Lizzy's Diary: Beth

Hey there! Welcome to Lizzy's Diary, Book 2! Chapters should be posted every week or sooner. Enjoy the story!

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Chapter 1: The Mystery Upstairs.

Hello there everyone! It’s me, Elizabeth Nicole Kingdom. I see you’ve wandered upon another one of my diary’s. This story, is a little bit different.. You see, I’m writing this in a dungeon… Yes, a dungeon. Beth’s dungeon… Me and my Mom, Amanda, have been in here for 3 years, and 22 days.. No one has found us, and we haven’t even seen Beth for a while. We’re starting to think this dungeon has been abandoned. And the worst part of all, I have no phone, and no Bō… Heres how this all started. 

Two years ago, when I was 21, I got married. I actually married my brother, Dan’s, best friend, Pastor Elijah. On our second wedding anniversary, we went out to dinner, and I got a strange text message.. It said it was from my sister, Jess, but there was a different phone number. The message said, “Come outside near the red colored sports car. I have a surprise for you.”. I shrugged, sat my phone down on the table, and went outside to see my sister. I found the car, looked around, and didn’t see her. When all of the sudden, someone pushed me into the car, and drove away. I was screaming, when I looked next to me, and saw Beth. In the back seat, was my Mom.. She put us in he dungeon, and I haven’t seen Elijah now for 3 years.. Though me and my Mom really want to get out, we haven’t complained about it.. Instead, we pray everyday for our family, and that Beth will come to know Christ.

“If only I had a phone..” I mumbled to myself. I plopped down on a chair next to my Mom, and stared out the metal bars. “Oh dear.. I wonder how your father is doing.. And everyone else.” Mom said in a sad tone. “I know-“ A loud crash from upstairs interrupted my sentence. Me and mom shot each other a knowing glance. “What was that?” I asked with concern. We both stood up, and stared at the roof. Boom! There it was again. This time it sounded like someone was breaking the floor from upstairs. “Hurry up!” A faint voice said. “I’m trying to!” Another voice exclaimed. “What are we going to do? The roof could cave in!” I whispered lowly. “We’ll stand in the corners of the room, the roof could fall in the middle..” Mom suggested. We both stood in the left corner of the room, and nervously stared at each other. Boom! Crash! A small hole was in the middle of the ceiling. I gasped. “Whats going on up there?” I yelled as I moved closer near the middle of the room. No one replied. It seemed I had a new mystery to solve. But would I be able to solve it before Beth finds out what I’m doing? It was risky, but I was excited to find out. 

Chapter 2: The Secret Staircase.

The noises upstairs continued for weeks. And I still continued to hear the two voices. Tiny cracks and holes were in the ceiling, but they weren’t enough to peek upstairs. One morning, I gazed up at the ceiling, surveying all the cracks. I curiously looked at one crack, that ran all the way across the ceiling. The crack stopped at a very bulky looking part of the wall. On the bulky wall, there was a picture frame hung perfectly in place. The picture frame was empty. I tilted my head in confusion, and slowly took the picture frame off the wall. To my surprise, the bulky wall flew to the ground. I quickly jumped off to one side as it fell right near where I was standing. Mom quickly walked near the fallen wall, and we examined it closely. “What in the world..” Mom mumbled as she looked up at where the wall was. There was a staircase right where the wall was. It must have been right behind the wall! “Should we go up there?” I asked with a smirk as I looked at her. “No! What is Beth is up there?” Mom protested. “You can stay down here, but I’m going up there.” I said as I climbed up the first step. Mom grabbed my arm. “It’s too dangerous.” She said nervously. “Mom, whats the worst that could happen? We’re already in this dungeon.” I said with a smile. Mom sighed. “Alright..” Mom gave in. My smile widened and I ran up the steps. The room was almost pitch black. “Is anyone up here?” I yelled, my heart pounding. A girls voice gasped. I nervously froze in my footsteps. “Lizzy? Is that you?” The same voice asked. “Who are you?” I demanded as I inched closer to a figure sitting on the floor. “Who are you?” The voice asked with a little laugh. I rolled my eyes. “Elizabeth Kingdom.” I said nervously. I felt my heart pounding. And pounding. And pounding. A mans voice gasped. “Lizzy! Its Jess!” The girl said as the figure I was standing near stood up. I felt like my heart skipped a beat. “J-Jess?” I said as tears formed in my eyes. “And Dan.” A mans voice said. I smiled, I was overwhelmed with joy. Jess flicked a flashlight on, and light went throughout the room. Tears rolled down my face as I saw my brother and sister, whom I haven’t seen in years. “How on earth did you get here?” I asked as I wiped my tears. “Shh.. Beth’s room is right there.” Dan said as he pointed to a door. A worrying feeling came over me. What if Beth found out I came in touch with my siblings? What if she separated us? Jess broke me out of my little daydream. “We were searching for you. Right after Elijah told us you never came back in the restaurant, and Mom never came back from her grocery shopping trip, me, Dan, Dad, Jaz and Elijah all searched for you two. Beth caught up with me and Dan, and we got thrown up here. We’ve been here for almost three years too.. But we have no idea what happened to everyone else.” Jess explained. “Then we heard you and Mom downstairs, so we started to hammer the roof to see you guys, since there was a wall near the stairs.” Dan said with a little laugh as he picked up a hammer from the floor. I smirked at Dan’s comment. “Wait a minute..” I started to say as my eyes grew wide. “If you and Dan got caught and put up here, what if Dad, Jaz, and Elijah are all here too!” I exclaimed. “Yeah, but if thats true, how would we ever find them?” Jess asked with a sigh. I grabbed another hammer that was on the floor. “Hammer our way out, and pray, a lot.” I said with a smirk. 

