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Mila flinched and took a step back, shocked by the knife the girl was holding right in front of her. She was not sure if Risako could actually hurt her with this ghostly knife, but she tried to increase the distance between them regardless.
I should have just ignored her, this girl is definitely insane.
Mila attempted to calm down Risako.
"Ho, there is no need for the knife. I mean you no harm"
"I am not going to kill a girl. That is off the table. The guardian told me everything will be alright once I put this apple in the guy's shoebox"
Mila held up the apple.
"The guardian is a LIER!"
"You must kill the witch, the witch can't stay alive"
Mila still wasn't convinced.
"Every time Iona bends the world, the world gets destroyed"
"Risako must convince Mila to stop it by killing her!"
Mila suddenly saw a figure appearing in the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw the glowing purple stare appearing from the guardian's ghostly body.
"Mila my dear, don't let your mind get corrupted by such a lowly, common ghost"
"What do you think will happen when you try to kill this girl?"
"Just finish your quest sweety, I cannot keep this time loop open forever"
As the guardian was about to disappear again, Risako started giggling uncontrollably.
"You... you... make Risako so angry, you LIER!"
Mila just stood there, not sure what to do yet.
The guardian addressed her again.
"I am sorry I have to spell it out like this. But Mila my sweety isn't it obvious she is trying to trick you into making you her friend - making you a ghost just like.."
Before the guardian had the chance to finish her sentence, Risako jumped upon her and started stabbing her with her knife.
"Die! Die! Die!"
Risako screamed in her ghostly voice.
The guardian's body floated to the ground where it lay, motionless. After a couple of seconds, her ghostly body turned to dust.
Risako turned her attention to Mila again, who still stood speechless - shocked by the ghostly murder she just witnessed.
Mila and Risako stared into each other eyes.
Is this my fate? Or will I wake up from this nightmare once again?
Mila noticed a difference in Risako's expression. Tears started appearing in her eyes - they started rolling from her cheeks.
"Please... *sob* Mila... Risako needs you to be her friend"
"Mila can be your friend... Mila doesn't have to be a ghost for that. I can see and talk to you right now"
Mila uncontinously started copying Risako's way of speech.
"Be Risako's friend, please! Don't leave me"
Risako now sat down on her knees before Mila.
"Okay Risako I am your friend. Can you please put away that knife?"
She made the knife disappear.
"I'll get back to you once I deliver the apple okay? Please let me do this, alone"
Mila did not intend to ever return to the cafeteria again, she'd bring some lunch from home next time.
Risako nodded in agreement and attempted to give Mila a hug, which didn't work since her ghostly arms went right through Mila's body.
Mila pretended to hug her back and then slowly walked backwards towards the door she came from - keeping an eye on the ghost girl. She waved Risako a final goodbye and continued her way to the shoebox room.
X
The usually busy shoebox room was still completely empty at this hour. Mila's footsteps reverberated through the big hallway. As Mila walked towards the rows of lockers, she turned around, making sure Risako wasn't following her. Luckily, she wasn't anywhere to be seen. Mila slowly inspected all the lockers in the row, searching for the one with the letter.
Bingo!
She carefully laid down the apple on top of the letter, making sure it couldn't be missed by Iona's crush. Mila wept a few drops of sweat from her forehead.
That was all I could do, let's hope for the best.
The first rays of sunlight started to roll through the glass doors connecting the boxroom to the schoolyard. In the reflection, Mila spotted herself still dressed in her blue pajamas.
Pff, I guess I have to change.
Knowing she would make it home in time before the school day would start, she had to suffice another plan. Mila took on one more trip through the school, visiting the school's gymnasium locker room. This time, she made sure to avoid visiting the cafeteria. When she arrived at her locker, she quickly changed into her school's sports clothes. Mila then hid in one of the school's restrooms, waiting for the first students to arrive.
"Miss Kinoshita, when did you start coming to this school so early?
I did not even notice you getting in."
The hall monitor looked down at her clothes.
He must be a bit suspicious of me.
Mila quickly came up with an explanation.
"I skipped PE yesterday, so I have to help the teacher with cleaning up some equipment."
The hall monitor sighed.
"I guess there is no changing you after all."
"What's up Mila? You look horrendous today, did you get any sleep?"
Mila looked up at her friend with a smile.
Finally, a friendly face after this night of horror.
"I guess you could say I had a nightmare"
"That's terrible... This morning I read something that will certainly cheer you up."
Hajime looked into Mila's dead-tired eyes.
"At least it did cheer me up..."
"Don't leave me in hanging anticipation like that, just tell me already"
Hajime scratched his head.
"Okay miss Sunshine, you know this manga berserker I have been bugging you about?"
"They are doing an anime of that, it's going to be totally rad! We have to watch it together"
Mila rolled her eyes.
"Alright, sounds fun"
Hajime looked a bit surprised. He then noticed Mila's attention had gone somewhere else.
"Look Hajime, some guy got a love letter"
"Mmm, unusual, why is he holding an apple though?"
Mila shook her shoulders, her hands were trembling for a bit.
"Maybe he is hungry"
The boy looked around the room, he seemed a bit confused. But then he suddenly smiled. Mila looked around and saw who the boy was smiling at. It was Iona, and she was smiling back.
"That must be the girl, it seems to be going well for her"
Hajime looked back at Mila.
"Mila? Mila!"
Hajime grabbed Mila's hand and shook it.
"Mila!!!"
But Mila couldn't hear Hajime.
She had passed out.
X
Heh? where am I? Did I fail again?
Mila looked around, her vision was blurry. All she saw was a color - the color white.
A female figure appeared before her.
"Guardian is that you? Did the world end again? Is this heav-"
"Calm down miss, there is nothing to worry about."
Mila looked up again, the woman she was talking to wasn't the guardian, but the school nurse.
"How late is it?"
"It is 11:00 AM, don't worry, I informed your teacher about your absence."
It felt as if a big weight was lifted off Mila's body.
This means the time loop must have been resolved!
The school nurse stared into Mila's eyes.
"You look really tired. Can you tell me how many hours you slept this night?"
Mila nervously giggled.
"An hour or two"
The nurse looked a bit shocked.
"A girl your age needs at least 8 hours of sleep. Make sure you go to bed on time and have a proper breakfast. We don't want to see you collapsing on the floor."
"Yes ma'am, yes ma'am"
Mila nodded in agreement.
"Please go home for today to rest."
"But don't make this a habit okay?" |
"Miss Kinoshita, could you refrain from running in the hallway?"
"How many more times do I have to tell you"
Mila made it to school just in time - all out of breath. She hung out with her friends last night and made it too late. On top of that, she forgot to set her alarm and missed her bus.
Why does the school have to start so early... sigh...
"--Please take off your headphones and pay attention to your classes."
"I don't want you around here for another year miss"
Mila gave the hall monitor a brief stare and gave in to their demand. She hoped the school staff would start treating her like an adult now she turned 18. But they only started treating her like an annoying brat more and more.
They must think of me as some kind of a delinquent.
She walked over to her shoe box to get a mandatory change of shoes. Mila looked up at the clock and saw she had a couple more minutes to spare. Mila grabbed her bag and took out a BIC pen, which she used to rewind the cassette tape she had been listing to.
"What's up Mila? You look horrendous today, did you get any sleep?"
Mila looked up at her friend with an annoyed expression on her face. Can't he talk to someone else?
Let me enjoy these fleeting minutes of quiet before all hell breaks loose again...
"Please get out of here you jerk. You were the one that insisted on me staying till 2 last night"
The boy talking to her was her friend Hajime, who used to be her underclassman - something Mila used to tease him about. But since Mila had been held back a year, they were now in the same class together.
"Do you remember this manga I have been bugging you about, Berserker?"
"They are doing an anime of that, it's going to be totally rad! We have to watch it together"
Sigh...
Mila wasn't interested.
"I am still recovering from that movie you made me watch over the summer.
Somehow its ending managed to make me even more confused than the TV series."
Hajime let out an uncomfortable laugh and tried to redirect the conversation. Luckily something caught his eye.
"Try not to look too conspicuous, but there is another confession scene playing out right behind you"
Mila turned her head slightly and saw a boy reading a pink letter.
"Another shoebox letter? That must be number 6 this year. How original..."
Mila looked Hajime in the eyes with a stark smile.
"I... I... that was a long time ago..."
Hajime blushed a little.
"Don't worry... I already forgot."
A brief but awkward silence followed.
"Do you think the guy will accept it?"
"Mmm... I don't know. He looks a bit confused"
Mila repositioned herself so she could see the boy more clearly. He was looking around the space.
He must be searching for the girl that wrote it.
Mila couldn't help but lend her gaze through the room.
Bingo!
"Hajime... look at 4 o'clock"
A freshman girl had crawled herself up behind one of the shelves on the opposite side of the room. She looked in the boy's direction, making sure not to be spotted by him. Her hands were shaking from excitement.
"Poor thing, she seems to be chickening out. Should we lend her a hand?"
"Hajime... you're so awkward. It's non of our problem anyway"
Mila already lost interest in the whole thing. She finished rewinding her tape and put it back in her bag.
"Let's go to class, the bell will ring any minute now"
"Mila look!"
Hajime pointed in the direction of the boy. He had walked up to another girl who was changing her shoes next to him.
Was she the one that wrote the letter? Or just a friend of his?
Mila's doubt was soon resolved as the girl moved her head close to the boy and started passionately kissing her.
A little indecent, but her courage is something to be envious of.
Then suddenly, they heard a loud scream coming from the other side of the room. The girl that had been hiding behind the shelf had revealed herself and was now running screamingly towards the couple.
Had she written the letter after all?
The boy and girl abruptly stopped kissing and looked in the direction of the girl causing a commotion. The boy blushed again, they suddenly had become the middle point of attention. The girls started screaming at each other.
"Mila, do we know these two girls from something?"
Mila suddenly remembered that she had seen these girls fight before. A few weeks ago, after the summer break ended, they had been screaming against each other in the schoolyard.
Are they love rivals?
The hall monitor walked up to the girls with an angry voice, trying to break up the fight.
"Please calm it down girls. Go attend your classes."
But they weren't having any of it.
Then suddenly, the building started shaking.
Great, another earthquake.
Mila crouched down on the ground, ducking away for cover. But then indescribable darkness fell upon Mila and the other students. The girl started screaming with an abnormally high pitch, a sound so horrific that it drowned out all Mila's other thoughts. As the building was crumbling above her Mila felt an unbearable pain like she had never felt before. Soon everything seemed to fade to pitch black, and the only sensation remaining was the haunting scream.
...
With the terrifying scream still burning in her eardrums, Mila found herself lying in her bed, drenched in sweat. She had kicked her blanket on the ground. It took Mila a few moments to realize.
It was just a nightmare...
But somehow everything felt so real, Mila could still remember every little detail of it. She looked around her room to find her alarm clock, it read
4:33
.
Seems like I could get a couple more hours of sleep.
But as Mila crouched down to grab her blanket from the floor, she got the fright of her life... |
When Mila woke up, she found herself in her bedroom. Her ears still ringing, and her heart beating out of her chest.
Another terrible nightmare
...
Oh, wait for a second!
Mila turned towards the window and locked eyes again with the ghost.
Those angelic purple eyes.
It's now that Mila started to make sense of the situation.
This must be some kind of time loop
.
I keep repeating the same morning over and over again.
Mila heard the ghost's voice echoing through her head.
"Please listen to me, my dear"
"*Sight* Alright... Let's get it over with"
"Let me break the news to you without any..."
Mila rudely interrupted the ghost.
"I am death I know"
The ghost looked a bit confused.
"Excuse me, my darling. I guess I must have told you all of this before"
"Just tell me what I have to do"
The ghost now looked a bit aggregated.
"Oh, darling... no wonder why you always get yourself in trouble with such a fowl mouth. It is not often that a mere human like you gets the opportunity to speak with a guardian like me. So please show some respect, my dear"
Mila rolled her eyes.
"Hurry yourself to the east-side park and grab that apple for me"
"Four hours is all you have!"
Before Mila could answer the guardian disappeared in a flash. As she disappeared, Mila could just make up the word
Hopeless
entering her brain.
So encouraging...
Mila looked up the alarm and it read
4:36
. That meant more than an hour before the first bus would arrive.
I could go back into bed and catch some more sleep.
Mila grabbed her blanket and closed her eyes and instantly got a flashback of her dying. She felt all the pain going through her body again.
No! no! no! I don't want to experience that again!
Mila stood up, yawned, and rubbed her eyes.
Let's go!
She stepped into her slippers and grabbed her clip-on cassette player. She walked up to the window and pulled it open. Carefully, she stepped outside and maneuvered herself along the ride that ran alongside the side of her house. She grabbed the drain pipe and held on to it with her hands. Luckily it hadn't rained that day so the ledge wasn't too slippery. At the end of the ledge, Mila put her feet on the boarding fence that divided their little garden from the neighbors. She swung herself over it and climbed down on the neighbor's side. Luckily there were no lights left burning, the neighbors must all still be asleep.
Mila walked along the fence to the front of the property. There stood a brightly red bike underneath a little overhang. Without any hesitation, Mila grabbed the bike and brought it with her through the garden gate.
Better have your dad buy you a lock, little brat!
She jumped up and attempted to ride the bike. She struggled to keep her balance and almost drove into a street planter. It had been a while since she last rode one.
That must have been when mom and dad were still together.
The residual alcohol still in her blood from her night didn't help her out either. After some practice on the desolate suburban street, she quickly got the hang of it and picked up the pace. She'd better hurry since she had about a 40-minute bike trip ahead of her, all the way to the other side of the city. Mila rode through desolate suburban streets full of family homes just like hers. Some of which belonged to her former elementary school friends she used to play with.
All those perfect tidy gardens, spec-clean driveways, and precisely sculpted hedge statues.
Mila thought about her own house and sighed.
Who knows what they are genuinely hiding behind their lawns?
X
"Gasp... Gasp"
Mila had been biking through the city for about half an hour.
I could really use a break...
She complained to herself. Her trip had now landed her in the desolate city center. At this hour, the only people still around were some drunks who missed the last bus and were forced to stay up till dawn. The full moon reflected a weird atmosphere onto the autumn city. A hue that couldn't be easily described by using words.
A vending machine was standing next to a closed-up shop front. When Mila saw the red-neon glow of a well-known cola brand, she couldn't help herself and decided to stop. She threw the bike against the machine's side and walked up to the front. Mila reached for her wallet but discovered she didn't take it with her. As Mila looked at the reflective glass on the front of the machine, she realized that she had been wearing her pajamas all this time. Suddenly Mila had a realization.
What the hell am I doing here? If someone were to see me like this, they would call the cops. I look like an escapee that broke out of some mental clinic. The world is ending in a couple of hours? I am getting insane. I should head home...
When Mila turned around, she was suddenly greeted by a now-familiar pair of purple eyes.
"Mila dear, I can't deny I am a little disappointed in you..."
Mila shrugged off the guardian and continued her walk toward the bike.
The guardian wasn't having it and jumped in front of Mila. She put her ghostly hand on Mila's head, and a flickering of light followed. Mila fell to her knees, and she struggled to keep herself from screaming.
"Please sit down there on that bench sweety. Let me get you something to drink"
The ghost walked up to the vending machine and magically, a can of soda rolled out.
Mila grabbed the can and sat down.
"Listen to me closely. What I just showed is you dying again tomorrow morning at exactly 8:30 AM"
The ghost took a short break while Mila was greedily drinking her soda.
"Please continue your journey to the park and follow the trail. There is no time to waste"
Even though her head was still spinning from the horrific experience the ghost shared, Mila decided there was no other option than to continue her journey.
I don't really care about what others think of me anyway. Sneaking around in the dark is kind of cool, isn't it?
Mila jumped on the bike and got back on her course toward the park.
About ten minutes later, Mila saw the big iron park gate appearing on the horizon. She sped up her tempo and rushed herself through the street.
Exhausted, Mila arrived at the gate. She grab the gate and pushed it with both hands. No sign of movement. Of course, it would be locked at night. Mila had to find another way to get in. The park was surrounded by a tall iron fence with sharp points on top. There was no way Mila was going to climb over it. She hid the bike under some shrubbery and followed the fence work trying to find a more suitable spot to get in. After walking for a bit, Mila found a better location at the back of the park. A tree with a lot of branches was positioned next to the fence. Mila grabbed a big branch and pulled herself up on it. She carefully balanced herself onto another branch that hung over the other side of the fence. And then Mila jumped... |
<PART 1>
The Slain Goblin King was never
really
slain. He never died and lives to this day, so don't let anyone mislead you, understand?
In fact, there are many false accords regarding the legend of the Slain Goblin King—a nighttime fairytale known and loved by children around the world. The origins of the story date back approximately a thousand years ago, possibly longer. Curiously, the oldest accounts also vary greatly from one another. It seems the ambiguity began almost immediately, only to be weathered away and swept around carelessly by the march of time.
But I have proof of the accurate history.
I know everything there is to know. You're the only one I've ever told. Only because All Hallows is looming.
Everything we know as life is linked through the earth. The Sun Deities give their blessings from the stars, pulling life up from the ground, closer to their holy comfort and wellsprings.
However, there are those who oppose the blessings of the Sun Deities. And I know that
Doomsday Ramen
place is tied to this entire mess!
Because I have proof...
...And I got that proof from a Sun Deity herself.
I'll meet you at the arranged location and time.
And do me a favor, Vladys-kun... TELL YOUR SISTER I LOVE HER! LMAO!!!
<PART 2>
Vladys angrily snapped his flipbook phone shut.
"Come on, Yuukii," Vladys muttered to himself. "I told you to stop talking about my onee-
san
like that."
His arrogant college classmate, Yuukii, had arranged a meeting over emails. Vladys stood in front of a game store in downtown Raosute-tensu, a massive shopping district. The sun was down and a cold autumn wind blew from the north. Vladys pulled his sweatshirt hood over his head of orange hair. He rubbed his hands together, waiting for Yuukii or the others to arrive.
"Hey, found you."
Vladys turned to see Yuukii walking closer. He was tall with purple mop-top hair and red eyes, wearing a black denim overcoat and silver bellbottom trousers.
"Don't worry," Vladys said, "the others aren't here yet."
"Eiri and Jackal aren't coming. Did you read the email? I said you're the only one I've told."
"We agreed to be a team, Yuukii. Don't leave the others out!"
There was a certain trick Yuukii was fond of using. It was a dirty action, always used with ill intentions. His mouth curled into a smirk as he brushed his purple hair from his face. With his right eye behind his hand, he cast his one left pupil directly at Vladys.
The orange-haired young man felt the freezing pierce of Yuukii's eye, locking him in place and trapping his breath. Although it was only one eye this time, the effects were debilitating. Vladys knew the crowd around them couldn't perceive what was happening, and he did his best not to act suspicious as he fought against the discomfort of Yuukii's gaze.
"Don't be hasty," Yuukii chuckled. His gleaming teeth shone unnaturally bright from the hundreds of city lights. "We have important work to do."
This was Yuukii's certain trick: A single look from him could stop a person in their tracks. While this effect was often blamed on his behavior, notoriety, and appearance, Vladys always suspected something else.
Yuukii broke his gaze, freeing Vladys.
"I hate when you do that," Vladys growled.
"And that's why I'm so attached to you, Vladys-
kun
," Yuukii replied darkly, enjoying himself. "Only
you
tell me there's something suspicious about the way I look at people. Therefore, you're the only one who needs to be here tonight."
Rolling his eyes, Vladys said, "Let's go somewhere else and talk. Your emails haven't been making sense."
"We'll talk about it right here," Yuukii said. "Don't worry about the public. They don't matter."
"Whatever, explain your emails to me."
Yuukii smirked.
"Have you ever heard of All Hallows?" he asked coolly. "No relation to the holiday. I'm talking about
the
All Hallows."
"No," Vladys replied shortly.
"That's to be expected. But, you've heard of the Slain Goblin King, haven't you?"
"That stupid myth," Vladys snorted. "Yeah, so?"
"They're real!" Yuukii replied overdramatically, just for show, and got the attention of the nearby pedestrians on purpose. He laughed merrily. "Just admit you don't believe me."
"Yup," Vladys chirped sarcastically. "You got me pegged."
"It matters not, for that which you doubt will soon be impossible for you to ignore."
Vladys sighed and stared at Yuukii. "Meaning...?"
"Meaning," Yuukii said, "if you come with me, I'll show you everything." He cracked a toothy sneer of mischief. "Or what, Vladys-
kun
? Are ya too cool to hunt legends on Halloween?"
"Damn right I am," Vladys grunted. "I'm busy with class and life, not to mention I keep my hands full watching out for
you
. And it's not Halloween yet. We have a week."
Yuukii burst into laughter.
"Boy, do I have what it takes to change your mind!" he cackled, putting his arm around Vladys's shoulder. "If tonight ends up being a waste of your time, then that's your own fault."
Vladys gritted his teeth and looked away, knowing that his cheek felt hot due to Yuukii's two red eyes attempting to burn straight through him.
<PART 3>
The stereo in Yuukii's supercar was turned down low, softly bumping a solid bassline. He and Vladys glided down the highway in his red and black car, far exceeding the speed limit and cutting off traffic without refrain.
"Doomsday Ramen has been in operation for under a year now," Yuukii said while immersed in driving. "In seven days, it'll be Halloween, and the one year anniversary of Doomsday Ramen."
"I heard their food is awful," Vladys muttered.
"I assure you it is," Yuukii told him, cutting off two lanes of traffic to make the exit, "but not because the food tastes bad."
Vladys could see the big sign for Doomsday Ramen coming up, and he was surprised it was its own building, unlike most restaurants in Raosute-tensu.
"We're not going directly there yet," Yuukii said, pulling into a parking lot nearby. With the car turned off, he got out, removed a small briefcase from the trunk, and got back in the car.
"Oh no, what's this?" Vladys muttered when Yuukii handed him the briefcase. It was made from a dark stone, possibly obsidian.
"Open it," Yuukii urged.
Hesitantly, Vladys popped the four brassy latches off. However, when the briefcase was more than a hair width open, a bright flash erupted from within, hitting Vladys with what felt like electrical shocks.
"Arrgh!!!"
Vladys clamped the briefcase shut as Yuukii laughed.
"Yes!" Yuukii was ecstatic. "That goddess wasn't kidding!"
"Wha—?" Vladys panted as he promptly fastened the briefcase's four brassy latches. "What the hell was that?!"
"That is part of the
proof
, my friend!" Yuukii beamed with joy as he snatched the briefcase away from Vladys. Vladys stared, thinking he had never seen Yuukii sparkle with so much excitement, even at his worst.
"I'm not gonna lie," Vladys sighed as Yuukii cackled and kicked his feet like a child, "seeing you this happy is the
most
frightening
thing I've ever seen."
"If that's so," Yuukii chuckled, calming down, "then you're gonna pee yourself, because it gets scarier. Because this briefcase was given to me by a goddess, one of the Sun Deities." He spoke quickly, trying not to laugh between words. "She said only I can open it. Ya see, I thought it was all a hoax, too.
But you can't open it
!" He frantically popped off the four brassy latches and flipped the briefcase wide open. "
Ping
! See? Nothing happened when I did it!"
Inside the briefcase was a phial with a light brown substance inside it, all nestled into a beautiful red velvet cushion. Yuukii removed the phial and held it up, turning on the car's interior overhead light for Vladys to see.
"See that?" Yuukii asked, shaking the light brown substance in the phial.
"It looks like powder."
"It's pumpkin spice. This is a sample taken directly from Doomsday Ramen's stock."
Yuukii dug underneath the red velvet cushion in the briefcase, and took out a peculiar device. It resembled a small tablet computer, only thinner and entirely translucent.
"Here." Yuukii handed the device to Vladys. "It works like a touchscreen."
The tablet-like device was light as a leaf in Vladys's grip. He touched the center, and the "screen" cleared up until transparent like glass. Looking around the car through the device, Vladys saw the bottled pumpkin spice radiated a deep purple, smoky fog.
His jaw dropped. "The pumpkin spice! I-it has a weird, purplish...something! But I can only see it through this thing!"
"That's right!" Yuukii snarled gleefully. "What you see is the
curse
that resides inside."
"The...the
what
?"
"And anybody who eats it will succumb to it!"
"Guhh...huh?"
"And Doomsday Ramen has been
loading
their Halloween specials with it as their
special ingredient
!"
"Yuukii! Wait a min—"
In no time, Yuukii barged out of his car with the pumpkin spice phial in the briefcase, tucking it under his arm. He tossed it in the trunk and slammed it shut, then opened the passenger door and pulled Vladys out by the arm.
"And we're gonna stop Doomsday Ramen! We'll stomp those heathens into
eternal bankruptcy
!!!"
Vladys yanked his arm away.
"Shut up and slow down! You need to explain this more!"
Yuukii stretched his face into a serpentine sneer, and his words hissed from his gleaming teeth.
"Take a look through that thing you're holding, Vladys-
kun
...and behold the explanation."
Through the tablet-like device, Vladys easily saw exactly what Yuukii had been saying. Just like the pumpkin spice, the building of Doomsday Ramen was surrounded by the deep purple mist. However, it wasn't a simple fog. A great vortex of sinister clouds stormed and raged as it billowed viciously from the restaurant. The entire building was engulfed, and a multiplex of dirty violet currents hemorrhaged into the sky above the city.
Vladys gasped, clutching the device as he looked through it.
"What's going on?!"
"That's what we're gonna find out!" Yuukii said energetically. "Me and you are gonna go in there and
demand answers
."
"You can't be serious!"
Yuukii turned his head and gave Vladys a sideways stare.
"Vladys-
kun
," he mocked. "Do you plan to walk away now that you've seen what you've seen?"
Vladys lowered the tablet-like device, looking at Yuukii.
"N-no, but what can we do?"
Yuukii chuckled and turned toward the restaurant.
"I said we're gonna demand answers from whoever's running that place, and if that goddess was correct, which she has been so far..." he looked back at Vladys with a devilish grin that etched deep lines into his face, "...then we'll be able to slay the Goblin King once and for all!"
<PART 4>
The interior of Doomsday Ramen looked like an old fast food restaurant, nothing special. As Vladys and Yuukii passed through the squeaky double door entrance, they were bombarded with smells of cheap, greasy food, like a combination of hamburgers and (you guessed it) ramen.
In fact, a big sign by the entrance read "Try our new Pumpkin Spice Ramen Burger! It'll spook the poop right outta you! XD".
Vladys grimaced as he read the sign and tucked the tablet-like device under his arm.
"Why...do people even eat here?" he muttered, looking around. "Huh? We're the only ones here?"
"Seems so," Yuukii said.
"Ohohohoho!" A girl's villainous laughter rang out from the counter, catching the boys' attention. "Welcome to Doomsday Ramen, you swine!"
They approached the counter, where a girl dressed as a clichéd witch stood behind the cash register, wearing big round glasses, a pointed hat, and black robe. She had long green hair and yellow eyes. Her name tag said "Mikoto."
"What'll it be, you filth?" she asked with a hearty grin. "We're running our pumpkin spice specialties this month. It's a Halloween thing. Even you grunts should know the trend by now! Ohohoho!"
"Save it, wench!" Yuukii sneered, pointing his finger at Mikoto. "We're not here for your slop."
Mikoto quickly stiffened her back, frightened by Yuukii's raw chutzpah.
"W-wha—?" Her voice became mousy, much different than it had been. "I-I'm sorry..."
Yuukii leaned on the counter and focused both red eyes on the green-haired girl. As she trembled, it was obvious that Yuukii was using his "certain trick," and Vladys's skin crawled while remembering what it was like when Yuukii used
both
eyes like that.
"Bring me your manager," he said in a low, threatening tone.
"R-r-right away!"
Before Mikoto could budge from her spot, another woman came from the kitchen and walked over to Mikoto's side while glaring at the boys. This other woman was tall with long, curly silver hair and pale green eyes. She also wore a generic witch outfit, but it was of much higher quality than Mikoto's, with elegant laces on the sleeves, sturdy straps around the chest and waist, and dangling jewels from the collar. Her shiny, gold nametag said "Lilith-hime: General Manager."
Her gaze was transfixed on Yuukii, who smugly straightened up.
"You wanted to see the manager." She spoke with authority. "Here I am. Speak."
Yuukii gave her a once over and grinned.
"Hmm...not bad," he said, nodding. "Is this whole place ran by cute girls?"
Lilith-hime narrowed her eyes, but a slight smirk cracked on her lips.
"It is, in fact," she said. Her expression went flat again. "Tell me your business with me. I'm busy."
"Yes, you must be busy." Yuukii shrugged. "Busy cursing people with your wicked food!" He pounded his fist loudly on the counter. "The gig's up! I know your pumpkin spice is cursed, and you're putting it in your food to turn people into ghouls!"
"That's correct."
Yuukii, Vladys, and even Mikoto were surprised at Lilith-hime's sudden answer.
"Lilith-
senpai
?" Mikoto squeaked nervously.
Yuukii was delighted by the confession.
"Ah, not denying it, huh?" he said coolly.
With a confident smile, Lilith-hime replied, "It matters not how you learned our secret, because you've just sealed your fate."
She snapped her fingers, cuing large, steel shutters to slide down over every window and exit in the building, each slamming down loudly and forcefully. The lights suddenly dimmed, and the aura of purplish smog filled the air, visible even without using the tablet-like device tucked under Vladys's arm.
"Um...Yuukii?" Vladys looked around. "This doesn't look too good..."
Yuukii didn't respond, expressionless as he looked around at what was transpiring.
"Girls!" Lilith-hime called. "Report to the front counter, on the double! The restaurant is now closed early!"
Four other girls dressed as witches came to the counter from the kitchen. Each outfit was similar, yet not identical, and none were as ornate as Lilith-hime's. In no time, Yuukii and Vladys were facing the looks from all six Doomsday Ramen employees.
The shortest girl tugged on Lilith-hime's lacey sleeve. She had shoulder-length blue hair and black eyes, and Vladys read "Fiona" on the nametag.
"Oi..." she uttered monotonously, her black eyes showing the vitality of a dead fish's, "Lily-
tan
? Is there going to be an execution?"
