Lost & Found Book 1

"Mmmmm, Carmen I think you read my stomach this time! The spaghetti hit the spot." Shina complimented. Spade nodded with his mouth full and spaghetti sauce all around his mouth, I laughed and passed a napkin over to him. He took it and wiped his mouth. "Thanks," he said.

"So how is my cousin doing in a cell?"

"He is doing fine, he found something to do with his time. Like pick lint out of his pocket and pick it apart," said a voice behind me, turning my head out of the corner of my eye I saw Jake leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest. I noticed that he had the wasp tattoo on his left arm. "That sounds pretty boring if you ask me." Shina said throwing away her paper plate and plastic fork. "Says the girl that recycles last years notes," Kyla commented quietly so that Shina couldn't hear. Me and Spade laughed.

"What?" She snapped. I shook my head holding my sides. I got up and threw away my plate and fork. "I'm going to visit Lucas," I said passing Shina who was glaring at Spade. Passing Jake I noticed something about him that was off.

"What's wrong?" He shook his head, I searched his thoughts, which he sensed and rather than put up defenses he told me mentally what was bugging him, well not so much bugging him than constantly hitting him in the head. He seemed to have a crush on Kyla, and with her ignoring him, Shina kept trying to hit on him. 'I'll talk with them,' I told him mentally while walking past. 'Thanks, I think,' was all I heard looking back he disappeared. I sighed and continued onward to where Lucas was being held.

I grabbed one of the folding chairs that where outside of the room. Entering the room I saw Lucas leaning back in the chair against a wall. "Heya Carmen, you wouldn't have happened to have grabbed a yo-yo or a board game on the way here would you?" I shook my head and un-folded the chair. Before I even decided what to say I searched his mind with questions plaguing mine. I sighed heavily crossing my arms over my chest. Looking I found all sorts of little traps inside of his mind. 'That's odd,' I said to myself. 'No human should have these sorts of traps'

"Hey Carmen are you here to talk or babysit?"

"Babysit," I said automatically. As I made my way through the traps, laser's, bottomless pits, rolling boulders, black holes and all of those I noticed something as I dodged all of them. Where there were trap activators I noticed a little symbol on the right walls. So as I approached the next trap I saw that symbol and stepped to the right to touch it. Upon touching it I saw that the symbol was covered in dust so I brushed the dust aside and gasped. It was a wasp. I kept my concentration of going inside his mind thankfully. I mentally called Shina, Kyla and Spade to the room I was in. 'We're on our way,' I heard. I skipped over the traps that had the wasps next to the activators and made my way further into his mind. I reached the core and saw that it wasn't my cousin but some girl with a wasp tattoo on her left breast. My cousin was to the left being held in vines, very thick looking vines. She was concentrating on playing my cousin. I retreated quickly. Not making a sound to break her concentration.

I got up out my chair Spade was in the doorway looking at me seriously. "What's wrong?" he mouthed. I walked past saying loud enough that we would be right back. With the door closed I mentally called Leona to our location. Leaning against the wall she appeared within moments. "What's up Carmen? The suspense is torture," Shina said.

"My cousin is and isn't who he says he is." I said looking grave.

"What do you mean Carm?" Kyla asked.

"Hand me your drawing pad and a pencil Shina, mine is in my room back at home." She fumbled to open her bag and handed me the items that I had requested, flipping to a clean page I drew the image I saw when I had gotten deep into Lucas's mind. Flipping to the next page I did a close up on the girl. Showing them the pictures the one who was cursing the most was Leona.

"What's wrong Leona?" Kyla asked.

"That's Sara, the head of the wasp clan. The one I told you guys about when we bargained for my freedom," She cursed again. I heard a sigh from around the corner that was 15-20 feet to my left. Looking over there I immediately asked, "Who's there?"

Jake came out of hiding holding his hands up in the air walking towards us.

"I thought there was something odd about him," Jake said loud enough for Kyla and Shina to hear. I looked into his mind, this time without him noticing and I looked at some of his memories. Coming back to reality I said, "Sadly enough he's right about his curiosity."

I sighed turning around and before I opened the door I said, "I'll free my cousin so he has his mind back, Kyla I'll need your help."

Walking inside with Kyla, Spade, Shina, Leona and Jake behind me. I sat down on the concrete floor crossing my legs Kyla following suit. I entered his mind first. I waited for Kyla and when she showed up I thought to her, 'Follow me closely, I know where all the traps are and how to identify them as traps.' She nodded and took a step back. I began walking looking cautiously for the wasp sign, it was still on the right I sighed in relief, Sara hadn't noticed I was here. Skipping over the traps Kyla and I made it to the center of Lucas's mind. Nothing had changed except the fact Sara was facing away from me this time. I walked silently over towards Lucas, I inspected the area as I took each step. Kyla was concentrating on casting. I made it over to Lucas touching his shoulder he snapped his head up and looked at me. I put my finger to my lips shaking my head pointing to Sara I mouthed for him to be quiet or she could fry us both. He nodded. I glanced over at Kyla, she gave me a thumbs up I looked back at Lucas and he was free. Sara turned towards us. 'Of frig, she's seen us,' I thought aloud in unison with Lucas, 'thankfully she hasn't seen Kyla yet' I thought to myself. She stared at me smiling and then began to vanish 'KYLA! Stop her!' I thought out loud hurridly. 'It's too late, trying to stop her from leaving is hard especially if it's in somebody else's mind'. Kyla thought shaking her head. I sighed an audible sigh then retreated from Lucas's mind.