Chapter 3: Caught, And The Mysterious Guard.

Mom nervously made her way up the stairs, and gasped when she saw us. “Dan?! Jess?! Is it really you?” Mom asked in total surprise. Tears swelled up in Dan’s eyes. “Mom!” Dan said as he threw his arms around her in a hug. “Oh Dan.. I’m so glad your safe.” Mom said with a smile as she looked into his tear-filled eyes. “I was so mad at myself when you never came back home… I thought I would never see you again.” Dan said as he awkwardly wiped away his tears. “Why were you mad?” Mom asked thoughtfully. “I never got to tell you.. I love you.” Dan said with a half smile. Me and Jess smiled at the two of them. Suddenly, the door to Beth’s room burst open. We all froze, staring at her in shock. “What on earth is going on-“ Beth started, then stared directly at me. “How did you get up here?” Beth asked, her face growing red with anger. “I um-“ I tried to speak, but I was too nervous. What was going to happen? “Thats enough. Each one of you are getting a separate cell. Guards!” Beth yelled. I burst into tears. Not only was I getting separated from my siblings, I was going to be separated from my Mom. I would be all alone, with no way to possibly escape. Four guards came out from behind Beth, and grabbed each one of us by the arm. “Mom!” I screamed. But it was too late, the guard took me downstairs, out of the cell, and into a different one way across the hall, before I knew it. “You can’t do this to me!” I demanded. The guard sighed. “Beth’s orders.” He said. The voice sounded so familiar. Before I could ask, or say anything more, he walked away, and closed the door. I looked around at my new surroundings. This cell was a whole lot smaller then the one me and Mom were in. A tiny window was way up high, but too small to crawl out of. There was a small table and chair set in the middle of the room, and I plopped down on it. I stared out the cell, and saw another guard leading Jess into a cell, even farther away from mine. I cried. Nothing seemed to be going right. “Psst..” A voice said lowly. I looked around in surprise, but found no one. “Psst!” The voice said a little louder. I peeked out the door, and found the same guard standing there. “What?” I asked as I crossed my arms. He took off his helmet, revealing his jet black hair. He looked about my age. “Lizzy!” He exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. “Again, what?” I said with a sigh. “Its me!” He said with a smile. “Listen, I have no idea who you even are!” I said in an annoyed tone. “Its Elijah!” He said with an even bigger smile. My jaw dropped. Elijah looked a little different then the last time I saw him at the restaurant. “How did you get here?!” I asked with a smile on my face. He sighed. “It’s a long story.. But we need to focus on getting you and the others out of here before Beth finds out!” He exclaimed nervously. “But how?” I asked. Who would imagine that the guard that put me in here, was my husband, and was going to try and get me and my family out. God surely is real. There was no doubt about it. This was truly a miracle.

Chapter 4: Running, Running, Running..

Elijah grabbed a large key out of his pocket, and unlocked my cell. “Thanks.” I said to him in a slight whisper. He nodded, and looked around to make sure no one was coming. “We have to act fast. Beth could come at any time.” Elijah said nervously. I smiled. “We can do it.” I said in an excited tone. “Here.” He said as he pulled out a Bō staff from a pouch on his back. I gasped. It was my old Bō I had years and years ago! “Thank you Elijah!” I exclaimed as I gave him a quick hug. “No problem. I saw you left it at our cottage, and I picked it up before coming to find you and your Mom.” He explained. We walked throughout the dungeon, talking, and trying to find the others. “I’ve been here for only three months.” He said as he made motions with his hands. “But how did you become a guard?” I asked in a confused tone. “I knew you were here, because Jess and Dan have told me in the past, that you and Beth have had problems before. But I’ve never met her, so this was a golden opportunity to apply to be a guard for her. Then in the end, I could save you and your family.” He said with a smirk. “I would have never thought of that!” I commented with a smile. We came to a sudden halt. Elijah was completely frozen. “What..?” I whispered. Elijah gulped. “Beth is coming..” He whispered back. My heart pace quickened. My stomach felt like it was in knots. “What do we do?” I mumbled nervously. “Run back where we came Lizzy.. Run!” He exclaimed. I cringed, knowing this may be the last time I’d see Elijah for a while. If I ran, he would have no idea where I was if I just kept running. But I had no choice. With slight hesitation, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I held my Bō firmly so I wouldn’t drop it. I breezed past cell… After cell.. After cell. I ran so fast everything looked like a blur. I could hear Beth in the distance, but I couldn’t make out a word she was saying. I came to the end of the dungeon. “Oh no..” I mumbled to myself. Beth sounded like she was getting closer and closer. There was a large window, with no glass in it. My heart pounding, I leaped out of the giant window. I realized where I was. I was in a forest. Far away from home. How would I ever save my family, if I didn’t stay at the dungeon? But I had to get away somehow. I ran through the forest, unsure where I was even going. It was raining, raining so hard it was hard to see. All of the sudden, I tripped on a rotted log. Ow! Pain went all throughout my foot. I had twisted my ankle. Tears streamed down my face. I felt so alone. I would never be able to get back home at this rate. I was face first on the ground. I looked up, in pain. “Lord, I need your help!” I cried in a loud voice. I stared at my Bō Staff that was lying on the ground. Somehow, I would have to use what I have to get out of this mess. My Bō, my brain, and God. I sighed, and tried to sit up. But the pain was too terrible. I groaned loudly.