Lilith-hime gently patted Fiona on the head with a warm smile.
"Yes, Fiona-
chan
. We'll be executing the bad men. If you perform a nice, clean beheading, you'll get extra candy, so be a good girl."
Fiona gave an airy chuckle with a slight, drooling grin.
Lilith-hime gestured to two girls who had to be identical twins. Both had brown eyes and black hair, but one had a short haircut and the other had a long one.
"Sapporo! Kirin!" Lilith-hime told them. "Ready the boiler room guillotine! Oh, and lots of bleach! These two look like they're
full
of bitter blood."
"Yes, Lilith-
senpai
!" the twins said in unison, seeming too happy to oblige, then ran off.
Yuukii laughed aloud.
"Don't waste your time," Yuukii sneered. "I know your security here looks tough, but it's full of holes. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to steal a sample of your cursed pumpkin spice. Also, I have this thing!" He snatched the tablet-looking device from Vladys and waved it in the air. "This is what gave your secrets away, and it's also my trump card. Hope you wenches like unemployment...in Hell!"
Mikoto trembled, intimidated by Yuukii's declaration. Lilith-hime glared at Yuukii, and Fiona continued to drool, thinking about the extra candy she was promised. However, the sixth and last girl snorted with laughter.
"Hey, Lilith-
senpai
!" she chuckled with a snaggletooth grin. "These might be the two guys Prophet Joe told us about!"
"Prophet Joe is just your imaginary friend, Sierra," Lilith-hime grumbled. "Have you been eating the pumpkin spice again? We witches are immune to the curse...but it makes us see stuff in high doses."
"Aw, ya caught me." Sierra shrugged, then leapt over the counter. She wrapped her arms around Vladys and Yuukii, pulling them closer. "Say...these guys are kinda cute. Prophet Joe didn't say anything about that!"
She rubbed her cheek against Vladys's face and purred. Her witch robe had a low-cut collar and the bottom came down just below her waist, exposing long legs that Yuukii had already scanned several times up and down. As her fluffy orange hair tickled Vladys's nose, he began to sweat.
"Mmm, you're a musky man, ain't ya?" she whispered in Vladys's ear, sending shivers through his very soul. "I might keep your head as a reminder of our encounter. Harharharrr!"
"Sierra," Lilith-hime scolded, balling her fists impatiently, "this isn't the time for that!"
"I agree!" Yuukii shouted valiantly, holding up the tablet-like device. "Now is the time
for bankruptcy
!"
He quickly dialed what looked like a phone number on the transparent "touchscreen," bringing up a video display of a beautiful woman with golden hair and platinum eyes.
"Oh, Yuukii-
san
!" the gorgeous woman answered dreamily. "I see my phonePad was useful to you."
"Hey there, Miss Sun Deity," Yuukii said flirtatiously. "Or should I say Ra-
chan
?"
"You flatter me." The Sun Deity blushed.
"I do. And I need you. Come here now."
"Right away!"
In seconds, an explosion rattled the restaurant as the roof was blasted open. Down came a sunny radiance that descended into the bleak, purplish smog filling the restaurant. Yuukii's face stretched into a freakish grin, his teeth shining unnaturally in the divine light. His fingers tingled with excitement as he cackled loudly, stamping his feet on the ground in a fit of insane jubilation.
"Yes..." he breathed. "Yes...yes, yes, YES!" He twisted his neck to show Lilith-hime the ferocious sneer that seemed to split his face in half—a deliriously delighted expression that made his veins bulge. "I said I had a trump card! Now behold! A Sun Deity goddess herself! Rakako Solarus Celestine!"
Vladys fell to the floor, overwhelmed by the sheer energy from the blinding light. Mikoto and Fiona hid behind Lilith-hime, who stood her ground behind the counter, shielding her eyes from the ruthless light of the Sun Deity. Sierra crouched on the floor, unafraid, dipping her finger in a small plastic bag of cursed pumpkin spice and rubbing it on her tongue, giggling to herself.
And Yuukii, like the psycho mastermind he was, embraced the scathing light with his arms outstretched, his expression more exaggerated than a jack-o-lantern. He staggered forward, ignoring the overtly divine pressure threatening to sizzle his body, and approached the white source of the radiance, finally wrapping his arms around it with a tight hug.
The light instantly vanished, and Yuukii was closely holding the beautiful woman who had spoken to him through the phonePad. Her golden hair flowed like silk under a fresh river, touching down to the floor.
"I'm here, Ra-
chan
," Yuukii told her softly, his previous delirium now absent.
"Thank you, Yuukii-
san
." The gorgeous goddess blushed as she looked up at Yuukii and brushed his purple mop-top hair away from his red eyes. "I'm here as well, just as promised."
She stepped away from Yuukii and looked at Vladys. Her beauty was stunning, and the delicate smile she wore was the ideal match for her dreamy voice.
"You must be Vladys-
kun
," she said sweetly. "Nice to meet you. You may call me Ra."
Vladys couldn't speak nor move. His heart seemed to stop. His legs were heavier than lead and wobbly like fig jelly. It was true that Ra was stunning in more ways than one. Yet, that wasn't the true reason why Vladys was impaired.
It was because Ra was stark naked. Miraculously, her golden hair seemed to perfectly censor her...
parts
.
"
What is the meaning of this
?!" Lilith-hime bellowed. She soared over the counter like a trapeze artist, doing several flips through the air before landing on her feet in front of the smug Yuukii, speechless Vladys, and innocent (yet naked) Ra. "I will not have these shenanigans!"
"Of course you will!" Yuukii said mockingly. He turned to Ra, saying, "Hey, time to recite that line I told you."
"Oh, okay!" Ra confronted Lilith-hime with a childlike smile, striking a pose that she ripped off from a popular TV show. "I am Ra-
chan
! In the name of the sun, I shall bankrupt you!"
Lilith-hime shook with rage. She opened her mouth to say something, but Yuukii stepped up and interrupted her.
"My, my, Silly Lily," he jested. "Now do you see your predicament?"
"Silence, boy!"
Lilith-hime held up her hands, ready to summon any number of tortuous spells on the defiant young man, but she was stopped by nothing more than a single menacing gaze. Yuukii focused both red eyes on her, freezing her mind and body with unexplainable influence. He stared with such intensity, such brazen vigor, that his eyes began to bulge from his skull, veiny and animalistic, like each eye contained the watchfulness of hundreds of wrathful dragons apiece.
Lilith-hime wanted to step back, but held her ground, appalled that she was intimidated by nothing more than a look, although everything inside her was screaming that it was, indeed, more than just that.
"Take this moment to reflect," Yuukii sneered, his voice icy and dead, as if whispered from a corpse. He never let up his weighted stare. "My companions and I are here for something,
and you will take us to it
." His gnarled grin broadened as his lips spread out in every direction. "Do you understand, Silly Lily?"
Squeezing her fists so tightly that her knuckles cracked, Lilith-hime fought in vain against the lockdown of Yuukii's determination.
Through pursed lips, she said, "And what would that be...?"
After a guttural chuckle, Yuukii told her, "Take us to the Goblin King."
<PART 5>
Sapporo and Kirin heard voices coming from the stairs. They had nearly completed the execution preparations as Lilith-hime had ordered. The guillotine was polished and ready to go, not a simple task—much dust and many cobwebs needed to be removed.
Lilith-hime entered the boiler room, leading the prisoners inside, along with a frightening new customer. The other witches huddled in the hallway just outside, watching in.
"This woman!" Sapporo shouted after slinking away from the nude goddess.
Goosebumps ran up Kirin's spine. "She's a Sun Deity!
And why is she naked
?!?"
With a smile, Yuukii said, "Clothes are meaningless, especially to a Sun Deity!"
Lilith-hime had to get a grasp of the situation, or else they really risked bankruptcy because of Ra.
"Sapporo, Kirin," she said sharply. "The situation has changed, so listen up."
The twins quickly snapped to attention, reacting as if they were in boot camp.
"This is a stickup!" Yuukii grabbed Ra's bare shoulders proudly, making her blush. "We've come to shut down your business..." he grinned, "...
vigilante style
."
Lilith-hime glared at Ra for a second, then addressed the others outside the door.
"Okay, all of you in the hallway, get in here! I want everyone in this room." She took a deep breath, thinking of how to explain everything. "This nudist is a goddess, a
Sun Deity
. Her companions want to speak to our owner."
A rumble rolled through the basement, deep and angry. Vladys, Yuukii, and Ra were momentarily stunned by the quake before an imposing voice emanated from deep below.
"Who wishes to speak with me?"
Fire erupted in the middle of the room, bursting out of thin air, startling everyone. Yuukii and Vladys felt the static chill of an undeniably wicked presence, something they were not expecting. Even the employees, Lilith-hime included, were intimidated.
"It's not every day we make contact with our owner," Lilith-hime explained grimly to Yuukii, Vladys, and Ra. The flames converged to a single point, burning red hot, making everyone back away. "You morons are the reason we need to summon him!"
"You mean the
Goblin King
!" Yuukii said arrogantly. "Don't give me that 'owner' nonsense. Doomsday Ramen isn't a business, it's a cult, and he won't be owning anything after tonight!"
"
Silence
!!!"
The thunderous voice exploded from the flames in the middle of the room, blowing the flames out in all directions. Atop the charred spot on the basement concrete floor stood an enormous person, although definitely not a human. Green, wart-covered skin hung in jiggling wrinkles on his face. Two long, chipped fangs protruded from his top jaw, reaching far down below his many black-bearded chins. Brown rags and scraps of plastic shopping bags were sewn together into a crude toga that stretched across his bulbous body. His head almost reached the ceiling, and he stared down at the three subjects.
"Who are these 'customers'?" the enormous man asked. The bass from his earthy voice could be felt in everyone's chest, and he spoke like a giant wooden tuba would sound.
In an instant, the Goblin King recognized Ra for what she was.
"A Sun Deity is here?" he growled, turning to the restaurant manager.
"Yes, King-
sama
." Lilith-hime bowed formerly. "These two ingrates summoned her. They know of our plan and claim to stop us."
The Goblin King was silent as he was thinking. He studied the three "customers" closely for a moment.
"This will be settled immediately," he finally said with conviction. "The girl may be a deity like myself, but she's just a lowly goddess. I am a
king
!" He stomped one foot forward, shaking the solid foundation of the entire building. "Execute the two men. I'll take care of the girl."
The Goblin King slowly and menacingly approached the goddess, reaching out with his massive hands to grab her, but Yuukii wouldn't allow it.
He had his little trick.
When the enormous green man felt a peculiar tickle on his cheek, he instinctively knew it was coming from elsewhere. He turned toward the source, consequentially meeting both of Yuukii's red eyes.
"Hmm?"
A sensation ran through the Goblin King, which he couldn't explain. Trying to react, he suddenly realized that it had a profound effect on his body.
"What is this?" he rumbled, struggling to pick up his foot.
"Sorry," Yuukii sneered, not looking away from the massive, green owner, "but we'll be denying your execution services. Also, you'd do well not to harm us."
Yuukii unbuttoned his black denim overcoat and spread it open wide. The inside was loaded with long, red, cylindrical sticks all connected together with wires.
"D-d-
dynamite
?!" Lilith-hime sputtered.
"That's right!" Yuukii sang. "Except it's all made with that cursed pumpkin spice. A few chemistry experiments here and there showed me that this stuff is quite explosive, more than black powder!"
"You're insane!" Lilith-hime shouted.
"Maybe so, but I think of myself as prepared! Don't bring a knife to a gunfight, so I'll bring a dynamite vest to a fistfight!"
Vladys tried to look serious as he played along. He'd seen Yuukii's fake bomb ploy before, and it often worked.
"Here's the deal," Yuukii announced, valiantly displaying the inside of his vest, still holding the Goblin King in place with his stare. "This bomb is connected wirelessly to my and my lackey's hearts, and will go off if either of our hearts stop. I can also detonate it at any time manually, but good luck figuring out how I do that...and I dare you to try."
"
Enough
!!!"
The Goblin King lifted his bulky leg and smashed his foot into the concrete floor, cracking and crushing the foundation. For the first time, Yuukii experienced someone breaking out of his trick, not to mention with both eyes. He scoffed at the lumbering green monster.
Surprisingly, the Goblin King looked amused by Yuukii's actions, and a yellow smile pushed his many face wrinkles upward.
"Ah, now this is truly something," the Goblin King said. "Where'd you girls find such a customer?"
"Well..." Mikoto replied meekly, "...they walked in the restaurant."
The Goblin King laughed, sounding like a cement mixer was churning in his throat.
"Very well!" he declared, pointing a porky finger at Yuukii. "I'll go along with your idiocy, as I am impressed by your boldness...truly ruthless and savage. We'll settle this over a duel!"
"Settle what, sir?" Lilith-hime protested. "This isn't a dispute! It's an execution!"
"It matters not," the Goblin King told her, sneering sinisterly. "This human is exceptional, and when this is over, we'll benefit greatly."
Vladys was skeptical, but his confidence was reinstated when Yuukii smirked at him.
"What's this duel?" Vladys asked the Goblin King. "Are you looking for a fight?"
"One-sided violence is fun and all," the Goblin King answered, "but this is a celebration. It's Halloween season, and I'm honored to be in the presence of such entertaining humans. You have much potential, you see. Gwahahaahaaaa!"
With a snap of his fingers, the Goblin King summoned a crude stone table. With another finger snap, a variety of cups, pots, bottles, and chemistry equipment appeared on top.
Lilith-hime instantly recognized the sight.
"S-sir," she said, "that's the test kitchen lab equipment..."
"Yes, indeed it is." Stretching out his massive, warty arms, the Goblin King announced, "We'll settle this over a pumpkin spice latte competition! Whoever makes the best pumpkin spice latte will win!"
"Win
what
?" Yuukii asked abruptly, buttoning his overcoat to cover his fake-dynamite vest. "You're up to something, Goblin King."
"If my team wins," the Goblin King explained, "the humans and naked goddess will be executed. But if the challengers win...the power of All Hallows shall be granted to them!"
The witches gasped.
"Sir!" Lilith-hime barked.
"Silence, Lilith-hime!" the Goblin King thundered. "I have spoken!"
"Wait a minute," Vladys grunted. "What's All Hallows?" He turned to Yuukii. "You know, Yuukii! Tell me what All Hallows is."
After thinking about it, Yuukii replied, "Hmm...actually..."
"
Yuukii
!!!"
"Excuse me, sir?" Mikoto stepped forward timidly, adjusting her round glasses nervously. "Um, only five of us witches know how to conjure a latte...because I'm just a cashier, and don't cook. And...there are only three challenging members. It's unfair."
"Leave it to me!" the nude Sun Deity exclaimed.
"Hahaha! You read my mind, Ra-
chan
!" Yuukii chortled. "We have two members on standby!"
"Two members?" Vladys asked. "You mean...?"
"Eiri and Jackal," Yuukii said. "Remember? You were opposed to leaving them out of this, Vladys-
kun
."
"I did say that..."
"One second," Ra said, dialing something on the phonePad. "Aaaaand...
send
!"
Two people suddenly appeared next to Ra. One was a girl cosplaying as an anime idol with neon blue hair, and the other was a redhead Viking-looking man with a huge beard and thick muscles.
"Oh, this must be a latte-making contest," Eiri said nonchalantly, looking at the table and everything on it.
"Coffee...must...win..." Jackal mumbled, pounding his fists together.
Lilith-hime blinked at the newcomers.
"They...aren't afraid?" she asked.
"Trust me," Vladys smirked, "this isn't the weirdest thing we've done together."
"My team is more seasoned than your cursed pumpkin spice, you fiend!" Yuukii shouted valiantly, pointing at the giant Goblin King. "Prepare to hand over All Hallows to us!"
"Gwahahahahaaaaa!!!" the Goblin King guffawed. "Most excellent! Girls, prepare for the contest!"
"B-but hold on!" Lilith-hime argued. "What are the rules? Who are the judges???"
"I SAID BEGIN!"
And so it began.
<PART 6>
Round 1: Eiri vs. Sapporo
Both contestants stood at the crude stone table. Sapporo tied her long black hair into a ponytail behind her head, looking too happy for what she was doing.
"I'll have you know," she told Eiri cockily, "I make a wicked brew! Ya know, 'cuz I'm a witch and everything."
"And I love anime!" Eiri snickered. "I'll make you my waifu!"
"W-what?!"
"Okay, you filth!" Mikoto declared, using her condescending cashier persona. "I'm the ref,
so bow to me
!"
"That's quite enough of that, Mikoto-
chan
," Lilith-hime said flatly.
Mikoto nervously switched personalities. "Y-yes, Lilith-
senpai
." She adjusted her round glasses. "Ahem...round one,
fight
!"
The girls lit their Bunsen burners, Eiri using her Coalmander Pokiedude lighter, Sapporo with a small flame from her fingertip. Wasting no time, they went to work.
Sugar, cream, partially distilled water...
Eiri added her ingredients by memory.
Nobody can beat my best latte creation, Unicorn Killer! Now, just add the pumpkin spice...
However, when Eiri added the wicked pumpkin spice to the mix, a cloud of green smoke erupted from the concoction. It hit her in the face, making her cough.
"Ha!" Sapporo mocked. "Our pumpkin spice isn't an ordinary pumpkin spice! Its molecular properties are...foul!"
Not deterred by the strange chemical reaction, Eiri attempted to taste her creation.
"No, don't taste it!" Vladys shouted. "You'll be cursed by the pumpkin spice!"
"Gwahahahaaa!" The Goblin King held his rumbling belly. "Must be difficult not being able to test your own latte!"
"Time's up!" Mikoto announced. "Burners off! Fill one cup each!"
"Ooh, let me drink them!" Sierra skipped toward the table and grabbed the small stone cups of steaming latte, one in each hand.
"Uh, Sierra-
chan
is the judge?" Lilith-hime muttered. "But...she's addicted to the pumpkin spice."
"Gwahahahaaa!" was all the Goblin King had to say.
Without restraint, Sierra simultaneously poured both cups into her mouth. Her face turned bright red as steam shot out of her nose and ears.
"What's the verdict, Sierra?" the Goblin King asked darkly.
Sierra trembled in agony, somehow forcing a smile.
"I burned all my taste buds," she replied meagerly, "but...Prophet Joe prefers the anime girl's latte."
"Yay!" Eiri cheered.
Shaking with rage, Sapporo stomped up to Sierra. She grabbed Sierra's low-cut robe and shook her angrily.
"
You left it up to Prophet Joe
?!"
And so ended the first round. Witches: 0, Customers: 1.
<PART 7>
Round 2: Jackal vs. Kirin
As Jackal stood at the stone table with the short-haired twin, he examined all the strange materials and equipment with a firm expression. Cooking was his greatest weakness, but he wouldn't let that stop him from doing his best.
"I shall avenge my sister," Kirin giggled.
"Why...twins...happy?" Jackal grunted.
"I don't know," Kirin said with a modest shrug.
"Me...coffee..." Jackal said. "You...lose..."
"We'll see about that! Tee-hee!"
"Round two," Mikoto announced, "
fight
!"
As the match began, Vladys heard Yuukii snicker.
"What's funny?" Vladys asked flatly.
"The twin is using the same technique as her sister," Yuukii replied. "Same temperature of the water, same amount of frog's breath, same density of the spoon used to stir it."
Vladys was skeptical. "How can you tell all that from here?"
"I know things," Yuukii sneered.
Vladys left it at that.
When the match ended, Kirin pumped her fist confidently.
"I win!" she cheered.
"What makes you so confident?" Mikoto asked curiously. "The judge hasn't tried it."
"Because!" Kirin gestured toward Jackal. "He made a pumpkin pie by accident! It's supposed to be a latte."
Jackal looked grimly at the pumpkin pie resting on the table in front of him.
"Me...cook...bad," he muttered sadly. "It...wrong..."
"How the hell did he make a pumpkin pie?!" Vladys yelled. "He poured that out of a boiling pot!"
Lilith-hime laughed shamelessly, her hands on her hips.
"It takes special skill to mess up that badly!" she said.
And so, the second round ended. Witches: 1, Customers: 1.
<PART 8>
Round 3: Ra vs. Fiona
"I love pumpkin spice lattes," Ra grinned as she stood at the stone table. "What I love is what I do best."
Fiona said nothing, but stared blankly at the nude goddess, fascinated by the uncanny censorship brought about by the long, flowing, golden hair. Perhaps it was a type of divine magic?
"I love executing customers," Fiona finally said monotonously, not a shred of emotion in her voice. "What I love is also what I do best."
Ra blushed. "So, this is a battle of
love
! Ah...how dreamy."
"Round three," Mikoto announced, looking away from the audacious nudity, "
fight
!"
Using the warmth of Heaven, Ra ignited the Bunsen burner, and meticulously mixed the ingredients into the pot. Perfection was key to making a winning latte, no excuses.
A small portal opened under the table where Fiona stood, and she brought forth the coldest fires from the wintry hinterlands of Hell. When a frosty flame attached itself to the burner, Fiona added her ingredients. Hatred with a freezing disposition was key to executing the customers via a latte contest, no excuses.
"Ra looks so fitting when she's at work in the kitchen," Yuukii said. "What say you, Vladys-
kun
?"
"Well, she looks like she's having fun," Vladys replied, "but...being next to an open flame with no clothes on is—"
"
Alluring
???" Yuukii sneered, his twisted grin fully depraved.
"Dangerous," Vladys corrected.
"Skin is less combustible than fabric," Yuukii said.
"Uh, that's not the point..."
"Time's up!" Mikoto declared. "Burners off! Fill your cups."
"Ooh, I wanna drink them!" Sierra exclaimed. "I didn't get to try the last ones!"
"You're disqualified as the judge," the Goblin King said. "Mikoto! You be the judge!"
"M-me?" Mikoto looked uncertain. "But, my palette is inaccurate, but if you insist..."
As Mikoto approached the stone table, she could already feel the opposite auras emanating from the two cups. One seemed more welcoming (the one in front of Ra), so she picked up the cup. A blend of savory sweetness met her nose, earthy and spicy. After one sip, she licked her lips, a dazzling glow forming in her eyes. She took another sip. Then a gulp. Then finished the cup.
"Delicious!" she said with a smile.
"Thank you," Ra replied humbly.
An ominous presence gnawed at Mikoto's side, and she turned to see the tiny Fiona standing right next to her, staring up with dead-fish eyes while presenting a cup of death.
"Try mine, Miko-
tan
," Fiona said, drooling with excitement (her face never changed much, so drooling was her only emotional gauge).
"Ah...hahaa...y-yes."
Mikoto seemed to feel the hands of the Grim Reaper pull her jaw open as she lifted her pumpkin-flavored demise to her mouth. As soon as the concoction touched her lips, her soul stepped out of her body.
"Hey," Mikoto's soul said irritably to her, "what the hell are you doing?"
Crying, Mikoto replied, "Climbing the stairs to martyrdom..."
Mikoto's soul slapped the cup out of Mikoto's hand. The black bile inside splattered on the concrete floor, quickly turning into snails.
"Use your brain, you pig!" the soul yelled. "If you die, it's back to the Soul Raffle for me! It took me decades to possess your worthless body, just for you to throw it all away!"
"I'm so sorry, Soul-
san
!"
"Uh...who is she talking to?" Vladys muttered.
"She does that sometimes," the Goblin King said. "Whoever it is she talks to in these moments, I'm sure they have more merit than Prophet Joe."
"
Blasphemy
!!!" Sierra shrieked.
"Keep it together, Mikoto-
chan
!" Lilith-hime ordered. "What's your verdict?"
"R-right!" Mikoto squeaked, sweating profusely. "Ra! You win!"
"I'm so happy!" Ra replied, clasping her hands together.
"Heh heh..." As Mikoto nervously fidgeted, she felt the stare of Fiona's indignation.
"Tonight..." Fiona told her darkly as her gloomy eyes somehow became blacker, "you shall have a private
lesson
of my wrath..."
Mikoto tried to laugh the tears away. "Uhh, y-yeahhh...haha..."
With that, round three ended. Witches: 1, Customers: 2.
<PART 9>
Round 4: Vladys vs. Sierra
"Alright, Vladys-kun," Yuukii said as Vladys approached the stone table. "Make your loss as non-embarassing as possible."
"What do you mean?" Vladys asked, annoyed. "I don't plan on losing."
"But you must," Yuukii said smugly. "Your loss will result in a tie, meaning the entire buildup rests on the next match where I go against Silly Lily to decide the competition. It's
fate
, Vladys-
kun
."
As Vladys gritted his teeth, Sierra wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body into his.
"It's our time for fun!" she said cheerfully with a voluptuous smile. "Try not to finish too quickly, got it?"
"Round four," Mikoto announced, "
fight
!"
Vladys quickly lit his burner with a match and went to work.
I'll show Yuukii
, he thought.
I'll show everyone! If I win this, it'll decide the whole stupid competition.
However, Sierra didn't start making her latte, but just smirked at Vladys.
"Sierra!" Lilith-hime shouted. "What're you doing? Get to work!"
"Not so fast," Sierra replied. She walked over to Jackal. "Hey, can I have that pumpkin pie you made? I can't work on an empty stomach."
Jackal, as a man, quickly fell victim to Sierra's allure.
"Give...pie..." he grunted, handing over his pumpkin pie.
"Jackal, don't!" Eiri protested.
Before anyone could stop her, Sierra messily devoured the entire pie in seconds. Her body shook as a glowing energy overtook her.
"Hahahahaaa!!!" she cackled. "FOOLS!!!"
Her fluffy, orange hair turned upward, becoming bright yellow and spikey, and a raging aura surged around her. Just her raw energy alone riled up a stormy tempest of wind and lightning in the boiler room.
"Hey!" Vladys shouted, nearly spilling the concoction he was making. "That's not fair! You can't allow doping in his contest!"
The Goblin King guffawed. "Says the team who summoned two allies with divine technology?"
"Err...you have a point."
"COFFEEEEE!!!"
Sierra ricocheted around the boiler room like a comet, then crash-landed in front of the stone table, shaking all of its contests. Vladys burned himself trying to protect his boiling latte mixture. Using pure ambition, Sierra ignited the bottom of her pot, bringing the swamp water within to an instant boil. Her hands moved too fast to see as she added thousands of ingredients, stirring them with her magic in a savage fit.
"
Prophet Jooooe
!!!" she screamed as the stone table before her began to crack and chip from her voice alone. "Bless m-m-me with your k-kiss...your
absolution
! L-let's m-make the best pumpkin spice latte in
all the cosmos
!!!"
"Ack!" Vladys fell to his feet, unable to bear the pressure of Sierra's storming power and insanity.
"Stop, Sierra!" Lilith-hime shouted over the roar of Sierra's tempest as the entire building shook. "King-
sama
! We must stop her!"
"Gwahahahaaa!" The Goblin King was enjoying the show as bits of the ceiling crumbled around him. "Let us patiently observe this event, Lilith-hime! This...is what I've been waiting for!"
Hundreds of portals opened up around the stone table as Sierra frantically summoned ingredients from across the universe to add to her latte.
"More, more, MORE,
MORE
!!!" she bellowed, squeezing so much matter into her pot that nuclear fusion began to take place, giving birth to a pumpkin spice-flavored star. "
GGGRRRRAAAHHHHHHH
!!! And done."
Sierra suddenly reverted back to normal, smiling cutely. A ball of glowing, radiant plasma floated above the stone table. Using her magic, Sierra pushed the pumpkin spice star into her cup; the cup vaporized and became yet another ingredient in the creation.
"Who shall judge this round?" the Goblin King thundered ceremoniously. "Lilith-hime!"
"HELL NO!!!" Lilith-hime shouted. "I can't drink that! I'll die!"
"Then you vote in favor of the customers?" the Goblin King asked.
"Of course I do!" As soon as she said it, she realized what it meant. "Grr...that means..."
"
We win
!" Yuukii sang, flashing his fake-dynamite vest under his overcoat. "Good job, Vladys-
kun
, for surviving that!"
"Gee...thanks," Vladys muttered.
For a moment, the Goblin King was silent. Then, a deep rumble came from his throat, escalating into a booming laugh that rattled everything.
"And so it is to be!" he declared. "The power of All Hallows is to be granted to a new heir!" He thrust a massive finger at Yuukii, his smile opening his giant mouth full of yellow teeth as he cast a countenance of absolute evil at the tall, purple-haired man. "You, human...have lost..."
Vladys watched the expression on Yuukii's face—a smug, content grin that slowly went flat, almost angry, as he narrowed his eyes at the Goblin King.
"What do you mean I've lost?" he asked, nearly growling.
"Gwahahaa! You think I'd risk giving you All Hallows if I didn't have a reason for doing so? This contest was your
test
!"
"..."
The Goblin King stood tall, pressing the top of his green head against the ceiling, which crumbled under his strength.
"The Goblin King can never be slain," he explained, looking down at everyone around him, "only...passed on. Such is the truth of All Hallows, which is the power to command all that has been defiled. Everything that roams the earth on Halloween is captive to the Goblin King's whim. Sounds good on paper, but it's gruesome and hellish. Just look at me! See what All Hallows has done to me over hundreds and hundreds of years!" He towered over Yuukii, who crossed his arms in annoyance. "See for yourself, human worthy of being my successor, what it means to 'slay' the Goblin King!
Gwahahaahaaaa
!!!"
Pain burst inside of Yuukii's chest. He fell to his knees, gasping for air. Vladys, Eiri, and Jackal hurried to his side.
"Yuukii!" Vladys felt powerless as he watched Yuukii writhe in agony. "
Oh no
!"
The Goblin King reached down with his giant, green hand and easily ripped off Yuukii's fake-dynamite vest.
"You were bold to use such a cheap toy," he snarled delightfully, tossing the plastic vest aside. "Now, to complete the ritual..."
Vladys, Eiri, and Jackal fought against the massive hand with all their might, but it was no use. The Goblin King pinned Yuukii against the concrete floor with one finger, holding his chest with the point of his fungus-crusted fingernail.
"You did well, Ra-
chan
," the Goblin King said to the nude goddess. "As predicted, the cooperation of both Heaven and Hell were necessary for this to work."
