She pressed her face against the window, staring at Oakland shrinking beneath her as they ascended into the clear blue expanse of sky. Below them, toy cars raced on thin ribbons of highway, and she couldnt imagine real people living in those tiny dollhouses. At ten thousand feet in the air, the world, which had always seemed so huge to her, had suddenly shrunk.
Hours pa.s.sed, and Valerie drifted to sleep, her eyes heavy from staring out her window at the endless miles of puffy clouds.
Later, Valerie couldnt decide if what she heard had been a dream.
Whats happening? Where am I? she heard a gravelly voice ask with a hint of panic.
Its okay, buddy, were safe, Thais voice replied soothingly. Were on a plane.
She opened her eyes to see who he was talking to, but the seat next to his was empty, as it had been for the entire flight. Thai had his earphones on, and when he saw she was awake, he quickly turned his attention to the movie playing on the screen in the seatback in front of him.
Who were you talking to? she asked.
He pulled off his earphones. What did you say?
Nothing. Never mind.
She leaned back in her seat, drifting back to sleep. She must have dreamed the conversation. After all, it wouldnt be the first time that shed had a dream that seemed real.
Chapter 7.
Valerie awoke for the second time with a shock as the plane touched down with a thud, trembling as it raced down the runway. Instantly she was wide awake.
Welcome to London Heathrow International Airport, the friendly voice of the flight attendant announced.
Im in a brand new country! A whole new continent, and a new time zone, even! Valerie exclaimed. Even if she failed the test and had to go back to the hospital, at least she had the chance to see some of the world.
Okay, get a grip, kid. Low profile, remember? Thai scolded.
She suppressed her urge to smack him and held on to her good mood. Thai navigated through the airport and expertly led her outside to jump on a bus to London. When they arrived at the downtown bus terminal, they grabbed their bags and began walking.
Valerie thought she would drown trying to take in all the sights that floated by. Landmarks that she recognized from movies and her history books jumped out at her every time they turned a corner. Big Ben, the Tower of London, she was seeing them in all of their three-dimensional glory.
Unbelievable, Valerie whispered as she and Thai boarded a red, double-decker bus. Can we sit on top? A bus with two floors!
Sure, he said, grinning. Try not to let your eyes pop out of your head or anything.
She ignored his snarky comment, to enthralled with the sights. Cant you feel it?
Feel what?
The weight of the history in this place. I mean, these buildings have been around since before the United States was even founded. Thats centuries-old dirt on that library! William Shakespeare walked these streets!
London even smelled different to her. She never imagined that a country that spoke her language could feel so foreign. All the buildings seemed darker and older than the buildings in California, but their age gave them dignity. The storyteller in her was entranced as she imagined the centuries of drama that had played out in this city. But all too soon, Thai said it was time to get off.
Would it kill us to spend one day in London, Thai? Theres so much to see! I wonder if its true that the palace guards wont move, no matter how hard you try to distract them. And the crown jewels, Id love to"
It wouldnt kill us, but it might kill you, he said, not unkindly. Were on a quest, and neither of us can rest until weve accomplished it. With that he held out his arm, directing her down some stairs to the underground train, which Thai called the Tube.
Hes right, Val, Cyruss voice whispered softly in her mind. She couldnt see him, but she knew that hed been watching over her the entire time.
Okay, fair enough. So where are we going, exactly?
Were going to Salisbury, where well camp for the night. At dawn, were going to Stonehenge.
Stonehenge? My test is at Stonehenge?! Valeries voice rose an octave in excitement.
Keep it down!
Sorry. This is great! Ill get to see some sights after all! I cant believe thats where this magic test happens. How has no one found something out about this? I mean, archeologists are digging up that place all the time. And how will we get in and out without being seen?
Enough with the questions. Youll see for yourself when we get there, Thai snapped. She shook her head. He should have slept on the plane ride, like she did. But soon, she was too distracted looking out her window at the English countryside to even think about Thai or his mood.
This is our stop, Thai announced as the train screeched to a halt in Salisbury.