"She got away," I said opening my eyes. Looking around I noticed that nobody but me and Kyla were in the room. I got up and tried to open the door, I had no luck.

"Kyla, we have a problem" I said drawing the sentence out. "What's the problem?"

"We're locked in" I said trying the door again. Kyla frowned.

"Let me try" She said. She tried the door and then cursed. Her fingers began to spark and I immediately backed up.

"Woah, Kyla, lightning? Medium sized room? A lot of metal in this room?" I said kind of scared. The sparking ended and she sighed. I sat down and tried calling out to Spade, I had no luck so I tried Shina. I found it very difficult to call out to her. So I tried entering her mind, I got in, and I was floating in a black abyss it seemed. I looked around and noticed far below me that something sparked. Going towards what sparked I saw Shina. I exited her mind and tried to enter Spade's mind. I found it even harder than Shina's to get into. He had high mental defenses up. I looked for a way around and found nothing, so returning to where I had entered I walked towards the wall and touched it, it let me in and created a hallway stepping inside the wall sealed shut behind me. I walked down the hallway. When I had reached the end of the hallway I saw a door, two doors in fact. One on my right and one on my left. I tried to figure out what door I should enter but what Spade had said to me after my cities aflame dream kept popping into my head. 'home' I thought out loud, when I had thought that aloud the two doors disappeared and a door in front of me showed up. I opened it.

I stepped inside and saw what seemed like his bedroom, Spade was out cold on his bed. I walked over to his bed and began to shake him and call his name. He groaned, 'Mom it's only been an hour.'

'Spade! It's me Carmen!' His eyes flew open and he sat up looking around. 'Carmen? What are you doing here? Wait, is this my room?' I laughed. 'We're in your mind, apparently you were knocked out... can you wake up physically and get me and Kyla out of the cell before Kyla electrocutes me?' I thought with a worried look on my face. 'Um, sure, your going to have to talk, err guide me through how being in my own mind is kinda freaky.' I sighed.

'Sure, now get us out and explain to us physically what happened please? I think Kyla's getting aggravated, so see ya' I thought before returning to reality.

I opened my eyes and saw Kyla sitting in a corner with her arms around her legs. I sighed. "Spade's on his way I hope. He and I made an agreement that if he got us out and explained what happened while we were in Lucas's mind and I would explain to him about his mind slash how I got into his mind." Kyla looked over at me then said kind of depressed, "And what if he doesn't show?"

"He will, otherwise he'll get an earful from me."

She snorted and scooted over until she was right next to the door. I sighed.

"What's wrong?" I asked as she put her head in her arms.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Bullshit. I have never seen you like this before. Now spill." I demanded with what felt like a little power put behind my words. She tensed then relaxed, picking her head up she looked at me with a far away look in her eyes.

"You know how a soul bond works right?" She questioned. I shook my head and she sighed.

"A soul bond is created either when you've become extremely close to another person to the point where they are like family or when you've found your soul mate." She said, I nodded for her to continue. "The soul bond is pretty strong, and the only way to break it is if the person dies, hurts you to a point where they can never be forgiven or if you've fallen out of touch. And that's just for if someone's become bound to you like a sibling."

I shifted a little unfolding my legs which were starting to fall asleep. "What about soul mates?" I asked not really knowing about the soul mates topic either. Sensing my lack of knowledge on that subject Kyla sighed.

"You'll know if you've found your soul mate. It will seem like the world finally makes sense and that nothing can change your feelings for your mate. A person finding their soul mate can be rare, but when they do they never want to leave them." Kyla continued on, "When they touch it's like the entire world lights up and if their mate is angry or sad they calm down or cheer up, there's always a spark between soul mates that never disappears." She paused licking her lips.

"Whenever one's mate is in pain or in danger they feel it through their soul bond. When it comes to pain it's so strong you don't realize why you got hit with it. But eventually you figure it out. Same goes for danger. Adrenaline starts pumping and fear courses through your body." She stopped sighing, "The only way for the soul-bond between mates can be broken is if their mate dies. Then it's like they lost a part of themselves. It drives some to and beyond the point of insanity or even suicide." She trailed off.

"OK, and how does this fit into your situation?" I questioned.

"Jake is my soul mate. I don't know if he realizes it or not but Shina keeps hitting on him. The worst way for a person's heart to be broken is if their mate declines them. I don't know what to do, I wish I did, but I don't." She said staring at the wall beside me.

"Tell Shina to back off, let her know he's your mate," I stated.

She snorted, "I wish it were that easy. But, what if he doesn't share the same feelings? He could decline me as his mate!"

I sighed and folded my legs again. "He pretty much shares the same feelings, I asked him what was wrong earlier and I don't think he knows about soul mates and soul bonds though. All I know is, is that he has a crush on you... and he wants Shina to stop hitting on him." I said quoting the word 'crush'. She stared at me and it looked like she stopped breathing for a moment then closed her eyes and smiled. Then put her head back down onto her knees.