"Aw, you flatter me, King-
kun
," Ra said bashfully.
Yuukii squirmed, unable to breathe and feeling his heart engulfed with the wickedness of All Hallows being transferred into him. As his vision faded, he heard the cries of his friends and the deep cackles of the Goblin King. He saw the six witches standing far away, afraid, but watching closely. He saw the giant green body evaporate and force itself into his chest, stopping his heart before everything went black.
The match was over. Witches: 1, Customers: 3
<PART 10>
It was Halloween night, and another boring day at Doomsday Ramen. As the customer base of Raosute-tensu was slowly converted to ghouls fated to the curse of All Hallows, fewer people were coming to try the pumpkin spice ramen specials, making each day less eventful than the previous.
Mikoto stood at the cash register, dozing off, when a shout from the kitchen jarred her awake.
"How'd you burn ice cream?!" Lilith-hime was heard shouting.
"Me...cook...bad," Jackal apologized. "Burnt...robe..."
"You don't
cook
ice cream, Jackal," Eiri instructed. "Just stick to cleaning the restrooms. Your wizard robe is a mess, too."
Mikoto looked at the orange-haired man at the register next to hers, who was sound asleep.
"Vladys-
kun
, wake up," she whispered.
"Huh?" Vladys snapped awake. "I wasn't asleep!"
The sound of the squeaky double doors alerted them of customers.
"About time," Vladys grunted, straightening his black wizard robe.
The customers were two teenage girls carrying fake rifles. They looked very vigilant and determined as they rushed to the counter and aimed their guns at Vladys and Mikoto.
"Listen up!" the taller girl shouted. "Bring us your manager now!"
"Hey, don't point guns at people," Vladys said firmly, "even if they're fake."
Bang!
The shorter girl fired a round at the ceiling.
"They're r-real guns?!" Mikoto squeaked.
"Manager!" the taller girl demanded. "
Now
!"
"Oh, for crying out loud," Lilith-hime groaned, walking to the counter from the kitchen and glowering at the rude customers. "I'm the manager. Speak."
"We know your secrets, evildoers!" the taller girl announced, aiming the rifle at Lilith-hime. "Take us to the Goblin King! We know he's here!"
"Well, well, well..."
A voice came from behind the teenage girls, and they whirled around, coming face-to-face with a tall man with purple mop-top hair. His face had faint tints of green, and his black overcoat and silver bellbottom trousers were patched with plastic bags.
"Y-you!" the shorter girl yelled, looking at Yuukii through her rifle's sights. "This evil presence...it must be you, Goblin King!"
"My, you've caught me," Yuukii sneered. "Come to slay me?"
"Just as the legend says," the taller girl said, "the Goblin King should be 'slain'!"
"Oh?" Yuukii cast his red eyes at both girls, freezing them in place. Fear locked their bones, but something unexplainable seemed to power this eerie gaze.
Lilith-hime snapped her fingers, and every window and door was quickly sealed off by large shutters slamming down and locking into place. A purplish smog filled the air as the lights dimmed, and every employee slowly walked from the kitchen, all dressed like witches and wizards in clichéd outfits.
Now less confident, the shorter girl said, "Y-yes, we are here for you! Prepare yourself...you
monster
!"
"Yes, there's the pep I admire," Yuukii told the two girls, his face being split by his gnarled, toothy grin. "You remind me of myself from not so long ago. Heh heh heh! Ahahahaaa!
Gwahaahaahaaaa
!!!" |
Loneliness which is hidden within The Vast Curiosity of a Mind entitled to guard Authenticity from Solidarity also guards Soltitude from Solidarity. The Vast Horissont saught awaits the Mind to seek pleasure in it's Zone for comfort in due time it has for whatever wishes to be minded until options which it guarantees change with Gravity of Gratitude when it blossoms a Beauty of Aquirements provided by The Mind's personal Touch of Agnowledgement ment for it's deepest secrets it hides within, safely distant from what it obviously offers as The Atribute of The Utter Secret which holds it's all together. Complementary compliments which each thing collects as time for it's chances, dust it puts as priority dominant in comparison to it'self is the price which must be minded for All Eternity of Ignorance which follows the way it's put, as it is, Prescious, Priceless Porn of Raw Virginity.
The Night is forever young in it's own time. There's no room for mistakes.
Raw Virginity, awe-inspiring and refreshing does nothing, miraculously. One would do something to thank it for letting it do it it'self and go on doing so.
The Greed in The Maturity is The Maternity of what matters in Reality Suchè.
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The Shroud of Shy is quite Quiet in comparison with Vidath Time because of reasons.
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Hi everyone, Glenn here the writer! First, I want to thank everyone for checking out my second novel "4 hours to save the world". Your likes and comments mean a lot to me, they really do. When completing my last novel, people asked for one of these "afterwords" and explained a little bit about how the book came to be.
After completing my contest novel "Maid school", I took a little break and then searched for a new concept. There were a few practical factors that went into my decision. The novel had to be short (max 10k) and be different enough from my contest novel. The only thing I continued was the "exploration" part since I heard a lot of people liked that part of "Maid school" the best. I left out all the cutesy stuff this time and focussed on more adult characters with some more serious themes. The whole "four hours" thing also resulted from the limited word count, I figured with so little time passing, there were only some many things that could happen.
The creation of this novel took longer than expected, especially at the end I struggled to find the time to get it all done. The epilogue became way longer than originally planned because I found it important to give some closure to the character conflicts introduced in the story. It still feels a bit rushed if you ask me, but making it any longer would have brought the book too much out of proportion. For the ending, I thought about doing some smarter things subverting the reader's expectations a little more, but in the end, I couldn't really justify it with the low word count. So it ended up being quite straightforward, but hopefully, it still felt satisfying.
In the coming months, I'll work on some new chapters for maid school, which will be the summer side stories for the other characters. (Ti / Mona / Serena) After they are done I'll shelve them until summer, since they make more sense then. And after that, I hope to compete in another Honeyfeed contest with you guys!
One final thank you, time to end this rambling.
Glenn |
There is no matter if it doesn't matter how simple some things to do seem because those seam the time provided for what matters the most. What nothing can be done against is what has to be done. How ever it's done must make sence to One for it to proceed to move on. As a mess could seem it'self for Someone to see the beauty of it'simplicity so could the job be done with tolerance no matter what happens to any degree of it. What there is to see Out There is quite in a nutshell even though it does not quite seem to be more different than simple it's simply complicated by personal choices which estrange the details and govern nature to The End of The World of Comparison with mindfulness. The Mind carefully obeys it'sawn perspective for the future of it's point of view upon pointed out interest. Dissapointment is naturally attractive Opportunity for Success no matter the looks of it. Success is, sadly, a hard job when it comes to a limit too, but that does not make it avoidable either, neither does it make it more complicated to achieve than what's expected done.
Expectation happens to lead improvements to success until Success Saught is a thing of the past which is to be taken as altered as it is.
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Like The Flame of Inferno under The Power of Knowledge in a Pit of Seven Circles of Hell within each Junk of Oblivion got a Sorce of Life of Lies which burn to Smytherines to Rest In Pieces within a Piece of Argh Art which are not defined well enough to take someone back to a Place in Time so it could remember what was it to do but do things to prevent Success at Attempts of Expectations even though that is what the Flame made them become for The Forthcoming Time of Luck Vidath Time.
Vidath Time, as surprising as it is, is the only way to Success. Just as Dogma enshrouds the Individuality Utter so it hides it'secret Time Vidath. Time consumption is possible only amongst friendly forces. For Time to become a Thing of The Past it must be let into The Abyss of Oblivion to be Mistaken as Forsaken for The Greater Good which is The Dogma which The Future holds until Understanding of Space for Time Vidath gets understood for The Space for which The Presence gathers the knowledge with The Power upon it's Utter Solicity which offers as it's taken as The Bargain for The Truth. The Truth is that there always was something to do and always will be more when it's taken as put after it's put in place with it'sawn pace In Context where that comes true to make it what it's meant to be.
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Darn, though dredded douven degrees, darkness is deadonite there somewhere where fire happens to compose that compound. Fire entertains it'self so it could do something about it's future finest ways it's possible to succeed at doing something, however one finds it believable.
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Mila stood there for a second, staring at the school, wondering how she was going to get in.
If only Hajime would be here, he always finds himself a way in. Wait, he does live only a couple of blocks from here. Knowing him, he's probably still up gaming. That guy never sleeps.
Mila turned left and began to bike towards the telephone booth, which was located about one hundred meters down the road.
Mila put down the bike, walked up to the phone booth, grabbed the handle, and... nothing. The door was shut closed, not a spec of movement. When Mila turned around, the shimmering appearance of the guardian stood right before her. The guardian's disembodied voice echoed through Mila's head again.
"Ohh sweety, I am glad to see you made it here.
I assumed you'd understand you can't ask anyone for help."
But I guess I overestimated you."
The guardian emphasized her words.
"Remember darling, this is
your
mission.
You are the only one that can fix this ordeal.
So please hurry up!"
Discouraged, Mila made her way back to the school's entrance. She climbed the fence separating the school from the street and walked to the school's side entrance. An old wooden door that led to the gymnasium. The last time Hajime was able to break in here by using a credit card and a paperclip. Both of which she didn't have at hand.
Let me try to pull the handle just in case.
No movement, as expected.
Mila looked up at the clouds, looking for inspiration in the stars.
But wait what is that?
Mila's eyes glimpsed over a window at the second story. It seemed to be left halfway open. This could be her entry point into the school. The window was above a lower, one-story, part of the building, so it wouldn't be too difficult to enter. Mila put her feet against the drainpipe and climbed her way up. When Mila grabbed the window, she was easily able to pull it fully open. She lowered her legs inside the opening and made her way into one of the school's classrooms.
The full moon gave the school's desolate hallways an eerie atmosphere. Mila walked through the second-floor hallway, towards the central stairwell. All this time she had been carrying the apple with her. She held up the apple before the window, to inspect it for any bruises.
Few... looks fine to me
. All she had to do was lay down the apple in the locker with the letter and get out of there as soon as possible. At least before any of the school's staff would arrive. Getting suspended and possibly having to spend another year in this miserable place was definitely not something Mila looked forward to.
When Mila opened the door to the stairwell, she felt a bit creeped out. It felt a bit like someone was following her.
Probably just that guardian, if she was going to be here anyway, why couldn't she fix it by herself?
Mila turned around and could see a dark shadow disappearing in the corner of her eye. She tried to get a better look, but there was no guardian insight. Mila shrugged her shoulders and continued walking down the flight of stairs. On the ground floor, she took a left turn and entered the school's cafeteria. The place where she and her friends came to grab some food, which they would eat at their own little place, was in the stairwell.
Thinking about the school lunch, made her stomach rumble. Mila walked over to the counter section to see if there was any food left over from yesterday. At the back of the counter, she found some stale buns they forgot to throw out. Mila grabbed on and took a bite. The bun had gone quiet though from being left in the open after night. With the bun still in her mouth, Mila turned around and shook. She stared right into a ghost girl's eyes. But this was certainly not the same ghost as before.
X
A petite ghost girl was standing right before Mila. Her black hair was quite messy, her bangs were hanging over her greyish eyes. She was wearing a blue uniform, containing a badge with the school's logo. Mila had seen this uniform before, in old pictures lining the school's entrance. This used to be this school's uniform until about 10 years ago. They stared into each other eyes for a while. The ghost girl started shaking a bit, she must be a bit nervous knowing that someone could see her. She spoke in a quiet and calm voice to Mila.
"Please... lay down that apple"
Mila, who got used to talking to ghosts by now, didn't follow her command. The only place she was laying down her apple was the boy's locker. She wasn't in the mood for some small talk.
"Who are you and what do you know of me?"
"Risako knows all students, Risako has been watching you"
"Risako can watch, but Risako cannot be seen"
The girl responded.
"Ah so your name is Risako. I am not in the mood for stupid riddles. Now please let me pass"
Mila passed right through the girl, heading towards the hallway door. But the girl kept teleporting right before Mila's feet.
"You are Mila, you eat with your friends in the stairwell. Listen to me, it's important"
Mila sighed and stood still.
"Just a minute okay... I am in a hurry here"
The ghost girl started to hold a long, somewhat incomprehensive monologue.
"My name is Risako, I am a student at this school, just like you"
"Risako has been here for a long time, just like Mila, but for longer"
"My friends all graduated long ago, so Risako has been lonely, without any friends"
"Risako couldn't make new friends, because of the witch, none can see Risako"
Mila paused Risako for a second.
"Who do you mean with the witch?"
"The witch is the witch! The girl that did all of this!..."
The girl stopped to think for a second and then pointed at the apple.
"The apple girl!"
"So Iona? What about her?"
"Iona is a bad girl. She made Risako Risako and will make Mila Risako as well"
Mila looked confused.
"Don't give her the apple!"
Risako started giggling and continued explaining.
"The witch's mom was Risako's language teacher at school. One day she came to school on parents' day. Risako was in line before her and got the last chocolate bun. The chocolate bun was really delicious! Witch got mad and then earthquake came and then..."
Risako looked down to the ground and started speaking in a quieter voice.
"Risako became Risako."
"Risako cannot leave... but Risako cannot stay either"
"Risako stayed for too long and only Mila can make Risako leave"
"By not giving the apple!"
"So Risako, what do you suggest I do? I don't want the world to keep ending"
Risako started giggling even louder.
"The apple won't do good. Won't help Risako... or Mila"
"Mila should... burn the witch. Cut her with mister knife"
Risako reached and pulled a big chef's knife from behind her back. She was now holding it in her shaking hand, ready to use it any second.
"Mila will be Risako's friend"
Risako giggled uncontrollably. |
I remember the day it happened vividly even. Portals were opening left and right. Otherworldly beings had come out of them and destroyed anything and everything in their path. Panic was in everyone, nobody knowing what to do. I was scared. But suddenly, when all hope was lost, people started to fight back! It was as if superheroes had become real protecting humanity. This was the first instance of the Ascended. Select individuals with superhuman abilities. In the beginning, I don't know if people were more or less worried at their sighting of them. Nowadays people are much more relaxed with topics surrounding them, but that doesn't mean some still don't trust the ascended in my eyes, they are heroes and here's why.
....
UUuugh this is so embarrassing!
I tap my finger on the table and bounce my feet rapidly.
Why is viewing your work so awkward!?
And even more so when someone criticizes it!
"Sean?"
"Y-yes!?" I jolt up, snapping myself out of my stupor.
"Are you okay? You don't look too good." my English teacher said. I look at myself. My legs were bouncing up and down rapidly. My palms were clasped together and felt sweaty.
"Oh, I'm alright. I just felt embarrassed when you read my work out loud."
"Don't be this is a good start, just use more details and go for the jugular."
"Alright thank you for the advice," I said before taking my work and heading back to my desk.
I sigh, it hasn't been that long since the ascended have appeared yet, it feels like no time at all. In no time, they have fully integrated into society and most media and pop culture have mentioned these unique individuals. Though there haven't been many events to talk about, at least that I know of. Maybe I should research-
"Grade 10s please head down to the gym. Grade 10s please head down to the gym." The PA speaker interrupts my train of thought. Had that much time already passed? Taking a glance at my teacher, she gives a quick nod. Getting the confirmation, I dropped what I was doing and headed to the gymnasium.
Speed walking down to the gym I noticed some people heading there as well. Though there are fewer going than I thought there would be. Well makes things easier for me. I open the front door to the gym and look around. What used to be home to my P.E. class in grade 9 now looks like something from a sci-fi movie. I guess that happens when the government needs to figure out who is Ascended. It used to be young adults making appointments to see if they had the potential, but as time went by, the age range increased to include more groups. For students testing facilities are brought to the school so, appointments won't have to be made for something unnecessary.
Thanks to my punctuality I got ahead of the crowd. I got called up and went. I sat down on a chair and the person beside me started to ask questions about myself. Name, age, date of birth, height, weight; simple things. I didn't know the last two so, they checked with a stadiometer and scale. Once all the information was put in, the tester pulled out a device.
The first thing I noticed was the crystal sticking out of it. It was about the size of my hand and looked translucent. It was mostly clear but, there was a single swirl of ever-changing colour. It was like a thread of string held by an invisible hand swirling around cloudy water. The crystal was surrounded by a metallic dome. Connected to it was an electronic device. It probably reads off stats and readings and the like.
"Alright," The testing person finally said. "Put your hand on the crystal and we'll see if you're an Ascended."
My hand reaches out toward the device.
This is it,
I thought.
The moment of truth. Am I an Ascended or not? If I am one, then am I a strong one?
Time seemed to stretch on and on. In reality, not even a minute has passed.
"Are you nervous?" the tester asked. I nodded.
"That's understandable," she said in response. "This must be a big moment for you."
I didn't say anything because I knew I had been called out. I tried to act like this didn't matter to me but I've been seen through.
"I don't want to try and get your hopes up so I'll just say this," she took my silence as an invitation to continue. "If nothing happens then you'll continue your normal life. If something does happen, regardless of how big or small it is, wouldn't that be good?" she finished.
I considered those words. It made absolute sense. If the device didn't react to me, I wasn't an Ascended. Therefore nothing about my life would change. If the device did respond to me then that would mean I am an Ascended. This would mean I would use the powers I get from that for humanity. Funny how just by stating the facts, I could calm down so much.
"Okay, I'm ready," I say, having found my resolve.
I place my hand on the jewel. The swirl grows and turns red. A faint glowing red orb lies within the crystal. I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. I am an Ascended.
"Congratulations!" the tester said.
"Umm, what now?" I asked.
"Now to check how strong you are."
"Don't you already know that?"
"Well, yes I can see your readings, but it only tells me your level. This doesn't say what your strengths or abilities are. You can check yourself."
"How do I do that?"
"I can't give a direct answer but most people say they visualize something to tell them."
Ooookay then. I feel my mouth turn into a straight line. What would be the thing that tells me how strong I am? I tried to think hard about what it would be but one thing stayed in my mind.
"Open," I said softly.
And there appeared a stat screen straight out of a video game. There are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, and Awareness. Unsurprisingly my stats are nothing of note. None of them were below the double digits, but they didn't surpass 20, not even 15. As I look across the screen, my eyes stop in the middle. What was supposed to be my class was something I would not have expected.
[Creator]
While I am not the most knowledgeable about the divisions of Ascended, I know enough to realize that what I am seeing is weird.
"Hey, um, my thing is saying something weird," I said.
"New things tend to be weird for everyone," The tester said dismissively.
"But it's saying something that shouldn't be there," I pressured. She then looked at me with a hard stare. I flinch and move back. It seems like my question will not be answered. She turns back to the laptop, types some things in and drops something in my hand.
"You have been registered as an Ascended and can now participate in the work of Hunters. However as you are a student and of the lowest rank, your options are limited." The tester then said in a business-like tone.
I stand up and leave. As I exit the gymnasium and head back to class, I sigh.
That could have gone better,
I think to myself. Yet I don't feel terrible. I'm an Ascended. I get to be a Hunter. I get to help people. And it seems like I have something different from the rest. |
That day I returned feeling guiltier than ever. Did I really want to trade my only friends for an unsavory truth about the world?
I limply opened the front door of our home. Mother greeted me. She offered food, but I wasn't hungry. She offered care, but I wasn't deserving.
I found my way to my bed, and became asleep, and yet fully awake.
"I can't do it anymore." I thought to myself, "Why bother?" I believed I could take refuge in the truth I just paid for, but it provided me no comfort. "Why is it that I continue on living like an animal, when I've done nothing wrong?" I corrected myself, now I had done something wrong. I'd wronged my friends. "I... I might as well just kill myself now. Why continue to live in a world solely designed for my punishment?"
Something reached out to me in my new lowest state.
"Remember?" It said,
"Remember what?" I replied to the invisible entity. A rush of moving-photo-memories filled me with nostalgia.
"Do you know about the outside?" Keshet had once asked,
"No," I answered, "None of us do. The guards tell us never to inquire of such things."
"It's really big. There are mountains, hills that seem to go up and up forever. There are valleys, they reach into the core of the Earth farther than the eyes can see. There are vast oceans; bodies of water that sprawl across the entirety of our planet."
"Where did you learn this?"
"I found it in a book, supposedly it belonged to my Grandad."
"Really? You aren't just repeating myths that have no truth?"
"Of course! I would never lie to you Lavi."
"If you're right... Let's take everyone outside one day. Everyone in town will be able to sprawl across the Earth, from the core of a valley, to the tallest mountain. If there aren't enough of us, one day our descendants will be capable."
"Yes! We have to!"
I blinked, and flashed back to reality. Once again, I was lying on my cold, hard, real bed.
"Lavi!" Mother hollered, "You have to eat something!" I walked to the kitchen. "It's your birthday dear, what do you wish to have?"
I contemplated my options.
"Can we just have curry tonight?"
"Nothing fancier?" She asked. I shook my head. "Alright then." She readily began preparing the meal, as we already had the ingredients.
We sat and chatted while preparing the food, then began to enjoy our hearty meal.
"Thank you." I said after I had finished. I put my plate aside, and began to excuse myself.
"Keshet, wait. I have a present for you."
"Oh, come on Mom. You know you didn't have to go out and buy me a charm."
"It's not from me." Mother answered. I paused.
"Keshet's?" She shook her head, "Naomi's?" She shook her head again, "Well then whose is it?"
Mother reached into her deep coat pocket, and took out a white envelope. She extended her arm to hand it to me. On top, it had my name written in nice handwriting.
"Thank you." I said, grabbing the letter. I took a look at it. The envelope was good quality, because it didn't fall apart when I began to tear it open.
I examined the first 3 words very closely. My eyes ran over them multiple times before my brain began to process them.
"I'm not dead"
My eyes wandered to the next word,
"yet."
"Oh my G-d." I said aloud. My own hand came to cover my mouth, now drowning from my tear-filled eyes. In another moment, I had dropped the letter, and my other hand drifted to the same place. One more blink, and I had fallen to my knees.
I knew who it was.
"I'll be back soon." I stated towards Mother.
"What is it honey?" She asked in response. I ignored her question, opting to grab my jacket and shoes.
"Love you." I said, exiting the home.
I pounded my legs against the ground, rushing to Keshet's residence as swiftly as I possibly could.
With no regard for possibly being a nuisance, I confidently and impulsively slammed on Keshet's bedroom window. He opened it fairly quickly. His face lit up.
"Lavi! I just... I wanted to apologize-" I cut him off.
"It's a letter...
From 99a..." |
"Is it really him?" Keshet asked. I nodded, and he promptly opened his window. "Come inside."
"My Mother gave me this. It had my name on it, so I opened it, but I think it's for both of us."
"He's alive? I'm
positive
I saw him get taken away, you were right with me!"
"I don't know. I've only skimmed over the first part."
"It's addressed to you, so why don't you open it and read it to me?"
"Sure." I slid the letter back out of the envelope, and began to read it aloud.
"
Dear Lavi,
I'm not dead; yet.
Please forgive me. I didn't wish to end things so soon.
Anyways, I have to keep this brief.
My life is not currently in danger, but I'm imprisoned in the capitol, Crater. I've been shown before the king, and he stared me in the eyes before sending me directly to prison. Although, I have overheard a couple of things since getting here.
I don't know what, but the workers are planning to do something to the Laosarch. Something big.
Inside this envelope, I've sealed an important item. It will prove to be
vital
if you truly despise the state your people are in.
The item was my Mother's. Supposedly it helped her to escape your situation.
Good luck.
Sincerely, 99a."
"Where's the item then?" Keshet quickly asked.
I reached into the envelope, and a small pocket watch fell out. I showed it to Keshet. "What do you think it is?" He inquired.
"It's a pocket watch."
"Yes, we know that, but how is it, '
vital'
?"
My eyes skimmed over the whole watch. Nothing quite caught my eyes. Again, I searched the watch for anything out of the ordinary. Again, almost nothing caught my attention.
The build was of metal, black and silver coloring. On the upper right hand side was a gold-colored button. I pressed it, but nothing happened. On the opposite side was a silver tab.
"What's this?" I asked, pulling on the tab. The tab revealed a tray. There was nothing inside. On the bottom of the tray, a droplet icon was engraved.
"Huh." Keshet resigned, "I guess you'll just have to keep it on you. We'll definitely take a closer look at it someday though."
I slid the watch into my pocket, and grabbed the letter to re-examine it. I flipped the paper upside down. On it, read a P.S. from 99a.
"Lavi, Keshet, hear me.
Fight. Fight, because every one of us is endowed by the creator with a desire for freedom. Not to take advantage of that desire would be a tragedy."
Upon reading this, I turned to Keshet, and held out my palm.
"Keshet, let's fight."
A grin befell Keshet's face.
"Welcome back Lavi." He said, grasping my wrist firmly. |
- 3 Years Later -
Red doesn't have the best birthdays, but it's the best we can do. There's no level of surprise that you can add to the presents, and the soldiers will stop you if too many people gather, so you can't make too much of a ruckus.
Where we cannot do fun things, we make up for it with tradition. For birthdays in Red, boys are given charms, while girls are given jewelry. Yes, there supposedly is a difference.
For my 15th birthday, I didn't expect much. My usual schedule would take place.
Go to market with Mother.
Pass by the hut where I met with 99a; leave flowers.
Sit by the forest; eat lunch.
Meet up with Keshet for an hour or so.
Go home.
Things don't change just because you've marked another year down. And I was expecting today to reflect this.
I skipped the trip to the market today, and opted to go straight to leaving flowers at 99a's hut. I propped open the door, and left a hand-written note on the counter. I left the title faced up. It read, "I'm sorry." I dropped the flowers carefully on the doormat just outside.
I slowly shut the door, and retreated to the edge of town, I sat down up against a tree, right outside the outskirts. Opening my lunch box, I prayed over my meal. Then, I began to eat.
When I was about halfway done with my food, I saw someone waving to me in the distance.
"Lavi!" He shouted to me, "Happy birthday!" He made his way further towards me. By the time he was right in front of me, I could tell it was Keshet. Panting, he put his hand on my shoulder. "Happy birthday Lavi..." In response, I shrugged, and said,
"Thanks," In a monotone voice. Keshet seemed disappointed. He pretended to smile a little anyway.
Scanning over Keshet's appearance, he had changed over the last 3 years. His jaw began protruding more; his eyes became droopier. He started to style his hair pointier like mine, while time had watered down the vibrant red it once had.
After a very brief amount of time, I saw another body emerging over a hill at the edge of my vision. It ran closer and closer, struggling to breathe at some points.
"Lavi!" A feminine voice exclaimed. "I'll be right there!"
As color and detail began to appear on the body, I realized it was Naomi. She came closest, and when right next to me, stopped to put her hands on her knees.
Naomi had matured as well. She became more feminine, wearing clothing she knit herself, and letting her hair grow out a little more.
"Lavi... Happy birthday!" Although she was late, I did not forget to show gratitude.
"Thanks." I responded in an equally monotone voice. She too, seemed to be filled with immense disappointment. Naomi turned to Keshet, and said,
"Come over here for a minute." Keshet and Naomi moved behind a tree. It was barely within earshot. "Do you think he's okay? Ever since 3 years ago, he's never been anything but... Stoic. Even on his birthday!"
"I don't know Naomi. But something gives me the feeling it's beyond our control." Naomi and Keshet re-emerged from the tree, to find me tearing up. Pellets of salty water dripped down my face.
"How could I be anything
but
stoic? The only way you can survive in this world is by tossing away your dreams and feelings, otherwise someone's going to end up getting
hurt!
"
"Lavi-" Keshet tried to talk, but I cut him off,
"Things change Keshet. How could you expect me to be the same bright-eyed kid? Our dream was to free us all, but the only one who might help us to achieve that died a long time ago!"
"LAVI!"
"What Keshet? Are you afraid of the truth? I thought
you
were the logical one here! I thought you were supposed to find the perfect plan to save us all! Look at yourself Keshet, now you're nothing but
naïve!"
"Lavi..." Naomi whimpered, "Please, put an end to this. This isn't you!" I snapped my head towards Naomi,
"But somehow
YOU'RE
even more blind than he is Naomi? Can't you see how things are? It's practically right in front of you! This has always been inside me, this is the
rational
position!"
A solid punch landed on my right cheek.
"Lavi! You
disgust
me!"
Keshet's punch knocked me back, and I was sent onto my bottom. Naomi came to my side, and grabbed my hand.
"Lavi..." She whispered. My tears began rushing much stronger. In a sudden change of heart but not mind, I muttered these words,
"I'm sorry..." I threw my open fist at the ground. I wanted to scream, but the only words that came out were a cowardly, whimpering, "I'm sorry..." |
I was awoken abruptly by a strong shake.
"Lavi! Wake up, 99a's getting taken away!" I rolled over, and ignored the desperate call. "LAVI! Please, just come with me!"
I opened my eyes, and saw Keshet, pounding his fists on my chest, as he began subtly sobbing.
"99a?" I inquired,
"Lavi, let's go!" Keshet chucked a pair of pants and a bandanna in my direction. "Quickly, they're marching out of town, they'll be gone soon!"
Not quite fully understanding, I put on the pants hastily. Then, I reached towards my drawer to put on a shirt, but Keshet clasped my wrist before I could touch the knob. "No time!" Keshet explained, dragging me through the house.
I was fully awake by then, and I wrapped my bandanna around my arm with the hand that was open. "Bye Lavi's Mom!" Keshet shouted, running through the front door.
Keshet ran faster than I've ever seen him run before. His inefficient running form showed that he wasn't experienced, yet he clearly gave it his all. I could feel the tear droplets land on my face, as they rolled off Keshet's cheek towards mine.
In the distance, we could see the fountain. Keshet shouted,
"That's where I saw them earlier, now we just have to catch up!" Despite being at maximum effort already, this compelled him to shatter his limits. Keshet's legs sped up to 110% speed.
We reached past the fountain, and thought we might catch up. But, we could already see the outskirts.
In the distance, I made out two figures, most likely soldiers, following a large horse drawn wagon into the outskirts.
