While waiting for the boys to return, Emerald and Ella talked about a few other things. Ariana kept scrolling through her phone, and as usual, Jasmine was listening to music. Ariana soon stopped scrolling through her phone. Ariana's hand touched Jasmine slightly and she looked up.
"Are they back?" Jasmine asked, looking around.
"No, they are not"
"Then is there a problem?"
"There is no problem"
Jasmine looked around again and frowned." And they are not back yet"
Ariana nodded. "I don't know why they are not back yet"
"Is there something you want to say to me?"
Ariana nodded. "Yes"
"What is it?"
"Do you have an idea why Stella wants to talk to us about the vampire Queen"
Jasmine shook her head. "No. Not even a single idea. What about you? Can you think of anything?"
"No. I have thought about all the possible reasons. But none seems reasonable enough"
"Do you think she knows where the vampire Queen is?"
"I doubt that. She would have said it to use if she knew"
"She is a powerful which. I think she knows where the vampire Queen is"
"Then she might as well tell us, instead of making us find her ourselves"
Jasmine sighed. "Maybe she just wants us to find her ourselves"
Ariana's eyes brightened up. "Or maybe there is something she wants us to find out ourselves"
"Like a secret?"
Ariana nodded. "I think so"
There was silence for a while as the girl began to wait impatiently for the boys. Jabal, Jamal, Ryan, and Kelvin returned after a while.
"What took you guys so long?" Ariana asked Jabal while Jasmine snorted.
"The kitchen got messed up and we had no option but to get it back in shape"
Emerald stood up. "Are you ready now?" she asked.
"Yes," they chorused in unison.
"I will open up the portal now. You all should take care of yourselves, ok?". They nodded. "And make sure to return as soon as possible. I can't let you miss more class"
They nodded in agreement knowing they had missed a lot of classes already. Emerald began her enhancement and slowly the portal began to open up. The children Shrieked in excitement. For some reason, they feel this journey is going to be an exciting one full of mystery.
"Am I the only one feeling happy?" Ariana whispered to Jasmine.
"No. Me too. And I bet the rest feels the same too"
**
The portal opened up right in front of Stella's house in Alaska, and they walked to the door. The fact that they do not have to pass some puzzle made them breathe a sigh of relief.
"Are we going to knock or just stand here staring?" Jasmine said when no one attempted to do so.
Jabal stared at her and everyone could tell he was about to say something that might lead to a heated argument, no one knows when it will end.
"I will knock," Kelvin said and walked to the door. He knocked twice and the door opened revealing Stella in a blue flowing gown.
"I have been waiting for you. Come in" Stella said, opening the door wide for them to come in.
They entered the house and sat down on the couch. Stella sat down too.
"I am so sorry for making you come here on short notice," Stella said with a smile and they smiled too.
They are not angry she made them leave school when they had just returned. They knew there must be a very important reason why she did that.
"We all understand there is a reason for that. You don't need to apologize" Jasmine said and they all nodded. Jasmine has spoken their minds. "You can just tell us why we are here. I am sure the rest are as curious as I am. If not more than"
Stella smiled. "You don't have to worry. It's good news. But before I tell you what the good news is. Let me ask you some questions. I will start with Kelvin. When do you plan to go back home?"
"In a few days"
"Are you going alone? You know how dangerous it will be if you do" Stella said.
He nodded.
"Yes, I do. I know my uncle might want to hurt me on my birthday"
Stella sighed. "Did they agree to go with you?"
"Yes, they all agree to go with me"
Stella stared at the rest and they nodded. "We also plan to talk to the demon Queen to see if there is going to be any clue on the disappearance of the vampire Queen"
Stella smiled. "And that brings me to the good news," she said and their eyes brightened up. "The vampire Queen will be found soon," She said and they smiled. "But the book will appear after that" Their smiles ceased. The appearance of the book means war. How is that good news?
"Is the appearance of the book not a sign of another war?" Jabal asked.
"Of course it is. But the good news is that. The war will be over soon. Very soon. You might not have to fight a real war" Stella replied.
Ariana furrowed her brows. "Are you saying there won't be a physical war?"
Stella nodded. "Yes. There won't be any. All the realms won't have to come together to help you fight away evil"
Jamal sighed. "Is that really, the good news?" he asked and Stella smiled.
"No. The good news is that, when the book appears, one of you will have it so you don't have to worry about the book getting into the wrong hands"
They stared at her. That sounds like good news. But which of them will see the book?
"Which..." they all said almost that the same time and Stella smiled.
"The quiet one who is reserved. The one whose heart doesn't long for power but love" she replied and they all started at one then to another.
"Which of them have these attributes that Stella had said?" they thought.
