Chapter 11: The Youth Fountain

Part I

 

 The three friends went out to look for Jennifer and Kubar, so then they could restore the lives of Kubar's slaves, and bring Jennifer back to life. With the help of Tyler, they got there in no time. Jennifer lay helplessly on the ground, her face was pale and her body looked cold. Shon began to tear up- all he could remember was telling Jennifer that he hated her and now she was gone. Suri comforted him.

 

"I can't believe she's gone," Shon said sobbing.

 

"Think of it this way," Tyler stated," she's in a better place now- a place where she doesn't have to fight anymore, but rest peacefully with the youth she has left of her."

 

"That's it!" Suri exclaimed excitedly.

 

"What's it?" Tyler asked confusingly.

 

"When I was a little girl, my grandmother got really sick, so my father took her to a healing pond called 'The Youth Fountain'. It can cure any animal or human of any sickness or disease, even death. We put my grandmother in it, and she was cured within minutes."

 

"Really?! Suri, we have to get to that pond so we can bring Jennifer back and stop Kubar. Do you remember where it is?" Shon said ecstatic to hear this information.

 

"Um....yea, I remember where it is, but it was so long ago. I don't think I can remember exactly how to get there, though. Plus..." Suri replied unsure how to tell her excited boyfriend the bad news.

 

"What?" Shon asked.

 

"Only level 5 through 10 water masters can put 'The Youth Fountain' into effect. I'm only a level 4."

 

"It's alright Suri. Just a few months ago, I stopped Jupiter from releasing extremely hot gases into outer space- killing every form of life that we know of and everyone said that a kid couldn't perform such a dangerous task. And I did. So if I can do something impossible like that, than I know you can work this fountain thingy-ma-jig."

 

"...Okay," Suri giggled. "Thanks, Shon," she said giving Shon a hug.

 

"Alright you two, break it up. Let's hurry and get to that youth fountain- this place is starting to creep me out," Tyler stated rubbing his arms.

 

Shon picked Jennifer up and carried her in his arms as Suri lead them in the direction to 'The Youth Fountain'.

 

"So, Shon, was that story about you stopping those gases from Jupiter being released into space really true?" Suri asked Shon with a curious look.

 

"Yea," Shon replied.

 

"Really?" Tyler asked.

 

Shon mouthed the word "no", but Suri didn't see the jesture.

 

 

Part II

 

 Two days passed and the three friends had not reached 'The Youth Fountain'. They were tired, hungry, and just wanted to give up on finding the fountain. Suri never told them it would take this long and this much energy.

 

"Are we almost there?!" Tyler asked Suri, frustrated and exhausted.

 

"Yea, I think so. My dad told me whenever a water master feels something different with their powers, they are close to the fountain."

 

"Well, do you feel anything?" Shon asked.

 

"Yea... it's like... their getting stronger or somethin'."

 

"Well they better be feelin' somethin' because it feels like I'm about to die."

 

They walked a few more miles 'til they reached a sign that said 'dead end'.

 

"Oh, that's just great! We've been walking for days and now there's a dead end. Are you sure this youth fountain is real or were you just sayin' that to get our hopes up?" Tyler said.

 

"Yeah, I'm sure it's real. Wait... my dad told me...," Suri paused, closing her eyes to think.

 

"What? What did your dad tell you, Suri?" Shon asked.

 

Suri replied devastated,"If you reach the 'dead end', turn around, you've gone too far."

 

Everyone's mood had gone from hungry, and tired to mad, and frustrated.

 

Tyler sighed and said,"So, what are we suppose to do now?"

 

"We turn around and keep going,"Suri replied.

 

"No, we're not goin' anywhere! I'm aggrivated and I'm hungry and I need to get some sleep. You're not the one who has to carry a one hundred and somethin' pound girl for the next fifty miles- I am."

 

"Oh my gosh, Shon! Can you please stop thinking about yourself for just one minute and think about how WE may feel! We didn't have to walk miles without food and sleep for you, but we chose to. You know why? Because, we care about you and your sister's well-being, not just our own!" Suri exclaimed.

