司氏姐妹 第22章 - 廢墟下

「你是怎么拿到它的？」摩根急切地問，盯著米娜正在用來打開牢房門的銀鑰匙。「

米娜一邊轉動著鑰匙，一邊悄聲說：「嗯，我一直有這麼一種感覺，有時候，當我不希望人們看到我時，他們就不能看到我，」她說。 「最近我一直在努力試練，所以我可以讓人們看不到我，像這樣。」

米娜的身形如水中的倒影在粼粼波光中閃爍著，然後消失得無影無蹤。沒有看見有手拿著它，那個銀色鑰匙在鎖孔里自動轉動著。

「噢，我的天哪，米娜！」瑪麗說道，「這太奇妙了。」

「是啊，」摩根遙相呼應道。 「我一點也不能看到你。」

米娜再次現身，雖然看上去氣喘吁吁，但滿臉笑容。 「上次我們在這里救瑪拉時我試了一次－－我就是這樣從看守那兒偷到了鑰匙！但是我不能確定我是否真能隱身，因為當我隱形時，我仍然可以看到自己。 剛才，我決定再試一下，果然，我跟著市長溜進前面的房間而沒有任何問題，而當他坐下來后，我只是靜悄悄地從他的口袋裡拿出了鑰匙。」她拉開門，三個姐姐從牢房裡爬出來。

「在危急時刻你對自己充滿信心，」瑪拉說道，緊緊地抱住小妹妹的肩膀。「 我真為你感到自豪。感謝你。「

摩根已經走向通往拘留所前半部分的門，這時，瑪麗的聲音在她的腦袋裡響起，等一等！

瑪麗牽住米娜的手，看著她的姐妹們。 「好，米娜，我想你隱形時，是否也能讓我與你一起隱身。摩根，瑪拉，告訴我，你們是否仍然可以看到我。「

不一會兒，米娜消失了，而瑪麗仍然可見。摩根和瑪拉對瑪麗搖搖頭，瑪麗對米娜說道，「好吧，回來吧。」，米娜再次出現，帶著期待的眼神。瑪麗微笑著搖搖頭。 「不要難過！我只是想試試看。如果一下子成功，事情也太容易了，你不覺得這樣嗎？「

「好了，」摩根說道，她的手有些不耐煩地抓在門的把手上。 「我們一共四個人，而他只有一人。如果必要的話，我們完全可以對付他。另外，米娜可以隱形，可以在他後面突然驚嚇他。讓我們快離開這里。對這個地方我有一種不好的預感。「

「不，」瑪利說道。「還有另一個方法。」姐妹們圍著瑪麗，聽她講訴她的計划。

一分鍾后，姐妹們各就各位。摩根，瑪麗，和瑪拉蹲在黑黑的走廊的另一端，靠近早些時候三個妹妹從隧道里出來時經過的那間牢房。而米娜則站在半開著門的另一間牢房裡。她對著她的姐姐們看過去，她們對她點點頭，給了她一個豎起拇指的信號。 米娜突然消失了，變為無形無蹤。然後，她的喊聲在空氣中響起，「亨特先生！快來這里！有什麼事情發生了！ 亨特先生！快！」

可以聽到椅子刮動的聲音從另一個房間傳來，接著是沉重的腳步聲。 亨特先生把門猛地打開，衝到另一間牢房，環顧四周，驚訝地發現牢房門開著。然後，他的身體突然被一個無形的力量推向前－－顯然是米娜——她也正在把牢房的門用力關上。 「開始！」摩根低語道，三位姐姐衝出牢門和拘留所的前門，相信米娜會把市長鎖在牢房裡，跟著她們跑出來。她們在離拘留所前一百多英尺的地方停下，急速地呼吸著晚上的新鮮空氣，在黑暗中尋找著她們小妹妹的身形在她們面前出現。

「噢。。！」 一聲震耳的叫喊震動了整個房子，伴隨著沉重的腳步聲，似乎整個大地都搖晃起來。尖銳的叫聲划破了夜空。

「米娜！」瑪拉沖回拘留所，潔白的婚紗在她身後飄蕩著。米娜出現在門口，跑過來，撲入瑪拉懷中。 「對不起！」她說，淚水順著她的臉流下，「我不知道究竟是怎麼回事！他一定是猜到了我在那裡，他抓住了我的胳膊......」