Chapter 5: The Big Choice, And Sarah.

I slowly tried to stand up, fighting through the pain. That’s when everything went black.

———

Meanwhile, at the dungeon. 

“You can’t do this to me!” Elijah screamed as Beth handcuffed him. “Oh yes I can. My best guard released a prisoner! That’s against the rules.” Beth exclaimed, as she locked the handcuffs in place. Tears swelled up in Elijah’s eyes. He wasn’t just going into a normal cell, he was going to the dark basement. There was no windows down there. And the floors were made of dirt. All of the sudden, he let out a loud scream as the handcuffs went tight around his wrists. Crying, he pleaded that Beth let him go. But she wouldn’t. As Beth pushed him down the stairs to the basement, he prayed, in a screaming voice. “Lord, help me.. Keep Lizzy safe-“ Beth’s eyes widened and she spun around. “Where is she..” She demanded. Elijah cringed, knowing he should have silently prayed. He stood there, frozen. “I’ll put you upstairs in the normal cells if you tell me.” Beth said with a smirk. Elijah sighed deeply. 

— — — 

A loud gasp woke me up. I slowly fluttered my eyes open. A girl stared at me, her jaw practically on the floor. I suddenly realized what happened. I had fainted, and I still had a twisted ankle. The pain was getting better, but it still ached a little. “What?” I asked in a groggy voice. “What happened to you?” The girl asked with concern, and a bit of disgust in her voice. I looked down at my jeans, and realized they were covered in mud from my big fall. I laughed slightly. “Twisted my ankle, and fainted.” I said with a smirk. “Oh gosh, we better get you cleaned up.” The girl said with wide eyes. I smiled weakly. The girl gave me her hand, and she pulled me up. “Thanks.” I said with a smile. I realized it had stopped raining, and it looked like the sun was just rising. “I’m Sarah Williams.” Sarah introduced herself with a smile. “Elizabeth Smith. But everyone calls me Lizzy.” I said, referring to my married name. The girl looked to be about nineteen. “Alright, Lizzy. How about we go to my cottage and you can clean up? It’s not too far from here.” Sarah suggested. “Okay.” I agreed with a smile. Though I had just met Sarah, she seemed like one of those people, who you feel like you’ve known your whole life. I had no idea how she found me, but it was a blessing. Suddenly, it hit me. “Cottages.. You mean the cottages near Sky Kingdom?” I asked with a glimmer of hope in my voice. “Yeah, why?” She said with a confused tone in her voice. My heart sank, and tears of joy came to my eyes. “I used to live in Sky Kingdom! Well, until I got thrown into a dungeon..” I said with a sad smile. Sarah’s eyes widened. “Dungeon?” She said nervously. I laughed. All on the way to her cottage, I explained what had happen. She looked at my sadly. “I can’t believe it.. Beth is my sister.. She never came home one night.. And now I believe I know where she is..” Sarah said with slight anger in her voice. I took a step back. “Your sister?” I exclaimed. She nodded. “I never thought she would go this far.” She said with tears in her eyes, and a quiver in her voice. My heart was broken for Sarah. 

— — — 

“Well?” Beth demanded as she tapped her foot on the floor impatiently. Elijah gulped. “I’ll never tell you where she is.” Elijah said as he glared at Beth. “Very well then.” She said as she continued to push him down the stairs. He knew this was all for good. I would be free, and might even be able to free the others. All he could do now, was wait.

Chapter 6: The Hospital Visit.

We finally arrived at the beautiful Sky Kingdom. “Uh, I’ll be right back, Sarah.” I said, running in the direction of the castle. I realized the windows were boarded up, and Graffiti was all on the side of the castle. “Huh?” I mumbled. I pounded loudly on the door, nervously. No one came. I suddenly remembered something. I still had the key to the castle! I quickly searched my pockets for it. I pulled it out, and unlocked the door. I gasped. Daddy was lying on the couch, coughing. He looked pale. My eyes widened. I ran over to his side. “Lizzyboo..” He said weakly. “Dad, what happened?” I asked with tears filling in my eyes. He coughed again. “I’m not doing too well.. I have a horrible fever, and I can’t get off the couch. I can’t even get off the couch to call the doctors.” He explained between coughs. Tears streamed down my face. “I’ll call the doctors for you. Don’t worry.” I said, trying to sound calm. But inside, I was worried. If my Dad didn’t get medicine, he could die. I saw an old fashioned dial phone, and I picked it up. I quickly dialed the ambulance. “Hello? What seems to be the problem?” A man answered. I sniffled, and wiped away my tears, and tried to sound bold. “My father has a terrible fever, and I’m pretty sure we have no medicine in our house. He cannot get off the couch. Please-“ Tears seemed to come down my face again. “Help.” I finished. “Yes Ma’am. Where is your location?” The man asked. “He lives at Sky Kingdom Castle.” I said, once again wiping away tears. “Got it. We will send one of our men over.” He said as he hung up. Dad looked weaker and weaker. Anxiety went throughout me. I just stared at him until the ambulance came. A man rushed inside, pulling a stretcher behind him. The sight of it made me cringe. Evidently Sarah saw the man with the stretcher, and the ambulance, because she came flying into the house. “What’s going on?” She asked quickly. Crying, I pointed to Dad. Another man came inside, and helped the other man put Dad on the stretcher. As they walked outside, I held his hand tightly. “I’ll be okay Lizzy.” Dad said as he freed his hand from my grip, and wiped away my tears. I smiled nervously. Sarah was trailing behind us, and even she had tears. “W-whats wrong S-Sarah?” I asked, my voice quivering. She shook her head and bit her lip. The men lifted Dad onto the ambulance. I jumped inside. “I’m sorry, but family members cannot ride with the sick patient.” The man said sadly. My cheeks turned red with anger. “But I have to stay with my father!” I said, my voice raising slightly. “Sorry. It’s the rules. Come to Kingdom Hospital in an hour. He should be settled in by then.” The man said as he hopped in the back next to Dad. He closed the door, and drove away. “No..” I cried. Sarah sighed. “Wanna pray?” She asked with a slight smile. I smiled back. I didn’t even ask if Sarah believed in God yet, but she brought it up at just the right time. “I’d love to.” I said with a sigh of relief. He held each others hands, and bowed our heads. “Lord, please heal Lizzy’s Dad, if it’s your will. I can’t imagine what she’s going through. Please give her peace. The peace that passes all understanding. Help her in this hard time. Amen.” Sarah prayed. She looked up again, and smiled. “Amen.” I said, as I too looked up again. 

