Taylor and Jessica looked at each other when they saw Isaac arrive. Taylor nodded, and the two started focusing their power. They had Carla in the car with them, and reflecting her emotions of calm, joy, wonder and playfulness onto Isaac.
Isaac paused, and looked around, his eyes wide with awe. Such a fascinating place this was. Oh, but so dark and dreary. It needed a little colour.
“Okay, we have him,” Taylor said.
Zac nodded and turned to Carla.
“Okay, so you meant what you said before, right?” he said. “If you turn into shapeshifter liquid you can make him turn into it too?”
Carla nodded.
“Okay, then go do it. Sooner you guys merge, the sooner we can put you back together and – why are you shaking you head?”
“No,” Carla said. “No, I can’t do it.”
“What do you mean, you can’t do it?”
Taylor and Jessica looked at each other nervously. If Carla got too agitated…
“I caaann’t. I’m sorry!”
“What? You lied to us?”
“No! No, I would never lie, it’s just that… well, I like being how I am. And I can do so much more good this way. Think of all the new life that would be saved… and he can’t possibly be as bad as you say -”
“Carla! He’s evil! He’s the freaking walking embodiment of evil and you’re the only one who can do anything about it. That’s the greatest good that you could -”
“Umm, guys?” Taylor interrupted.
But it was too late. Isaac had started receiving Carla’s feelings of agitation and sadness, the empaths not being able to stop it in time. Worse, he had located them, and they were now floating in the car about 10 feet from the ground. Isaac shapeshifted his legs longer so he could look in at them.
“So,” he scorned. “You found me. Oh, look Carla, it’s good Carla and Isaac.”
He chuckled in that evil, unnerving way of his.
“Y’know what? I really don’t like being set up,” he went on. “Gretel side with you, huh? No answer? Well, it doesn’t matter. Because neither you nor her are going to have a chance to try again.”
He shapeshifted back again, and started walking away. Three of the four looked nervously out of the windows after him.
They stayed 10 feet in the air for a couple of minutes. Then they felt the car move, but not down. They were flung to one side of the car as it flew through the air and finally crashed to the ground, wrapping themselves around a tree to the side of the road in the process.
Then the fire started.