在她身後，市長猛地衝出前門，追過來，他的眼睛奇怪的發白。瑪拉牽著米娜的手，往家裡方向跑去，不遠處，摩根和瑪麗正站在一棵樹后。

市長追得越來越近。一陣強風吹在她們的臉上。 「等一等！」米娜突然說，拉著瑪拉停下。 「握緊我的手。」她轉過身來，面對市長，市長正在頂風沖向她們。

米娜的臉上皺起眉頭，顯得全神貫注。當她這樣做時，有一小股正對著市長的風吹得更為猛烈。亨特市長在強風的威力下踉蹌倒退，臉上的皮膚在眼睛和嘴巴周圍被吹得平平坦坦，嘴上還在不停地尖叫和吐著口沫。然後，就像似膠片倒轉，強風迫使市長一步一步地退回到拘留所，在那裡風向又倒轉過來，在他的身後把門砰的一聲關住。突然風靜止了。

瑪麗和摩根跑了出來，她們的眼睛睜得大大的，充滿著驚奇。 「哦，我的媽呀！」摩根說，「那是你嗎，米娜？」

「當然......」瑪麗說道。 「土，風，火，水。四個元素。顯然，你的魔力在風和氣，米娜！」

雙胞姐妹奔向前，四姐妹緊緊擁抱。「我太感謝了，我們大家都安全。」瑪拉說道： 「我也很難過你們大家不得不為我經歷這一切，我永遠永遠永遠不會讓我的妹妹們再次處在危險中！」眼淚從她的臉上滑下，然後地面開始輕輕搖晃。瑪拉用她的胳膊圍住她的三個妹妹，當輕震逐漸變成一個強大的地震時，她用胸部緊緊把三姐妹靠緊，震中就在她們曾被關押的拘留所。

當地面震動時牆壁開始倒塌，屋頂沉沒，整個拘留所土崩瓦解。然後，地震靜止了，夜顯得很安靜。

「我討厭那個地方，」瑪拉說道。她被囚禁在那裡有一個星期了。她擦乾臉，站得高高的。 「讓我們回家吧。媽媽一定在尋找你們小孩們在哪里呢。「

當司氏姐妹們準備轉身離開時，她們對拘留所看了最後一眼。在堆滿石塊，金屬，木料的廢墟上，她們看到了她們過去生活的殘跡，那個生活，也像這個拘留所一樣，在短短一個星期前，顯得無可動搖，但是某些事件似一場突如其來的地震，把它瓦解為無可識別的殘渣。四姐妹手牽著手，走向自己的家，想象著迎接她們的會是什麼。

Chapter 22 – Under the Rubble

「How did you get that?」 Morgan asked, staring at the silver key that Mina was now using to open the door of their cell.

Mina whispered as she turned the key. 「Well I』ve always had this feeling that sometimes, when I don』t want people to see me, they can』t,」 she said. 「Lately I』ve been trying harder to make it so people can』t see me, like this.」

Mina』s form shimmered and then disappeared into the air. The silver key turned in its keyhole without any visible hand turning it.

「Oh my gosh, Mina!」 said Marie, 「That』s fantastic.」

「Yeah,」 chimed Morgan. 「I can』t see you at all.」

Mina reappeared, looking breathless but smiling from ear to ear. 「I tried it last time when we were here to get Mara—that』s how I stole the keys from the guard last time too! I wasn』t sure if it worked or not because I can still see myself when I turn invisible, but I decided to try it just a while ago, and sure enough, I slipped into the front room after the mayor no problem, and when he had settled in for a bit I just walked up quietly and took the key from his pocket.」 She pulled open the gate, and the three older sisters scrambled out.

「You had faith in yourself in a time of crisis,」 Mara said, squeezing her little sister』s shoulders. 「I』m so proud of you. And thank you.」

Morgan had already walked towards the door leading to the front part of the holding house when Marie』s voice sounded in her head, Wait!

Marie held onto Mina』s hand and looked at her sisters. 「Okay. Mina I want you to try to become invisible and make me invisible with you. Morgan, Mara, tell me if you can see me still.」

In the next moment, Mina disappeared while Marie stayed visible. Morgan and Mara shook their heads at Marie, who said to Mina, 「Alright, come back.」 Mina appeared again, an expectant look in her eyes. Marie shook her head with a smile. 「Don』t feel bad! I just wanted to see if it would work. But that would just make things too easy, don』t you think?」

「Alright,」 Morgan said, her hand resting impatiently on the knob. 「There』s four of us, one of him. We can totally tackle him if we need to. Plus, Mina can go invisible and surprise him from behind or something. Let』s get out of here. I have a bad feeling about this place.」

「No,」 said Marie. 「There』s another way.」 The sisters huddled around Marie as she told them her plan.