— — —

Elijah sat down, on the dirt. He stared out the metal bars. Across from his cell was, “Jess?” He said in surprise. Jess’s face lit up with joy. “Elijah!” She exclaimed. “What are you doing down here?” They both said in unison. Elijah laughed. “Go ahead.” He said with a smile. “Well,” Jess started. “Beth got mad at me because I escaped my cell.” She said as she rolled her eyes. “How did you manage that?” Elijah asked with surprise. “A nice guard let me out.”  Jess explained. “Oh?” He said with a slight tilt of his head.

Chapter 7: Medicine!

Beep.. Beep.. Beep. Noises from the hospital rooms around me made me cringe. Beep… Beep… I realized it was a patient slowly dying. The thought of it made me squirm in my seat. I stared at my Dad, feeling blessed that he was still alive. A nurse burst through the door, along with a young girl that looked like she was sixteen. I curiously stared at her. “Okay, Mark. We are going to do some tests on you, and my student in training will be observing.” The nurse said with a smile. I stood up quickly and walked closer to her. “Wait a minute, tests?” I asked, my eyes widening. “Why yes-“ The nurse started, but I interrupted her. “The main problem is, he has a fever, and needs medicine to break it.” I said, explaining with my hands. The nurse laughed. “Yes well, it’s not that easy. This is a training hospital, and we just opened two weeks ago. We haven’t had much excitement, so we need him to experiment on, and to do tests on.” The lady said, still staying happy. “Experiment?” I asked as I glared at her a little bit. “Oh yes. We will test medicine on him an-“ Once again I interrupted her, this time, more angrily. “Listen, all my father needs is modern medicine, and you do not have permission to do any sort of experimenting on him.” I said, my face turning red with anger. “Yeah.” Dad piped up. “Well then apparently you came to the wrong hospital.” The nurse said, less happier then she had been earlier. The student just looked back and forth at me and the nurse. “Alright then, if your not going to give him the medicine he needs, I think he will agree to be taken out of this hospital, and back at home, and I’ll run to the store to get normal medicine.” I said in an annoyed tone. “Well I hope he doesn’t die before you have a chance to give him medicine.” The nurse said rudely. Those words made tears come to my eyes. What if Daddy didn’t make it in time? Who knows how long he has had this fever.

— — — 

The little light provided from upstairs grew dim, as night was coming. “What did this guard look like?” Elijah asked as he squinted in the dark, trying to look at Jess across the room. “He was tall.. He had blonde hair, and blue eyes.” Jess said thoughtfully. Elijah gasped. “That sounds like the prince from the Nature Kingdom!” He exclaimed. Jess’s eyes widened. “You mean, Jaz’s brother from adoption?” She asked with excitement in her voice. Elijah nodded. “So if it’s really him..” He started. “He could help free us!” Jess finished with a smile. “But how will he know its us?” She asked nervously. Elijah smirked. 

— — — 

“Lizzy, you have my permission to get me out of this hospital.” Dad said bravely, in between coughs. “Alright..” I said- not so bravely. Sarah, who had been remaining quite, finally piped into the conversation. “I’ll help you take him back to the castle.” She volunteered. “Thanks.” I said with a smile. The plan seemed like it was going to work. Or was it? 

Chapter 8: Fire!

