“We have arrived—this is Las Ramblas,” Hazel said, with a broad smile.

  “Let's get some ice cream,” Christian said. My brother was always hungry.

  Christian approached an ice cream Kiosk with Vivian and Hazel. Charlie walked to a stall that sold chocolate, and Zachary and I looked at the candles.

  “This one smells good,” I said, sniffing a candle with Egyptian musk.

  “Oh, my!” I heard a lady say in shock.

  I turned to look at her and saw a naked man calmly passing the crowd. He only wore flip-flops and a leather side bag. I watched him with a slack-jaw. His body was fit, and he had dimples on the side of his butt cheeks. A few women started to giggle, and they spoke in different languages. Obviously, they were minding his business.

  Zachary smiled with amusement and handed the lady behind the counter money for the candle. “I see him naked every night,” she said with a Spanish accent, putting the candle in a small plastic bag.

  Apparently, in Spai,n it is not an offense to be naked in public unless you are deliberately trying to hurt or offend people, which this man wasn't.

  “Thanks,” I said, gently grabbing the bag with a smirk on my face.

  “If there's anything else you like—let me know,” Zachary tap kissed my lips.

  His sunglasses were lightly tinted, and I could still see a glimpse of his radiant eyes.

  “Did you see that guy?” Christian asked, glancing at the crowd and walking toward us. He was eating a milky ice cream with green chunks in it. It was served in a small orange florescent cup. “That's just wrong. I don't want a man's shlong to bump into me while I'm eating.”

  “His shlong completely missed you,” Vivian said, giggling as she held a strawberry ice cream cone.

  “If he's going to carry a bag, why couldn't it be a fanny bag, moved this way,” Christian said, covering up his private parts.

  “People don't wear fanny bags anymore,” Vivian said.

  Hazel was licking chocolate ice cream on a cone, and Charlie approached us eating truffles.

  “Anybody want one?” Charlie asked.

  “I would like one,” I said.

  Charlie handed me the bag and I took out a dark chocolate truffle. It was filled with cherry filling.

  “Mmm,” I moaned. “That's good.”

  “What kind of ice cream are you eating?” Charlie asked Christian.

  “I was about to ask him the same question,” I said.

  “It is vanilla ice cream with jalapenos,” Zachary said, sniffing it a few feet away.

  “Eww,” I said.

  “There's something really wrong with you,” Charlie said with a disgusted look.

  “Don't knock it, until you try it...okay, people!” Christian said, savoring his burning mouth.

  Zachary laughed so hard, I thought the veins on his forehead were going to pop.

  “There's never a dull moment with you,” Vivian told Christian.

  “Listen, I know how to enjoy life,” Christian said, chewing on a jalapeno. “You are all just jealous.”

  “The day you can walk down Las Ramblas buck naked—it's the day I believe—you can really enjoy life,” I said.

  “Don't tempt me,” Christian said, contemplating whether he should do it.

  “You are going to be shitting fire tonight!” Charlie said, shaking his head.

  “More like—molten lava,” Zachary said. “keep your pants on.”

  Everyone laughed and Christian snickered. “My stomach is made of steel. I can literally eat anything,” he said, padding his tummy hard.

  “Come on, let's walk this way, toward the Rambla de Mar,” Hazel said, grabbing Christian's arm. She was eager to begin her tour guide of Las Ramblas.

  We walked further down. A street performer was dressed in a bright red suit. He was wearing a red top hat, a red wig, red gloves, and his entire face was painted red. He stood motionless, like a statue on top of a pedestal. Tourists approached him with their cameras, and one at a time, they took a picture with him. He would strike a funny pose every few minutes, making people laugh.

  “This part is called the Placa de la Boqueria,” Hazel said.

  We were standing over a pavement that featured a mosaic with white, blue, red, and yellow designs. “This was done by the artist, Joan Miro,” Hazel said.

  “I like it. It' abstract,” Christian said.

  I admired the nearby shops. One of them had an art deco dragon, and tourists were taking pictures of it. We then stopped in front of Barcelona's opera house; a beautiful beige building with large oval shaped windows.

  “This building was twice destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt each time, in 1861 and 1994,” Hazel said.

