressed against the shack, eyes darting for a way
to hide myself.
    Just as I was about to make a run to
grab Nia from the angry mob, the shack lurched forward. I shouted
and fell over, looking around for the source of new movement and
spotted Rena. She had her hands pressed against Nipsin’s with a
tight expression of fear on her face as her mouth moved quickly,
egging the structure to continue to move. The shack obeyed and
lurched forward again, sending the KaKonian tumbling forward,
glasses of rum splashing on top on him. I stood up on trembling
legs and placed my hands against the shack as well, whispering a
few words to the shack, along with Rena, to keep it
sturdy.
    “ Kay, behind you!” Yolonda
shouted. I was preparing to turn around when I felt a large hand
wrap around my neck.
    “ You,” the voice said, its
breath rank, “have caused me a lot of trouble.” Opening my mouth to
reply, I gasped as the ground moved away from me, and I felt myself
being lifted into the air and swung forward.
    “ Kay!” Nia shouted, her eyes
wild with fear. She lifted her hands, and another ray struck, this
time hitting my captor squarely in the back. There was a loud groan
of agony, and I dropped face down on the ground, too terrified to
move. A body landed next to me with a thud, and I recognized him as
Beard Jack. A new surge of terror swept through me, propelling me
to my feet, and I looked around, quickly surveying the scene. Nia
was firing rays of light as though they were thunderbolts, and
Nipsin’s crowd was slowly retreating, snarling and throwing insults
Nia’s way.
    A swoosh of air made me turn my head,
and I saw Rena, now lifting the house off the ground and moving it
back and forth. The KaKonian was beside himself inside the shack,
attempting to grab on to something sturdy and get out. He reached
for a table that by some miracle was still standing, but Rena moved
the shack forward again. He missed, grabbing on to the exposed
trapdoor in the middle of the floor. The trapdoor opened in his
hands as the lodge drove forward again, revealing in small cage
with a brown rock inside of it.
    That must be Yolonda’s Finny , I
thought and ran towards the front of the house, dodging an errant
ray that struck the ground with such a force my feet trembled. I
jumped up and grabbed the door handle, swinging with the shack as
it moved backwards again, this time picking up speed. I closed my
eyes as my stomach traveled to my mouth in time with the swaying of
Nipsin’s Lodge. Planting my feet on the door, I counted to three
and yanked it open, almost being thrown off in the
process.
    Rena saw me and cried, “Hold on, Kay!”
She slowed down the house, and I swung forward again, sliding right
inside.
    I lashed out with my arms and caught
hold of a chair, giving a feverish whisper, “You are
strong...still...bolted to the surface you rest on.”
    The chair immediately went rigid, and I
pulled myself on it. The KaKonian offered a demented grin and
struggled to pull himself upright. I spotted the cage to my left
and hoisted myself over the chair, one foot caught in the bottom
rung to keep me steady. Stretching my arms out, I caught the cage
in mid slide as Rena shook the lodge yet again. Empty glasses,
chairs, and an occasional glass eye rolled around me as I shifted
back and reached for the door.
    “ You’ve got company,”
Yolonda warned as the KaKonian lunged forward. The lodge moved
again and a coat hook caught my arm just as I was about to fall out
the door.
    “ We will meet