It was midnight. Elijah and Jess were talking non-stop a little plan Elijah was cooking up. “We’re getting out of here tonight.” He said, determination in his voice. Jess looked at him, with worry in her eyes. “Alright, but we need to plan this out.” Jess said, as her tone lowered. They heard foot steps from upstairs. “Quick! Pretend that your asleep.” Elijah said as he lied down on the floor. Jess’s eyes widened, realizing that Beth must have been coming. She quickly sat down in a chair, and hung her head, and closed her eyes, as if she has been sleeping. Beth stomped down the steps, and into the basement. She looked at the two cells across from each other, that Elijah and Jess were occupying. “Alright. Everyones asleep. You may go to your room, and I’ll go to mine. Understand?” Beth told the guard that was standing next to her. The guard nervously nodded, and they both headed back up the steps. They fully shut the door, leaving the two prisoners in total darkness. Elijah and Jess both stood up. “Now what are we going to do? We’ll never be able to escape in the dark.” Jess said sadly. Elijah smirked. He didn’t reply, which made Jess tremble in fear. All she could hear was what sounded like someone lighting a match. All of the sudden, the room was flooded with light. “There was a torch and matches in here.” He explained with a wide smile. Jess smiled back. Suddenly, that smile turned into a concerned frown. “What was a torch and matches doing in there?” She mumbled to herself. Elijah slowly attempted to light the cell bars on fire with the torch. Jess gasped. “Elijah! What on earth are you doing?” She exclaimed. Her tone made Elijah sound like he was crazy. “Trust me.” He said in a serious tone. Jess was frozen in fear as she watched the cell bars catch on fire. Gulp. 

— — — 

Me and Sarah stared at each other, as we sat next to each other in cushioned chairs that was in the room, unsure what to do next. The nurse and the student had left the room, to check Dad out of the hospital. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. I quickly stood up, and grabbed a stretcher leaning against a wall in the corner. Sarah smiled. I set the stretcher down on the floor next to the hospital bed Dad was lying in. I pressed a button on the side of it, and the bed lowered. Sarah stood up, and walked near the bed. Dad was uneasy, and seemed unsure what was going on. “On three we lift him out of bed, and onto the stretcher.” I said with a bit of worry in my voice as I looked at Sarah. She nodded. “One.. Two.. Three!” I exclaimed.

— — — 

The flame spread out onto the walls. Sparks fell into Elijah’s cell. Tears came to Jess’s eyes. “What did you think you were doing?” Jess yelled as tears streamed down her face, as she watched her nervous brother-in-law in the middle of what looked like a war scene. Elijah didn’t respond. He coughed. The smoke was getting to him badly. Jess breathed heavily. She closed her eyes, and prayed. “Lord help Elijah! Give me peace.” She cried as she fell down on her knees in distress. The fire spread onto all of the walls. The fire was approaching Jess’s cell. She was so worried that the fire may have even gone inside Elijah’s cell, and worst of all, onto him. “Beth!” Jess yelled. She yelled louder then she ever had before. Her voice echoed throughout the basement. She felt completely hopeless.

Chapter 9: The Little Church On The Hill.

Me and Sarah quickly put Dad on the stretcher and ran outside. “I feel like this looks ridiculous..” I mumbled to Sarah as people outside stared directly out us. “We have no choice.” Sarah mumbled back to me. I sighed, and nodded. I had a feeling we just might not make it in time. Thoughts echoed in my head. Give up. You can’t do this. I bit back tears. 

— — — 

A guard came flying downstairs. He had blonde hair.. Blue eyes.. “Prince!” Jess yelled through the tears that were streaming down her face. He didn’t respond, instead, he stared directly at the fire. He shook his head, as if breaking out of a daydream, and ran near Jess’s cell. He quickly unlocked it. “Run!” Prince exclaimed. “I can’t leave Elijah!” She cried. “You have to trust me, Jess. Run.” He said a bit louder. Worry went all throughout Jess. Should she run? Or stay and try to help her brother-in-law? She was torn. 

— — — 

We quickly made it to the local 24 hour grocery store. We ran near the back of the store, and I stared at Sarah. “Wait with my father out here. We’d get too many weird looks if we all came in the store.” I whispered to her. Sarah nodded quickly. “Go go go!” She exclaimed as we both looked at Dad, who groaned loudly. I looked at him with worry. I knew I would have to leave him, to get the medicine. So with that, I ran inside the store. 

Pushing through the crowd, I made my way to the health isle. I quickly scanned the shelves for the medicine Dad needed. I gasped. Big words covered where the medicine should be. Out of stock. “No, no, no!” I exclaimed. An employee walked up to me, confused. “Is everything okay, Ma’am?” She asked nervously. “Not really.” I said with wide eyes. 

— — — 

Jess sighed deeply, as she found herself, running. Running, running, running. “Don’t look back, don’t look back.” She told herself. She paused in her footsteps. She heard loud music playing in the distance. There was a little church up a steep hill on the right, and that seemed to be where the music was coming from. Jess slowly walked up the hill, and was face to face with a tiny church, called “Grace Hill Church”. She walked inside nervously, and saw a tall girl sitting at a piano on stage. “Your all I have left, and your all that I need. Lord show me a way, to get back on my feet, even when it feels like its impossible.” She sang along to the tune of the music. That was exactly how I felt. I sat down at a pew in the very back of the church. As I sat down, she stared at me, nervously. “Hi..” She said as she stared back down at the piano keys. 

— — — 

“Um, do you need help finding anything?” The employee asked in confusion. She stared at me as if I was crazy. “Do you have anymore of this medicine?” I asked as I pointed to the medicine slot that said out of stock. “Well it says out of stock, now, doesn’t it?” The lady asked, a bit annoyed. I rolled my eyes, but she didn’t seem to see it.

Chapter 10: Quickly Fading.

