Magical Love
By: Dee ©2000

Chapter 6

After an hour of driving and following her sixth sense, Amaya finds herself in front of a huge warehouse. She gets out of the car and nears the building. Amaya halts at the door as a sense of Lacey fills her entire body. However, she can tell Lacey hasn't realized that Amaya is there because she is concentrating on something else. A male scream penetrates Amaya's thoughts though, and is the last push she needs to enter the building.

Once inside, Amaya allows the molecules in her body to spread out until she feels her body become formless. As mist, she travels around the corners of the first floor until she senses a human body behind a locked door in a dark corner.

* * *

'Oh God, she's coming back. There's nothing I can do against her either because she's binded me somehow. If she draws more blood, I swear I'm going to die. I have to do something!' Justin thinks as he senses something getting closer but can't manage to do anything.

"I'll do whatever you want! Just please, don't touch me again," Justin pleads as he sees the familiar mist flow under the door and begin to take form. This time though, Justin notices that there's a gold glow to it instead of the usual red.

To his amazement, it isn't Lacey who is now standing in front of him but Amaya. "Justin, are you okay?" she asks in a whisper.

Justin does a mental check of all his wounds but smiles and nods.

"Liar. Close your eyes for a minute. You should feel some heat."

Justin does as she says and feels a gentle warmth fill his body as his pains decrease. Once he feels his body cool down, he opens his eyes and sees Amaya smiling at him.

"Now you should be able to call on your power and be free to move."

"Wait! How'd you know about my power?" Justin asks, stunned that Amaya knows what hardly anyone else besides the guys and Carrie, Nick's ex and one of Justin's best friends, did.

"I'm a witch, Justin. I can sense these things. Do you feel much stronger though? I undid her spell to keep you from using your power."

"I feel much better, thank you. Have you found the other guys? I hear them scream and moan. It's torture not being able to help them."

"Well we're going to help them now. I need you to help me find them. Drew, Nick, and Jeff are somewhere here but there's three floors and many doors to other places."

"Don't worry, we'll find them," Justin says, giving Amaya a hug. "I'll change into mist so we don't disturb the door. Have you safeguarded our thoughts and essence?"

"I did as much as I could when I healed all your wounds and restored your power. Beware, she may still be able to sense us vaguely though."

Justin nods as he closes his eyes and turns himself into mist while Amaya does the same.

'Check the second floor while I check down here. Don't break your concentration or you'll become human again,' Justin hears Amaya tell him through some mind connection she must have made. At the stairs, Justin turns right to continue the search for his friends.

* * *

'I need to get out of here but how?' Drew wonders as he takes inventory of the storage room he was trapped in. He is badly hurt from Lacey's abuse. She keeps coming in, trying to seduce him into going on her side but he keeps refusing, causing him to get kicked and hit by electricity it seemed. 'This so reminds me of Sylvia and her torture of me. Man, how do I get into these things?'

Drew halts his thoughts though when he sees mist begin to flow under the door.

He tries to scramble away but finds that his broken leg and arm don't get him very far.

"Shh..." a female voice says to him before he sees who it is taking form in front of him. "Drew, what did she do to you?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Drew responds, stifling a scream of pain when he moves his broken leg.

"Such a tough guy. Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Please, just do it."

Drew does as Amaya instructs, trusting her fully. He feels an intense heat sweep over his body and his limbs moving on their own. 'What is she doing to me?' he wonders as the heat continues for a few more moments.

"Try standing up Drew but be quiet about it," Amaya instructs as Drew feels the heat go away.

"But my leg-" Drew starts before seeing that gentle yet determined look on her face. He takes in a breath and holds it in anticipation of the pain as he gets up and slowly puts weight on his injured leg. Miraculously, there is none. "What did you do?"

"Healed the harm done to you which you didn't fairly earn."

Drew smiles. "Thanks Amaya."

"No problem. I want you to be as quiet and silent as you can right now. We have to find the others in this warehouse and soon before Lacey realizes what's happening."