"Can you be more specific? I mean you can just tell us who it will be" Jasmine said."I can't disclose that," Stella said and they sighed. They wished they could know who it will be.
Jabal spoke up. "You can't..."
"I can't" Stella replied and they sighed.
"Then what are we expected to do now?" Ariana murmured.
"I want you to visit the vampire realm immediately after you leave the demon realm and speak to the vampire King. Kelvin, you must speak to the vampire Prince when the rest are speaking to his father. There you will find the clue to finding the vampire Queen"
"Is there anything we should look at for?" Ryan spoke up for the first time and they stared at him.
He has always been so quiet they hardly remember he exists.
Stella smiled, nodding her head. "Yes, your surrounding. You must be aware of your surrounding, because of the one who will lead you to the vampire Queen"
"Someone must be involved in the disappearance of the Queen," Jasmine said and Stella nodded.
"Someone who might be very close to her. So watch out and be on alert" she said and they nodded.
There was silence for a while as they all got lost in their thought. They had not thought about all these. Thank goodness Stella asked them to come. Now they can know where to go in search of clues.
"Thanks, Stella," Ariana said.
"For What?" Stella asked
"For always being there for us," Jasmine said and Stella smiled.
"You don't have to thank me ok? I am just doing my job"
Jasmine smiled. "Then thank you for doing your job properly"
Stella briefed them on a few other things, some of which they already know and others which they know nothing about. They in turn asked a lot of questions which of course were answered by Stella. Stella took her time to make things clear to them.
"This might be our last meeting in a while," she said and they stared at her in confusion.
She doesn't mean they won't be seeing her again. Does she? They had thought.
"Is there a place you are going to?" Ariana asked and Stella nodded.
"Alaska Arias. I should be there was a month or two. Or maybe more than that. If the case permits"
"Then what happens to Alaska? You won't leave them without a leader. Will you?" Jasmine asked.
"Someone else will see to their affairs, until
I return"
"What if we have something important to talk to you about?" Jabal murmured.
"That is the reason I have this to give to each one of you". She handed a bracelet to each of them. "Use this to summon me, whenever you need my help and I will answer you"
They appreciated her for her kindness and promised never to call for her except it is urgent.
**
When the portal opened right in front of the demon palace, they opened their mouth in awe. What they saw in front of them now is far more beautiful than what Kelvin had told them. Just a few minutes ago, they were saying their goodbye to Stella as she opened up the portal leading to the demon realm.
"Are we really in the demon realm?" Ariana asked still in awe.
"Is this the place my sister will be married to?" Jabal asked.
Each one of them had a thing or more to talk about except Jasmine who seems indifferent.
"Do you not love this place?" Ryan asked her in a whisper and she sighed.
"I feel sorry Kelvin will have to break their rule just for me" she replied.
"He is not breaking any rule because of you. His life is also at risk now which makes getting married not an option" he answered.
Jasmine understood clearly what Ryan was trying to say but she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"Let's go in when you are done admiring. I don't want the guards to notice I am back" Kelvin said.
"I don't think we can finish admiring this place. How about we go in first and then come out later to check the place out" Jamal suggested and they all nodded in agreement because it is a brilliant idea.
"I can't believe some uncle is trying to take this place away from you," Jabal said as they walked into the palace.
"Can you not talk about this in front of anyone? Please. He might have some loyal people walking for him in the palace" Kelvin answered quickly and they nodded. Silence returned for a while as they followed behind Kelvin. "Do you want to meet with the Queen first?" he asked.
"We don't have any questions ready yet," Jamal said.
"How about we greet both your parent first and then we can go back to see the Queen when our questions are ready. It will be rude to meet her for the first time just to ask questions" Jabal said and for the first time in a while, Jasmine agreed with him.
"I think Jabal is right. Let's pay our homage first" she said.
"We can use that opportunity to begin studying the environment," Ryan said and they nodded. "That way we will know where and when to meet with her in private"
"We can as well fish out his uncle's ally in the palace," Ariana said in a whisper and they all nodded.
"And make sure to deal with them before we leave," Jasmine said, also in a whisper.
"We need to let them know that no one tries to hurt our friend and go scot free" Ryan whispered.
"Yes" they muttered in unison and Kelvin smiled.
He admires the way they think and agree with what each one had said. He also loves the way they always stand for each other. He was happy he trusted them and chose them as friends.
"The King and Queen should be in the inner chamber. It's about time for their afternoon nap. We need to hurry" he said and in a few minutes, they were standing in front of the inner chamber waiting to be announced.
After being announced, they walked into the inner chamber.
"Look who we have here," the demon king said when he sighted Kelvin.
"Father" Kelvin cooed moving closer to him.
"Are these not hybrid twins and their friends?" the king asked.