 

 Shon and Tyler didn't know what to say. Not because they never heard Suri yell like this before, but because when she did, her entire body began to glow.

 

"Um, Suri...Your, your um, body is glowing," Tyler said not wanting to make her even more angry then she already was.

 

 Suri looked at her arms and legs, and was astouned to see that she had turned a glowing, bright, blue.

 

"Does this happen often?" Shon asked rhetorically.

 

 Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Trees fell from where they stood, the clouds faded from the sky, and the moon shined big and bright upon them. When the quake seized, the trees had appeared to form a path, leading to where the 'dead end' sign had stood, but was now gone. Curious about what the path lead to, the three friends and a lingering Jennifer, walked and saw something they had never expected- 'The Youth Fountain'.

 

"I knew it was real!" Suri exclaimed. She couldn't recall why her father didn't tell her about what happens after reading the 'dead end' sign, but she did remember what she had to do now.

 

"Hey guys, I'm sorry about what I said back there. I wasn't thinking about how you may have felt about the whole situation and I was way out of line," Shon apologized.

 

"It's alright," Tyler said putting his hand on Shon's shoulder,"you're just a hothead who needs to let off some steam once in awhile."

 

Suri giggled.

 

"So, what do we do from here, "Glow Girl"?" Tyler asked trying to be funny.

 

"Well, we have to put Jennifer in the water first and I'm guessing with this glow I have over my body, I can then activate the waters of The Youth Fountain to bring her back to life,"Suri replied not sure of the answer she just gave.

 

 Shon placed Jennifer into the fountain. It didn't seem like a pond at all, but a fountain as the name had intened it to be. The calm waters were blocked out by the sound of rushing waters from above, surrounded by spring flowers and lush, green grasses. The name underestimated its true beauty.

 

 Suri used her water mastery to stop the waters from above from pouring into the fountain. As she placed her hands into the water, the glow from them lit up the fountain from the glistening surface to the darkness below. Jennifer's body sank into the deep waters and disappeared. Shon began to worry. Suri continued to concentrate on the water, then suddenly, she stopped. She wasn't glowing anymore.

 

"Did it work? Where's Jennifer?" Shon asked, worried about the sake of his sister.

 

"Wait... I see something," Suri said staring hard into the fountain.

 

 The water began to spiral and bubbles formed. The three were quiet and nervous to see what was about to happen. Out of nowhere, Jennifer's head came popping out of the water- she was coughing, and gasping for air.

 

"Jennifer, you're alive!" All of them exclaimed at once.

 

 They helped her out of the fountain and began to hug her tightly.

 

"Oh my goodness, Shon, where are we? What happened?" Jennifer asked, confused about the whole situation.

 

"Jen, Tyler told me you were dead so we went to go find you, and there you were all dead, so I carried you for miles and miles because Suri remembered this fountain that her dad used for her grandma when she was sick, but then we came to a dead end so I thought we were done for, but then there was this earthquake that made a path for us that lead to The Youth Fountain, and then with Suri's glowing power, we put you into the water, and now you're here and I'm so happy!" Shon explained to Jennifer, hugging her even tighter.

 

"Wow... that's something. So, you're not mad at me anymore?" Jennifer asked.

 

"Mad at you? No! I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you and I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, sorry about everything I said."

 

"I love you, too, Shon and it's alright. I know I can be a little over protective sometimes."

 

 After making up, Shon made a fire to get everyone warmed up, introduced Jennifer to Tyler, and got her to get to know Suri a little more. After hearing about everything Suri had done for her, Jennifer thanked her and approved that she could continue to see Shon. They caught fish and gathered berries for food, freshened up in the fountain, and made pallets for the night.

 

"Get some sleep you guys because tomorrow is operation 'Kill Kubar'," Jennifer announced.

 

They all looked at each other in agreement and fell sound asleep.