Gone

Avery

Jameson is still smirking like this is all some fun little game, but Grayson has that calculating look in his eyes. The one he gets when he's already three steps ahead.

"Okay," I say, turning to Paedyn and Kai. "You said the air shifted before you got here. Did you do anything before that? Touch something, say something?"

Paedyn frowns. "No, it just—" She stops. Her eyes flick to Kai. "Wait."

Kai stiffens. "What?"

She swallows hard, pressing a hand to her stomach. "The pendant."

Jameson perks up. "Ooooh. Mysterious jewelry. I love mysterious jewelry."

Kai looks like he wants to strangle him. "What about it?"

Paedyn turns to me. "It was my mother's. My dad gave it to me and said it was magic but—"

"Where is it now?" I ask.

She touches her collarbone, but the chain is gone. Her face pales.

"It's not here," she whispers.

"Great," Xander says. "So the magic teleportation device is missing. That's fantastic news."

I inhale sharply. Think, Avery. Think.

"Where were you standing when you got here?" I ask.

Paedyn looks down, stepping back, trying to find the exact spot. She moves toward the middle of the room, looking around. 

Jameson, already picking up on the energy shift, steps forward.

 "So if we stand in the same place... maybe it'll happen again?"

Grayson pinches the bridge of his nose. "That is not how science works, Jameson."

"Good thing this isn't science."

Kai grips Paedyn's arm, pulling her slightly behind him. "We don't have time to guess. If this thing can take us back, we need to find it. Now."

A strange pulse runs through the room.

Like the air just...twisted.

Paedyn inhales sharply.

"That," she breathes, eyes going wide. "That was it."

"Okay, okay, everyone shut up," Jameson says, holding out his hands. "Let's think logically—"

"Since when do you do anything logically?" Grayson mutters.

But I'm already moving. My eyes scan the room, looking for anything that wasn't here before. If the pendant is the key, and it brought them here...

Then it might still be trying to bring them back.

Then I see it.

A small silver chain, half-hidden in the rug.

"Paedyn," I call, reaching down. "Is this—"

But before I can even finish, the air shatters.

Like glass breaking around us.

Paedyn's gasp is the last thing I hear before—

She and Kai disappear.

The room goes dead silent.

Jameson lets out a long, low whistle. "Well," he says, rocking back on his heels. "That was dramatic."

I exhale sharply, my heart still racing.

"They're gone," Xander says, blinking.

Grayson runs a hand through his hair. "Let's just hope they made it back to the right place."

I don't answer.

Because I know they did.

I don't know how. I don't know why. I just do.

word count - 430 words

sorry guys this was a lot shorter than expected but i lowkey needed to wrap the previous chapter up. if i have time i'll post the next chapter today