Keshet and I tried desperately to catch up, together we moved faster than ever before. The two figures became soldiers, and they never looked back. In the wagon was a person, I thought. But they disappeared into the forest just as quickly as they appeared. The outskirts had swallowed them up.
Keshet dropped to his knees. The skies lost their color, and a drizzle was set over us.
"
NO!
" Keshet screamed, "99a! No, this can't have happened!" Keshet drove his fists into the now wet mud.
"You can't be gone..." Keshet said, his voice going hoarse. "99a, you were the only one... The only one who treated us with respect. The only one who recognized us as real humans, AND THEY TOOK YOU!"
For the first time that day, I had a true grasp on what had happened. 99a was the person in the wagon. That morning, 99a was kidnapped from us by the soldiers. If he is like all the others, then he will never return. He will most likely be killed.
He will never fulfill my promise.
"DAMN IT ALL!" I shouted, kicking a tree with all my might. I could feel the blood soaking into my shoe, but I could feel nothing. Nothing but guilt, fear, and sorrow.
"We have to go get him!" Keshet exclaimed, looking up at me and pointing towards the outskirts. His eyes were filled with tears, his face red and swelled like a tomato.
"What good will that do?" I whispered.
"What?" Keshet responded, not quite hearing me.
"WHAT GOOD WILL THAT DO?!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "We're just two kids, throwing ourselves at heartless monsters like them will only get us killed!"
Keshet went silent. For once, he solemnly agreed with me. Even I, the thoughtless boy, the reckless, "doer," could not go into a losing battle like this one.
Keshet and I sat in silence, accepting the inevitability of our torture. From the moment we were conceived, our lives have been nothing but toys for the guards that stand in the way of our freedom.
From the moment we were conceived, they designed us to be subordinate to them.
To them, our sorrows mean
naught
.
I put my hand on Keshet's shoulder, and together we wept. Soon afterwards, I folded my purple coat, and hid it in the hut where we talked with 99a the night before.
"I'm sorry, Father." |
Someone knocked on the door of our home. I sighed, and got up from playing cards with myself to check who it was. Standing at the door was a boy my age. He had red hair, which he kept equal length on all sides. His green eyes sparkled with desire.
"What's up Keshet?' I greeted.
"Hi Lavi, I was wondering if you wanted to walk to the outskirts with me and Naomi. I ran into her by the fountain, and she couldn't walk 3 steps without saying how great it would be if you were there."
I glanced at the playing cards laying on the table, then looked back to Keshet.
My face went a little red, but I agreed to go.
I reached for my purple coat. I always wore it out of the house, ever since I was 7 or 8. At that age, my Father gifted it to me. I remember him saying,
"One day you will not be a slave to the worthless, but a king of the great and the brightest. That is why I give you this cloak, so that you remember this dream of mine." The cloak has never outgrown me, because my Mother is an excellent tailor. Every time I outgrow it, even a little, she gets straight to the hard work of extending it for me. There's never any issue with the quality after an extension, and sometimes it looks even better.
I wear the cloak like a charm, and I can't imagine not wearing it everywhere.
"Be careful now!" Mother said, waving as I walked away from the front door.
Naomi was a short girl, with short brown hair. She wore glasses emphasizing her hazel eyes.
"L- Lavi! It's been a while..."
"Yo," I said, casually two-finger saluting.
Naomi and Keshet are more reserved, so it's kind of rare that they would be the ones inviting me to hang out, but that's fine with me. If anything, I
want
them to gain more confidence. It gets exhausting to be the only outgoing one sometimes. Especially when these have been my only friends, pretty much since birth.
"I didn't tell my Mom I was going to the outskirts, what about you guys?" I asked.
"I didn't. My parents would have shot that idea down faster than a soldier can shoot his weapon!" Keshet chuckled to himself. He didn't know about the man that was taken yesterday, and I didn't plan to bring it to his attention.
"I told my Mom," Naomi said, "She just asked me if I was going with a boy, and when I said yes, she just said, 'He'll protect you,'" Keshet and I laughed.
"Wow Naomi, you're lucky to have parents that relaxed!" I replied.
"Not at all!" Naomi answered, "They expect me to do everything! 'If you want food and a roof over your head, that's your problem, not ours.' It's cruel!"
Although she seemed serious at first, she eventually started laughing about her trifles with me and Keshet.
We approached the entrance to the outskirts. The outskirts completely surround Red City. They're a forested area, with, "Dangerous creatures," inside. Although, me and Keshet have been in there plenty of times before, and we've seen nothing more than a fly. Unfortunately, the guards do restrict travel here, so we have to sneak around when we get near the edge.
The three of us ventured into the forest. The trails were clear, so we cast away the idea that we could get lost.
You wanna guess what happened?
I led us a bit deeper than I should have, and the gravel trails turned to dirt, and the dirt turned to naught.
"Where are we?" Keshet asked.
"Uh-oh." I said aloud, my hollow voice echoing in the dark forest.
"Let's stay calm, we'll find a way out of this," Naomi said, reassuringly.
We sat at that spot for about 30 minutes, and no one muttered a word. If we stayed there, I thought, then maybe we would remember the way back? However, we never did remember the way back, and the forest only got darker and darker.
Eventually, I stood up.
"Damn it!" I shouted, kicking a tree.
Pine cones began to fall throughout the area. The pinecones looked beautiful to some degree. Kind of like a pivotal screenshot in my life. Unfortunately, it wasn't just beautiful to us.
A short, but large creature was woken up by this, and came to check it out.
It approached closer and closer.
"I think I've read about those in an old book." Keshet said, "And they're definitely not harmless. It's called a
boar.
"
"Shoot, it's getting closer!" I exclaimed.
The boar looked down, slammed its hoof on the ground, and began charging at us.
Without thinking, I ran in front of Naomi, and put my arms out.
"Run!" I bellowed at the top of my lungs.
B
A
N
G
The boar was shot down, and bloodied.
We looked to where the shot was fired from, and it was a soldier. He looked young, not a day over 16, and he was in more shock than us. However, he snapped out of it quickly when he saw my gaze.
"GO!" He yelled. "That's not enough to keep it down! The exit is that way!"
I took Naomi's hand while Keshet followed behind, and we ran in the direction he had pointed.
A perfect passage opened up for us. I saw light. It beamed in our eyes like the morning sunrise. Even though it was only 5:00 in the afternoon.
It was a beautiful image. Keshet, Naomi, and I, all simply absorbed the beauty of the picture before us.
"One day," I began, "One day we will not be shackled by this town, one day we will see this same sight but even more beautiful, because we will see it in freedom. There will be no Laosarch, and no soldiers, but only people. All of us will be equally deserving of freedom in the eyes of us all. That is my dream."
"Let's make it happen," Keshet said, surprising me.
"That's right," Naomi also affirmed, "I'll be waiting patiently to see this sight once again."
I put my arms around their shoulders, and made a promise that day. I believe in my dream, just as my Father did in his. |
A chilly evening. The first star is already shining brightly in the sky. A group of three warriors is running towards the highest point of the castle through the stone-built staircase. They reach 23rd floor.
"We're finally here!" A girl with red hair, dressed up as a princess in a royal pink dress with a bow on her back, shouts loudly.
An older man with grey hair looks around: "No, Stella, this is not it." He has a brown robe and is holding a wooden cane with a snail-like swirl at the top end of it.
"Figures,
he
isn't here." A young white haired boy with a determined look in his eyes smirks. He is carrying a black sword and a rather massive red cape with white fur at the end over his traditional bandit outfit.
Suddenly, a rain of arrows shoots from behind them as they all barely manage to dodge it. "Stella, Treevor, are you alright?!" He looks back at his comrades.
"Who the hell are you?! I thought we defeated all of his Generals!" Chris falls back to regroup with Stella and Treevor, each facing one direction so that they are covered from all sides.
"Wait, where are those arrows that were just fired?" Stella looks around but the arrows are nowhere to be found. "Don't tell me-... it can't be!"
"Took you long enough to realize, big sister." A woman that looks almost identical to Stella appears out of thin air. She wears black royal dress and has golden hair. She is holding a bow but there are no arrows on her.
"N-Nova...? But we all thought you were dead!" Stella starts shaking.
"Don't talk to me so casually!" She aims her bow at Stella and an arrow is formed from a smoke. Another person, the Executioner, appears from the dark and stands up next to Nova. His head is covered with a cloth.
Treevor laughs maniacally: "Wahahahah!! I hope that at least you two will be a challenge for us!"
Stella breathes in and breaths out: "I always felt like you were alive. But why are you standing on
his
side?"
"I have no obligation to answer that question." Nova tries to suppress the emotions.
"Let's give them hell-" Chris is suddenly cut out by Treevor.
"No. You go ahead."
Chris understands that he needs to leave this battle to his friends. He nods with his head and with a big smile on his face, he rushes forward, right past the two enemies. The Executioner tries to stop him but Nova grabs his hand.
"Don't do this. It's their battle."
Chris leaves the 23rd floor.
"Do you think he's gonna be alright?"
"Wahahah, did you forget who he is, Stella? Today, he will fulfill his destiny. He will bring the legendary
JSXF lights
for the people around the world."
Treevor and Stella both smirk at each other and then start rushing towards their enemies, much to Nova's and Executioner's shock.
Chris finally gets at the very top of the tower. Once he lays his eyes on certain something, he goes pale.
"Don't tell me...!"
"You're late, Chris." A dark haired young man wearing black suit of armor takes out an elegant-looking white sword that is wrapped up in an old piece of cloth. The sword was lying under a massive coniferous tree.
"I can't believe you were able to summon it from the Tree of Wishes. The Snow Eater sword should have belonged to me, what magic did you use to deceive it, Thomas?!"
"Chris, you know very well that the Snow Eater is immune to any type of magic, trickery or other means of getting it by force. What you're witnessing is a birth of the real chosen one who will fulfill the
prophecy
!"
"The legendary
JSXF lights
will never accept you! You're not pure hearted enough!"
"I will make you eat those words. I can see you obtained the Eternal Black Fire sword and the Red Joy Cloak. Too bad that both items are inferior to my Snow Eater."
Chris frowns but as he touches his red cloak, he starts smiling.
"You know what? Thanks for reminding me that my journey was worth it. But now I will end you, claim the Snow Eater for myself and bring the
lights
upon this world!
"Come, Chris!!" He assumes a battle stance.
"Thomaaaaaaaaaas!!!" Chris rushes towards Thomas and tries to cut his head off with his Eternal Black Fire sword. Thomas easily fends off his attack by using the Snow Eater sword.
A legendary battle has started. The two warriors who have been standing on the opposite sides of their own beliefs now fighting for their ideals. Like a chessboard, the two exchange black and white attacks. Sparks illuminate their faces every time their blades make a contact.
"
Snow Calamity!"
Thomas calls out a powerful attack by swinging his sword above his head. Snowflakes start falling down from heavens rapidly. As he moves his sword to pinpoint his enemy, the snowflakes create a tornado and attack Chris.
"
Eternal Flame!"
Chris 'draws' an infinity symbol in the air with his sword and a powerful flame attack busts from the edge of his blade, piercing through the snow tornado, melting the snow. The flame accidentally sets some branches of the Tree of Wishes on fire but only the tips of the branches are set alight, the fire is unable to spread further.
"The Tree knows it cannot submit to any destruction.
Winter Slash!"
Thomas swings the white sword and it creates a chilling slashing attack travelling through the air. It slashes Chris' chest. His skin is cut and the freezing slash leaves a burn.
"Aaagh!" Chris falls on his knee. "I'll never give up. I am the one who's gonna make the whole world joyful, I won't let anybody be threatened by your sick ideals!!"
"Killing off the ones with tainted hearts is not a sick ideal!"
"Who are you to judge who should die?! Your heart is also tainted! You're gonna die as well!"
"So be it! For the greater good!"
Chris and Thomas rush at each other with their swords. The wind makes Chris' red cloak to come undone as it flies in the air. The sound of a snowstorm, burning fire and clashing blades is heard.
The sky is full of stars now and it got darker. Back on the 23rd floor, Nova and Stella are both pierced with arrows through their hearts. The Executioner lies lifeless on the floor. Treevor heads upstairs but one of his legs is missing, his face is covered in blood and he is panting heavily, leaning on his swirly cane.
As he finally manages to climb all the way up, his face is struck with disbelief.
"I knew it... the
prophecy
never stated that there is only a single person to be the 'Chosen One'. None of their predecessors were able to do this because there was always one winner of the duel. But in the end ..."
Treevor loses balance and falls on the ground. He lifts his head up and sees the branches on the Tree of Wishes burning with the Eternal Flames. The ground is covered in snow and gentle snowflakes keep falling down. Lifeless bodies of Chris and Thomas are laying under the Tree. The Red Joy Cloak is hung on Black Eternal Fire sword, with Snow Eater being stuck in the ground. There are four lights circling around the Tree, flying rapidly above the scenery. The lights descend on the ground and change into shadowy human-looking characters.
"J... S... X... F..." Treevor says faintly as he closes his eyes and passes away.
The first shadow's head is illuminated by the Tree and his long straight brown hair is visible from behind. "The two young men laid their lives in order to create us. I, Jesus, shall make this a world they dreamed of."
The second shadow wears a red uniform with a white fur at the end. He takes the Red Joy Cloak and puts it on. "For the people to feel joy and finally enter peaceful era, both of them had to die. I, Santa, shall bring that era."
The third shadow with a thick white beard laughs. "Ho-ho-ho. I am Father X. We were given the greatest gift of them all. The gift of life under this shining Tree."
The last shadow, with a chilling breeze constantly swirling around their blue uniform, bows down to the dead bodies. "You didn't just make history. You have created something more powerful. And that's... a tradition. I, Frost, declare this day, 24th of December, as the day of the joy, the day that will celebrate the fallen warriors Chris and Thomas... the people will call it..."
"Christmas!" The four men declare at the same time as they turn back to lights which each disperse to the one corner of the world.
Tradition: THE END |
-CHAPTER 3-
A soldier slammed on the door of our home. It was early, maybe 6:00 AM? Mother and I were sleeping, and when we heard the knocking, we were awoken. Although, we didn't wake up and answer the door fast enough.
"It's MORNING! Announcements are outside. Do you hear me? Hello?!" The soldier took the liberty of entering our house uninvited. "It's wake up time!"
Mother and I quickly got ourselves composed, and headed to the fountain in the town square. The soldiers lined the Laosarch in rows. Once collected, we were spoken to. The lead soldier spoke:
"Do any of you have any clue why you've been gathered here today?" We all looked down, and shook our heads slightly. "You know who you are, 3 persons ventured out of Red yesterday..." Across the rows, me, Keshet, and Naomi glared at each other.
"3 of you left our precious city. Why oh why would you leave this beautiful place? What is it that there is on the outside that we don't have here?" I cringed when I heard the lead soldier say these words. He knows the outside better than any of us, he knows
exactly
why we would want to leave.
To get away from them.
They do nothing but mistreat us. Nothing but widdle our numbers and force us to reproduce. They are nothing but
devils.
Leaving is my only hope. My Mother has lived in Red her whole life, and her Mother, and her Mother before that. I must break the cycle!
I will free everyone. Each and every smiling face, I want every Laosarch to love G-d without being persecuted.
The only ones that stand in my way are the ambassadors of Sarah.
The soldiers continued to rant about the 3 of us touching the edge of freedom.
"Step forward now, the 3 of you, or 3 of your most critical men will perish." 3 soldiers raised their tools towards 3 townsmen. "You have 15 seconds. 15. 14. 13."
I contemplated standing up. But it was too scary a task. I had been conditioned my whole life to think leaving is unforgivable, so admitting to it seemed all too terrifying.
"12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6,"
Surely they were exaggerating... They weren't
actually
going to kill 3 people for what we'd done, right?
"5, 4,"
We'd gone to the outskirts plenty of times before, they wouldn't inflict a punishment now, would they?
"3.
2.
1."
B A N G.x3
"Go back to your houses, and contemplate what you've done." The lead soldier said.
On the walk back, I caught a glimpse of the young soldier who shot the boar. Our eyes met.
"Thank you," I said silently. He read my lips.
Lesson: Never doubt the levels a soldier will go to.
* * *
The next morning, I met with Keshet. He insisted we meet at the fountain, and I obliged. Although, I didn't really like the fountain. It was always really loud, and it was constantly home to many soldiers.
Keshet was there before me. Running over to him, I started talking.
"Hey Keshet, do you want to-" Keshet covered my mouth.
"Look." He whispered, "The soldier from the woods." An immense amount of guilt came over me. The night before, I was haunted by the thought of the bloodied floor.
"What if I hadn't done it? What if I just kept us on the path?" I sobbed with Mother, "They'd still be
ALIVE!
"
Mother had completely forgotten about punishing me, or even getting angry at me for going to the outskirts. The soldiers had given me enough trauma already.
"Should we ask him about why he was in the forest?" Keshet asked. I was snapped back into reality. It's hard to believe Keshet was staying level-headed when it was just yesterday that two people were killed here. I asked him about it, ignoring his prior question. He said,
"What does it matter? Whether we went into the forest or not they were going to find a reason to get rid of those people. Yes it's sad, but it's not our fault. Don't let the soldiers get into your head. That's exactly what they
want.
" I was taken aback. Keshet had clearly done some thinking about this. Keshet's quiet, but he seems to have an unparalleled ability to sort through information. Keshet's a thinker, I'm a doer.
Keshet and I approached the soldier who saved us. We made subtle eye contact, and when he noticed us, he jumped a bit.
We were very direct with how we phrased our question towards the young soldier. With powerful eye contact, I posed the question.
"Thank you and all, but why?" The young soldier was shaking.
"Hush! You and I both know that soldiers like 37a would hand us over an open flame if he found out I helped you!" He whispered with ferocity. Aggressive, but still rooted in kindness. "If you truly want to know the truth, meet me back here at 12:00."
I looked to Keshet, then back to the soldier. I nodded.
"You agree?" The young soldier confirmed, "Then skedaddle!"
Keshet and I retreated back to the safety of our homes. Once safe, I grabbed a pen, and wrote down the plan.
You see, my Mother surely wouldn't be okay with me leaving the house at midnight. Unlike Naomi's parents, my Mom is concerned for my well-being. I can empathize with Mother. I can see why she wouldn't want her 12-year-old son going out into the night, let alone with a soldier. Although, right now is not the time to worry about what
could
happen, I
need
to know the truth.
What is it that the soldiers are hiding?
I dipped the pen in some ink I stole from Mother's bedroom. Ink is quite expensive in Red, so we usually only use it for special occasions. I wrote the plan on my page.
11:00 - Complain to Mother that it is too hot inside, open window.
11:30 - Make a joke that it's gotten cold again, put on clothes.
11:45 - Mother falls into deep sleep.
11:55 - Grab shoes, and escape through the window.
11:57 - Meet Keshet outside his bedroom.
12:00 - Meet young soldier at fountain.
I waited for the ink to dry, then folded the paper, and put it in my pocket.
Mother arrived home at 7:00, and forced me to bed at 9:00. I reluctantly agreed.
But before I slipped into the covers, I snatched the mini-clock from the kitchen.
I kept my eyes open, as I hid under the covers, illuminating the clock with a small lamp. I was staying very careful, to make sure I didn't light my sheets on fire.
Each hand spun slower than I could possibly comprehend. Each moment of torture, knowing that I could wonder no more in just a bit of time.
9:00. 9:01. 9:02. 9:03. 9:04. 9:05. 9:06. 9:07. 9:08. 9:09. 9:10. 9:11. 9:12. 9:13. 9:14. 9:15. 9:16. 9:17. 9:18. 9:19. 9:20. 9:21. 9:22. 9:23. 9:24. 9:25. 9:26. 9:27. 9:28. 9:29. 9:30. 9:31. 9:32. 9:33. 9:34. 9:35. 9:36. 9:37. 9:38. 9:39. 9:40. 9:41. 9:42. 9:43. 9:44. 9:45. 9:46. 9:47. 9:48. 9:49. 9:50. 9:51. 9:52. 9:53. 9:54. 9:55. 9:56. 9:57. 9:58. 9:59. 10:00. I passed out around then. The spinning arms were so mesmerizing, I ended up surrendering my consciousness.
11:10. I woke up, and opened the window. As I thought, Mother was also awake.
"What are you doing, Lavi?" She hollered.
"Just opening the window. It's hot in here!" I responded.
"Make sure it's only cracked!" That injected an issue into my plan. I couldn't climb out the window if it wasn't fully opened, and I couldn't just open it all the way anyways, because she would see it in the morning. I also can't shut the window on my way out, it would make too much noise.
I ended up just leaving the window cracked. I would just have to hope that the window opening wouldn't wake Mother up later.
At 11:30, I went to put some clothes on. The dresser creaked as I opened the drawers.
Mother climbed out of bed, and came to my room. She stood in the doorway.
"It got cold. I was just putting on some extra layers,-" I helplessly explained.
Mother kneeled down, and fixed the collar of my shirt.
"Where are you going, my son?" She asked. I was mortified by her all-knowingness. So much so, that I immediately dropped the act.
"To meet up with Keshet." I responded. I technically wasn't lying, I was just withholding the information that I was meeting up with a soldier. I awaited the punishment from Mother. I knew she would be angry with my recklessness. My face grimaced.
"Well? Are you going to put on your shoes? You wouldn't want to leave him out there alone for too long."
I looked up, and made eye contact with Mother. I grinned.
"You're right." I said, hurriedly putting on my shoes, and dashing out of the house. "Thank you!" I called on my way out.
I jogged over to Keshet's house, and knocked on his window 15 minutes early. Lucky enough for me, Keshet was already prepared.
I helped Keshet crawl out his windowsill. HIs parents sleep on the opposite side of the house, so we didn't have to worry about noise.
After that, we got onto the road. It was silent. I never thought I'd see the day. Red was always bustling with activity. If there weren't any Laosarch, there would surely be guards. But now there was naught.
I listened to the sound of our feet hitting the pavement.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
As I listened, I unconsciously began to sync with Keshet.
We approached the fountain. In the distance, I could see a small light. It illuminated the water of the fountain, and the light bounced back towards my eyes.
A figure holding the light waved at us. We continued towards it.
"Hey," The figure said, "How about we go inside? It's cold out here." Keshet and I nodded, and followed him.
He led us to a small wooden hut. I didn't know where the hut was, because it was too dark to see which direction we were heading in.
The figure opened the door for us, letting us waltz inside. The figure came in behind us, and closed the door behind him.
The figure removed his hood, confirming his identity as the young soldier. He held out his hand, unclenched for a handshake. I grabbed it.
"I'm 99a. You?" He asked,
"Lavi," I answered, "And this is Keshet."
"Nice to meet you." 99a affirmed. I decided that I had to get straight to the point,
"Why did you save us?" I asked, "And why are you so open to a conversation like this?"
"It's..." He exhaled, "It's complicated, and it's not the kind of thing that's reflected on well by my co-workers."
"Yeah. I imagine you haven't told anyone about this?"
"I tried not to. But another soldier said he saw 3 Laosarch head into the outskirts, and I was left with no option but to affirm that story. I didn't tell them I went in though, or that it was two children that I saw."
"Thank you."
"There's no way I could tell them about 3 children... That's essentially sentencing them to death, or worse... I could never live with myself."
"Then why do the other guards seem so numb to it, or even excited for it?"
"All I can do is tell you the full story. Then... Maybe one day somebody can finally end this madness."
My eyes widened, I was more prepared than ever, I had to know.
"Go ahead." I said.
"You have to promise not to tell anyone, alright?"
"Got it." Keshet and I nodded.
"When I was younger, I grew up in the heart of Sarah, known as Crater. In Crater, there are buildings much taller than the ones you see here, the roads are bustling with people, and the skies are so blue you could faint. In Crater, there are no Laosarch, and no guards. Just people.
While I was in Crater, my parents taught me a lot of things, and even sent me to, 'School,' to learn more things. But they all taught me the same story:
In the beginning, the world exploded into existence, and eventually, humans arose. Although, they had a problem. Some people wanted to work, and others didn't. These people made a deal. For 1,000 years, half the world would labor, and then they would switch. Rinse and repeat forever. The people who didn't work were called the, 'Laosarch,'
1,000 years passed, but the Laosarch had forgotten about their promise. They had come to have no gratitude for the workers of the land. The Laosarch were so far removed from the labor of the world that all they knew was ease.
The Laosarch didn't give up their comfortable place. They put workers in prison-like conditions, and made them suffer.
After 2,000 years, the workers revolted, and simultaneously struck the Laosarch at their core. The workers won the war, and have restricted them, so that they may never gain a position of power again.
However, to this day, the Laosarch continue to plot the destruction of the workers' society. They pray to their fictional god about freeing themselves, and beginning to rule over the workers once again."
"But none of that is true! We don't pray on others' downfall, and only wish to be treated like human beings!" I responded in a sudden fit of anger.
"That's why I'm here with you today. I know that's not true. The Laosarch are people, just like the rest of us. They're so far removed from their ancestors, they wouldn't even know of a time when they weren't powerless."
"How did you come to learn this? It sounds like everyone around you believed it."
"When I was 13 my Mother died. She seemed healthy, but in reality a disease was eating away at her for years. There was no hope for her by the time we found out. The last thing she said to me was, 'Never trust Sarah. For I am a Laosarch, and they have deceived you.'
My Mother was a runaway Laosarch, and when she told my Father, a doctor overheard what she said. The doctor called for the, 'Keepers of The Peace,' and my Father was shot on the spot. My Mother died of natural causes soon later.
I lied, and the keepers of The Peace believed that I never knew of my Mother's true origin. I was sent here, to Red, to learn what happens to Laosarch. Contrary to their plan, it only enforced what Mother said. The workers
had
deceived me."
"So this is why you've shown us kindness? Because your Mother was a Laosarch?"
"Not quite. I don't think it matters much that my Mother was a Laosarch. I think that anyone who has had the truth revealed to them would act in a similar manner. Blood relative or not."
I paused there. I thought for a while. I thought,
"What if... We told everyone the truth?" I considered saying it out loud, but thought that now wasn't the right time.
99a looked at a clock sitting on the counter. He was taken aback,
"Jeez, it's late. There's an early roll call tomorrow, you guys better get some sleep tonight." He lightly tapped us towards the door. However, I turned around in the doorframe.
"99a... Will you promise me that you'll tell me more about the outside world?" He hesitated at first, but when I held out my pinky, his interlocked with mine.
"Promise." He said.
"Alright, goodbye then!" I waved, beginning to run off with Keshet.
"Goodbye!" Keshet added as well.
99a waved, and then shut the door calmly.
I rushed home with Keshet, so I could go to sleep faster, and see 99a in the morning sooner.
I really wanted to ask him what his real name was.
I climbed under the sheets, and recalled 99a's friendly smile as he shut the door.
That was the last time I saw 99a. |
There were blue skies
Days were light,
Then no skies
Days were naught.
-CHAPTER 1-
My Mother slapped my wrist.
"What?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"You know exactly what I mean!" She frustratedly whisper-shouted.
I went back in the front door, while Mother waited in the small, grass strip in front of our house.
From the short stand right inside, I grabbed a red bandanna. I wrapped it around my left arm, and went to catch up with Mother.
Our house was placed in a gray city. The city itself lacked personality, function, or anything else for that matter. It was but a sea of one story, half timbered, brown and white buildings, none of which particularly interesting compared to the one next to it. But under the surface, the residents of our city are a thriving community. We call it a, "City," but that's only because everything is packed so tightly. In reality, it only houses about 500 people.
The city contains a small market. It's mostly for selling food, clothing, and jewelry. Although, none of the people harvest any of the crops here. It's all rationed from the government outside of the city. It's not that there's not enough food to go around, it's just that no one outside trusts people like
us
with growing food.
The city is called, "Red," and it's located in southern Sarah. I'm told Sarah is the micronation, although I couldn't tell you where it is on a map. No one in Red is allowed to leave Red, so people don't really talk about the outside very often. In fact, we're not allowed to.
The fact that we've all been here since birth, and none of us have ever left means that we're all very tightly knit. Most everyone knows each other here, but we see new faces every once and a while. The people of Red can all rely on each other.
My Mother and I had approached the market. It's less than 200 meters from our home, so we go there almost every day. The streets were bustling with activity.
It was a beautiful day in Red. Clear skies, the subtle wind set over the top of the city. It's not every day that Red is like that. Despite being named after a color, Red is a monotone city. For the last 60 days, nothing but gray skies and drizzling rain has dared step near us.
Some people were so excited that they began to shout with glee. We felt free, finally, ready to roam the open waters above.
It's hard to put into perspective the euphoria that was laid over the city. This sense of shared joy was like nothing I had ever felt before.
"Bless the Father who gave us this day!" One man shouted into the blue skies above.
The surrounding area halted, dead silence ensued. Everyone knew this was out of the ordinary.
I heard my heart beating for a moment. I was waiting for the worst.
A shot was fired near, shattering the silence. A soldier presented himself with a large, mystical tool. Everyone in town knew about the tool. Supposedly, it can kill a man with just the pulling of a trigger, but I'd never seen that happen. Nevertheless, it keeps us under the thumbs of the soldiers.
"Who said that?!" The soldier barked, "Which one of you said that? You know who you are!"
Not a soul dared to step forward.
"Scum." The soldier said to himself, keeping his teeth glued together. "Fine, if that's what you wish for. Uniform Check!"
5 other soldiers appeared behind the first one's back. They all began to search everyone in the area, to make sure they were wearing the "uniform."
In Red, the people living there are called the, "Laosarch," We are required to wear, "Uniforms," whenever we leave the house. For men, this is a red bandanna, it must be worn at all times. For women, they must wear a patch on their chest. The patch says, "Laosarch," It has an image of a cat, with blood red eyes.
The soldiers checked each and every person extremely carefully. They ran their fingers over each and every man's shoulders, snapping their head from one person to another. Eventually, a soldier says,
"Aha!" Everyone looks in his direction. He had taken a man by the arm. "Laosarch, where is your bandanna?" He asked the man, opening one eye wide and leaning in towards him.
"I- I must have dropped it."
"Then why didn't you pick it up?"