"How are you going to break me out of here?"

"Hold my hand."

Drew gives Amaya a puzzled look. "I don't think now is the time for this affection thing. What would Jeff say?"

"Stop being stupid. If you want to get out of here and help me free your brother and Jeff, I need to change you into mist with me. It will feel weird for you, maybe even make you feel light headed, but you should be fine. Just follow me."

Seeing no other logical plan, Drew nods his head and gives his hand to Amaya. Instantly, Drew feels himself get lighter, yet expanding, and finds himself lower to the ground, under the door, and up a flight of stairs.

* * *

"Carrie... Where are you? Don't run away from me. I'm sorry I lost your trust but please, don't hide from me anymore," Nick pleads as he chases Carrie down the hall. She laughs and continues running, disappearing from his sight. Nick feels someone or something start shaking him though and gets pulled back to reality to see someone standing over him. "Justin?"

"Shh... Nick you were unconscious. Having dreams about Carrie though, huh?"

"Yeah. God, I guess I still do miss her. Wait, how did you get in here?"

"My power. Don't worry; I'm sure you and she will find each other once again later. First, we need to get you out of here. What did Lacey do to you?"

"Besides cutting me up?"

"Cutting you up?"

Nick points to his arm where there was a blood soaked cloth over where his 98 Degrees tattoo was. "The witch did this to me among other things. How are you?"

"I'm much better. I need you to stay here while I try to contact Amaya to help me get you out, okay?"

"AMAYA?!?" Nick exclaims, shocked to hear that she is around.

"Shh! We can't let Lacey know that we've moved around or that Amaya is here. Hold tight," Justin says as he tries connecting with Amaya. 'Amaya, where are you?'

'Coming up the stairs with Drew. Where are you?' Amaya answers.

'In a metal fenced cubicle or cage you could say. On the second floor, make a right turn and go straight, past the shelves. You'll see it on your right.'

'We're on our way.'

"She's going to be here soon Nick. Whatever you do, don't freak out, okay?"

Nick gives Justin a puzzled look but nods his agreement. Within a few moments, Nick sees a mist flow through one of the holes in the fence and sees it begin to take form. To his shock, he first recognizes his little brother and then Amaya. "Drew, Amaya!"

Drew hurries over to him and gives him a hug. Nick flinches in pain but manages a smile.

"Drew, come over here please. I have to heal Nick before time runs out. She's slowly sensing my presence I think and I don't have much longer," Amaya explains. Once Drew is on her side, Amaya closes her eyes and concentrates on trying to heal Nick.

Nick is alarmed when he feels an intense heat flow through his body but closes his eyes as he is bathed in the light. He feels his arm healing and opens his eyes as the light starts to dim. "What was that?"

"I just healed your physical wounds. You can take the bandage off now."

"How though?"

"Don't worry about the details. Justin, can you turn Nick into mist with you like I did Drew?"

"Sure. Are you sure it's safe though?" Justin responds.

"I have a feeling that she's gone outside for a moment, probably trying to see if I'm around. She'll spot my car if she really looks since I've hidden it but that will mean it's all over. We have to hurry."

Justin nods and grabs Nick's hand as Amaya grabs Drew's hand and they both turn into mist, Amaya leading. 'You have already checked the rest of the second floor?'

'Yes. The only other place is the third floor.'

'Then third floor we go. I sense her more now. We better hurry.'

The four float up to the third floor and float under the door where Nick, after clearing his floating head, sees that it is just one big empty room. 'Where in the world could Jeff be?' he wonders as Justin turns the two of them back into human form. 'Please God, let us find him in time.'

* * *

Jeff feels absolutely drowsy as he starts coming around to being conscious again. 'What did Lacey do to me?' he wonders as he starts moving the limbs that he could around to get circulation into them. From what he could tell, Lacey had chained him up against something, surrounded by shelves of motor oil, gasoline containers and spark plugs, letting him know that he is in some auto parts or automobile place. Jeff hadn't been there for long but remembers hearing the moans and screams of who he could only guess are Drew, Nick, and Justin.

