afternoon.
'Is it going to... hurt, Declan?' whispered Emma as her musings began to go into overload.
He smiled and shook his head. 'Don't worry, it's nothing like those horrible rituals they do to students at some of those scary college fraternities in America. You'll be able to do it easily enough. Just remember that you mustn't be seen using your special skills by the general public. That's all you need to know. Everything else will come naturally.'
'Here we are, Declan,' said Saleena as they stopped beside an archway that led up an old crumbling flight of stairs.
'Right girls, take this. Once you get to the top and out into the open, the door will be firmly closed behind you and you won't be able to get back in. You'll know what to do. Don't look so scared, Emma. It'll be a piece of cake. Good luck,' he said handing them an expensive looking envelope sealed with wax.
Saleena put her hands on Emma's shoulders and kissed her on both cheeks before doing the same to Lana. 'Good luck,' she said as the girls turned away nervously climbing the stairs. As they faced the old heavy door, they both took a deep breath before Lana leaned forward and unlocked it, pulling it open to reveal another dark tunnel up ahead.
As the door slammed behind them, they realised they couldn't see a thing. They stood in complete pitch darkness.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
'Now what do we do? There's no point in opening the envelope either, coz we can't see it!' said Lana who was starting to get a little annoyed.
'There's no point in getting irritated, Lana. We're in this situation, now we just have to deal with it,' reassured Emma.
'Yeah, I know that but how?'
'Let's just think... I don't suppose you've got any matches on you?' she joked. 'Okay, maybe not.'
The two stood for a moment in silence.
'This is part of it, isn't it?' asked Lana.
'What? You mean part of the initiation? Probably. I guess we should just try and walk down the tunnel until we see daylight,' suggested Emma.
'The only problem with that is we don't know how long that will take, it must be nearly seven 'o'clock now. It'll be getting dark around ten ish, won't it?'
'Well, I hope we're not down here for that long. Let's just try it.'
So the girls tentatively began taking steps in the darkness, one foot carefully in front of the other. But when Lana stepped on something a bit squishy she let out a startled shriek that bounced off the walls around them, echoing off into the darkness.
'No... I can't do this. What WAS that? Ewwww it could have been anything. We could be walking in the sewers. That could have been a dead rat or worse... it could have been someone's poo...' she wailed.
Emma tried not to laugh and steadied her sister.
'There must be something we can d...' Lana said, suddenly stopping. 'Oh My God, I just realised. Duh! Our special skills, Emma. It's you... you can light the way.'
'I can?'
'Yes, of course. What does your tattoo say?'
'Lux in Tenebris Lucet,' replied Emma with a grin, adding, 'Light shines in the darkness, of course!' she giggled.
'Okay then, so go ahead,' prompted Lana.
'Erm, I don't know how.'
'Well, just concentrate.'
Standing dead still and closing her eyes in the darkness, Emma concentrated hard on creating light, but nothing happened.
'Well?'
'Nothing's happening,' said Emma with a sigh. 'I just don't know how to do it.'
Lana sighed heavily as she tried to think of something that would work.
'Think about what happened before, concentrate on what happened when you were in the water. Maybe that'll work,' she suggested as Emma closed her eyes once again and took herself back to that morning when she'd thrown herself into the Thames. As she fell beneath the surface of the water, she recalled the feeling that filled her body. It was like adrenaline pumping through her veins and she'd felt so completely alive.
Suddenly, Lana began laughing and clapping her hands together like a child.
'You're doing it, you're doing it,' she
'Is it going to... hurt, Declan?' whispered Emma as her musings began to go into overload.
He smiled and shook his head. 'Don't worry, it's nothing like those horrible rituals they do to students at some of those scary college fraternities in America. You'll be able to do it easily enough. Just remember that you mustn't be seen using your special skills by the general public. That's all you need to know. Everything else will come naturally.'
'Here we are, Declan,' said Saleena as they stopped beside an archway that led up an old crumbling flight of stairs.
'Right girls, take this. Once you get to the top and out into the open, the door will be firmly closed behind you and you won't be able to get back in. You'll know what to do. Don't look so scared, Emma. It'll be a piece of cake. Good luck,' he said handing them an expensive looking envelope sealed with wax.
Saleena put her hands on Emma's shoulders and kissed her on both cheeks before doing the same to Lana. 'Good luck,' she said as the girls turned away nervously climbing the stairs. As they faced the old heavy door, they both took a deep breath before Lana leaned forward and unlocked it, pulling it open to reveal another dark tunnel up ahead.
As the door slammed behind them, they realised they couldn't see a thing. They stood in complete pitch darkness.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
'Now what do we do? There's no point in opening the envelope either, coz we can't see it!' said Lana who was starting to get a little annoyed.
'There's no point in getting irritated, Lana. We're in this situation, now we just have to deal with it,' reassured Emma.
'Yeah, I know that but how?'
'Let's just think... I don't suppose you've got any matches on you?' she joked. 'Okay, maybe not.'
The two stood for a moment in silence.
'This is part of it, isn't it?' asked Lana.
'What? You mean part of the initiation? Probably. I guess we should just try and walk down the tunnel until we see daylight,' suggested Emma.
'The only problem with that is we don't know how long that will take, it must be nearly seven 'o'clock now. It'll be getting dark around ten ish, won't it?'
'Well, I hope we're not down here for that long. Let's just try it.'
So the girls tentatively began taking steps in the darkness, one foot carefully in front of the other. But when Lana stepped on something a bit squishy she let out a startled shriek that bounced off the walls around them, echoing off into the darkness.
'No... I can't do this. What WAS that? Ewwww it could have been anything. We could be walking in the sewers. That could have been a dead rat or worse... it could have been someone's poo...' she wailed.
Emma tried not to laugh and steadied her sister.
'There must be something we can d...' Lana said, suddenly stopping. 'Oh My God, I just realised. Duh! Our special skills, Emma. It's you... you can light the way.'
'I can?'
'Yes, of course. What does your tattoo say?'
'Lux in Tenebris Lucet,' replied Emma with a grin, adding, 'Light shines in the darkness, of course!' she giggled.
'Okay then, so go ahead,' prompted Lana.
'Erm, I don't know how.'
'Well, just concentrate.'
Standing dead still and closing her eyes in the darkness, Emma concentrated hard on creating light, but nothing happened.
'Well?'
'Nothing's happening,' said Emma with a sigh. 'I just don't know how to do it.'
Lana sighed heavily as she tried to think of something that would work.
'Think about what happened before, concentrate on what happened when you were in the water. Maybe that'll work,' she suggested as Emma closed her eyes once again and took herself back to that morning when she'd thrown herself into the Thames. As she fell beneath the surface of the water, she recalled the feeling that filled her body. It was like adrenaline pumping through her veins and she'd felt so completely alive.
Suddenly, Lana began laughing and clapping her hands together like a child.
'You're doing it, you're doing it,' she