A minute later, the sisters were in their positions. Morgan, Marie, and Mara were huddled at the other end of the dark hallway, near the cell where the three younger sisters had emerged from the tunnel earlier. Meanwhile, Mina stood by the half-open gate of the other cell. She looked over at her sisters and they nodded at her, giving her a thumbs up sign. Mina disappeared, becoming invisible. Then, her voice shouted into the air, 「Mr. Hunter! Come here! Something』s happened! Mr. Hunter! Quick!」

The sound of a chair scraping could be heard from the other room, followed by heavy footsteps. Mr. Hunter threw open the door and rushed to the other cell, looking around in surprise as he saw the door open. Then, his body was suddenly thrust forward by an invisible force—evidently, Mina—who was also pulling the gate of the cell shut. 「Now!」 whispered Morgan, and the three older sisters dashed out of the door and through the front door of the holding cell, trusting that Mina would lock the mayor in the cell and come running after them. They stopped a hundred feet from the front of the holding house, gasping in the fresh night air, looking into the dark for the form of their little sister to appear in front of them.

「Aaarrrggh!」 The house shook with a loud yell, accompanied by thudding footsteps that seemed to shake the very ground. A sharp scream pierced the air.

「Mina!」 Mara dashed back towards the house, her white wedding dress billowing behind her. Mina appeared in the doorway, running, and shot into her arms. 「I』m sorry!」 she said, tears running down her face, 「I don』t know what happened! He must have figured out that I was there, he grabbed onto my arm…」

Behind her, the mayor was bursting through the first door and charging out, his eyes strangely blank. Mara grabbed Mina』s hand and ran from the house towards where Morgan and Marie were standing behind a tree.

The mayor was gaining on them. A strong wind started to blow in their faces. 「Wait!」 Mina said suddenly, pulling on Mara to stop. 「Hold my hand tight.」 She turned around and faced the mayor, who was struggling towards them against the wind.

Mina』s face crunched up in concentration. As she did this, the wind blew harder in a thin column that seemed to be directed at the mayor. Mayor Hunter staggered backwards with the force of it, the skin on his face flattened around his eyes and screaming, spitting mouth. Then, as if on rewind, the wind forced the mayor step by step back into the holding house, where it turned around and slammed the door shut on him. The air was suddenly still.

Marie and Morgan ran out, their eyes wide with shock. 「Oh my word,」 said Morgan, 「was that you, Mina?」

「Of course…」 said Marie. 「Earth, wind, fire, water. The four elements. Of course, you』ve got power over wind and air, Mina!」

The twins reached forward, and the four sisters embraced. 「I』m so thankful we』re all safe,」 Mara said. 「And I』m so sad that you girls had to go through all of this for me…never never never again will I ever put my younger sisters in danger!」 Tears started to slide down her face, and then the ground started to shake, ever so slightly. Mara wrapped her arms around her three younger sisters, clutching them tight to her chest as the light tremor turned into a full quake, the epicenter of which was the holding cell where they had all been imprisoned.

As the ground shook, the walls of the holding cell toppled and the roof sunk in with an earth-shattering crash. Then, the ground was still and the night was quiet.

「I hated that place,」 Mara said. She had been imprisoned in there for a week now. She wiped her face dry and stood up tall. 「Let』s go home. Mom is probably wondering where you kids are.」

As the Switch sisters turned to leave, they took one last look at the holding house. In the rubble of stone, metal, and wood, they saw the remnants of their lives, which had too seemed so unshakeable just a week before, until, in a sudden quake of events they were broken into unrecognizable remnants of what they once were. The four sisters held hands and walked towards their home, wondering what lay ahead.

• [11/11]The Switch Sisters: Chapter 19 - Sisters
• [11/25]司氏姐妹 第20章：銀色鑰匙
• [11/25]The Switch Sisters: Chapter 20 -- The Silver Key
• [12/03]司氏姐妹 第21章：巫婆
• [12/03]The Switch Sisters: Chapter 21 - Witches
• [12/16] 司氏姐妹 第22章 - 廢墟下
• [12/16]The Switch Sisters：Chapter 22 – Under the Rubble
• [12/23]司氏姐妹 第23章：土氣火水
• [12/30]司氏姐妹： 尾聲
• [05/16]司氏姐妹Kindle版在Amazon出版

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