"I didn't know it-"
"Nobody asked." The other soldiers laughed at the man with no bandanna. "Well then, if you truly did drop it, then we'll help you find it!" The soldier maniacally cackled at his own lie.
3 soldiers picked the man up by each of his limbs, and drug him away against his will.
"Wait! Help me! Somebody, anyone!" The man shouted desperately. But no one heard him. Or, it was like no one heard him. Unfortunately, this had become such a commonplace that no one even flinched at the kidnapping of a man against his will.
"Where is your God now?" One of the soldiers asked tauntingly.
"37a, let's go." Another soldier responded.
"Toodle-oo, my beautiful Laosarch!" 37a gleefully shouted.
It intrigued me that all of the soldiers have numbers. It was mysterious, none of the soldiers had names for themselves, at least they never said them around us. The soldiers have no origin either. They show up, and then leave. Sometimes consistent, sometimes not.
Mother tugged at my shoulder.
"Do you see now? That would have happened to
you
if I didn't make you put your uniform on!"
I stood there, absorbing all her what-ifs.
Mother and I continued shopping at the market. At one stall, the shopkeeper began to chat with Mother,
"Oh, good morning Mrs. Baumann. It's been a moment since I've seen your son, hasn't it? How old is he now? Remind me his name as well, would you?"
"12," She answered, "His name is Lavi."
"I'm sorry he had to see that earlier. Must be hard on him to see soldiers acting like that out in the open."
"Yes, well, we Laosarch all have to learn at some point."
"Unfortunately, that is the case. Like birds trapped in a cage, we are forever crippled." |
I crossed the street as subtly as I could. I have become accustomed to this recently. The fear of being caught running around past curfew had subsided, and I began to enjoy the view of Red at night.
Keshet was also learning to move around at night. Although, knowing him the fear and novelty will never go away. Him and I were meeting at 99a's shack, and it was nothing short of a feat to convince Keshet to make it here on his own.
A lamp flickered inside the shack a ways away. Keshet had made it there before me. Knowing he was waiting, I quickly made my way inside.
"You're not late," Keshet said upon my arrival, "I'm just early. My Father has been a restless sleeper lately, so I took the chance to leave while I could confirm his unconsciousness."
"Good," I replied, "I was a little worried it was my fault you were here alone twiddling your thumbs."
"Well, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"
I started to shake a bit. I had thought about this thousands of times now, but what I had called Keshet to talk about was difficult to say aloud. I hesitated, and decided to put it off.
"Before that, I brought some tea, want any?" I revealed a couple of tea bags, and opened the near boiling water in my thermos.
"Sure. I think there were a couple of mugs in the cupboards here, right?"
"Yup, 3rd one on the left."
"Wow, you sure do know this place well don't you?"
"Well, yeah. It's been like a home away from home for me for the past couple of years."
"I noticed the flowers you've left. Those aren't cheap are they?"
"Price doesn't really matter. It's not like I buy anything else, so..."
"Not to mention you've cleaned this place... I haven't noticed a single spec of dirt or dust since I've gotten here."
"If I didn't do it, no one else would. I have to maintain this place for 99a."
Keshet dolefully dropped his head a little.
"You know he's not coming back, right?" Keshet asked magniloquently and mundane-like. To me, Keshet had said something so obvious, it almost made me feel like a fool, and yet it was so bombastic. "He'll never see this cabin again. This isn't his home, it
was
his home." I clenched my fists, and sat down on a loveseat with my elbows resting on my knees.
"He's never coming back..." I repeated to myself. "So, those days truly are gone... Even if 99a is alive, those nostalgic childhood days are over."
"But 99a
is
alive. We may have to put those memories to rest, but there is a bright future ahead. There are many more memories to craft with our own hands."
"You're right." I said, happy Keshet had rescued me from my gloom one again. "The tea is done." I poured the tea out into the two cups as evenly as I could.
"Thanks," Keshet said, grabbing the cup. "Cheers."
Chink.
"So... I've been thinking..." I began, "Ever since I got that letter from 99a, nothing has satisfied me. And, well... I don't think anything ever will, aside from this. 99a said in his letter, we
crave
freedom. Longingly, we wish to leave our cage. It doesn't matter if we are provided with the best nest, the best seed, the best anything we want, nothing compares to a fresh breath of freedom."
"Indeed." Keshet nodded in agreement,
"Because of this... Keshet, do you want to escape with me?" I put down my glass on the table in front of me, and my gaze drifted up towards Keshet's. We locked eyes.
A moment went by before he answered this. Then another, then perhaps one more. Then, out of nowhere like lighting,
Gulp.
"I'll give it a shot. We agreed to fight together, so I guess this will be our first battle."
A wave of relief rushed over my back. I nearly toppled off my chair from the sudden redistribution of weight from my shoulders, to my head.
"Oh, you're right. That was kind of redundant, wasn't it?"
"No, not really. Actually, I would quite like to ask you the same question, so I can give
you
a chance to respond."
"What do you mean?"
"Do
you
want to escape?"
"Of course, I'm the one who asked you first."
"Let me break it down. Are you
sure
you want to escape? You'll have to give up on seeing your Mother, she'll be worried sick about you for the rest of her life."
I swallowed hard.
"If it must be done, then so be it."
"We'll have to say goodbye to Naomi. Think about how devastated she will be."
My hands shook, and my sweat glands began opening.
It began sinking in what effect this might have on everyone else inside of Red. Even if I wasn't close to everyone, the guards might start to enforce new rules to prevent more people from escaping. I would be indirectly forcing everyone's quality of life downwards.
"Fine." I reluctantly spit out.
"You'll have no home to return to, don't forget there's no coming back."
"Bring it on."
"There will be no such thing as relaxing outside Red. Every second of every day will be stressful. A sense of security? That's something dreams are made of. Not to mention the backbreaking loads of work that will need to be done to get to, 'freedom'"
"I'll get over that."
"Lavi, there's a very real chance you'll lose your life doing this."
"I get it!" I shouted, "It's stupid, I know. But I'm willing to take the risk to break the cycle. And now that I've made up my mind, there's nothing anyone can do to change it." |
Prologue of Obsolete Humans.
The fates of two teenage girls and a mysterious boy will converge at a nun convent. One girl is tall with long straight brown hair. Her name is Luna Flowers. Luna's eye colour is light green. The other girl is slightly shorter. This girl's name is Sapphire Rose. Sapphire's hair colour is blonde with a deep wavy appearance and her eyes are the colours of a rainbow.
The appearance of the boy is a mystery. All that can be revealed is that the boy possesses a power that can be, best described as infinite. The 3 teenagers will need to fulfil a prophecy in order to survive the danger that will target them.
Luna Flowers and Sapphire Rose were both sent by their relatives to the White Light Sisters' Convent in the small town of Silverstone.
They both come from opposite regions of their home country, Trimenia.
The families of these girls sent them to the nun convent to stop them from exploring the outside world. Sapphire and Luna both desired to live independent lives free from the restrictions of their families. At the tender age of 14. It has been 2 months since both have arrived at the nun convent.
Sapphire and Luna have shared a room since day one in the Nunnery dormitories.
The daily chores of the two girls is to wash the clothes of the nuns, fathers, orphans and other sisters' who live in the convent. Help with community work in Silverstone and daily prayers in the convent.
The responsibilities of these daily chores are distributed between Sapphire, Luna and the other sisters and orphans who live in the White Light Sisters' Convent.
Luna always says how bored she is in the convent. Sapphire is less vocal about her feelings towards the convent. But feels the same as Luna. Sapphire and Luna always ask themselves why their families stopped them from exploring the outside world?
Sapphire and Luna both hated their families for sending them to the White Light Sisters' Convent. Yet, Sapphire and Luna seem to have no memory of the families they hated so much since arriving at the convent.
Both girls had the same goal to one day leave the convent and explore the outside world. Little did they know that their wish would soon come to pass. But only at the cost and sacrifice of many innocent lives. From this unforeseen upcoming event, Luna and Sapphire would experience both the emotion of happiness and hatred that humans carry within their hearts.
Let the journey begin. |
Maki spent the next few weeks in a state of excitement and nervousness. She spent every spare moment researching magic, trying to learn as much as she could about her new abilities. She scoured the library, reading old texts and scrolls that spoke of spells. She practiced in secret, using her powers to make small objects float or to light candles with a flick of her wrist.
But as much as she enjoyed her newfound abilities, she also knew that she had to be careful. She couldn't risk revealing her powers to anyone, not even her best friend. She knew that in the world she lived in, witches were not always met with kindness or understanding. They were often feared and misunderstood, and Maki didn't want to be seen as an outcast.
One day, as she was practicing a simple levitation spell in the privacy of her bedroom, she heard a knock on the door. She quickly hid the book of spells she had been reading and answered the door to find her best friend, Rina, standing on the other side.
"Hey, Maki! I was just wondering if you wanted to come to the lake with me and swim. It's such a beautiful day and I thought it would be fun to cool off," Rina said, a bright smile on her face.
Maki hesitated, not wanting to reveal her powers to her friend. But at the same time, she didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to spend time with Rina. She decided to take the risk.
"Sure, that sounds great," Maki said, trying to sound casual. "I'll meet you at the lake in half an hour."
As they walked to the lake, Maki got nervous. She knew that she couldn't let her powers slip, but she also knew that it would be hard to resist using them. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing thoughts.
When they reached the lake, Maki and Rina undressed and they swam in the lake. Maki couldn't help but feel a sense of freedom and joy. She was having so much fun that she forgot all about her powers. But as they were about to leave the lake, Maki's foot slipped on a wet rock and she lost her balance, stumbling and falling into the water. As she went under, she panicked and without thinking, used her powers to lift herself out of the water and back onto the shore.
Rina's eyes widened in amazement as she watched Maki effortlessly float out of the water. "Maki, how did you do that?" she asked in amazement.
Maki's heart raced as she realized that she had accidentally revealed her powers to her best friend. She hesitated, not sure what to say.
"It's okay, Maki. You can trust me. I won't tell anyone," Rina said, placing a comforting hand on Maki's shoulder. "I've always known that you were special. I just didn't know how special."
Tears of relief and gratitude welled up in Maki's eyes as she realized that she had nothing to fear from her best friend. From that moment on, she knew that she could trust Rina with her secret. |
Maki and Rina screamed as they were trapped by the monster. They closed their eyes, waiting for the worst to happen. But to their surprise, the monster stopped just inches away from them. They opened their eyes to see that the monster was frozen in place, its claws just inches from their faces. Then Maki passed out. When she woke up, Rina was smiling and said, "That must have been your magic that froze the monsters." Maki looked tired and confused. She looked at her hands and said, "Are you sure my magic froze the monsters?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
They decided to rest for another 10 hours before continuing their adventure south.
As they were traveling south, they encountered a village that had been suffering from a plague that started in the south. Maki asked a villager what this plague was. The villager said the southern cities had been suffering from this incurable plague for 2 years now. Rina and Maki knew they couldn't do anything to help, so they decided to change their route to the east for now. They started going east, but there were considerably more monsters in the eastern parts of the world. They wondered why.
They were resting by a stream and overheard a group of knights talking about a powerful monster which had taken up residence in the eastern mountains. They said that the monster could manipulate other weaker monsters and use them to terrorize the surrounding villages. |
Maki and Rina exchanged worried glances. They knew that they couldn't take on a powerful monster like that. But as long as they didn't encounter that monster, they should have a safe adventure. At least, they hoped that. However, the closer they got to the east, the number of monsters increased. They had managed to fend off the monsters so far by using Maki's magic, but the monsters were getting stronger. They were asking people about the witches' land, but they still hadn't found out anything. Maybe if they got to the big city of Wutstead, they would find something. They managed to see the big tower inside a forest outside of Wutstead after travelling for 2 days, but suddenly Maki saw her mother crying. Maki said, 'Mother, are you okay?' but there was no response. Then, a man hit her on the head and she got knocked out. After an uncertain amount of time passed, she woke up in a bed and Rina was sleeping in the other bed beside her. Maki wondered where she was and why her mother was crying. Suddenly, a soldier appeared. Maki sat up in the bed and looked at the soldier. 'Where am I?' she asked.
The soldier looked at her and replied, 'You are in the hospital of Wutstead. We found 2 kids unconscious outside of the city and brought you here to be cared. Your friend is here as well.' Maki looked over at Rina, who was still sleeping. She wondered what had happened to them and why her mother had been crying. She decided to ask the soldier for more information. 'Can you tell me what happened? Why was my mother crying?' she asked.
The soldier said, 'You probably were inside that illusion forest that was cast with an illusion spell by the monster. It makes weak minds unconscious and makes them see their most beloved person in their life in despair. We call that forest of despair. |
As the sun began to set, Maki and Rina decided to set up camp at the base of the cliff. They gathered firewood and started a small fire to keep them warm through the night. As they sat by the fire, roasting potatoes they had collected along the way, Maki asked Rina more about why she was looking sad. "I just feel sad and I don't know why," Rina said, poking at the potatoes with a stick.
Maki frowned, trying to think of a way to make her happy. "Maybe it's just exhaustion. We've been walking for days and we're probably just tired and hungry."
Rina nodded, but she looked sad.
As the night wore on, Maki and Rina were taking turns keeping watch, but eventually, they both fell asleep, exhausted from their adventure. When they woke up, Rina still looked sad. Maki wanted to ask her why but she didn't want to bother Rina. They got up and walked into the vast forest. They carefully went through the forest to avoid being caught in an illusion like before. As they were walking in the forest, they stopped at a plain circle inside the forest. But then they saw something shiny flying in the air. They wondered what it was and got closer to it. It was a fairy! They both got shocked, as they had only heard of fairies in storybooks and tales. |
Maki and Rina wanted to set out towards the village, but they were pretty tired, so they decided to stay in the old lady's rundown shack for one night. In the morning, they got ready and set off to find the village of witches. They knew passing the mountains would be hard. They walked for days and reached the mountain range, now the only obstacle on their way. Through the rugged terrain, they tried to find a way through the mountains. After a week of trying to find a way across the mountains, they finally found it. Still, they had to search for the village in the vast forest. *Meanwhile, in Maki's village*, a witch hunter appears and walks towards the village chief. "You seem to have found a witch in this village. Where is that witch?" "The witch escaped our hands," replied the chief. "So, is the mother of that witch somewhere in the village?" "The mother escaped after her kid ran away," said the chief. "At least,mr chief do you know how the witch looks?" "Yes, she is blond and has green eyes, and she is 13," said the chief. "Oh, the witch is 13. That's the youngest witch I ever heard of, but I guess age doesn't matter. If she is a witch, she must have committed a serious crime in her past life. Mr. Chief, can you show me the witch's house?" "Yes, I sure can," replied the chief and walked towards Maki's house wich "heres the house of the witch" "ok good" the witch hunter kicked the door and entered the house "lets check the belongings of the Witch if my dog smells im sure i can track the witch. *back to the forest* Maki and Rina, unaware of the witch hunter's arrival in their village, they continued their journey through the forest in search of the village of witches. They navigated through dense foliage and avoided dangerous animals. Eventually, they come across a clearing and spot a small village in the distance. "They thought this was the village of witches, but as they got closer, they realized it was just a normal village. There appeared to be only two people living there, but as they got closer, they discovered that they were gnomes. The gnomes were standing on stools and hanging clothes. Maki and Rina approached the gnomes and greeted them. Maki asked, "Why are two gnomes living in this vast forest?" The bigger gnome, with a sad look on his face, replied, "My little brother and I are outcasts from the gnome village in the east, beyond the mountains." Maki and Rina felt sympathy for the gnomes as they were also outcasts from Maki's village since the villagers found out that Maki was a witch. "Why were you cast out from the village?" asked Maki and Rina. "We looked different from other gnomes. We were much taller, and the villagers were scared of us.Even our father abandoned us," replied the big brother, trying not to cry. Maki was about to cry as well, feeling sad and emotional. But gnome said with determination "I won't cry. I've already cried enough and made my little brother sad. I need to find a way to make him smile again," she said. Maki and Rina felt a strong bond with the gnomes because of their own experiences of being outcasts, they decided to help. "We have an idea," said Maki. "Why don't we help you find a new home in the village of witches?" The gnomes were doubtful at first, but after Maki and Rina calmed them, they started smiling with hope. "Look, little brother, I told you someone would come to rescue us," said the big brother. "Should we go now or tomorrow?" asked the gnomes. "Let's go now," they said at the same time with a smile. They packed their bags and set off with Maki and Rina towards the village of witches. |
Maki turned to Rina, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Rina. I never wanted to put you in danger like this. If I had known that my powers would bring trouble, I never would have accepted them," she said, her voice shaking with emotion. Rina placed a comforting hand on Maki's shoulder. "It's not your fault, Maki. You can't control who you are. And besides, I'm grateful to have you as my friend, powers or no powers. We'll face this together, okay?"
Maki nodded, feeling a surge of gratitude and love for her best friend. She knew that she could always count on Rina to stand by her side. As the morning rose, Maki and Rina talked about a place Maki had heard of. There were tales about a land where only witches lived, and their goal was to go there. but she didn't know where to begin. Maki and Rina decided to go north in search of the land of witches. They packed their bags and set out early in the morning, determined to find the answers they were seeking. As they traveled, they asked everyone they met if they had heard of the land of witches. Most people had not, but a few offered vague rumors and tales of a distant place where magic was celebrated and embraced. "They couldn't find any clues other than rumors, so they decided to go south. However, their journey was interrupted by a monster den. Maki and Rina decided to go around the mountain, but there seemed to be no way around other than inside the den. They were very scared to go in, but Maki thought that if they didn't make too much noise, they wouldn't be noticed. But as they were almost at the outside, an orc appeared in front of them. They ran, but while they were running, they made a lot of noise and more monsters kept appearing. Rina tripped over a tree root. Maki returned to save her, but they were trapped by the monster. |
They decided to travel around the city, talking to anyone who might have information about the village of witches. Despite their efforts, they still had not found any leads. They began to wonder if they would ever find the village. Then a knight appeared in front of them and said, "You were seen asking about the location of the witches' village. That's a crime in this city. However, since you're only 13, your punishment will be light." Maki and Rina panicked and tried to run, but the knight was much faster and they were knocked out. After they woke, they realized they were in a cell with a small window. Rina and Maki looked through the window and saw that they were so high up that the houses in the city looked small. Rina and Maki wondered where they could be. After some time, a knight came and opened the door, putting anti-magic handcuffs on both of them. "Follow me or I will make you come with me forcefully," the knight said. They walked down some stairs and finally arrived in a room with only a desk and three chairs. It seemed that the room had been prepared specifically for them. And they waited for some time then a man in a robe came and sat down. He pulled something out of his pocket and began asking them questions about why they wanted to go to the witches village. They realized that the item was a hypnotic device, but they resisted the illusions and told lies about why they wanted to go to the witches village.
After Maki and Rina told the man in the robe their lies about why they wanted to go to the witches village, he seemed to accept their answer. He put the hypnotic device back in his pocket and stood up. "Well, it seems that you two have no malicious intent in seeking out the witches village. I apologize for the misunderstanding. You are free to go, but please do not ask about the village again. It is for your own safety." The knight uncuffed Maki and Rina and led them out . Once they were alone, Maki turned to Rina and said, "We have to be more careful in the future though. We can't let anyone catch us asking about the village again." "You're right," Rina agreed. "But we can't just give up on finding the village either. We have to find a way to gather information without drawing attention to ourselves."
They spent the next few days thinking ideas and trying to come up with a plan. They knew that they couldn't just ask people directly about the village, but maybe there were other ways to gather information. They decided to go to another village
Maki and Rina set out to the nearest city, in map the nearest city was Merrydale and it was located right outside of the mountain range. After arriving in Merrydale, Maki and Rina began their search for information about the witches' village. They asked around town, trying to be subtle and not draw too much attention to themselves. However, no one seemed to know anything about the village.
As they walked through the streets, they overheard a group of people talking about a mysterious woman who lived on the outskirts of town. They said that she had been in the area for as long as anyone could remember, and that she was rumored to have special powers. Maki and Rina thought this might be a lead worth following. They decided to pay a visit to the mysterious woman and see if she knew anything about the witches' village. They made their way to the outskirts of town and found a small, rundown house hidden in the woods. They knocked on the door and waited for a response. After a few moments, the door opened and an old woman appeared. She had long, grey hair and green eyes. Maki and Rina introduced themselves and asked if she knew anything about the witches' village. The woman looked at them thoughtfully and then nodded. "Yes, I know of the village. It is hidden beyond the mountain. But even i don't know the exactly location she invite them in and said "but even if you find the village don't trust witches, i was just a simple tailor then randomly a kid appeared and she said she was the daughter of queen of village and i said what she wanted. She said i want a dress to be made for my mother. And i mad a red dress but the queen didn't like so they threw me out the village. I've been living in this house for over 73 years now. Maki and Rina listened to the woman's story and got a little sad. Rina said, "Are you really fine living like this? Didn't you want to return to the village after some time passed?" The old woman looked sad and said, "Yes, I did. But it's impossible to find the village once you leave it, unless you're an adventurer. But I was just a tailor." Maki said, "Do you want to come with us if we find it? You would be able to return." But the old woman said, "I can't. I'm too old for an adventure." Maki and Rina realized that they couldn't help the old woman who had lost hope. They said their goodbyes, feeling sad about the story she had told. They decided to go pass the mountains because she told that the village was somewhere behind the mountains |
Maki and Rina watched in shock as the fairy flew around in circles, its wings a shade of blue. "I can't believe it," Maki whispered. "We're actually seeing a real fairy." Rina's face lit up with excitement. "I've always wanted to meet a fairy," she said, her sadness from before now gone.
The fairy noticed them and flew over, landing on a nearby flower. "Hello there," it said. "What are you two doing in these woods?" Maki hesitated, not sure if they should trust the fairy. But Rina stepped forward confidently. "We're just traveling through, trying to find the village of witches," she said. "Well, you're unlucky," the fairy said. "I know these woods like the back of my hand, but only witches can find that village." Maki and Rina looked at each other, disappointed. "Really?" Maki asked.
The fairy nodded. "Just follow me. At least you can rest in the fairy village," it said, taking off into the air. Maki and Rina followed the fairy through the forest, listening as it told them about the different creatures that lived there, from mischievous pixies to wise old unicorns. Maki and Rina listened with fascination, wondering if they would get to see any of these magical creatures for themselves.
Eventually, they emerged from the forest into a clearing. "There it is," the fairy said, pointing to a small village in the distance. "Our village is just a short walk from here." And with that, the fairy guided them to the main building, where the fairy council was located As they approached the main building, Maki and Rina were in shock of the beautiful fairy village. The houses were all built out of flowers and leaves, and they were surrounded by tree roots. They could see fairies of all shapes and sizes flying around, tending to their gardens or chatting with each other. It was a peaceful place.
The fairy council was located in the center of the village, and it was a grand building made in a tall tree. As they entered, Maki and Rina were greeted by a group of fairies, who all seemed to be in the midst of a meeting. The fairy who had led them there stepped forward and introduced them. "These are Maki and Rina," she said. "They are travelers who were lost in the woods and were seeking the village of witches." The council members looked at Maki and Rina with interest. "We're sorry, but we cannot help you find the village of witches," one of them said. "Only witches can find it, as it is protected by powerful magic barrier. However, you are welcome to stay in our village for as long as you like. We are happy to provide you with food and shelter."
Maki and Rina were disappointed, but they were grateful for the fairies' kindness. They decided to stay in the village for a while and the fairy council had arranged a ride for their journey. |
Maki and Rina's friendship grew stronger with each passing day, and Maki felt a weight lifted off her shoulders now that she had someone she could confide in. She no longer had to hide her powers and could openly practice magic with Rina by her side.
But despite the happiness and freedom she felt, Maki couldn't shake the feeling that something was lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce. She had always known that witches were not always welcomed in the world, and she couldn't help but worry that her powers would eventually attract unwanted attention.
Her fears were realized one evening as she and Rina were walking home from the library. As they took a shortcut through the forest, they were ambushed by a group of men wielding torches and pitchforks.
"Witch! We know what you are! You and your kind are not welcome here!" one of the men yelled, spittle flying from his lips.
Maki's heart raced as she realized that they were in serious danger. She turned to Rina, her eyes pleading for help.
"We have to get out of here," Rina said, her voice shaking.
Maki nodded, her mind racing as she tried to come up with a plan. She knew that she had to use her powers to defend herself and Rina, but she also knew that if she was caught using magic, it would only fuel the mob's anger.
As the men closed in, Maki closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She reached deep within herself, gathering all of her magic and channeling it into a single, powerful spell. When she opened her eyes, the men were frozen in place, their bodies suspended in midair.
"Come on, Rina. We have to go," Maki said, her voice barely above a whisper.
The two girls ran as fast as they could, their feet pounding the ground as they tried to escape the angry mob. They didn't stop until they reached the safety of Maki's home, where they collapsed on the floor, panting and shaking.
"We can't stay here, Maki. It's not safe," Rina said, tears streaming down her face.
Maki nodded, her heart heavy with the realization that she could no longer stay in the village. She would have to leave, to find a place where she could be free to practice her magic without fear of persecution.
As she packed her things and said goodbye to her home, Maki couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness and loss. But she knew that it was the only way to ensure her own safety and that of her friend. With a heavy heart, they set off into the forest, determined to find a place where she could not be found |
"Wow, is this a cave? It's really big. Let's enter it, It's full of frozen monsters. This might just be what I'm looking for. Witches were here some time ago, and this is the proof." Starts laughing. "This is the best proof! I can track them."
Meanwhile, in the forest...
"Maki, look at this flower. It's like it's pointing to something." As Maki and Rina approached the flower, they noticed that it seemed to be glowing faintly. Intrigued, they followed the direction it was pointing in and soon found themselves standing at the entrance of a cave.
Maki hesitated for a moment, but Rina entered the cave without hesitating. Maki followed her. As Maki entered the cave, she was hit by a blast of cold air, causing her to shiver. "Rina, aren't you cold? Let's just turn back. We're going to freeze."
Rina didn't answer and continued to move forward, and Maki had to follow her while shivering. As they made their way deeper into the cave, they saw that it was full of ice spikes and snow. Suddenly, Rina started laughing and pointed to a corner of the cave. Maki looked at the corner and saw a shrine. Maki got scared and backed off. "Rina?"
Maki heard an echoing sound. "Oh, two little kids. I wasn't expecting this. And it seems like my mind control worked."
"Wait, what do you mean?"
"I managed to control your friend really easily. I thought she was a small animal since your friend had almost zero willpower." |
Maki became nervous when she saw a story about a witch who was rumored to have the power to control minds, although she never believed it to be true.
"Let her go," Maki said.
The witch cackled. "Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything. I just wanted to speak to the animal passing by because I was bored. But now I don't even know what I'm going to do with two little kids. I can't make up a conversation with two kids."
"Wait, so you're not going to hurt us?" Maki asked.
"Of course not. I'm not an evil witch, but I am often depicted as such in human books. I also stopped using mind control," the witch replied.
Rina looked around, confused. Maki then said, "I'm a witch too, and this is my friend Rina."
The witch raised an eyebrow at Maki's statement. "Oh really? A witch, you say?" she said with a hint of amusement in her voice. "Well, well, well. It's not often that I come across another witch in these parts. What brings you two out here?"
Maki was happy because they were trying to find the village of witches, so she answered at ease. "We are trying to find the village of witches, and we have traveled to many places to reach this forest"
The witch nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, the village of witches. Yes, I know of it. But it's been almost a thousand years since I left the village."
Maki was surprised. "A thousand years? How is that possible?"
The witch smiled. "My dear, there's an aging spell that's different from normal spells. It can only be cast if you are accepted by the witch council. When witches turn 13 years old, the grand witch casts an age spell which makes you live longer. But that was the tradition a thousand years ago. I don't know the current tradition."
Maki and Rina looked at each other, amazed.
"Can you tell us more about the village of witches?" Rina asked.
The witch nodded. "Of course, I can tell you a few things." |
Maki had always known that she was different. It wasn't just her yellow hair or her bright green eyes that set her apart from the other kids in her village. It was something deeper, something more intangible. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she felt it every time she looked in the mirror, or every time she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a puddle or a stream.
It wasn't until she turned thirteen that she finally understood the source of her otherness. On that fateful day, she discovered that she was a witch.
The realization came to her in a dream, a vivid dream that felt more real than reality itself. In it, she was standing in a clearing in the forest, surrounded by tall trees that seemed to stretch up to the very sky. A wise old woman with a flowing white hair and piercing blue eyes approached her, holding a staff adorned with intricate carvings.
"You are a witch, Maki," the old woman said in a voice that was both gentle and commanding.
Maki woke up with a start, her heart racing and her body covered in a sheen of sweat. She knew that the dream had been more than just a dream, that it had been a revelation of sorts. She had always sensed that she was special, that she was destined for something greater. And now she knew the truth.
She was a witch.
And with that knowledge came the burden of secrecy. Maki knew that she couldn't reveal her powers to anyone, not even her best friend, lest she be ostracized or worse. She would have to keep her magic hidden, at least until she had learned how to control it. |
Adelaide prepared a room for Maki and Rina, and they were very grateful to her. After a long time, they could sleep in beds and feel war but they had to leave After some days because they needed to go to witches lands. Maki and Rina packed their things and said their goodbyes to Adelaide, thanking her for her kindness and hospitality. They were excited to continue their journey. They decided to be careful about forests after what happened in the forest of despair. After some time, they passed the big tower in Wudstead and continued to the far east. It was getting harder to walk normally they had to sneak around all the time because of all the monster dens in the far east. After a long time of walking, Maki and Rina finally arrived at a cliff overlooking a vast forest surrounded by towering mountains. "Maybe the village of the witches is here. Maki waiting a response, turning to Rina. Rina nodded thoughtfully, but there was a hint of sadness in her voice that Maki couldn't quite understand. "Why do you sound sad, Rina?" Maki asked, noticing the change in her tone.
Rina sighed and looked out at the forest below. "I don't know. I just have this feeling that something isn't right. I can't explain it."