The girl nervously stood up from the piano bench, and walked down near the pews, and out the door. Jess sighed. Instead of rushing back, and asking the girl who she was, Jess just closed her eyes, and prayed. “Lord, help Elijah get out of the fire.. Let him be okay.. And Lord, if it’s your will, maybe even help me find Lizzy and everyone else. Amen.” She prayed. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw the same girl that was playing the piano, right in front of her. “Um, hello..” Jess said nervously, and confused. “I need someone to talk to.” The girl said quickly. Jess gave her a confused look. “Who was this girl? And why did she want to talk to me?” Jess thought to herself. 

— — — 

Elijah coughed and coughed, still standing in the midst of the fire. Sparks flew on him, making him feel overheated. The fire started going on the ground, right near Elijah’s feet. “Elijah? Elijah!” Prince yelled. Elijah couldn’t even get up the strength to speak. Instead, he groaned loudly. “Elijah! I’m coming to get you!” Prince yelled again, this time in a louder, booming voice. It seems pretty silly that Elijah would try to set the metal bars on fire, but what he was really trying to do, was set it on fire, so the bars would disintegrate, and he would be free. But instead, the fire got out of hand. Big time. A loud smoke alarm went off, making Elijah freeze in shock. “Whats going on?” Beth’s voice echoed from upstairs. “There’s a fire-“ Prince started to yell to her upstairs, but Beth interrupted him. “Fire? We must evacuate! Get the prisoners, quickly!” Beth said nervously. Prince cringed, knowing he would have to leave Elijah. “Yes Ma’am.” He said sadly. He ran upstairs, and hurriedly tried to find the other prisoners. Elijah fell to the ground, uneasily. “Lord.. Help.” He said in a low, weak voice, as the fire spread throughout the ground. 

— — — 

Sarah rushed inside the store, and by my side. “Sarah! Where’s Dad? Why are you in here?” I asked with anxiety in my voice. “L-l-lizzy, he’s n-n-not doing good a-a-at all. You need to g-g-get out here, quick!” Sarah said, her voice quivering in fear. Those terrible words made me feel like my stomach was in knots. Without another word, I rushed outside. Sarah quickly followed. I made my way to the very back of the store building, and to my surprise, my Dad wasn’t there. He was no where in side. Me and Sarah both gasped. “Oh no..” I mumbled. My Dad was missing. This sure was a mystery. But the question was- how would we be able to solve it? That question worried me. Plus, would we even make it in time? I didn’t know. But what I did know, is that we were going to search. Search until we find him. “Common’ Sarah.” I said as I hurriedly walked on the sidewalk, and ran until we reached the forest once again. I had a feeling I knew who the culprit was. Beth. 

Chapter 11: There Is Still Hope. 

“I’ve been homeless and on my own for over three years..” The girl said as she took a seat beside Jess and sighed. “Homeless?” Jess asked in a confused tone. The girl nodded. “You see, my husband has been trapped at some dungeon for over three year-“ She started, but Jess interrupted. “The, Dungeon?” She asked with wide eyes. “I don’t know whose dungeon it is, or what it’s called. All I know that it’s in the forest, not too far from here.” The girl replied with a slight shrug. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your first and last name? Married name that is.” Jess asked, with a glimmer of hope in her voice. “Anna Nature.” Anna replied. That last name made Jess’s jaw drop. “Nature..” Jess’s voice echoed in surprise. “Do you know him?” Anna asked with excitement. “As a matter of fact, I know exactly who, and where he is.” Jess replied with a wide smile. Maybe getting everyone freed from Beth’s dungeon was possible. But it would take a whole lot of working together. But Jess knew that God would help them, and that gave her a whole lot of peace. 

— — — 

All of a sudden, the flames extinguished that were in Elijah’s cell. A bright light flooded the dirty basement, and Elijah stared at it, confused. “God is protecting you.” A loud voice said. Suddenly, the light went out, leaving Elijah in the dark. To his surprise, the metal bars were gone, and he felt perfectly fine again. He gasped. “Thank you, Lord..” He mumbled as he stood up carefully. Only God could have done that. Only He could have. Elijah stood there in amazement, feeling overwhelmed, and overjoyed at what he had just witnessed. If God could extinguish a fire, and Elijah may have even seen an angel, he knew God could free him from this dungeon. It was a miracle. 

— — — 

Me and Sarah ran for what felt like hours. “Lizzy, we need to s-stop.. I’m so tired..” Sarah said, out of breath. I sighed. “I guess your right.. But I’m just so worried we won’t find my Dad in time..” I said as I stopped running and looked at Sarah. “I know, Lizzy. I’m worried too. But God will help us. All we need to do is just-“ Sarah started, but I cut her off. “Pray?” I said with a smirk as I glanced at a small church on a hill. Sarah smiled at me. “Exactly.” She said, as we started to walk in the direction of the church. 