He hears some footsteps against the tile floor and looks up, praying that Lacey wasn't back to torture him further. "Nick?" he asks as he sees his friend come within his view.

"Jeff! He's over here!" Nick exclaims to someone out of Jeff's view in a quiet voice.

Jeff smiles as he sees a worried Amaya rush over to him and give him a kiss of relief. "Jeff! I thought I wouldn't find you in time."

"Well, here I am. What are you doing here?" he asks.

Amaya looks at him and says, "Looking for you and everyone else she has taken from me. I'm so sorry I let you get taken."

"You couldn't have known she would be waiting in the bathroom for me. She hasn't done too much damage to me though."

"Good. Close your eyes though and I'll heal your body just in case."

Jeff nods and feels a warm glow fill his senses as she heals minor injuries on his body. His arms drop to his sides as the chains break and he is free of them. "Thank you," he says, bringing her to him for an embrace that he never thought he'd feel again.

"Well, well, well. I knew you would get here to set these suckers free but I had no clue you would be so fast about it," Lacey says, interrupting the tender moment.

"What do you want Lacey?" Amaya asks, pulling away from Jeff.

"You know what I want Amaya. The death of these four will just be a little bonus to our battle."

"You don't need them. They weren't part of this battle."

Lacey gives Amaya a look and says, "They are now." Lacey raises her hand and sends a glowing beam towards Amaya. Before it could injure Amaya though, Jeff tosses her behind him and takes the full force of it, falling to the floor, clutching his side.

"JEFF!" Amaya screams as she sees him lying down on the ground. She tries crawling to him but halts as she hears yet another dreaded event happen.

"You witch! If you want us so badly, come and get us!" Nick exclaims, taking off and going down the slide in the middle of the floor, followed shortly by Drew and Justin.

'Don't worry Amaya. It'll give you time to think of something. I can turn us into anything and she wouldn't know the difference. Worry about Jeff and we'll lead her back up there in a few minutes. I promise nothing will happen,' Justin tells Amaya through their connection as he jumps off the slide on the first floor. He hears Lacey taking the bait and following them down, leaving Jeff and Amaya alone on the third floor.

* * *

"Jeff, please don't die on me," Amaya says, cradling Jeff's head in her lap.

Jeff feels warm blood ooze through his fingers but shakes his head. "Don't worry about me. Help the guys get rid of her. I can wait, I won't go anywhere."

"Jeff, I need to help you now though. That's a fatal wound."

"It's not so bad. What will the use be of saving me if she will just kill all of us if she returns and nothing has been readied to kill her?"

"I guess you're right. Are you sure you are okay?"

"Yes. Now, please, do something about Lacey."

Amaya nods her head and takes off her blue denim shirt to place it over his wound to absorb some of the blood she notices escaping. She kisses his head and gets up, doing a mental check of the room. Amaya takes in what's on the shelves and comes up with an idea.

* * *

'Justin, where are you?' Justin hears Amaya ask him.

'On our way back up to you. I think she's really angry and has transformed into something. Don't scream if you see three mice scurrying up there, it's us. Are you ready?'

'Yes. I'm going to heal Jeff now and I want you to transform back into human form just in case I don't get to help him. This is what I want you to do...' Amaya continues telling Justin as he runs through the maze of holes past mice had made in the walls, making sure Nick and Drew keep going on ahead of him and avoiding Lacey's grasp.

* * *

"Jeff, I need you to relax. I have to try healing you."

"Don't worry about me."

"I have to! I love you too much to just let you go. She's coming back Jeff, and I need to heal you."

"Don't waste your energy."

"Don't do this! What are you going to do, leave Sam to be raised by the some strangers? Please, just close your eyes."