Maki placed a comforting hand on Rina's shoulder. "We'll figure it out together." She smiled.
Rina smiled back at Maki, grateful for her support. "Thanks, Maki." |
"The soldier asked Maki, 'What are two kids doing in the east?' Maki thought quickly, trying to come up with a believable lie. So she decided to play dumb and act like she didn't know what the soldier was talking about. 'I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about,' Maki said, trying to keep her voice steady. 'We were just lost collecting flowers.' The soldier looked at Maki skeptically, but she tried her best to maintain a blank expression. She knew that if she let on that she was lying, they would be in even more trouble. 'Very well,' he said, 'but be careful. It's not safe for children to be wandering around these parts, especially with all the monsters in the east. Where are your parents?' Maki hesitated for a moment before answering. She lied, 'They...they're back at Waldweg village. We got separated while we were out collecting flowers. We've been trying to find our way back home, but we got lost.' The soldier nodded slowly, his expression softening slightly. 'I see. Well, I can't let you wander around alone, it's too dangerous. But I can escort you to the Waldweg village and make sure you get home safely. Will that suffice?' Maki let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, thank you. We would really appreciate that." The soldier nodded and gestured for them to follow him. Maki and her companion fell into step behind him, grateful to be out of danger. The soldier woke Rina, then he said, 'Follow me. I will escort you to the nearest village. "So we decided to follow him." As Maki and Rina followed the soldier through the field, they couldn't help but be curious about him. They asked him questions about his life as a soldier and what it was like to defend their country from monsters. The soldier, whose name was Ryo, told them about his training and the different missions he had been on. He also told them about the importance of protecting their country and its people from harm. As they walked, Ryo noticed that Maki and Rina seemed to be in good spirits despite their situation. He smiled to himself, glad that he could help them in some small way. Eventually, they reached the village of Waldweg and Ryo made sure that Maki and her companion were reunited with their families. Maki and Rina ran up to a random woman and said, "We are lying, can you act like you were our parent?" Maki and Rina smiled at Ryo and said goodbye. Then, the woman asked why they were lying. Maki was hesitant at first, but then she told the woman, "If you can keep this a secret, we will tell you." After Maki and Rina told the woman Maki was a witch, the woman was surprised but agreed to keep it a secret. She welcomed them into her home and introduced herself as Adelaide and lived alone in a little cottage on the edge of the village, and she was happy to have some company. |
After the night passed, the arranged ride arrived. Maki and Rina thanked the council and the fairies for their kindness and set off on their journey. They traveled west, through forests, asking for directions from merchants they saw while going west. As they journeyed, they encountered many wild beasts, but they managed to continue their adventure. They also encountered many caves and monster dens, so they proceeded carefully. After many days of travel, they finally reached the outskirts of a crowded and big city. They looked to their map and thought that this was the city of Ashcroft. Excited and nervous, they made their way into the city. As they explored the streets, they noticed that the people here were different from those in the other villages they had visited. Everyone looked like they were from nobility. Maki and Rina decided to find a less noble-looking part of the city. They eventually made their way to the center of the city, where they found a large restaurant and went inside. "Welcome," the waiter said, with a smile.
As Maki and Rina sat down at a table in the restaurant, they couldn't help but feel out of place. They had always been used to the simple life in their small village, and the sounds of the crowded city were overwhelming. The waiter, a friendly man with a smile, asked Maki and Rina what they wanted. "We're new here. Can you recommend something for us?" Maki asked. The waiter's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Oh, you're new here. Where did the two of you come from?" Maki hesitated to answer, but Rina stepped in. "We're traveling across cities and villages," she said. The waiter asked, "What are the two of you searching for?" Maki didn't answer, so Rina leaned in closer and whispered to him about their journey to the village of witches. The man looked surprised and asked,"Why do two kids want to go to that village?" Maki was surprised and couldn't control the volume of her voice as she asked, "Do you know about that village?" She immediately realized she had spoken too loudly and apologized, feeling embarrassed. The waiter laughed and said, "Don't worry about it. I don't know anything about the village. I just heard its name." Maki and Rina looked at each other, disappointed. The waiter asked, "Weren't you two hungry?." Maki and Rina nodded and said, "Oh right, and our names are Maki and Rina." The waiter, whose name was Marcel, said "I can recommend the Wild Mushroom Soup. It's considered the best soup in Ashcroft". Maki and Rina thanked Marcel for his recommendation and decided to try the Wild Mushroom Soup. As they waited for their food, they couldn't help but wonder if they would ever find the village of witches. Maki had been so sure that they would find some information or a clue in Ashcroft, but it seemed like they were no closer to their goal. Rina noticed the look of disappointment on Maki's face and said. "Don't worry, Maki. We'll find the village eventually. We just have to keep searching and asking around. And in the meantime, we can still enjoy our journey and all the new places we get to see," Rina said, trying to cheer Maki up. Maki nodded, feeling a little better.
Marcel returned with their soup, and Maki and Rina dug in eagerly. As they ate, they asked Marcel if he knew of any other places they could try to find information about the village of witches. Marcel thought for a moment and then said, "There's a library in the city that might have some information about it. It's not far from here. You could try asking the librarian there." Maki and Rina's eyes lit up. A library was the perfect place to find information! They thanked Marcel and finished their soup before setting off towards the library.
The library was a large, impressive building with lots of bookshelfs. Maki and Rina approached the librarian's desk and asked if she had any information about the witches librarian, a kind-looking woman with glasses, thought for a moment before saying, "I'm not sure. But I do have a book about the history of magicians It might have some information about the witch information you're looking for, It's on the top shelf, third row from the left." Maki and Rina thanked the librarian and made their way to the indicated shelf. They searched for the book and finally found it. They pulled it down and sat at a nearby table to start reading.
As they read, they learned about the history of magicians in the region and about the different villages and communities that existed. And finally, they found a mention of a popular witch called Celestia who was known for saving people's lives from diseases. Maki began to wonder why witches were hated in modern times and whispered to Rina, "I wonder why they treated us like that. Let's check other pages, maybe we can find some answers." So, they searched all the pages, but couldn't find any answers. They decided to ask the librarian why witches were hated. The librarian said, "Because there was an evil witch called Zara who used her powers for bad. Maki and Rina were sad to hear that all witches were hated because of Zara. They thanked the librarian again and left the library. |
The coaster cart climbed up the steep hill with great tenacity as Katie tightly grasped Frankie's hand.
"I-If you're scared... you- you can hold onto me, alright?" She whimpered.
"Yeeeeah. Sure." Frankie sighed sarcastically.
"Don't you dare insult this epic thrill ride by claiming it's anything less than the earth-shakingly terrifying experience it was made to be, or there'll be hell to pay." Drew ordered from behind her.
"Whatever, asshole." Frankie uttered quietly under the sounds of excited quests.
"What did you say?" Questioned Drew.
"Whatever, asshole!"
"WHAT?" He asked again over the noise of the other riders.
"I SAID-" Frankie was interrupted as the cart shook without reason, the indoor climb reaching its end as they emerged into the open air, the drop ahead fully visible.
"WHAT?"
"I
SAID-
WHATEVER,
ASS-
At a million miles per hour, they were all sent hurtling towards what felt like certain death.
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLE——-!"
Frankie, her sister, and Drew all screamed together as the drop just went on and all. Katie cried and laughed simultaneously, gripping onto her like a baby.
"AHAHA! YES! SEE? YOU
ARE
SCARED! AND YOU
DO
RESPECT THE PARKS!"
Drew instigated, still screaming his lungs out.
"GREAT! THANK YOU VERY MUCH! SEE, THAT'S ALL I ASKED! AHAHAHA! WOOOO!"
Twisting her seatbelt, Frankie turned around mid-drop, draining all emotion from her face as she left only her cold, unfeeling eyes.
"Who said... I was scared?"
"YOUUUUUU BASSSSTAAAAAAARDDDD!"
Drew shouted, enraged beyond belief. As the first curve hit them at the bottom of the turn, Frankie was shaken forward again, neck burning from the shift.
"Agh..."
"YOU'LL SCREAM AFTER THE NEXT DROP! I KNOW YOU WILL!"
Drew roared.
"Like hell!"
Shouted Frankie, turning back only her eyes to see the insufferable lad this time around.
Through eight turns and three loops, Frankie did not scream once. As Katie threw her lungs out, she remained completely calm, crossing her arms under the restraints. But as they started to ascend to the second and final drop, Drew couldn't help but start laughing, the cart pointing directly upward as they came face-to-face with the burning sun.
"GOOD LUCK GETTING OUTTA THIS ONE, GIRLIE... YOU'RE ABOUT TO EXPERIENCE TWELVE STRAIGHT G'S OF FORCE WHILE YOU HEAD
DIRECTLY
TOWARDS THE FREAKIN' GROUND!
CAN YOU HOLD IT IN THIS TIME?!"
Frankie made the mistake of bending around to turn towards him again, right before the fall.
"I don't give a damn no matter how many
"Gee's"
or whatever this stupid thing
HAS-
Like a bullet, they all shot straight down, Frankie's spine burning as the force pinned her in the direction of Drew's cackling, screaming face.
"HAHAHAHA- AAAAAAH! TAKE THAT, HAHA-
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Frankie looked at him with the fury many times that of the sun they'd just seen seconds ago, her mouth pressed tightly against the back of the seat as the leather helped to hold in all the terror that was bubbling in her throat.
"I will not scream. I will not scream."
She told herself, over and over again.
"I'm not gonna let this loser
win!"
But as the downward force seemed to only grow greater and greater, the physical toll of being stuck turned around started becoming far too much to bear. She didn't even need to scream from the drop anymore- rather the pain or being forced into this unseemly position.
"Scream. You KNOW you want to."
Seeing that suck-up's face, however... was enough motivation for her to face even the worst punishment. Slowly, fighting against the current of the wind, she pried her mouth from the black leather of the seat- and right in front of the young Parker, gave the most disinterested, apathetic face she could muster.
Drew wailed in horror as the speed of the coaster shook him around in his seat.
"I bet mom and dad are in space about now..."
Frankie thought to herself under all the noise. |
Never was there an invention so poorly aged as the alarm clock.
Take the Ferris wheel, for example. Nobody will ever stop needing the Ferris wheel. It exists purely for our entertainment, an endless need that can never be filled. And there is no replacing the Ferris wheel, for all trinkets hold their place in a well-organized toybox, no matter how old they may be.
But nobody in the year 2012 NGP has an alarm clock in their toybox. Who'd want something like that anyway? In today's economy, it's seldom necessary.
Frankie's eyes were already open before the first one took off. Her sister was not so lucky. As she stared at Katie's creaseless face, worries tucked far away as she frolicked around up in dreamland, she couldn't help but grin a little. Though Frankie seldom smiled, this was something she always had to see.
It didn't come all at once. The chugging of the iron chains all around town as they pulled heavy carts full of excited visitors to the apex of their drops were just quiet enough that they did not wake the sleeping Katie. Even as her identical bed to Frankie's started to shake, she was motionless. But as the steady chugging outside their walls slowed to a halt and the parkgoer's voices grew to a heavy buzz, Frankie couldn't help but lean in to see her big sister's reaction to the sound of today's drop.
Chugchugchugchug
""AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!""
As millions across this entire side of the globe plummeted down countless tracks of countless themings, the howls of the early coaster-riders pierced through the windows of the sisters' room, Katie shooting up to her feet in bed as if to say-
"GOOD MORNING, MUSEWORLD!"
Her head lodged in the ceiling, the wide smile sparked across Katie's face was at least still visible below her drywall-shielded eyes. As she shook herself free and fell back onto the bed, she looked at her little sis' frowning, pouting expression with the same confusion as always.
"
What's wrong?"
She inaudibly asked, drowned out by the roar of a quindecillion entertainment machines.
"So lame..."
Her sister groaned, neither able to hear the other's words over the noise.
A STORY BY VFOREST
PUBLISHED DAILY ON HONEYFEED.FM
Welcome to the eternal birthday of mankind's desires. A landscape carved out of the iron of excess and shaped in the fires of greed.
Welcome to MUSEWORLD. |
"It's so hot..."
After leaving the giftshop, the sisters waited at the train stop for a few minutes before the car arrived. The red-on-white miniature train pulled into the pastel station, many visitors other than them stepping onto it. Their town was far from popular, but in such a crowded world where every square inch had some landmark near it, even they had their fair share of tourists.
The two were forced to sit not a centimeter away from each other in the train, Frankie disgusted by the almost certainly unwashed seats.
"This is so gross... I can feel my legs sticking to the plastic..."
"Aww, you should've borrowed one of my dresses! Given they get a little toasty, the fabric will take all the force of the grime!" Argued Katie.
"Yeah, and then your dress'll be all stained and gross... I can't believe we're actually sitting on this thing."
The man across from and two seats to the left of the girls shot them a nasty glance they didn't see.
"It's a little gross, I guess, yeah. But better my dress than your legs! Those shorts hardly protect anything!"
"Didn't exactly plan to go outside today... much less around the world."
"Frankie... why is it you hate the world so much?"
"I hate theme parks."
"The entire world is theme parks, Frankie."
"That's what I hate about it."
At that point he just had to stand up. But for some reason they still didn't notice him, even as he started to march over.
"What's so bad about parks, Frankie? I mean, they keep the whole world alive."
"They suck is what... damn things are just... fake, stupid... uh... capitalist... artificial... I just don't like them, alr
igh-
He grabbed Frankie by the collar of her shirt.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE SAYING?"
The pudgy boy spitting in her face was twice her size but thankfully around her height. She put her hand on his large wrist instinctively, trying to force him off, only to feel what he had on it. Not a some bracelet or even a nice watch, rather a distinctive golden charm with the local insignia of park owner
Kiddie Parker
inscribed so perfectly and deeply on it that she could recognize its shape from touch alone.
"V... I... P?"
She choked.
"Let go of my sister!"
Katie reeled back her fist, tucking her eyes shut as she decked him in the face. The egg-shaped fellow toppled to the ground, wiping the sweat off his curly black hair as he pushed up against the only empty seat nearby to get back on his feet.
"Don't badmouth... this park!"
He yelled.
"What- what do you care?" Frankie retorted. "Your daddy own it or something?"
"As a matter of fact- he
does!"
The fanboy tightened his posture, spine straight as he could manage as he adjusted his round glasses.
"But—-
that is not why I found it necessary to knock some sense into you, girl."
"So why the hell was it? You asswipe!"
"All parks..." he slicked back the little hair he had once again. "Are
sacred."
"That doesn't justify grabbing my sister like that!" Katie shot.
"Oh, but it does... your sister interrupted my happiness, so I found it quite fair to interrupt hers in turn!"
"Just who are you anyway?" Frankie yelled at the man, the entire car watching now.
"My name is
Drew,
Drew
Parker.
And I won't stand for the desecration of modern art!"
"You won't wha now?"
"I'll be watching you, girl... you had better respect this park, and all others like it! Or else I'll-
Two staff members dressed in white and red came into the car in an orderly fashion, restraining the young man by his shoulders.
"H-hey! Wait a minute! I need to talk to that girl!"
"Not today, young master." One said. "You are causing a disruption for our guests."
The young Drew Parker growled as they began to carry him off.
"I can't believe people like that exist..." Katie said in all honesty.
"Just when I thought these parks couldn't get any worse..."
"Come on, Frankie! The day's only just begun! Come on, let's go get on our first ride! Won't that be fun?"
Frankie just groaned, taking in the rest of the ride in silence. |
"These look nice." Katie said, brandishing the pink flip flops in front of Frankie. Not wishing to argue any more than what was necessary, she took them in hand, ringing them up with her own money.
"A hundred bucks for a pair o' 'flops...should've just gone barefoot."
"You haven't been shopping in like, forever, huh? I think you gotta pretty sweet deal, really! That's a lot less than a Kidney park would've charged you. Say, how much you got on you?"
"Wish I had a debit card..." Frankie pulled open her DIY
Percy Phytoplankton
wallet. The wad of bills tucked inside was immense, but not so much that she felt like going out today was a good financial decision. She flipped through it all over the course of a few minutes. "Uhhh... little over a thousand."
"Yikes."
"What, you don't got anything?"
"All I brought was my rider's licence..." she comically bonked her head, holding up the small laminated card attached to her lanyard.
"Shouldn't that be in your wallet in the first place?!" Frankie shouted loud enough for most everyone in the giftshop to hear.
"But I always wear dresses, and those don't have pockets! Aren't you glad I keep it on a necklace like this? Why, if I kept it in a wallet, we wouldn't be able to ride anything!"
"You...."
Frankie shook her fists, hands balling up in her hair. "Let's just go home then! Y-you can, uh- grab your wallet, and I'll just take a quick break!"
"Ohhhh no, you aren't getting out of this, silly!" Katie giggled. "We don't have time to go home! It's eleven o'clock and we haven't so much as left town yet!"
"We're leaving TOWN?
TODAY?"
"Yes we're leaving town! We'll take the tour train."
"But- but-"
"We have to see every park in the world, remember? And we've already seen everything in this one, since we grew up here and all. So I think we'll just head straight to the next town over! What was it... oh yeah,
Fairytown!
Same park owner as ours, it's right next door.
"I never- I never..."
"You never left before? I know! Gosh, you're such a scaredy-cat. Come on, what's there to be afraid of? Let's go! When we get there, I'll buy you some cotton candy!"
"With what money?"
"Well-
you'll
buy us some cotton candy. How's that sound? Consider the idea a gift from me to you!"
"You're the worst..." |
The ride wasn't long. But as Katie pressed her cheeks against the carriage's plastic windows, she made sure to take in every detail she could before it ended.
Even in a small, relatively unknown attraction like this one, there were hotels and lodges everywhere. Even with their cheap construction, they still all seemed to be full.
"This place was my
second
purchase." Kiddie remarked, itching his head. "I hope it'll be just as big as Berrytown, one day."
They parked outside the small castle-shaped office the girls had seen when they entered town, stepping out of the carriage and onto the backs of a few employees who created human steps for them.
"Weirdos..." Frankie mumbled, trying not to slip as she walked over them with her cheap flip flops.
When they reached ground, Mr. Parker pointed them in the direction of the bridge going across his small moat around his castle. "This is the only way in, and the only way out. Only special guests are allowed here."
Drew glared at Frankie. She did
not
deserve this honor. And even he could see she was only being
polite
by accepting it. She didn't even want to be here.
They entered, and were surprised to see just one central room- only a bathroom off to the side disrupted the layout. A tiny desk sat at the far end of the circular layout, resting on the simple hardwood floor that perfectly paired with the stark yellow lighting from the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the only decoration in the entire residence.
Kiddie Parker sat at this desk. And turning to the children, he asked them:
"What do you come to my park for? What is it that excites you about it?"
A simple question, but one neither of the girls could answer in the way he wanted.
"I'm here for my sister." Frankie spoke. "She's the one who wanted to go."
"Why, then?" He asked her. "Why here?"
"Because it was close!" Katie cheered.
"So you're just celebrating your winter break from school, then."
"Not really! I'm graduated. I just planned to see every park anyway, so I came here first!"
Drew's focus was stolen from Frankie to this girl.
Did she really mean that?
"That's wonderful." Any amusement Kiddie found in her statement was turned to pure admiration quite quickly. "If you'd like to visit my pride and joy next, I could give you a V.I.P pass for all my parks."
"You mean it, sir?" She beamed.
Drew was just as impressed with this girl as his father, but this still shook him. "No way!" He shouted. "Dad- dad, we can't be handing out-"
"It's quite alright." He said, waving the brat away. "You put these girls through
heck,
you know. I'm
going
to repay them."
"That's all well and good..." Katie suddenly turned to the wood below. "But... I mean, we're hardly done
here,
sir. A pass to our next destination would be great, don't get me wrong- but, um... well... really, if I could have
anything
right now... it'd be some cotton candy."
The man gave a single syllable of laughter. "Yes, yes. I understand. Here. I think
this
should cover everything."
Parker handed to Katie not only a golden VIP pass bracelet, just like Drew's- but a
food card
as well- a subscription and the only way to afford meals these days outside of cooking yourself.
"It's got a full year on it. And it isn't linked to my park, either- so long as you're in the United States, food services everywhere will accept it." He handed another to Frankie, who was only half-paying attention. "In other words, if it's within President Washington's territory, you can eat wherever you want. Though... I do hope you'll visit Berrytown next. I often fear I will never top that location."
"Thank you, sir!" Katie shined, nudging her little sister.
"T-Thanks..." she snapped to attention.
"Now go. And have as much fun as you can. If you ever need me, I take every call to my parks personally. The number is the first thing you see on our website." He tore open the back of his head to reveal a machine implant attached to an older-style cellular phone. "I'm always talking to plenty of people at a time these days, so I can certainly take a few more." He closed his cybernetics. "Customer service is a dead art these days.
Killed
by Kidney's philosophy of constant growth without putting in the effort to really connect with your guests. He'd have you believe you can only have it one way, or the other... though maybe, he's right... if he wasn't, I'd be as big as him by now..."
"Don't say that, dad!"
Drew grabbed at his father's shirt. "Dad, you... what you do is a million times better! You'll keep growing bigger, no matter what,
just like mom said you would!"
Kiddie gave a sad smile to his boy. "We don't know that for a fact, son. All we can do... is keep trying. You girls run along now. I have a
lot
of work to attend to."
Katie nodded. As she turned around and ran for the door, Frankie was left in the dust for a moment. In that moment, she looked at Drew.
"Kid... let's
both
try harder not to be assholes. See ya."
She sauntered off to the door. |
"So this is... "Fairytown," or whatever?"
At the gates of the large, vaguely fantasy-themed subland not far from their home, Frankie showed so little life in her expression that her sister quickly became genuinely worried for her.
"Frankie? Are you still upset about that rude boy in the locomotive?"
"No... already forgot about that whole thing, honestly."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go in and ride something!"
Frankie gently grabbed Katie's wrist.
"Kate... do we
really
have to do this? I told you I don't like amusement parks. Going outside is like, an insult to me. I get that you want to see everything this world has to offer. I get that you wanna ride all the rides you can before you get old and die or whatever. But do you really... have to drag
me
along too?"
Katie blinked nonchalantly, undaunted.
"Yes, absolutely. You're my sister, Frankie.
Frankie dropped her sister's hand.
"I'll say it again- I do
not
get you."
Katie looked to the sky, replenishing her energy and breathing out a hearty gust of air before her smile returned.
"Let's go already! You can complain once we're done!"
Frankie sighed as her sister tugged her through the gates and into the cheery atmosphere of Fairytown.
The first thing Frankie noticed was how all the trash cans were shaped like fairies with their mouths open. Disgusted enough already, it didn't make things much worse. The hot winter air beat down on her as the sun shined, illuminating the many plastic structures around her, from chalky dragons to a minuscule, shoddy-looking castle at the park's center.
She watched as a trio of kids ate speciality ice cream in line for a spinning attraction identical to one just down the road from her and Katie's house. When she looked up, she saw plenty of coasters, but none of them interested her in the slightest. Frankie was seldom scared of such attractions- she just found them plain and trite like all other amusement machines. Once you'd been on one, you'd been on them all.
The feeling wasn't mutual.
"Ooh!
Frankie!
Look at that one up there!
"The Golem..."
sounds awesome! And look how high the drop is...! I think we can reach it if we go this way! Come on!" Katie once again pulled her sister through the crowds of people and towards the giant wood coaster marked by a giant sign inscribed upon a large statue of an anthropomorphic rock man.
In line for the coaster, Frankie checked her phone, one of the few items she was lucky enough to have kept in her pockets before she was whisked away by Katie.
"taking off in t-minus four minutes!"
The text from her mother read, apparently already set to go up into the stars. Frankie would have wished to be in her place, were it not for the moon being nearly just as park-ridden as Earth, being owned by Kidney himself and all.
That said... she wondered if maybe, just maybe... there was a spot on that moon they hadn't found yet. Somewhere completely silent, away from a single coaster or bumper car... one last empty oasis in a universe filled to the brim with maximalist human fun-farms. One could only dream... but, it only...
"Hey.
Hey!
Frankie, we're up!"
Katie snapped her sister out of her daydream. As her eyes opened she saw the young lady at the ticket booth motioning for a rider's licence, guarding an artificial cave at the head of the line housing an empty coaster cart.
"Here you are, ma'am." Katie offered her card to the woman with a smirk. "Just two."
"Alright, checks out. You two have fun." She gave in response, handing the licence back to her. "Oh! Ma'am- please set your hat and any loose belongings in this box. This ride can reach up to
twelve G's!"
Frankie didn't know what that meant, but she set her carmine cap in the box anyway.
Once the two shambled to the coaster, Katie
insisted
they get on the front car.
"There's no reason not to! We're the first ones here! And don't tell me you're scared. You watched that horrible animation with the microscope man over a million times with me!"
"That was my fan film..." Frankie corrected, holding onto her pride as a devoted
Percy Phytoplankton
fangirl. "Whatever. Front, back, just get in already. I just wanna get this over with..."
"Yay!" Katie glistened, the two stepping into the front seats. As a staff member checked their seatbelts, they were ready to go in no time, the rest of the cart filling up instantly.
"This is gonna be fun, this is gonna be fun..." Katie chanted from within the lightless cave, awaiting the machine's ascent. The absent-minded Frankie, hardly there, wasn't even taking in anything going on around her until she suddenly heard a low whisper in her ear as someone from the seat behind uncomfortably leaned over to inform her of something.
"You had better
enjoy
this." Drew's pretentious voice buzzed next to her ear.
"Or
else." |
The girls exited their bedroom in the same order as always. Katie first, her floppy nightgown bouncing with every jaunty step of her morning routine: singing as she ate her meal (often joined by her parents in the chorus), dancing as she brushed her teeth, spinning as she switched it out for something to face the day in, and so on.
Only by the time she had completed all these steps minutes ago did Frankie at last rise from her tomb, the bed. Discarding the clothes she'd worn yesterday- that which she'd slept in- she put on what was practically a copy of the same outfit, only cleaner. A million pairs of the same ripped jean shorts filled her drawers. And on her side of the closet, many shirts inscribed with the same image.
Percy Phytoplankton, protagonist of the eponymous series of youth fantasy novels
Percy Phytoplankton.
Next to the collection of the books near her nightstand- half of which she'd written herself, given the series wasn't quite popular enough to go on past the fifth volume- this mace-wielding microorganism was the one thing that would cheer her up every morning when she saw it. She rubbed her sleepy face with the shirt.
"Thanks, Percy... love you."
she groaned.
She never brushed her teeth for quite long enough, and as short as her hair was, when she went to drink from the bathroom faucet afterwards, some water would inevitably stain her mint-dyed strands. Only after leaving the bathroom would she don her almost-pink, almost-red, but never-quite-either-colored baseball cap, brim always pointed in whatever direction it happened to fall. Today, it was positioned at the slightest left hand tilt.
She joined the rest of the Pop family in the living room of their small apartment, the three of them greeting her just as they did the day- with
overwhelming
excitement.
"Frankie—!"
Her sister squealed, bursting at the seams as she rocked in her chair. Frankie lacked the perception (or care) to notice that she was any more excited than usual today.
"My very own youngest daughter, up and at 'em five seconds
earlier
than
yesterday!
What a treat!" The father boomed, throwing his newspaper to the ground. "It's all the same news as usual out there... my stocks are down too...
honestly, it's horrible!
So it's nice to see there's
some
improvement going on around here!
"
"Goodmorning Frankie!" Her mother shot, then immediately returning to a conversation she was having with Katie... "so you wear the purple dress today, but then what about tomorrow? You'll have to keep me updated through text or something, baby. Remember- if you meet any cute boys- or anyone- of age, send me their pictures if you can get them. And if you get any packages, don't open them! Mommy needs to feed her addiction, okay?"
"Gumornin'...."
Frankie murmured, dropping her butt to the carpet as she sat criss-cross, allowing her company to please her family for a short while.
"Frankie?" Katie turned to her again. "Aren't- aren't you eating anything?"
"No...?" She answered. "Already brushed my... why? I never eat breakfast anyway, whatsit matter...?"
"You need to eat today! We're going out!"
Frankie groaned. There was nothing she hated more than going outside the house.
"It's so loud out there..."
"Frankie..."
Katie frowned, already on the verge of tears. "It's just gonna be you and me... I don't wanna be
alone..."
"Wait...
huh?"
Frankie shot a questioned glance at her parents, her brow furrowing.
"Oh!
Yes, I suppose we never explained." Her father turned back to her, clapping his hands together. "Your mother and I are going on a trip today. To the
moon!
Ahaha,
it's like we're
rich!"
"To the moon!"
His wife giggled, giddy over the very idea. "How about that... won tickets over a radio show, one with that guy with the sexy voice I'm always calling in on. Can you believe it? Anyway, we'll be headed out in a few minutes, so..."
Frankie sat open-jawed. "Wait-
what?
The moon? The f-freakin' moon...?
Right now?"
"Riiiight now!"
Frankie's mother beamed, eyes sealed shut in excitement. "Not
quite
as many rides there, but we'll make do. And DON'T worry- the tickets were only one-way, but between your scholarship funds and our savings we've got
more
than enough to get back. So be good little children for us,
okay?
I promise I won't cheat on your daddy while you're gone."
"Wait, our scholar- hey,
nevermind!"
Frankie shook her head. "Don't that mean we'll be like,
all alone?"
"Yyyyup!
Just you and your sister! Katie says she's got
plenty
planned for you two!"
Frankie turned to her big sister, a dead stare paired with a wide-open mouth stretched in disbelief. Katie just smiled, quite happy for the two of them.
"That's... n-no way, take me with you!"
"No can do!"
Her father declared. "Trip's only good for two. So it's just gonna be me and your mother up there in that Kidney Foundation rocket."
"Wait-
but- uh- h-how long will you be gone?"
"Only a few short weeks!" Her giddy mother replied.
"Make them count!"
"A few
weeks?"
Frankie shuddered at the idea, but steeled herself- maybe, just
maybe,
if it was only a few short weeks, she could make it. If she could survive her sister for just that long...
"Er-"
Frankie turned to her sister.
"And so... er... Katie, if I may... what exactly will we be...
doing
in those
"few short weeks?"