— — — 

After Jess explained where Prince was, Anna stared at Jess, nervously. “Do you think we could possibly find my husband?” Anna questioned with concern in her voice. “I know we can. But I do wish I had my sister to help me.. She’s found him once before, when my Mom trapped him.” Jess said with a sigh. “Your Mom?” Anna asked with surprise. Jess giggling slightly. “Long story.” She said with a smile. When me and Sarah burst through the door, Jess stood there, staring at me, frozen in shock. I stared right back at her. “Jess..” I said as I ran to hug her, tears came to my eyes. “Oh, Lizzy! I’ve missed you so much!” She exclaimed. I wiped away my tears of joy, and stood back and smiled at her. Jess looked at Sarah curiously. “Oh right, this is my friend, Sarah. And Sarah, this is my sister Jess.” I said as Sarah came a little closer and smiled. “Hi, Sarah!” Jess started, as she smiled warmly at Sarah. “And this is the Prince Of The Nature Kingdom’s wife, Anna. And Anna, this is my sister, Lizzy.” She finished. “Lovely to meet you, Anna.” I said as I shook her hand. The four of us sat down on the back pew, and explained the situations we’re in. “When I was at the dungeon last, Elijah’s cell was on fire..” Jess explained in a nervous tone. Tears filled my eyes. This time, not happy tears. “W-what?” I asked with a quiver in my voice. I stared at Jess, unsure what else to say. “Is he still.. Alive?” Sarah asked as she nervously fidgeted with her hands. “I don’t know..” Jess replied. I burst into uncontrollable tears. “We don’t know if your father is still alive either.” Sarah said in a sad tone. Jess’s heartbeat quickened. She sighed. “Lets pray.” She said as the four of them all held each others hands, and closed their eyes. “Lord.. Help keep Elijah safe, and help keep Jess and Lizzy’s father alive. And please Lord, if it’s in your will, keep Anna’s husband safe too. It’s now in your hands, Lord Jesus. Amen.” Sarah prayed. “Amen.” I said as I slowly opened my eyes. That word, Amen, really mean’t “So be it.” That was the perfect words for that prayer. So be it, Lord.

Chapter 12: Elijah!

Elijah ran up the stairs to the main part of the dungeon. The whole building was up in flames, but there was one path leading to the door, where there was no flames at all. Sparks didn’t even fall on the path. In awe, Elijah ran to the door, and opened it. 

——— 

Me, Jess, Sarah, and Anna, all rushed out of the chapel, and stood on the hill. We made plans to go back to Beth’s dungeon, despite what might happen, to try and save Elijah, and Anna’s husband. As we walked down the hill, I noticed smoke hovering over a building in the distance. “I wonder what happened over there.” Jess said as she too, noticed the smoke. I quickly stopped in my tracks, when I realized something. “T-t-that building.. That’s B-b-beth’s-“ I started to say, but Anna finished my sentence. “Dungeon..” She said as she gulped. Tears ran down my cheek, as thoughts came into my head. What if Elijah, Anna’s husband, and Mom aren’t alive? Why was the building even on fire? My heart pounded, and I started to walk again. My slow walking turned into running. I ran faster then I ever had before. “Lizzy! Wait for us!” Sarah yelled. My thoughts drowned out all the noise. I had to find the dungeon. I could see it on the hill, but when I came off the hill and into the forest, I had no sense in where the dungeon could be. I already felt out of breath, but I had to keep going. The thoughts that crept inside of me made me run even faster. “I can’t go back.” I mumbled to myself. 

— — —

The now three girls, just stood there, hopeless. “How on earth are we going to find her now?” Jess asked. Sarah shrugged. “I don’t know, but if we don’t find her soon, she could really be in danger..” Sarah said a bit nervously. “Common, we can’t waste anytime.” Anna said as she walked down the hill. Sarah and Jess followed close behind.

— — — 

As Elijah opened the door, he was face to face with- Dan? “Dan!” Elijah said in total shock. Dan gasped. “Elijah?” He said, unsure what to say. Dan’s voice sounded a bit sad for some reason. “I’m glad to see your safe, and out of the fire.” Elijah said happily. “Yeah.” Dan replied as he gazed behind Elijah and at the giant dungeon. “Is everything okay?” Elijah asked with concern. Dan broke out of his daydream and stared at him. “Not really..” He replied as he scratched his neck. “Whats wrong?” Elijah asked nervously. “Well, It’s about my parents..” He replied. Elijah raised an eyebrow. 

— — —

I stopped for a moment, to catch my breath. The sun was fully out, and I thought it was probably about noon. I was starving, thirsty, and had no place to go. I plopped down on the grass, and stared at the trees. I had so much hurt, so much confusion, that I felt like I was beginning to doubt God all together. I looked up to the sky, and mumbled, “If your real, then why is this happening to me? Why is Elijah probably not alive? Why are you doing this to me?” Tears ran down my face. As I wiped my tears away, someone tapped my shoulder. “Lizzy?” They asked. I turned around, and smiled widely.

Chapter 13: The Revealed Secrets.

Elijah’s worried eyes stared at Dan, waiting for him to speak. The two men walked away from the dungeon, while talking. Dan choked back tears as he spoke. “I’m not sure if both of my parents are alive.” He said as a tear managed to stream down his cheek. Elijah gulped. “What happened..?” He asked in a low tone. “You see, it all started two months ago,” Dan started. “Me and Jess’s cell was right next to Beth’s office, so I saw a golden opportunity to listen in on Beth and one of the guards. She said that she was going to one day destroy Sky Kingdom, and her plan was almost done, since she had trapped almost all of us-“ Elijah interrupted. “Almost, all of us?” He questioned. Dan nodded. “She still needed to trap the king. My father..” He replied. Elijah’s eyes grew wide. “She managed to trap him in a separate dungeon, and gathered up all of the Kingdom’s information, including my families titles. After a month and a half of being in the cell, my father got very ill, and later, got a terrible fever. Beth let him out of the cell because of this, and into the castle again. But the worst part is, my father never got treated for his fever, so he may not even be- alive.” Dan finished. Elijah bit his lip for a moment, before speaking. “How did you find out about all of this? And what about your Mom?” He asked. “Well..” Dan said with a little frown.