  We entered another part of the Rambla called, the Placa Reial. A lively square with tall palm trees. “The lamps are designed by Antoni Guadi,” Hazel said pointing to them.

  “Didn't he design the park that looks like candy land?” Christian asked.

  “Yes, the Park Guell. And opposite of us is the Palau Guell, One of Guadi's first residential buildings. He used the same parabolic shapes in the park and in Casa Mila, including rooftop chimneys,” Hazel said.

  The design looked like frosting on a cake. “Very unique,” I said.

  “You need to stop talking like that. You are making me fall in love with you,” Christian said to Hazel.

  “Stop joking around,” Hazel said and pinched him hard on his stomach.

  He jumped back, smiling flirtatiously and walked to a trash bin. He threw away his empty florescent cup. “Show us more, love,” Christian said, placing his right arm around Hazel's shoulders.

  We walked further, passing more Kiosks. “This is called the Rambla de Santa Monica. It was named after a convent,” Hazel said.

  I saw a quick flash, of a short man with curly dark hair, bumping into Christian and Hazel. He picked Christian's wallet, hiding it inside his long black trench jacket.

  I waited patiently and watched the thief bump Christian lightly. “Excuse me,” he said, walking fast, trying to pass me.

  I karate chopped his throat. He fell hard to the ground, barely breathing. I pulled Christian's wallet from the inside of his jacket.

  “How the hell...” Christian said in shock, checking his pocket.

  Zachary was ready to rip the pickpocket a new asshole. “Don't!” I said, stopping Zachary.

  The man got up quickly, holding his throat, and ran away in fear.

  “It's all good,” I said, handing Christian his wallet.

  “It's a Hermes Birkin,” he sighed, touching the black leather with relief.

  “You are a badass,” Vivian said to me with a laugh, and I chuckled.

  “How could you let him pickpocket you?” Charlie asked Christian, rolling his eyes.

  “I didn't feel it. He's a better thief than I am,” Christian muttered in shock.

  “I warned you about this place. Hide your wallet,” Hazel said to Christian.

  The hours seemed to pass us by. The streets had quiet down and the Kiosks were closing.

  The Rambla led us to a roundabout with a 200-foot column—the Columbus Monument. I recalled the 80s photo of Zachary, John, and Vivian. It put a big smile on my face. Christian got all excited and started running toward it. He did a summersault, landing with a wide smile.

  “This is a photo opportunity!” Christian raised his voice. “Let's gather. Come on people!” he demanded.

  He grabbed a Spaniard woman with a child. “Puede tomar una foto de nosotros?” he asked her in Spanish. (Can you take a picture of us?)

  “Si, esta bien,” she said. (Yes, that's fine.)

  The women looked like a local, wearing comfortable clothes, and her daughter was cute, looking at us with big brown eyes that looked tired. It was past her bedtime. She looked four years old and wore a soft pink dress with little boots.

  “Por favor, toque el boton aqui,” Christian said and handed the woman his cell phone. (Please, touch this button here.)

  We all posed. Christian crouched down, holding his chin with sultry eyes. Vivian crouched down next to him with a hard look. Hazel leaned against Christian's shoulders, elegantly arching her back with a sexy look. Charlie climbed the column and balanced himself on his hands, feet in the air, and with his face toward the camera. Zachary wrapped his arms around me, and we all smiled. The women kept on backing away to get a better picture.

  “She better not run away with my phone,” Christian spoke through his teeth as he smiled.

  “I doubt, she will do that,” I said.

  “Are you ready?” she yelled with a Spanish accent.

  “Yeah,” Charlie grunted with an upside-down face that had turned red, and his arms were beginning to shake.

  “Everybody says, jalapeno,” Christian yelled.

  “Jalapeno,” we all yelled and laughed.

  Charlie flipped forward, his face beet red. Christian thanked the woman and put his cell phone away.

  “De nada,” the lady said and walked away smiling. (You are welcome.)

  The little girl waved good-bye to us smiling.

  I waved back at her. “That little girl was adorable,” I said.

  “She had the cutest chubby cheeks, and did you check out her pink boots, they had tassels around the edges,” Hazel said.