Lets not wait until tomorrow. Lets go to Stonehenge now. Im sure its not too late to catch an afternoon tour, Valerie pleaded. It would be nice to see the monument without the pressure of having her magic tested"and the disappointment if she failed.
We need to go just before sunrise. No one will be there, and dawn is the time on Earth when the rules binding magic are the weakest.
It cant hurt to scout the place out before we go tomorrow, to get an understanding of how its laid out.
I guess that makes some sense. And youre going to give me a headache if you dont take it down a notch. But you do have a point. Ive never been there before, either.
Look, Thai, theres a bus leaving for Stonehenge right now. Its a sign.
They jogged over to the bus and boarded it in time. As the bus sputtered along the b.u.mpy road, Valerie strained her eyes to catch her first glimpse of the tall stones. Her heart jumped as Stonehenge appeared in the distance. Even from miles away through a dirty bus window, it was more majestic than she had ever imagined.
Gigantic rectangular stones stood vertically, roughly in a semicircle. Some of the stones were joined at the top by large slabs that connected the vertical stones. Inside the half circle were more stones, some that were standing and a few that had fallen over. Despite the obvious toll that time had taken on the ancient monument, toppling many of the boulders over, it still possessed a majesty and mystery that took her breath away.
Valerie almost felt as if she was in a trance as she and Thai paid the entrance fee and walked down the visitors path. They could only walk around the perimeter of the ruins, and she had to fight the urge not to break the rules and run inside the ring of stones.
As she took it all in, a boulder in the distance caught her eye. Look at that stone all the way over there. Why is it so far away from the rest?
I think thats the Heel Stone. There used to be a second stone next to it, and the sun would rise and shine right through the two stones and onto the altar stone that stands in the middle of the ring of tall stones, which is called the Trilithon Horseshoe.
She looked at him in amazement, and he grinned. What? I like to read. You think I didnt research the place where the secret to leaving this planet is? Im your guardian. I have to know what to expect.
Do people know what this place was built for?
Well, they dont know about the test, if thats what you mean. But it wasnt built only for that reason. People used it to learn about the stars and the seasons, for religious reasons, and for burying important people when they died.
Can you feel the power of this place? Its humming in the ground.
What?
Be still and feel it.
Valerie shut her eyes, and Thai did the same. The hum vibrated in her veins. It was the magic; she knew it. She opened her eyes and saw a look of wonder on Thais face.
I feel it, too.
Then, without warning, her vision went black and she collapsed to her knees.
Instantly, Valerie was running through a dark wood. Her feet pummeled the ground and her lungs burned. But she knew that no matter how fast or how far she ran, Sanguina would always find her. Find her and mentally torture her until she did what she asked.
Stop running, little one. The whisper came from everywhere, yet nowhere, and Valeries fear spiked out of control. She spent so much of her time afraid"she couldnt take it anymore.
You have to leave me alone! Valerie cried.
Sanguina stepped out of the shadows and stared at her with such ferocity that Valerie took a step back. Never. I will never leave you alone. I will always be here. Give me what I want. Tell me about the monster youve seen in your dreams. I know theres a new one.
Valerie squeezed her eyes shut. She didnt understand what Sanguina wanted from her, but whatever it was, she would never give it to her. Im not telling you anything.
It doesnt have to be this way. Stop fighting and join me. We will bring the universe to its knees.
No! she was suffocating from her fear, and her grip on her own sanity started to slip.
Chapter 8.
Valerie, wake up! Thais voice cried frantically.
Come back to me! Cyrus shouted.
Valerie was yanked out of her vision and found herself slumped against Thais chest. Part of her half-awake mind registered that he smelled like vanilla and cookies.
Im back; its okay, she said, but her voice was weak. She had never been pulled into a vision like that before, without being weak from a fight.
Her breathing was shallow, and she knew that if Thai let her go, she wouldnt be able to stand on her own. Luckily, most of the visitors were gone for the day. The sun was setting, and gray clouds made the light dim.