——— 

The three girls had been trying to find me for what seemed like forever. Sarah breathed heavy and paused. “I can’t go on any farther, I’m so tired.” She complained as Jess and Anna turned around to look at her. “Sarah, if you can’t go any farther, why don’t you just stay here, since you obviously don’t care about finding my sister.” Jess shot back with anger in her voice. “No no, I do care, it’s just we’ve been walking for so long an-“ Sarah got interrupted by Anna. “I’m sorry to say this, Sarah, but I agree with Jess. We can’t waste anytime.” She said as she and Jess started walking again. Sarah’s heartbeat quickened, as Jess and Anna walked farther, and farther away from her. How would she be able to find me on her own?

———

I was face to face with Jaz and her adoptive parents. “Jaz!” I exclaimed as I happily jumped up to give her a hug. “What are you doing in these parts?” Jaz asked with a chuckle as she waved her hand around, indicating they were in the forest. “A better question would be what are you doing here, and where’s your brother?” I asked as I raised an eyebrow. “We’re headed to Beth’s dungeon, and my brother is a guard there.” Jaz explained with a happy grin. I quickly took a step back. “Why are you going to her dungeon?” I asked as anxiety rushed through me. I suddenly remembered I still was carrying my Bō staff. I pulled it out and stared at her. She gave me a smirk. “We work for her.” She said in a loud whisper. “No..” I said in disbelief. Not knowing what else to do, I ran the other direction. Jaz and her parents ran after me, and though I felt like earlier I was doubting God, I knew I couldn’t doubt, and I had to trust. “Lord, help me!” I screamed. Jaz and her parents were even faster than I was. Would I even be able to escape if they trapped me?

Chapter 14: Lonely, But Together.

———

“Not too long ago, I was wandering through the forest, just trying to find Sky Kingdom, when I saw Mom lying on the grass, in the forest. She kept groaning, as if she was hurt. I told her I’d be back with help, and when I found someone, she wasn’t there.” Dan said thoughtfully “Strange.” Elijah commented. Dan nodded in agreement. “I’m just scared, because it seems as if she was hurt, then she disappeared. Where could she have gone?” Dan wondered aloud. “I have the slightest idea, but we can search for her.” Elijah said with a glimmer of hope in his voice. “Right, and I suggest we get started now.” Dan said with a smile. And with that, the two men started to run deeper in the forest. 

———

I ran as fast as I possibly could, but I was slacking. My eyes gazed to the right, and the trees looked like a blur. On the right, I noticed a girl. That girl.. She looked so familiar. “Elizabeth!” The girl screamed, as she started running towards me. My pace slowed down, and I tried to squint to see who it was. She approached me, and I realized something. It was Sarah. “Sarah! Don’t stop running, follow me!” I screamed to her. My pace was still slow, and Jaz grabbed my arm. Suddenly, Sarah grabbed my Bō staff from back cross body pouch I carried it in. Jaz’s Mom, then, grabbed the Bō staff from Sarah. “No!” My voice echoed. 

The next thing I knew, I was gagged, bound, and tied to a tree. I looked down at Jaz, and glared at her. I couldn’t see Sarah anywhere, and I had the slightest idea where she was. Jaz quickly cut off the gag, and stared at me. “So tell me, Lizzy, where’s the keys?” Jaz asked me, as she crossed her arms. “Keys? What keys?” I asked, obviously puzzled. “You know what I’m talking about. The keys to the Sky Kingdom castle.” Jaz explained. My heartbeat quickened. Everyone in the family, besides Jaz, had the keys to get into the castle, but I had no idea what she would want them for. “I would never tell, Jaz.” I said under my breath, still glaring at her.

———

“Elijah, I think we might as well give up. We’ve been wandering in the forest for hours now.” Dan said with a sigh, as he sat down on a nearby log. Elijah sat down next to him. “I know. I just wish we could all get back to Sky Kingdom and get back to our lives. I’ve been gone from the church for so long now, they’ve probably got a new pastor.” Elijah said with a sigh. Dan smirked at him. “And replace Elijah Smith? I doubt it.” Dan said to him, still smirking. At that moment, Jaz came running towards them. Dan stood up in shock. “Jaz! Where have you been?” Dan asked, smiling wide. “Been in the forest this whole time.” Jaz said with absolutely no expression. Elijah frowned at her.“You okay?” Elijah asked with concern. “Yeah.” She replied plainly, as she stared at the ground, as if she was deep in thought. “Oh, I saw Lizzy back there. Wanna go see her?” Jaz asked, kicking the dirt on the ground. “Lizzy’s here? Please Jaz, please, take us to her.” Elijah said, tears filling his eyes, but he refused to let one slip down his face. Jaz nodded, and started walking deeper in the forest. The three approached me. As Elijah saw me bound to the tree, his face grew red with anger, and before he could speak, Jaz practically tackled Elijah and Dan, and bound them on trees near mine. “Elijah.” I said, tears streaming down my face. I bit my lip. Jaz left us suddenly. “At least we’re together now.” Elijah said with a smile. I nodded slightly. “Yeah, but what do you think Jaz wants with us?” I wondered aloud. “To take down Sky Kingdom.” Dan said quickly, all in one breath. “What?” Me and Elijah both said in unison. I felt like all that was going on was too much to bear, but yet, I did want the greatest adventure of my life. Here it was, and I had to accept it. I kept my eyes focused on Dan, waiting for him to speak.