Page 10 of Escape from Amazdom

"What? Are you nuts?" she asks, shaking her head while wagging her finger from side to side.

"Possibly, but he's hurt and injured. I need to be by his side."

"Oh, I see," she says, smirking. "Does Stella want to rub some healing ointment between the big bad monster's legs?"

"Hey, no," I say, playfully slapping her on the arm. "Well, maybe," I add as my cheeks burn red.

"You dirty little stop-out." Liz chuckles, her eyes glimmering with determination. "Well, if that's the case, I might be able to help."

"How?" I ask, frowning.

"I've been waiting for the right moment," she says, reaching into a small pouch. Hope fills my heart when she pulls out three black balls. "These three beads are magical. If you roll one on the floor, it will put whoever is near to sleep."

My eyes widen in surprise.

"That's incredible! How did you get them?"

Liz grins mischievously.

"Let's just say I may have made a deal with one of the guards." She winks. "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right?"

"Right," I say, nodding. Part of me wants to know the juicy details, but she looks like she wants to keep her deals a secret, so I let it go.

"Here, take a couple," she says, placing two in my hand. "I'll keep the other one for an emergency."

The two black beads feel like cool marbles as they rattle against each other.

"This might be exactly what we need."

"Just be careful," Liz warns. "We can't afford to waste them."

I nod, tucking the beads safely away.

"I will, Liz. Oh, thank you so much. How can I repay you?"

"By using your healing skills to fix Champ and get us out of here. Oh, and if what you say about this hot monster is true, get one for me."

"I'll try," I say, chuckling. "But I don't think Champ has any friends, at least not in this place, not like us anyway."

I glance into Liz's glazed eyes and wonder whether she's thinking about when we were taken from Earth, too. God, it feels like such a long time since we were free, in our own world.

Mom's face flashes in my mind, and my heart fills with hope. She always told me that good friends were hard to come by, but when I found one, I had to work on the relationship to keep it alive.

"I really appreciate this, Liz," I say, hugging her.

"It's my pleasure. Like I say, I trust you. Now, when are you going to use the beads?"

"No time like the present. Let's go and check what our guards are up to."

We walk towards the end of the quarters and peer down the corridor. A couple of guards are outside chatting and not really paying attention.

"Go for it," says Liz. "Try one out now."

"Okay, here goes."

I roll the bead down the corridor until it stops at the end. Sure enough, almost instantly, the Zebos guards collapse, fast asleep.

"It worked," I say, wrapping my arm around Liz.