Her heart slowed to a crawl, and instinctively she knew that it would never speed up again. This was the end. This was a dream that she couldnt recover from. And to think that she had been so close to experiencing magic! Valeries eyes fluttered and she was too weak to keep them open. Im so sorry, guys.
No, please! Stay with me! Cyrus begged.
Thais dark, chocolate eyes looked a little misty. Youre a fighter, I knew it from the first minute I saw you. No way are you going anywhere!
Valerie didnt want to let them down, but she knew that unless a miracle happened, she was going to die. A large drop of rain splashed against her forehead, and in a matter of seconds, water poured from the sky.
Thai started to lift her. Weve got to get her out of this.
No, wait! Look! Cyrus pointed at the stones, which were being pounded by the rain. As they were drenched, the stones began to glow from within. Take her inside the circle. Ive heard that the stones have healing powers. Its worth trying"theres nothing any doctor can do to help her now.
Thai carried her to the ring of stones, and she knew exactly when he stepped inside the circle. Suddenly, warmth ran through her body, and with the warmth came energy. Her heart beat almost normally again, and strength flowed through her body. Let me go, she said to Thai, but he still gripped her tightly. Let me go, seriously!
He set her gently on the ground, and she laughed. She was still weak, but she knew that she had enough strength to go on. She walked over to one of the stones, which wasnt glowing anymore, and touched it. Thank you, she said, not even feeling slightly stupid for talking to a stone.
She turned to Cyrus and Thai. Im going to be okay"at least for a while longer. Maybe Ill even make it off this planet after all. A feeling of hope spread through her as she realized that maybe she would pa.s.s the test of her magic tomorrow after all.
Thai slumped against one of the boulders in relief. Thank G.o.d.
I heard that water on the stones can heal, but no one has seen it happen in hundreds and hundreds of years, Cyrus said.
Hey, you kids! Get out of there! A guard yelled, jogging toward them in the rain.
Sorry, sir, only looking, Thai said.
Well, you have to be on a private tour to walk wherever you want. Anyway, were closing.
Reluctantly, Valerie followed Thai out of Stonehenge. But as she walked toward the bus, she couldnt help looking back over her shoulder at the stones that had saved her life.
An hour later, Thai and Valerie arrived at the Stonehenge Touring Park in Orcheston, which was as close to the monument as they could camp. The next day before dawn, they would have to walk the four miles to Stonehenge in the dark, before the buses started bringing visitors to visit the ruins.
Luckily, the rain stopped by the time they set up their tents. Valerie saw a small bonfire created by some of the other campers flickering in the distance. They decided to bring their cans of beans and stale bread to the fire to warm them up.
As they approached, she looked over at Thai, who still wore his drenched sweatshirt with the hood up. Why dont you take that thing off and let it dry? Besides, you look kind of threatening with it on. Youll scare people.
Thats the point. Its better that people keep their distance.
G.o.d forbid that we should have any fun tonight, she muttered.
But she cheered up as they approached the fire. The chill from the rain finally vanished, and the other campers shared marshmallows for toasting with them. Valerie saw Thais eyes start to droop, and he made a small sound, like a child who was trying not to fall asleep. She knew hed never go to bed without her, so Valerie headed back to her tent.
Valerie slept lightly that night, excited to get up and go back to those magical stones. At first, she thought she was dreaming again when she heard a noise coming from Thais tent. She sat up and listened harder. There it was again.
She went to Thais tent and pulled back the flap. Thai, are you okay? In the dim light, it seemed as if he was tossing and turning in his sleeping bag. Who are you talking to? Is someone in there with you?
Get out of here! he yelled, enraged, yanking the flap of his tent closed. Leave me alone!
Valerie, fully awake now, stood back, shocked. She couldnt sleep for the rest of the night and was fully packed and ready to go at three a.m., when the two silently began the hike to Stonehenge.
After a mile of trudging in silence, she finally said, Arent you going to say anything? Its not like I meant to invade your privacy.
You dont know what youre talking about.