"Yes, father. They have come to celebrate my birthday with me" Kelvin said.
The rest greeted the King and he smiled. "It's good to see you kids once more"
"Where is mother?" Kelvin asked.
"She visited the vampire realm. She should be on her way back"
"Any news about the vampire Queen?" Jasmine asked.
"You must be my son's mate," the King asked and Jasmine nodded. "You've grown bigger than the last time. I can't wait to have you as my daughter-in-law. I heard you've got a lot of power"
Kelvin groaned slightly. He knew Jasmine is uncomfortable with his dad's words. "Dad, should you not be telling us about the vampire Queen?"
"Oh mine. There is no news about her yet. And no trial either". Jasmine sighed. She feels less uncomfortable now that the King is talking about the vampire Queen and not their marriage.
"Do the vampires not have a way of finding their Queen?" Jamal asked.
"They have tried all their tracking method but none worked"
"Then whosoever must have taken her is from the vampire realm and know all their tracking method," Ariana said and the King muttered a wow.
"We never thought about that," he said. "Then I guess you kids can help out in finding her. Will you?"
Jasmine nodded. "We will try our best on that"
"Then will you be able to talk to my friend about the Queen"
The King nodded. "Just let me know when you are ready. I hope they find her soon"
They talked for a while before leaving the inner chamber.
"I will show you to your rooms," Kelvin said to them.
Everyone entered the rooms Kelvin had shown them. And after an hour of rest, they met and visited a few places in the demon realm. They asked a few people questions about their relationship with the vampire realm. With Kelvin with them, it was easier for them to get the people to speak to them.
Kelvin left after a while for his evening training allowing them to find a few allies of his uncle. Though they wanted to talk about what they would do to them, they decided it was best to talk about them whenever Kelvin isn't with them.
It was evening soon and they all gathered together to talk about the questions they would be asking the demon Queen.
"When do you plan to talk to the Queen?" Kelvin asked when he joined them.
"After your birthday ceremony," Ariana answered.
"I heard the vampire King and Prince will be here," Jasmine asked and Kelvin nodded
"It has always been a tradition" he answered.
"Can we just talk to them when they come?" Jamal asked.
"That is not possible do you not know?" Ryan asked. "We were told to observe the vampire realm surroundings. How will we do that if we do not go the realm?"
Everyone nodded, supporting what Ryan had said. If they really, need and want to observe the surrounding of the vampire realm, then they might as well go there to speak to the King and the Prince.
"I think Ryan is right," Kelvin said. "We need to go to the vampire realm. Do you think I should let them know we are coming?"
"I don't think that is right. Whosoever is responsible will try to hide all his or her tracks" Jabal said.
"But we can't visit without prior notice. I don't know how to do that" Kelvin said.
"How about you tell them of the visit but with no specific date? 0r you let them know no one should know about our visit?" Ariana said.
"That doesn't sound like a good idea either. How about we tell them we want to follow them to their realm when they come? That way we won't give the traitor a way of covering his tracks and we won't have to visit them without prior notice" Jasmine suggested and they clapped their hands.
To them, this is tbe perfect idea.
"But about talking to the demon Queen?" Ryan asked.
"We can speak to her before the birthday and also to the King. We will be able to get first-hand information on the disappearance of the vampire Queen" Jamal said and they nodded.
In the end, they all agreed to talk to the demon King and Queen before Kelvin's birthday and also visit the vampire realm after that.
"Isn't Kelvin's birthday tomorrow?" Ariana asked.
"Yes, it is" Jasmine answered.
"Then we might need to talk to her today," she said.
"And the King too," Jamal said.
"But will that be possible? I mean talking to the demon Queen" Jabal said.
"I already told her about it. You can speak to her today" Kelvin answered and they all agreed to talk to her.
They visited the demon Queen in the evening. But speaking to her was not as they had expected. Although they were able to get some information they did not know about, they couldn't lay their hands on why the vampire Queen was kidnap. They became more eager to find out who kidnapped her and why.
"I am sorry I do not have much information to give to you" the demon Queen said.
"We appreciate the little you have given us," Jasmine said.
They left the demon Queen to talk to the demon King and in the end, there wasn't much they could get. They understood why it was necessary to talk to the vampire King and Prince. Maybe they will get a better understanding and maybe a clue.
**
It was the prince's birthday and everyone was getting their selves ready.
"Jasmine, you should dress more elegant. You might be announced today" Ariana teased.
"Don't even think that" Jasmine answered back.
"There is nothing impossible, you know?" Ariana said.
"Can you stop talking about this?" Jasmine said.
"Are you feeling..."
"Ariana!!!"
Ariana raised her hand."Ok. I won't talk about it anymore"