Katie grinned from ear to ear.
"Visiting all the theme parks, of course!
Every last one!"
Frankie's pupils shrunk and her lips quivered. She sometimes seemed to
dislike
just about everything, but more than anything else, she
hated
theme parks.
"B-but Katie..."
"Yes?"
Katie tilted her head with a smirk.
"T-The whole world... is nothing
but
theme parks."
"You're exactly right! We'll be seeing every square foot of the entire world! Even if it's just a few weeks, well... I guess we'll have to start right away!
Let's go, Frankie~!"
Without warning or hesitation Katie grabbed her sister's hand and bolted out of the door with her, tugging her all the way down the stairs of the fifty-floor building of which they resided on the fourty-ninth floor.
"W-wait wait wait!"
Frankie scoured her mind for the smallest path of escape. "Aren't you gonna-
plan
anything? Shouldn't we bring food?
Water?
Er- Katie,
I'm not even wearing shoes!"
"Guess we'll have to visit all the gift shops too then!" Katie smiled, pulling her sister out into the great noise-polluted atmosphere of their hometown,
Merrytown,
as the park owner had named it.
"Katie-
Katie, you gotta
stop this!
I- we- we can't go around the whole world in a few weeks, it's not- not
possible!"
Katie ran her up into the town's highest viewpoint, a fake lighthouse used as setdressing for a water slide. Bounding up the stairs, Frankie scraped her knees, face, and everything else as the unstoppable force dragged her upward. Only when they reached the very top did the relentless girl let her go.
"Katie..."
Frankie breathed out with what little remained of her energy. "You're insane... we can't- we can't possibly do this... so please don't make me
do this..."
"Look at it, Frankie!" Her sister announced, unfazed. "Look at it all!"
Frankie's eyelids weren't strong enough to close. Up in the tall tower she could see the whole county. Every residence, every town, every piece of land- all covered in coasters, rides, excitement and games. So much visual information that it blended together into a pink mist of artificial excitement.
"I really want... to see everything, Frankie. Before we both go one day. You get that, don't you?"
"Not really... not at all."
"Oh well. It'll be fun, anyway! So come on! Let's get started!" She stuck out her hand to her.
Frankie couldn't believe what she was seeing. There was no way she was taking that hand. But with Katie, you seldom-if-ever had a choice.
Her big sister's lip shook, teeth biting it to hold it in place as her eyes welled up. This was no desperate attempt at persuasion. She was well and truly thrown into the lowest pit of sadness by witnessing her sister's non-agreement.
Frankie blinked, and she sighed.
"I wish I wasn't such a pushover... you ass." She grabbed Katie's hand, if only to stand back up on her scraped bare feet. "Screw you."
Katie smiled with some of the greatest joy she'd ever felt.
"Thank you, sis. Off we go then!" |
Frankie felt like she was looking at an actor she recognized from a show her parents watched but didn't know the name of. As Katie looked around at everyone, shocked at what was happening, she didn't do anything more than just stand there, frozen still.
"I'm sorry... dad." Drew spit out.
"No, you aren't. You don't feel bad at all, do you, Drew? You're just scared of
me."
Drew hesitantly nodded, his father looking down on him as the girls watched.
"Hey. This seems like a family thing. Can we go?" Frankie asked the man. Katie then abruptly pulled onto her arm.
"Frankie!"
She said in a whispery voice.
"That's the owner!"
"Ohh..." Frankie uttered.
She blinked as she realized Mr. Parker was looking at her, along with Drew.
"Can we go...
sir?"
She corrected.
Kiddie Parker sighed, looking back down on his inept son as he scratched the back of his own head. "Do what you like... did Drew cause much trouble for you? I came here because of the train incident, but when I heard he was spotted running for the same coaster as the guests he was harassing earlier, I knew I had to hurry up. Clear misuse of his V.I.P. status, cutting in line to stalk someone."
Frankie looked back at the golden band on Drew's wrist, marked with the insignia of the man who owned her hometown and all the surrounding areas. The man standing in front of her at this very moment.
"Listen... I love my guests. More than anything. And in the event that my son here has bothered you, I am more than willing to compensate you for the inconvenience." As he spoke, Drew's eyes widened.
"B-but dad!"
"What is it... are you seriously going to embarrass me even more today?"
"You... you can't, dad... the park funds... don't you want to get
bigger?"
Kiddie set his hand on his son's shoulder, leaning down.
"Drew. When I told you I wanted to climb the ladder... I wasn't talking about cheap
Kidney
tricks. I'm doing this the right way."
"B-but... but..." Drew whined.
Kiddie turned to the sisters, scratching his head.
"Come to my castle. I will make this right, you have my word. I insist."
Katie looked at Frankie.
"Do you wanna go...?" Frankie asked her. She nodded as if Frankie should've already known the answer. The gloomy girl sighed, grabbing her baseball cap back from the storage box and twisting it back onto her now considerably messy mint hair. "Okay. Er- we're very grateful, Mr. Parker, sir."
"The pleasure is all mine. Now, come hither."
He clapped his hands.
Frankie looked at Katie, before they both slowly approached the man, not really wanting to get anywhere near Drew again, who certainly wasn't apologizing just yet as he found his gaze glued to the ground.
"Any second now."
Katie excitedly looked all around.
Then, six employees operating a horse-drawn carriage (with four of those employees playing the horses themselves) appeared from the crowd of guests.
"Here, sir!"
"Excellent. Come aboard, children." |
On the train the next morning, they found themselves wedged in-between a family of at least twenty. The two were eating their cotton candy breakfast, Frankie doing her best to block out the loud excitement of the children as they ran around the small cart, when Katie suddenly brought something up to her.
"Frankie..." she asked. "Do you plan on having kids?"
"What? Whadda you care..."
"I wanted to know what you thought."
"I think not having them would definitely be the smart choice."
"Of course it would. But is that what you'd want?" She took a bite of her blue sugarcloud. "You could have kids, you know. Not like one or two extra tally marks on our population is really gonna make that much of a difference when everybody else is still having them, despite everything. And, I mean... hey. Moon's colonized to heck and back already. What's to say we won't get to furnishing Mars someday?"
"I don't like kids anyway."
"Then that's fine. But I just think... well... even if something you wanted could end the whole world... you should go for it anyway, for your own sake."
"That's dark."
"I guess it is, huh?"
Frankie's eyes drifted to one of the children who wasn't running around with his siblings. He just sat in his seat, looking at the ground, not even bothering to gaze out the window instead where a million structures designed for the sole purpose of entertaining him lie. It wasn't like he was crying or anything- he didn't even look all that sad. And nobody there said a thing to him.
"Maybe it's not that I don't like kids, really." Frankie told Katie. "It's just something else that bothers me."
When she turned to see if Katie would reply, she'd risen from her seat to play with the other children. She danced with a girl who had clearly planned for this day- a Berrytown shirt paired with bracelets showing the parks she'd been to before. A state flag printed on a headband, what she assumed was her hometown. She looked happy in much the same way Katie was- like she was pleased just to be here.
Frankie wondered what that was like. |
Frankie needed to throw up. She was now very grateful that Katie wasn't conscious for this. As she heard the wail of sirens start to approach, she considered whether or not she would be safe soon. With no concrete answer, she grabbed some snacks from the shelf and dragged her sister into the bathroom.
Just outside, the forces of this park's past clashed. The nostalgia and trauma of a generation stood across from each other on the blood-soaked road, steeling themselves for their next attack.
"Tell me you've had more tricks installed since we first met, Parker." Action gleamed at the man's amateur fighting stance.
Kiddie spit out a loose tooth as he gripped his outwardly ordinary fists together. He knew he no longer had any time left to put up with the terrorist's remarks- stalling wasn't gonna cut it. If he wanted time for his backup to arrive, he was gonna have to fight for it with his own abilities.
"I'll give you a head start." She offered, eyeing up his body. "I'll let you in on something, though- me, I haven't changed even a little since you last saw me. My nanobots are all I need. With the experience I've garnered since then... honey, I'm a killing
machine."
With his fingers already tucked into tight fists, Parker knew he needed only to exert the slightest bit more force to activate the machine skeleton below his knuckles. And so he shot himself forward, charging up to action as he strafed from side to side like an angry bee. At any point, Action could dismantle him with her own trickery. But something told Parker that wouldn't happen.
"A boxer, eh? Rare to see that kind of self-improvement in a man your age." The woman dodged his first strike, a hook from his right. She grabbed his extended arm in motion, many more taunts already prepared. "I could turn this arm to useless mush right now, you know."
With no hesitation, Parker sent his other fist directly towards Action's smug face. Like clockwork, her other hand gripped it midair, what she considered the best insult she'd pulled off yet. With both his hands under her control, the poor old man had been rendered unable to fight, determined as he may be.
So Action thought.
Unlike the twisted predator, Kiddie didn't take this opportunity to call out his attack. His fist tightened in an instant, triggering the systems installed inside it. From within his mechanical wrist, the rail actuated with the kinetic force held inside it ever since it was first inserted, ever since it was purchased with the very wish that this day would never arrive.
Two tiny iron bars burst through the skin of his palm and broke directly through his still-locked fingers, carrying all the way through Action's hand as they shot out many feet away to the ground behind them- locking into place as the contraption pinned itself to the concrete.
Jerking his elbow back in the chaos of the act, the rail system hitched and began its procedure. The whirr of a tiny engine within his skin could be heard as the the rail extending from Parker's hand pulled the two of them all the way to its destination behind them. With Action scraping against the ground at high speed, Parker forced her head as close to the pavement as he could before they collided with the arrival point, disconnecting the rail and freeing Kiddie's hand in the process. However, even now, Action still held tenaciously onto his right arm.
"You got better... guess this arm'll be useless
scrap
instead of just flesh when I dismantle it, huh?"
Parker reeled back in horror, activating the rail trick inside his other fist as quick as he could. The rail shot into the concrete just a few inches below, pinning himself to the ground before detaching. A small movement, but just enough to escape Action's grasp. He panicked, scurrying his strained legs to get away. Clever as he was, though, the man was now entirely defenseless.
"Cute trick." Action stood, letting him run for just a moment. "But you really should've used it to get away, you know."
Parker knew he was finished by now. He only hoped his son might make it out of this alive.
"Silly Parker... tricks are for
speed!"
Action had two triggers for her trickery, as most did: one, to simply call upon them-
"dismantle."
The other was a swift motion of her arms.
Action swung them downward, her nanobots dismantling the air below her, flying towards her prey. She quickly latched onto him, crawling on his back like a heavy spider as he crashed painfully into the ground.
"Now I'm going to take apart every last piece of you that won't leave you dead. You and I are gonna go pay your little son a visit."
Parker despised that he wasn't able to save his guests on his own. He prayed that at least his own cries for help would be heard, after theirs lead only to disappointment. The cops would arrive any moment now. But beyond that... he wasn't sure any of the other calls he made would warrant so much as someone picking up. Calls he made to people like him. Calls he made in hope someone else would understand the situation he was in. He knew in his heart that it was a childish idea.
At the end of the day... every other park owner in the country would directly benefit once he wasn't in the picture anymore. His death would mean only the disappearance of a competitor to them. Nothing less... nothing more. |
Frankie jumped from her seat, hugging Katie tight the instant she felt the supports give way to gravity's cold embrace. Her back smacked against the ceiling of the chassis, as she found her vision pinned down towards the simple, dirty floor of the ride, the night sky in the widows passing by like water from an upside-down faucet. Katie didn't know what else to do but scream. Frankie herself could only pray.
SHAKE
The entire cart spun in five different directions as it hit what must've been the center of the Ferris wheel. That one second of bounce left Frankie in the air again, her and her sister falling repeatedly against each and every surface in the cart. Their heads smacked against the seats, their legs against the widows as all premise of enjoyment left the machine. It was a spinning torture ball, and as Frankie heard the screams of the other visitors growing nearer, she knew they were about to reach the ground.
CRASH
The first thing Frankie thought when she came to was how much she wanted Katie to be alive.
She could already feel the blood dripping down her bangs and into her eyes. Her whole body was bruised, and by the feel of it, a few things just had to be broken. It wasn't like that mattered really. But the fact she took such a beating worried her to no end. For some reason, something inside her told her that Katie wouldn't survive this same torment.
As she crawled past the rubble, however, her sister was indeed breathing- panting and crying, shaking in the hands of a rouge clad in black.
"That wasn't very fun, now was it?" The woman spoke. Frankie never got a chance to hear this.
"YOU
BITCH!"
The girl had never hit anyone before. She didn't even know if this person, eyes concealed by a half-mask with a dark, boomerang-shaped visor, was the one responsible for the accident, or if anyone else was hurt in it. Frankie didn't think about any of these things as her skin broke against the bastard's steel helmet, the woman's red lips gleaming in the night as she turned and grinned right at Frankie's newly-broken hand.
"Hilarious. You two were at the very top of the wheel, yet you're the only ones who made it."
Frankie ran at her again, her bare feet scraping against the nuts and bolts littering the itchy cement ground as she raised her other first, grabbing on to the woman's hand that held up her wailing sister.
"LET HER GO-
LET HER GO-"
Frankie bit into the woman's seemingly latex-covered arm to discover, all too late, that it was in fact thick carbon fiber. Before she could lose her teeth, the woman threw them both aside in one motion, Katie's head quite unluckily cracking against a fallen chassis as she flew back along with her sister. Frankie stood, eyes burning with the image of the woman in black before they quickly turned to her kin. She looked back only once more- seeing the villain start to step forward, she had all the motivation she needed to dash back towards Katie and scoop her up in her aching arms.
She burst into a sprint, taking all the strength she had as she carried that heavy, wounded girl across a blurred landscape of screaming visitors and lit-up carnival games. With tears in her eyes, she grit her teeth, and cried out the only thing a mere visitor like herself had left to cry in such a moment-
"Help." |
Katie batted her eyes, letting light in for the first time since she remembered looking out the window of the Ferris wheel while talking to Frankie.
"What's...
what's..."
Then, she heard the chains of a roller coaster pulling guests up. Could it be she'd... actually gotten up early for once?
"GOOD MORNING, MUSEWORLD!"
She shot up in her hospital bed, the IV tube busting out of her skin.
"Ow!!!
Ow, ow, ow!"
"Miss Pop? You're awake!"
"Huh?" She turned to see an overjoyed brunette in a suit running towards her in the large room.
"I'm Miss Washington.
It's nice to meet you!"
"Like- like the... First Lady?"
She stuck out her hand right up to Katie's face. "I prefer
Liberty Lady.
There were plenty of girls before me, it's not like I'm
that
old!" The woman flicked back her short hair and grinned at her patient. "You're one lucky patriot! My hubby saved not only the park owner, but your sister, too!"
"Saved...?
What do you... mean...?"
"Ope!"
The volatile lass eyed the girl's vitals on a small screen next to her. "You need some more nutrients, looks like!" She laughed, pulling a tube out of her right pointer finger. "Be still now..."
Katie flinched as she stuck the tube into her neck, expecting it to hurt- but she felt nothing but the euphoria of endorphins as magic rushed through her. It was as if all the aches in her body faded in an instant.
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah... uh... where are we?" Katie scrolled through her surroundings- a blue tent filled with beds just like the one she sat in, lined with other people. Could they be... guests from the park?
"Oh. You don't remember much of what happened, do you... maybe that's for the best! Anyways, you woke up just in time, you know! You're a very lucky girl, Miss Pop!"
"Just in time for what?" Katie asked innocently.
"Your dinner with the President!" |
Still in Fairytown for the day, his desk full of complaints and his bank account feeling lighter by the minute, Kiddie Parker was working as hard as usual that night. But as the calls started to come in, he took not one moment of hesitation before rising from his chair and running out onto his castle bridge.
She was back.
In the furthest corner from the front of a now-abandoned gift shop, Frankie roped the stolen bandages around her sister as fast as she could, each time she did discovering some new source of bleeding. Katie's heart was still beating, but with her eyes shut tight and lips frozen, she couldn't say a word to Frankie as the girl cried over her unconscious body. The younger sister wanted so bad to do something to stop whatever horrific fate they'd found themselves up against, but it was pointless. This was an act of mass-scale public violence, not some wrong she could right by standing up for herself. She just prayed her sister would live and that whoever that awful woman was wouldn't find them in this tiny building, off the side of this street of games and small attractions.
It felt so awful, this so-falsely-colorful place now a grounds for massacre. It gave Frankie one more reason to hate this place- even after she came to realize what she did care for the instant she grabbed onto her sister on that falling Ferris wheel ride.
With a shock, Frankie suddenly heard her approach as the screams of those running faded into the distance. But as the wicked spoke, it wasn't to her.
"Oh, you came here so fast. You must care about your customers a
lot,
huh..." she giggled. "Or is this just for
her?"
Frankie looked to the glass walls of the front of the shop to see Mr. Parker step down from his carriage, his employees gathering around him like bodyguards.
"But after all this time... you still never armed your workers. What... ain't I good enough? Ain't I a threat? Ain't I what you think of every night before you go to bed?" She stood in front of him, hands outstretched like she was somewhere between surrendering and attacking. Kiddie's anger made steam under the cover of his professional guise.
"You invade my park... hurt my guests... you're the worst this world has to offer. Is that what you want to hear?"
"Good to know you aren't
completely
deluding yourself. So what are you going to do then, kill me?"
"Until the cops show up... I
will
make that my goal. If only so I can push myself far enough to restrain you."
"Great idea. Until it gets you splattered across the pavement like so many of your visitors. Let me guess, little Drew will take control of your parks when you die...? Awww... I hope he can keep it running for more than a day.
Have you ever told him, Kiddie?
Just
why
that roller coaster malfunctioned that one spring?
"I know you don't care about her... my wife was just one of hundreds. You won't anger me any more by bringing her up again."
"Worth a shot. So, ready to settle this, Parker?"
"I am. I will
kill you,
Action."
"Good luck~!"
The assailant threw her hands downward and immediately shot into the air, propelled by some invisible force as her body spun and contorted all the way towards Parker, making speedy impact with him as she carried a flying kick into his face before he had his chance to strike. The employees promptly ran after their boss, knocked back many feet, but as he turned his neck upward to see the girl, he wailed desperately to call them off.
"DON'T APPROACH HER!"
Action turned her hand backward to the workers and grinned.
"Dismantle."
Hundreds of loose teeth scattered across the pavement as each and every one of the employees burst across the ground, their blood leaking out through their throats- the muscles under their loosened skin losing all traction over their discombobulated skeletons, now reduced to unconnected, useless bones inside of their bodies. As their eyeballs rolled out of their heads, she laughed, looking down at Parker.
"If you
did
manage to escape, do you think you'd ever unsee that?" |
Frankie couldn't care less whether she lived or died.
This world was awful, and she knew she didn't fit in it.
The only reason she stood in front of this psychopath right now was that she felt it was the most she could do to protect Katie.
Because what Frankie realized, when that Ferris wheel fell-
Was that she cared about
Katie's
life more than anything.
Action laughed.
"Well if it isn't the one who got away. It's such a shame you're so stupid- you could've
lived,
you know."
"Frankie...
run..."
Parker struggled on the ground below.
"I don' wanna run."
Frankie spoke, somewhat aversely, almost too quiet to hear. Her next sentence after that was completely mumbled, so much that her opponent couldn't hope to hear.
"What was that...?" Action taunted. "You
want
to die?"
"Sure."
Frankie swallowed hard. "Why not. Just as long... as I can beat your ass first."
Action's grin crept across her face. "Oh... oh, you
are
interesting... tell me girl. Other than me, what do you hate most in this sick, sick world of ours?"
"Theme parks.
Can't
stand 'em.
And now they're gonna be the thing that gives me nightmares for the rest of my
life."
Frankie's eyes glinted as her voice gradually increased in volume.
"Yes, that's what I thought. I hate them just as much. That's why I'm seeing to it that they're destroyed."
"No... pretty sure you're just insane. You don't... you don't see me going around and
killing
people for fun."
"Oh, but you must understand, sweetie- you and I are only inches away on the spectrum of... how should I say... er,
"atomized"
individuals? You can't call either of us
humans,
honey- we
despise
life. Our styles are just so different from this uni-toned world. We don't
belong
here. You're clearly suicidal, and I'm an anarchist. We're the same kind of simple, darling, it's just that we deal with it different ways!" She giggled. "Now, wouldn't you like to come with me to watch this man die in front of his son? This family in particular really pisses me off, you see."
Frankie wasn't like this woman at all. Action was the furthest thing from a human she'd ever seen.
"I
hate
theme parks..." she shook. "But I love...
my
sister!"
She swing the rod too fast even for Action to concoct a plan of escape. All she could do was put up her hand and say what she always did-
"Dismantle-"
But of course, you can't dismantle a single piece of something.
CLANG
Action's head spun as the iron stick bashed some of the lipstick off her face, cracking her jaw just a centimeter to the side. She'd never felt so insulted in her life.
"You
brat-
I'll make
both
these idiots watch you
die!"
She quickly grabbed Frankie by the collar, who couldn't help but drop her only weapon as they suddenly began to propel into the air.
With Kiddie and Frankie in one immeasurably strong grip, Action shot herself towards the sky, dismantling the air below her as she flew higher and higher.
"We're off to see Drew now, you two!
I'll think I'll let Frankie die first once we get there, since she
wants to so bad." |
"This is getting repetitive already..."
At the gates of the large, vaguely fruit-themed subland not even a few miles away from the one they'd visited previously, Frankie showed the same lack of life in her expression that Katie could tell just what was going on inside her head.
"Frankie." She spoke softly like a mother. "Are you bored?"
"Uh... yeah. That's what I've been trying to tell you."
"Then why don't... we go where
you
wanna go today, Frankie?"
"I don't..." Frankie uttered, feeling like a headache. "I don't have anywhere I wanna go. I told you, I don't like theme parks."
"I've got it! Let's look around this whole place until we find something that interests you! Mr. Parker said this land was his pride and joy, there
has
to be
something!"
Berryland was on a different scale than the parks they'd visited before. Music played all throughout the park, there were far more rides, and there were even a few mascots running around- gross-looking lumpy fruit people.
Katie showed Frankie just about everything there. There were four different roller coasters and two drop towers. There were even some water rides, but Frankie refused to go near those out of fear of getting her only pair of clothes wet. There was a shooting gallery and an arcade, and Katie swore up and down she'd win Frankie a prize of only she'd pay for her to play.
They must've gone on or interacted with every experience there. But to Frankie, it all felt the same. As the sun began to set and their legs were getting tired, the sisters walked along with the crowd on a colorful blueberry bridge, neither knowing what they wanted to say to each other. In their silence, Katie looked up, and saw one more ride in the distance.
"Come on Frankie. Let's see the Ferris Wheel."
"Mm."
There wasn't much of a line that day. They missed the sunset by a half-hour, finding themselves going up into the dark night in a small pink-red capsule.
To Frankie, there was no such thing as "night." It was about as bright as day was, with all the park lights polluting it. She didn't really feel like looking out the window. She honestly preferred staring at the insides of her eyelids. But Katie's voice shook her awake again.
"Is there
anything
you like...?" She asked, trying not to make it sound rude.
"Percy Phytoplankton."
"Is that it?"
"I like it when the coasters wake you up in the morning."
"...If you could visit a
Percy
theme park, would you?"
Frankie had to think about it.
"Yeah, actually. I'd probably like that. Love it even."
"We should go to one."
"No such thing.
Percy's
just a cancelled teen's book series from like 30 BNG or something. I don't even remember how I got into it."
"Does that make you... what, like, the biggest fan in the world?"
"There's so many people out there... I couldn't possibly think so."
"Well, that's good then. Maybe one day we'll find someone else who likes
Percy
just as much as you."
"Why are you doing this, Katie?"
"Huh?"
"I get you wanna see all the world before we like, die, or whatever... but why
now?
You could've picked... any other time. That would've been nice."
"Frankie. It's not possible to go to all the theme parks before you die."
"It's not?"
"That's right. There's so many of them, it'd be like trying to read every book ever written."
"Oh. I guess you're right."
"That's why I think about death every single day of my life." Katie looked up at the starless sky. "I'm so afraid... you know?"
"I get it... mhm."
"So that's why I've got to start now. If there's any chance... I gotta make this quick. I should've begged mom to go out more as a kid. But I just wanted to spend all my time inside with you. I hate myself for that. But I love you. That's why I want you to come with me."
"Katie... why is it you've gotta see all these parks in the first place? You'd be happier if you didn't care."
"Maybe this won't explain it, but... I just have to. Life won't feel real otherwise. Like getting the bad ending in a video game. I'd have to restart."
"It's a shame we can't."
"Yeah."
At the height of its arc, the Ferris wheel came to an abrupt stop as they began to hear strange noises from below them.
"What was that?" Frankie looked all around like it would do anything. Then, unexpectedly, the second she turned towards the window, she saw it drop- a single screw fallen from the connector of the cart. |
Most times Drew talked to his father, it was over the phone.
He lived in his own private suite in Berrytown, not far from where Kiddie usually worked, if he was in town- but far enough for the two to grow apart a little.
It was the safest place in all the land they owned. The only spot where any of the staff were armed. And it was where Kiddie had decided to keep his son, in the event anybody ever went after him. A great many sacrifices to be made, in terms of their relationship- a level of safety that cost quite a lot. Whether they knew it or not, it had hurt them both dearly.
But that price, and those all those sacrifices... weren't nearly enough.
After passing by the premises a few times, Action flew straight through the boy's window at the highest floor, quite disappointed not to see him tucked into his bed or on his computer. But jumping out to the courtyard to walk past the trail of guards she'd already disabled, she wasn't halted in the slightest. The two hostages squirmed in her surely-enhanced grip, choking on the collars of their shirts. As Frankie stared down at the printed image of Percy Phytoplankton, covered in her own spit, she wasn't sure whether to be grateful or terrified that Katie was nowhere near her.
Action stepped into the front door of the building, killing a doorman on the way. She held Parker to her rotten face, with one question for him:
"Where's your boy?"
"I'll never tell you..."
"You're only prolonging the inevitable here. Unless... do you still have more backup on the way? You don't seriously believe another park owner is going to help you, do you? Because nobody else is gonna be tough enough to take a girl like me, that's for damn sure." She cackled. "You know, it's been too long since I've gotten to say all this villain shit. Did a job in Australia a few years ago, that was fun- but it wasn't
nearly
so
personal.
Mmmm, the
emotion
in this one. I can't get enough."
"You're
sick..."
"Tell me about it! Oh, I
love it...
kid, you got any insults for me? What was your name?"
"I'm
Frankie...
and like I said, you're a
bitch..."
"Ooh, a
bitch!
How PG-13 of you. I like it. Not so stuck up as this guy's tropey ramblings. At least you're
original!
Really now, girl- I would've let you live if you hadn't hit my poor little face like that. Take you under my wing, that sort of thing?" Action conversed as she checked every door in the building.
"You won't find him... you
can't..."
Parker spoke, a bit of fire still left in him.
"Sure I will. Because I can do
this."
Bored enough of checking the normal way already, Action raised her arm and stuck it to the wall.
"Dismantle~!"
The structure fell, opening a pointless hole.
"Once I raze this whole building to the ground, I'll find him eventually!"
Parker grinned.
"Oh? What's that?" Action stuck her head down to him. "Is it possible... that won't be enough? I know he's here, Parker, my intel
doesn't
lie... but I do admit it's possible he could be hiding. And if I were to hide my- ugh,
son
somewhere my arch-nemesis wouldn't think to look, it would be...
ooh, goodie!"
Without warning Action ran across the red-carpeted floors of the large building, dismantling the ground beneath her with an outstretched, shaking hand.
"DISMANTLE! DISMANTLE! DISMANTLE~!"
She carried on and on, despair finally reaching Parker. Frankie watched as the ground below her crumbled over and over again before she spotted something in the rubble- a small corner of a room?
"A
HA!
There we are, boy..." Action threw her hands downward once more, opening a pit to reveal a previously-well furnished hideout now covered in soot and fallen building materials. The boy huddled in the corner was, without a doubt, Drew Parker.
"Nice to meet you, Drew. Or should I say... we meet again?"
"D-dad? What's going on?"
"I'm sorry, son...
there's a lot... I never gathered the bravery to tell you..."
"DAD!"
Action leapt down into the room, throwing the disabled Kiddie to the ground. "Go ahead and say any last words you have to daddy while you watch me kill this girl
"Frankie"
here- then it'll be one of your turns... who did I say would watch
who
die again? The son watching his father go, or the father his son... yes, I think that second one's
much
more tragic,
don't you~?"
Frankie no longer struggled in the grasp of the villain. As she looked directly into her dark, unfeeling mask, she ceased to fear. She realized that, like it or not- this is where she died.
Frankie thought that wasn't so bad, really.
None of this felt real. Just a terrible collage of violence to end off her trivial, uneventful life. One she didn't care for, one she had no purpose for. It was going to be okay that she died. Katie was going to move on. Her parents wouldn't even know. And really, the world would probably be better without her.
Yeah... I'd like to die, she thought.
I want this to end.
I want Katie to live, no matter what- because that's different.
But me?
I'm done here.
So leave me be...
Then, she heard the national anthem from above her.
Frankie was pissed off for some reason.
America.
God, Frankie kind of hated
America.
It was the root cause of this strange, annoying world.
Yeah, she decided.
America
sucks.
Above her, the President of the United States stepped up to the opening. |
As scared as Drew was, his attention couldn't have been stolen better. The titan of a man, who all in the room instantly recognized, could not be ignored. With his white beard and shining bald head, clad in a cape of red, white, and blue feathers draping over his pristine suit, even Action was frozen in surprise at the undeniable image of the man looming over her-
Gesus Washington,
17th Official President of the United States.
"What the
shit-"
Action didn't have much time to speak before the mighty bald eagle came crashing down into her.
"SIXTH AMENDMENT!"
Everyone there flinched as they heard the instantaneous crack of each one of Action's bones.
"My sixth ability has the unique power to only harm those who are guilty..."
Her body painted the room red as it exploded.
"...looks like you are."