  “A four-year-old with fashion sense,” Vivian said, and I smiled.

  “This way is the Ramblas de Mar,” Hazel said and gestured with her hands for us to follow.

  Further down was a wooden walkway. “This is nice,” Christian gasped. “I never want this street to end.”

  “This leads to more shops, a movie theater, and an aquarium. We can cross the bridge, but everything has closed for the evening,” Hazel said.

  It was a wooden suspension bridge for pedestrians that overlooked the marina. It was modern and had a wavy pattern. The water looked peaceful, and there wasn’t a soul in sight.

  Before entering the walkway, I felt danger. The hairs on my body stood up and my heart beat fast. “Wait,” I said loudly.

  Everyone stopped and stared at me.

  “I smell Drako,” Zachary said, pulling down his sunglasses as he searched the area with his glowing aqua eyes.

  I saw a vision of Drako Ward, holding two detonators. He was watching us. The first bomb went off by the entrance of the roundabout near the Columbus Monument, killing the local woman with the little girl and some tourist. The second went off in front of us. Destroying the bridge and blowing us up.

  “There's a bomb—on the bridge!” I shouted, grabbing my brother's arm.

  Vivian grabbed Hazel, and we all ran toward the right side of the bridge. The first bomb exploded. In an instant, Zachary grabbed my brother and threw him thirty feet in the air, away from the bridge. He then grabbed me, spun me, and threw me with great velocity, far up into the air. I flew backward, watching Zachary push Charlie on the ground, and covered his body. Vivian curled her body over Hazel and the second bomb exploded.

  The powerful explosion had a large blaze of fire sending me flying further. Debris and shrapnel blew everywhere. I covered my face and landed hard on the ground. I felt numb, disoriented and out of breath. Heavy smoke surrounded us. I had wooden shrapnel embedded in my arms and legs. I knew the side of my face was bleeding, but I didn't feel any pain—not yet.

  I heard Christian groaning; then he started yelling, “Skye!”

  “I'm over here!” I raised my voice.

  He walked with a limp toward me, pulling a small piece of wood out of his leg.

  “He freakin threw me!” Christian said.

  “And it saved your life...are you okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, are you?”

  “I am fine,” I said, pulling small shrapnel pieces out of my arms.

  The bridge was burning, surrounding us with smoke. “I can't find Hazel,” Christian said, coughing.

  We walked over the debris, and I saw Vivian. She was on top of Hazel and had shrapnel in her back, and her head was bleeding. “Vivian!” I said and kneeled next to her.

  Vivian was unconscious, and Hazel was groaning in pain.

  “Hazel, are you okay?” Christian asked her, moving debris from her.

  “I am fine, but Vivian...she's hurt,” Hazel said, staring at Vivian's bloody head.

  “Stay here, I am going to search for Zachary,” I said.

  Zachary was fifteen feet away, lying on the ground. Charlie was checking him.

  “He's badly hurt,” Charlie said.

  Charlie's face was bleeding, and he had a piece of metal shrapnel embedded into his left arm. “So are you,” I said.

  “I'll be fine,” Charlie said, touching his face. He then noticed the long metal piece in his arm and ripped it off, grunting in pain. “Ah.”

  I quickly pulled a dagger from the inside of my jacket and cut a long piece of cotton from my shirt. I tied it around his bleeding arm tight.

  “Ugh,” he grunted, tightening his face.

  I bent down to check Zachary. The back of his head had a chunk blown away and he was bleeding. Suddenly, we heard another explosion. This time it sounded like it came from the top of Salazar's mansion.

  “Can you get in touch with anyone?” I asked Charlie.

  “Nothing, it's dead,” Charlie said, trying to call from his phone.

  I saw a vision of five vampires coming toward us, Drako was among them.

  “Grab Zachary, bring him next to Vivian. They’re coming, and Drako is with them,” I said.

  Charlie helped me carry Zachary quickly, and we placed him next to Vivian.

  “Hazel, you need to stay low,” I said, then I looked at Christian. “Get ready, Drako is coming and he has four vamps with him.”

  “How big are they?” Christian asked, taking out his black handgun and his silver dagger.