Jeff receives a vision of his little girl dancing around and nods his head as he resigns himself to the warmth centered on his middle and side, where his injury is. The heat becomes intense but before he feels total warmth, meaning the healing is almost done, the sound of the door being smashed in interrupts Amaya's concentration and ability to continue healing him.

"Well cousin, it's time for you and me to face off. Once you're out of the way, I won't have a problem in the world. Come on and face your destiny," Lacey says, standing a distance away, waiting for Amaya to rise.

Once on her feet, Amaya turns towards Lacey and smiles.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Because I know I'm more powerful than you."

"Oh yeah? How is that? Amaya, don't kid yourself here."

"Who says I'm kidding myself?"

"I am! You can't possibly be stronger than me nor more powerful."

"Show me how then. I believe I am," Amaya responds, spotting Justin, Drew, and Nick taking form and picking Jeff up in their arms, covering Jeff's mouth as he begins to protest. Once out of her sight, Amaya refocuses on Lacey to see if she has noticed, but she's been too busy thinking about what Amaya had said.

"I think doing damage to Jeff is enough."

"That's only showing that you can hurt normal human beings. Not very powerful cousin."

"What else do you want me to do? How about this?" Lacey asks before blasting some electricity at Amaya.

Amaya barely dodges it but feels her left arm start to bleed, meaning she did get hit by it. "Not good enough," Amaya says, clenching her teeth to hold back the cry of pain she feels coming.

"Oh, do you think you can transform yourself into better things than me? I guess you do since you have now managed to transform yourself into mist after running home to Mommy. There are plenty of other things you can change yourself into," Lacey says before hitting Amaya again, this time on her side.

"Then show me," Amaya responds, barely getting out the words.

"Well, since you're going to die soon, leaving your life to be mine, it would be my pleasure to entertain you during your last few moments. Watch and learn," Lacey says before turning into a snake slithering on the ground.

"Not good enough. That's so easy."

"Hiss... I can do better... Hiss" Lacey responds before turning into a tiger.

"Better!"

Lacey closes her eyes and thinks of the one thing that she knew would probably scare Amaya. After concentrating rather hard, she begins the transformation and feels her body expand to be the appropriate size of the form she desired, a dragon.

"NOW!" Amaya yells, surprising Lacey and draping her in complete darkness.

* * *

Justin hears Amaya's cue and shuts off the lights on the third floor from where he is near the elevator. He shoves the other three in and starts its descent, making sure that Lacey is too preoccupied with them to notice. Justin takes one last look at Amaya, feeling helpless that he can't interfere at the risk of harming the rest of her plan and jumps down to the already descending elevator.

All four hear Lacey's evil laughter echo throughout the warehouse and hear a chase going on as Nick, Drew, and Justin help carry Jeff out of the warehouse and across the street, just as the building blows up and crumbles. A loud shriek comes from the warehouse as it begins to fall apart while the red flames turn purple and black. All four silently start crying as they realize that Amaya was still in the warehouse when it blew up and say a few silent good-byes that are interrupted when the ambulance, police, and fire department show up. After the fire is put out a few hours later and it is safe to search the premises for any survivors, Justin, Jeff, Nick, and Drew are shown the only remnants of a person they could find, the black leather jacket Lacey had on last, which remarkably didn't burn. Nothing else is left in there.

The police dismiss them after interviewing them all and having them checked by the medical teams. Jeff is being sent to the hospital and Justin has gone with him in the ambulance with Nick and Drew driving Amaya's car to go pick up Sam from Jessica, on request of Jeff.

Jeff is lying in bed at the hospital, half drugged with pain medicine for his injury when he finally lays eyes on his little girl again. She runs to him and Justin helps lift her up so she can crawl onto her daddy's lap.

"Dada... Mama..." Sam says in an innocent voice.

"Oh sweetie... Mommy is... Mommy is somewhere really nice," Jeff answers her after feeling his throat tighten up.

Sam looks up at Jeff with eyes that totally remind him of Amaya and he pulls her to him in a tight embrace, never wanting to let go of the only link he had with Amaya for all eternity.

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