  “There's one big guy, but I think we can take them. Make sure they don't kill Zachary and Vivian,” I said, and grabbed my brother by the collar.

  “I will...I promise,” Christian said, staring into my eyes.

  Charlie handed Hazel a silver handgun. “Remember how I taught you,” he said.

  Hazel nodded her head. She was scared, her hands shook holding the gun. Charlie took out a Katana sword from the inside of his leather jacket and loosened the strap to his dagger on the side of his pants.

  I gripped both daggers in front of me in a fighting stance. “They are here,” I said.

  Four vampires appeared through the smoke, then Drako. The big vampire had dark skin and bright blue eyes. He was the size of a tank. The other three were average size and all looked young—in their teens. They had on dark grey clothes and carried sharp weapons with them. Drako wore a top hat and a black suit, making him look like Charlie Chaplin. His vest had hundreds of thin daggers strapped to it. He was chewing gum and glaring at us.

  “How sweet...we get to have dessert tonight boys. Two AB negatives and one O positive,” he said and laughed.

  “Why don't you smell us again, douche bag. Because this hybrid is going to cut your dick off,” I said with a smile.

  Drako took a deep breath. His eyes turned bright blue, and his teeth clenched. “What are you?” he grunted, staring at my brother and me.

  “Why don't you come and find out!” Christian said, pointing his gun directly at his heart.

  Charlie was the first to attack. He swiftly threw his sharp dagger into the heart of a vampire, and he swung his Katana sword, decapitating him. The vampires spread out.

  Charlie instantly started fighting the next vampire with his sword, using different martial arts techniques. Charlie did not fight with any rules—the more vicious and dirtier the better for him.

  Christian shot bullets into the eyes of a vampire lunging at him. The vampire fell forward, and Christian quickly crouched, penetrating the dagger into his heart.

  I did a side flip, landing next to the vampire, and I sliced his head off. Ashes surrounded us.

  Drako watched with a smirk on his face and disappeared into the smoke. The vampire the size of a tank also vanished.

  I saw a quick flash of a sword coming at me. The vampire had short blonde hair and beady yellow eyes.

  I crouched low, spinning and slashed the vampire’s legs with both daggers. He tumbled to the ground.

  Christian shot bullets in his chest, but the vampire swiftly got up and disappeared into the debris.

  Charlie was still brutally fighting. I threw a dagger into the back of the vampire. It pierced his heart, and Charlie beheaded him.

  A quick flash showed the vampire with beady yellow eyes attacking Charlie from behind.

  “Watch out. Behind you!” I yelled at Charlie.

  Charlie did a flying roundhouse kick across the vampire's face. I threw my last dagger into the side of the vampire's ribs, and Charlie executed him.

  “Your turn, Zeus,” Drako said, loudly.

  I couldn't see Drako, but he was watching us.

  Zeus appeared, cracking his neck and fingers. He laughed and lunged at Charlie, pushing him far into the water next to the fiery, broken bridge and debris.

  “No!” Hazel screamed and ran toward Charlie.

  She wasn't concealed in the smoke anymore. “No, Hazel, stay!” I yelled.

  Hazel aimed the gun at Zeus and shot bullets at his chest. He blocked the bullets with his arms that were covered with metal armor.

  Zeus grabbed Hazel, gripping her gun and threw it in the water. She struggled as he held her tight around his shoulder, and he carried her away. I saw Drako, hiding behind a large piece of metal from the bridge. He quickly followed Zeus.

  Christian began chasing them. “Wait!” I shouted.

  Christian stopped and turned to look at me. I quickly ran to Zachary and removed his samurai sword from its sheath. I touched his head softly before leaving and prayed. “Protect him.”

  Charlie climbed out of the water, drenched and bleeding. “Stay—with Zachary and Vivian,” I shouted at him.

  “I will,” he said, watching me run past him.

  Christian was chasing them, running faster than me. We could hear Hazel screaming, “Skye...Christian!” and the memory of my nightmare with the Leviathan haunted me, except it wasn't Christian that was being taken, it was Hazel—screaming out my name.

  We couldn't see clearly in front of us. Smoke still hovered from the burning bridge, and the pain had begun all around my body. I pulled shrapnel out of my skin while I was running.

 

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