Frankie muttered senselessly in fear, covered in someone else's blood. The actual current President of the United States then approached her.
"What's the matter? You're safe now!
Smile for freedom!"
Frankie spat up something she'd been holding down for a while. She couldn't help it. Luckily, nothing got on the man's face. He stood and lifted Kiddie Parker off the ground.
"Still alive?"
"Y-yes...
my, my son...
please make sure he's okay..."
the park owner pleaded. "Thank you...
for answering my call."
"Peh. Nonsense. That's my duty as the leader of your nation, child."
He sat the father down and turned to Drew.
"You're alive, aren't you kid?"
Drew couldn't quite speak anymore. As he hyperventilated, eyes burning with the blood that had just shot into them seconds ago, he watched as small, barely-visible pieces of shrapnel rolled across the vermilion ground.
"This place could use some more white and blue, eh? Ah, well... you like my trickery? I sent justice-sensitive nanoexplosives into her body, you see. They detected her guilt, and delivered their verdict. I must admit, that's the first time I've gotten to use that one..." he cleaned the goop off his knuckles with an opal handkerchief. Not that Drew could make this out, but on it was inscribed the entire original Declaration of Independence.
Many people in suits and sunglasses came jumping down into the hole, snatching up the three living victims in their gloved hands and taking back a large speaker the President had seemingly brought here himself.
"So, Parker... let's get you patched up. After that... we'll eat at whichever place here has the best burgers. Deal?"
"I have...
to shut it down...
my park is
ruined..."
"Geez
Louise!"
Gesus put his hand on his head, rolling his eyes. "This is
America,
for
chrissakes!
Not an optimistic soul left in this world. Come on, child- we'll get you up and back in action faster than you can recite the pledge."
Frankie wondered what kind of messed up things she'd done the day before to get a nightmare like this. |
Katie's knees buckled as she stepped off the ride, grasping onto her sister's arm as the two assertively made their way out of the exit. Frankie felt like she was going to die. Her neck burned like the bones inside of it had jumbled up. Needless to say, things were bad enough already, so she had hoped to god that he wouldn't follow them, but deep down she knew it was pointless as the shaking footsteps caught up to her in seconds.
"Y-you... didn't scream...? Not even... a little...?"
Frankie turned to Drew and gave him another look she figured would hurt like hell- total disgust, like she was staring at human garbage. But by the time she looked at him, he was already crying.
"What's the point...
why?
Why can't... people like you just SEE...? Parks, they... they aren't just the fuel that runs the economy, they're- they're so much more... they're
memories...
sights and sounds you can play over and over again... it's
art, goddammit..."
Frankie grimaced. "You are a
spineless jerk.
And you're damn annoying. I told you to leave me alone. You know how bad I had it even
before
you showed? I'm losing my mind here."
"You don't get it... you don't
get
theme parks... you don't get
life...
people like you... they- they don't deserve to live."
Suddenly Frankie looked down to notice that Katie was no longer snuggled up to her arm. And as she directed her gaze back upward, she saw Katie's hand at the apex of its arc, ready to go shoot across Drew's face.
SLAP
"My sister's life is precious! And very much worth existing!" Katie explained in a manner somehow both unnatural and completely fitting to follow up a physical assault. "You
are
a jerk! And even if they don't make any sense, Frankie is entitled to hold whatever opinions she wants!"
Drew wasn't crying anymore. He was just looking at his shoes as he felt sorry for himself.
But then he saw another pair of shoes come up in front of his.
"You can't be acting like this, son."
Red and white, large like a clown's.
"It's unbecoming of a Parker."
As his eyes drifted upward he saw the girls were already looking at the man. They clearly recognized him, almost as much as he did. His sight climbed up his dotted pants and buttoned shirt all the way up to this frowning painted face and golden hair styled in the shape of a crown. This man scratched the back of his head, then, and only then, did he continue his statement.
"Lots of nice customers calling in today... just about made my day. But
you-
I am
very
disappointed in
you."
"K-Kiddie Parker?!"
Katie exclaimed. |
Frankie became much more afraid, not being able to see what was going on out there.
She wondered if the woman would come for her. If she did, would she check here first? She pulled Katie into the ladie's room by habit. Maybe the woman would consider their best hiding spot and check the men's room first. It probably wouldn't matter. She could-
would
kill them both in an instant. Frankie begun to cry, remembering she'd just witnessed people die for the first time. She cried more once she ascertained she was likely the only one who got off that Ferris wheel alive. But turning back to the unconscious Katie, she forced herself to breathe.
Katie was alive.
She was grateful.
She picked up her phone and started to text a message to her parents. Her fingers slipped across the virtual keys like they were covered in oil, her vision blurring from her tears. It was a long message, almost illegible. She was scared knowing they probably wouldn't understand all the things she wanted to say to them if this was the end. She sent it anyway.
Frankie turned to her sister again. She couldn't stop looking at her.
She was indeed grateful that the girl was alive, but something bothered her.
The woman who did this was still outside.
Police forces crowded around Action as she held up Kiddie Parker by his golden hair. With thirty guns pointed at her, Action didn't show the slightest bit of fear in her unbreakable crimson smile. The cops' coarse, dark uniforms fit even less with the park aesthetic than her skinsuit.
"SET THE MAN DOWN!"
barked one from a speaker, reminding her of something. She obliged as she sat the wounded, beaten, and now partially dismantled park owner's body on the ground, awaiting the law enforcement's approach.
"KEEP THOSE HANDS UP!"
They sent in five men. She wished they'd given her more. As one stuck a gun in her face, the rest surrounding her on all sides, she finally got to do something she'd always wanted to. She flicked her spread fingers.
"Dismantle."
Action always hated cops.
She wanted to see them afraid. Their bodies were just as intact as they'd been. But instead of guns, their hands held nothing but air, their weapons field-stripped into nothing but interlocking pieces littered into the night. She spun all around herself, kicking the transfixed men away in a single motion as she heard the first shot go off.
Action slid herself straight towards one of the cars blocking off the area, holding her hands behind her as she propelled herself at high speed towards its floor. Once she found herself under it, she put her gloved hands right up to the metal and began to laugh.
"Dismantle~"
Officer Kyle watched as his partner's head was taken off by a stray wheel, a gas pedal flying into his kneecap soon after. Every single piece of the car became a deadly implement thrown about the field of engagement. The few left standing chose to run. Action strutted across the chaos to once again raise a battered Kiddie Parker.
"From what I hear, your son seems to have
recovered
from his last run-in with a death in the family. Forgotten his pain
entirely.
Let's go remind him, shall we?"
"
Wait... no, I'll...
give you something...
do you want my money?
Do you want me...
to shut down my park,
is that what you want...?" He pleaded.
"I'll get your money anyway, Parker. And your park's already done for after this incident."
"What is
wrong
with you..."
"Terminal brainworms. I just can't stop thinking about how people might die on all these awful rides. It's up to me to remind them."
Bare feet pitter-pattered across the ground behind Action.
She turned to see nothing more than a little girl with dyed hair, holding an iron pole taken from the Ferris wheel she'd destroyed.
"Hey..."
she panted, trying to forget the icy fear inside her.
"You hurt my sister." |
Before Katie knew it, she was on a bus to the coast of Tennessee. She didn't have much else to do but to check her phone. Oh, look. A message from mom. She wondered why dad never texted.
are you okay???
And one more from this morning:
if theres a problem just explain whats going on sweetie your dad and I have started saving up our money to get back! so all good here ;3
She decided she wouldn't respond. Maybe they'd think she died.
But probably not.
Frankie seemed to have not gotten the message across in that text she sent in her panic. Maybe it was for the best. She wasn't the kind of coward she thought she was then. She didn't care so goddamn much.
Katie had fallen asleep on her shoulder.
Her eyelids were getting heavy. She didn't sleep at all last night. Everytime she shut her eyes she pictured that girl exploding. Honestly, Gesus had probably done more damage to her with that than the terrorist lady ever could've. But she really was tired by now. Maybe she could rest, just a little.
She sat her head on top of her sister's.
There were other people on this bus.
She closed her eyes. This time she wasn't thinking of that ketchup-bath explosion.
There were other people on this bus.
Frankie's eyes opened on their own.
Was anyone looking at her and Katie?
Was anyone looking away on purpose?
Who all was on this train?
Plenty of people.
Statistically, at least one of them had to be like that woman.
Right?
Probably not.
But maybe.
Frankie kept her eyes open the whole rest of the ride to Makoasis. |
"You're... barefoot. Did your... flip-flops fall off in the crash? Why didn't you put on new shoes?"
They'd just stepped off the bus, and Katie could see Frankie's feet burning against the molten concrete just outside of the entrance to Makoasis.
"You're gonna hurt yourself! Do you need me to carry you?"
Frankie sized up the front of the park. Sure, the pretty blue scales of the sign were pretty, but there was a small continent's worth of people headed inside. Frankie was sick and tired of people at this point.
"Here..."
She finally turned to her sister to see her holding out her own shoes.
"We're going to be in line for a while. Let's take turns."
Frankie frowned. "Don't."
"What? It's scorching out here! Frankie, you'll have third-degree burns!"
"They're
your
shoes. You couldn't last barefoot out here."
"And you
could?"
Frankie wouldn't say anything else. As her soles sizzled, they stepped into the line of visitors entering the park.
Katie couldn't stop checking on her sister to make sure she was okay. The apathetic girl wouldn't go into the shade or even shift her weight to one foot at a time. But on her face, it was clear it was hurting her. Katie didn't understand. Her eyes began to slide from person to person in the line around her. She spotted a man in the shade with a pair of cheap flip-flops on, just a spot up.
"Save our spot, Frankie."
She ran up to him and held out a fraction of the money she'd been given by Washington. Frankie watched as her sister pulled out a massive stack of bills from nowhere just to hand to this man. He took some and gratefully gave the girl his shoes, as she then immediately dashed back up to Frankie.
"Here! Wear them! They're blue, but you like blue, right? I know they're big, but..."
Frankie sighed. She took the flip-flips.
"Put them on!"
She stepped into the shoes, feeling the relief from the fire on her damaged skin.
"Where'd you get all that cash...?" Frankie asked. Katie gasped.
"Oh no... you saw..."
"
"Oh no?"
What, was I not supposed to know or something?"
"He... President Washington, be told me not to..."
"What's ol' Gesus got to say in the matter? You're the only one with money, I would've found out eventually. I was under the impression we were still broke, you know."
"I... don't know why he said not to tell you... I guess it's fine... I'm just- sorry for not letting you know sooner."
"Geez, don't apologize. I really don't care either way."
"Next!"
Before they knew it, they were at the front of the line. As Katie showed her new card to the employee, Frankie's eyes were drawn past the layers of security and to the waterpark ahead. Even to her, it was kind of beautiful if you squinted. A gigantic man-made paradise of waterslides, aquariums, and frankly stunning statues and art. But the further her sight drifted downward, the more of them she saw. Heaping hordes of other tourists like her. Loud. Scary. Dangerous. Annoying.
There wasn't a chance in hell she'd so much as enjoy this- let alone be "healed" by it. |
Frankie's first kiss was pounding and forceful.
The tan woman pressed against lips her over and over again, inflaming her lungs with her own air until Frankie's eyes were forced the rest of the way open. The green gaze locked centimetres above hers had in it all the compassion and desperation in the world alike.
As she coughed up water, this woman stood above her. Tall and graceful, Frankie couldn't make out her expression- was it grateful? Or judgemental? She couldn't tell. She was just annoyed to have been so cruelly awoken from her dream.
"Can you speak? What's your name?" The woman in the sleek aqua swimsuit said.
"F-Frankie! Her name is Frankie, miss!" Katie stood beside her, shouting.
"I need to hear it from her."
Frankie coughed up one last gulp of water, throat stinging.
"Frankie...
what's it to you?"
"Why did you try to kill yourself, Frankie?"
"What...?"
She hadn't contemplated what she was doing in the slightest. It was an action that completed itself. A forgone conclusion of sorts.
"I dunno..."
To her surprise, the woman picked her up gently. Though she previously spoke as if she had every intent to harshly punish her, the lady was now as calm as a flat ocean, and benevolent as a kind goddess.
"I'm here to help you, okay? A lifeguard's job doesn't end once her visitor is on land. Not this one's." |
Makoasis. One of the most popular theme parks in the world not owned by the Kidney Foundation. With its thirty square miles of primarily water-based attractions, people the world over come here year-round to cool off from the scorching heat.
Even combining the three parks they'd been through already, Frankie and Katie hadn't even come close to exploring such a massive plot of land. Katie didn't know where to start. Frankie was much too busy looking past this overwrought park, dazing off as she rested her eyes on the clouds above. It was the hottest, brightest day of the season- and all around them, the noise of the visitors' chatter burned just as much.
Katie didn't mind any of this. Shaking off her paralyzed indecision, she ran right away to the nearest draw- a wave pool the size of a football field.
"This way! This way!" She hooked onto her sister's tired wrist.
"Huh...?"
"Check it out! It's like our own private ocean!" She pushed through the families and lines for other rides spilling over into the central street.
"Hardly private...."
Katie stopped in her tracks.
"Oh, wait. We don't have swimsuits!"
Frankie groaned.
"To the giftshop we go!"
Before she knew it, Frankie was having different sets of swimwear held in front of her by her big sis in a damp, salty-smelling megastore.
"Just pick me one... as long as it doesn't show too much."
"Aw, are you sad there's no
Percy
swimsuit?"
"As if there would be. Is that what you're going with?" She eyed the fancy purple thing already folded in her arms.
"Mhm! It's nice, yeah?"
"Looks expensive..."
"I can... uh, cover it!"
"Just how much money did that bald eagle give you...?"
"A... little... bit." Her pupils fell to the ground.
"Seems more like a
lot."
"Okay, so he gave me a
ton!
But we have to be smart with it. This money is to make us happy! And to accomplish my dream!"
"You could file basically any purchase you felt like under that."
"Then so be it! I'm a smart girl, I can make my own financial decisions. But if there's anything you want at all, just let me know!
Anything for my little sis~"
She waved the suits she was comparing up to Frankie as the poor lass sighed.
"Just pick me my suit already..." |
Hunched over the toilet, Frankie found why she was so angry.
It wasn't the crook in her neck, or the wounds of her sister.
It wasn't the park, and it wasn't Action.
It wasn't America, and it wasn't the fact that nobody else ever seemed to like
Percy Phytoplankton.
It was that she was still alive.
Katie knocked on the stall.
"Sis...? Are you okay...?"
"Yeah."
"You should come back. The President wants you to meet someone."
Frankie couldn't think up an excuse to get out of this. She unlatched the door to see her sister's empathetic flower-garden of a face, and as soon as she did- she decided that, as angry as she was- it was going to be alright.
Because the one that really mattered was alive.
Walking back up to the table, Frankie was met with yet another world-renowned figure- gripping on tightly to the President's arm.
"I'm
soooo
happy my break's finally here honey- do you think I've got time to sit and eat? I think I've got time to sit and eat. Hey, boy. Are you gonna eat that?"
After securing Drew's burger and taking a hearty nom out of it, the First Lady's eyes at last moved to Frankie, rife with interest. She set the sandwich down to go right up and talk to the girl, shaking her hand and greeting her with a smile.
"Oh
hello!
Such a shame you weren't injured worse, I would've
loved
to work on you! Nice to meet you!"
"Go to hell."
Katie tugged her sister's arm like a stuffed animal.
"Frankie!
What's
with
you? You can't say that to people, important or not!"
"I can say whatever I want. It's a free country."
The First Lady turned back to her meal.
"Columbia... darling..." Washington comforted her, trying to explain. "This girl, she..."
"No, honey- I'm not upset. I'm just not the kind of doctor who can help her. I hope she'll be okay."
Frankie adjusted her cap.
"Let's go, Katie. We're done here, yeah?" She turned tail to leave the shop.
"They- they got us therapy..." Katie carefully followed her while turning her head back and forth between her and the table.
"Oh, yeah? Where?"
"Er- they- I have a ticket, to
Makoasis-
you know, the-"
"Theme park." Frankie laughed. "Yeah, I got it. Sick bastards."
She pushed open the doorway and left, Katie's instincts forcing her along with her. |
Mr. Pop's view was as immaculate as his workday was long. As he stood humbly on the surface of the moon, the blackness of space surrounding him, he felt the new trickery in his lungs producing air for him itch a little. He scratched at his throat, still getting used to these alterations, as he picked up his gravpole and got back to work.
"Hey, Hugo."
A younger co-worker of his communicated through the neurocoms latched onto their pointless ears.
"Help me with the alloys, will ya?"
Walking over to the pile of boxes that was their task for the day, they picked out one off the top and pushed it off with their poles, watching it slowly fall to the ground like a discarded feather.
"You'd think they'd get the dome built here before they put us to work. Guess they don't really know how big it'll have to be."
The two latched the hooks of their work boots into the powdery surface, wrapping their gloves tightly around the small briefcase that was held firmly to the ground by its immense weight, even in such low gravity conditions.
"Okay, on "pull." 3, 2, 1... PULL!"
The sturdy father tugged together with his partner for minutes on end until the case of superheavy metals was brought into its rightful place near the base of their project.
"Thanks, Hugo."
The man panted.
"God, if it ain't the biggest Ferris wheel ever made, it'll sure be the heaviest. What do you think?"
"Oh, It'll be the biggest all right. That Kidney's nothing if not proud."
Hugo found himself staring up at the big blue circle in the sky.
"Whatcha looking for?"
"Sorry, it's just-"
"Oh, that's right. You're a visitor. I almost forgot. We don't see honest folks like you around here often. Convinced myself you were one of us."
"Yeah... yeah, I get that."
"You miss it? The big wet one?"
"I got two girls there... hope they're doing okay is all."
"Ah, they'll be fine. You Earthlings worry too much. When you accept your planet's just another sphere, that anxiety leaves ya, you know."
"I know."
Hugo imagined Katie getting Frankie to smile for once. |
"Okay,
NOW
here we are!"
Frankie could see more people than water. The pool itself looked pretty, but she was certain what H2O she could see was gross and probably full of little kid's piss. She didn't want to step a single toe in it.
"What's the matter? Don't you like the suit? You were so picky."
Frankie sighed, looking down at her cyan one-piece. She felt no one way about it.
"It's fine."
"Frankie, you're driving me crazy here! First you say pick whatever, then you don't like a single think I pick! And just when I finally find one you say you
do
like, it's just... "fine?" And you said that like you were
dying!
Are you
okay?"
"I just wanted to get out of there. I don't like swimming, just like I don't like theme parks."
"That's not true!" Katie put her hands on her hips. "You were literally in the swim team as a kid!"
"I don't remember liking it."
Katie sighed. It was no use.
"Let's get in the water already! I'm getting hot."
As much as she didn't want to, touching the water felt good. Frankie delved in up to her belly, feeling it's cold embrace down to her bones. When she closed her eyes, she could see herself back in the swim team.
She would go to a local water park every week to compete. She never won, and didn't have any friends there. But whenever mom or dad asked if she wanted to keep doing it, she always said yes. And there was a part of Frankie that really liked just the simple feeling of the water on her body.
When she did quit, she wasn't able to give a reason why. But ever since that day, Frankie didn't swim as much.
"Hey look! Up ahead, there's room! You can go further if you want!" Katie chimed in, splashing her. Yeah, Frankie thought. I
will
go forward.
When she blocked out all the people here, it really was quite nice.
The sun blotted out the sky as she floated on her back, and when her ears drifted below the liquid's surface, she ceased to hear all the noises above. When she shut her eyes, she could, for just for a moment, be in a world all her own.
She imagined what swim club might've been like if there were no friends to have or competitions to win in the first place. That would've been a dream come true. She probably wouldn't have ever quit.
Floating further as people parted naturally, she gave just a peek to see that even Katie had shifted away from her. When she shut her eyes again, Frankie even smiled. For the first time in her life, she found herself enjoying an amusement park all on her own.
As her eyes and nose sank under the gentle current of the waves, she thought about mom and dad up in space. If only there was no moon or Earth cluttering up that big, dark expanse. Now that would be a place she could enjoy.
All of a sudden, it felt as if Frankie was in a state of true, undeniable bliss.
The people around her hadn't just spread out to give her some space. There
were
no people. She was the only one here, the silent, sinking princess of her own never-ending world.
She swam deeper.
And deeper.
Soon, everything was dark blue. The deeper she swam, the less she felt from the surface above her. As she opened her eyes to see just how beautiful this world of hers was, she was delighted to see that light struggled to even touch the deepest part of the pool she resided in. Within this shadowy land, all she could make out was something like a duct.
She locked her arm around this duct.
This
Was a most delightful world.
And not a single person was here to interrupt it.
As her throat burned and consciousness faded, Frankie thought of
Percy Phytoplankton.
A hand violently wrapped around her chest. |
The line was far too long, even for a conversationally-skilled adept like Umi or an eternal optimist like Katie. The wet, sticky concrete stairs to the fat blue tube shot down at least fifty feet below them, ground they'd covered over half an hour of wait time- and jutted upwards almost three times that length. Frankie wasn't scared of heights, but the proximity of all the swimsuit-clad strangers nearby unnerved her.
"
Katie... can we... go back down...?"
Frankie whispered. She didn't dare ask Umi and let her down.
"I wanna ride this one sooner or later... please, just hold on for me, okay? I'll- pay you back."
"How? How could you possibly pay me back? This- this is hell, Katie. This was exactly what I was talking about. Just think, any second one of these people'll unscrew this whole staircase-"
"Stop it!"
Katie whisper-shouted, shutting up the panicking Frankie as she slapped her hand on her trembling shoulder.
"Don't say things like that. Don't do that to yourself."
"You can't- you can't pay me back for this in a million years, Katie."
"I'll-" she looked around to see if anyone was watching, as if it were a crime to say it-
"I'll let you have full control over our funds for the rest of the day. They're in my bag right now with our clothes."
She held up the gift shop handbag. "I won't try to take them back. Just don't do anything bad."
"..."
Frankie couldn't consider a single reason she'd need the money for, but convinced herself she'd come up with one soon.
"I'll take it. Just hand it to me when we're done and this is all over."
"It won't be much longer, I promise. I'm sorry, Frankie."
As they drew closer and closer to the top, it still felt miles away. As Umi stopped to talk to one guest, Frankie spotted another behind them- what must've been the most suspicious man she'd ever seen.
He wore a bowler hat with his swim trunks, and sunglasses to top it all off. She thought he was talking on the phone at first, because his hand was to his ear, but as he lowered it, she saw it was something more like a walkie-talkie. A small, strange device for a guest to be carrying, in a water park no less. He didn't seem to have much hair, and while he wouldn't turn his head towards
her,
the man was looking all over the place as if he was being watched. It might've seemed a little comical to anyone else, but to her, this was cause for high alert. Until they reached the top of the line, Frankie watched this man and nothing else.
"What have you been... um, looking at, Frankie?" Umi finally asked just as they approached the entrance to the long spiralling tube. She didn't respond, watching as the line shifted around near the front as groups formed to go on the four-person raft,
him
ending up just in front of them.
"Okay, next." The bored young lifeguard announced plainly, shoving a family of four down the slide as a new raft exited the dispensary to the side of the contraption. Their eyes then met Umi's, as she stepped up- causing them to snap to energy.
"Oh! Umi! Hey, what's up? Daily Gigawhale ride, huh? Gosh, to be in your place! This thing's just dang stale to me at this point. Glad you still like it. Who ya got with you today? Some new friends?"
"Hey, Sky. Couple young ladies I'm helping out. One wanted to go down the slide at least once."
"Ah, how nice! Well you all just step on up now- er, you too sir, fill the boat." They motioned to the suspicious man. "You can drop your hat and glasses in the elevator here, we'll ship it down- same for your bag, miss."
Katie placed her bag in the chute, along with the man as he set his belongings next to hers. As he turned back around, Frankie and him made eye contact for the first time. He must've been at least forty-five. His head was bald, and he had the most strikingly evil blue eyes she'd ever seen on a person. His expression was hard to identify. Not aggressive or emotional- but serious. Strangely serious. His sharp gaze and slightly-open mouth were that of someone caught in the act- though showing no fear towards the discoverer of this act. He looked like a confused college professor.
As they got on the boat, the older two were in the back, so he happened to be placed right behind Frankie. Umi did think to object, but considered doing so an extremely rude gesture to the man. As they prepared to go down, Frankie was so focused on the man's presence behind her that she didn't even have time to be scared of the oncoming forty-four-meter drop she was about to endure head-on. |
Everyone screamed. That's what it sounded like. Umi was better described as laughing. The man was doing something else entirely. To Frankie, it just sounded like another wail. Turn after turn, splash after splash, it was too fast to tell either way. When at last they reached the bottom, heartbeats pounding, Frankie found herself frozen still.
Six seconds.
The ride lasted maybe six seconds.
Approximate wait time: two hours, one minute.
Frankie freaking hated theme parks.
As the ladies stepped off, wet and shivering- except for Umi, who was quite used to this- the suspicious man headed straight to pick up his possessions. But just as he could turn his head, the woman who had sat next to him the whole time finally noticed.
"Do I- know you...?" Umi asked as politely as she could. He jolted, stiffening in place before careening around like a rusty ship as he forced himself to greet her with a sad smile.
"Brice Gills." He spoke understatedly. "The swimmer."
"Oh, cool! I think my mom used to watch you."
"Yeah, probably." He turned back around to pick up his hat and glasses. Frankie watched him carefully.
"I hope you're having fun! Ever been here before?"
"Nope." He would've sounded somber were it not for how little he seemed to care. "But I'll be staying for the day, and the
whole
day, so kindly don't interrupt me. Have a good one." He took ten steps and was out of sight, swallowed up by the crowd.
"You too..." Umi told the chlorine-filled air, before she guided her attention back to the girls. "So, how was that?"
"Gimme our money, Kate." Frankie mouthed abruptly. "You promised."
"Hey, you spoke up! I think you're doing better." Umi praised.
Katie handed her the bag. "What's the matter, Frankie? Why the shift in attitude? Um...
are
you feeling better?"
"We were in line for a
really
long time." She secured the collection tightly.
"I finally got an idea." |
"You've really... never done this before?"
Frankie studied the floating ducks, shame and embarrassment discarded by her depression as only small children waited in line behind her.
"...Nah."
She told Umi, who was standing over her examining the little floating rubber things in the baby pool. It was the cheapest, simplest attraction in the whole park, but it still got customers.
"You should pick that one!" Katie cheered. "Or wait- no, that one!"
Frankie didn't think as she picked up one of the ducks closest to the rim of the pool. As she lifted it, the white spot stickered to its underside stared back at her lifeless face.
"Aw, too bad. No prize for you this time." The old lady behind the pool clamoured. "Next!"
As Frankie graciously stepped out of line, taking her party of young women with her onto the crowded bluish streets of the park, she kept her head down as if she was still looking at that rubber duck.
"It's okay." Umi comforted. "Nobody ever wins that one anyway."
"I didn't care."
Frankie assured.
"What do we do next?"
"I was thinking we could eat." Katie offered. "But- well, Umi... don't you have to get back to work soon? You
are
a lifeguard, aren't you?"
"That's right. And someone's still drowning in front of me. I'm not done here."
"Okay... I just worry that-"
"It's fine, really!
We have over a thousand lifeguards here, you know. You kinda have to with this many visitors. I won't be missed! Sadly."
"Okay."
"So, how exactly did you two end up in Makoasis?"
"Would you, um- believe me if I told you Gesus Washington told us to go here?"
"Woah, really? Why'd he do that?"
"It was compensation. He helped us out at Berrytown, I think."
"Huh... who would've thought. You know, I was under the impression that guy was a serious monster."
"You were?"
"Well, yeah! He's got a strong personality, but all the stories I hear about him... he's just another politician. Not to mention a cold-blooded killer."
"He means well."
"That's nice, at least."
"Compensation..."
Frankie stifled.
"My ass."
"Not a fan of him?"
"I'm the way I am now thanks to these stupid parks. It takes a real dick to send me to another one as a reward."
"Gosh. Yeah, when you put it like that, maybe the guy
is
a monster. But hey. We can make the most of it, can't we? We've barely scratched the surface of things to do. There's gotta be
something
you'll like." Umi turned back to Katie as the trio walked.
"Is
there something she likes?"
Katie nodded. Umi grinned.
"So, Frankie. What makes you happy?" The tall lady asked.
"You wouldn't have heard of it."
"That's okay. I'd love to hear about it from you."
"..."
Frankie didn't quite groan out loud, but she may as well have with the look on her face.
"Come on, sis!
Tell her!"
Katie encouraged.
"..."
"I like..."
Frankie began with great hestitation.
"I like these random books from ancient history... they were just for kids... it's like, an adventure story."
"Oh, yeah? But what's it
called?"
Frankie swallowed.
"Percy Phytoplankton..."
Umi gasped. Katie turned to her in surprise.
"Umi, don't tell me...
you've—?!"
"I've never even
heard
of that! Sounds
awesome!"
The woman cheered. Katie scratched her noggin in embarrassment.
"It's nothing..."
Frankie sighed.
"Just a hyperfixation."
"So tell me more! It can't be nothing if you like it so much."
She sighed again.
"Well, it's... um. I don't know where to begin. Percy, he... god, this is embarrassing."
She adjusted her hat just so her hands had something to do.
"He lives in this ocean, until all his friends get taken away by the tide... he has to fight to save them."
"See, that sounds absolutely
nuts!
You just got me seriously interested in something, Frankie."
"Yeah... whatever."
Umi smiled, spotting the blush she got out of her. "Well, if you don't wanna say more, I won't force you. But where should we go next, Frankie?"
Frankie just looked to Katie, who gave a knowing smile.
"Up there!" The older sister yelled. "That waterslide!"
Their heads shot into the air. Above them was the tallest slide in the whole park-
Gigawhale. |
In her quaint office, Miss Ezra Pearlman rested her feet on the fishtank desk populated mostly by the nastiest piranhas money could buy. She didn't especially care for the things, but loved how they intimidated anyone coming into her office trying to buy out her position.
She loved this spot, and after all the nonsense she'd been through, was more than happy to stay in it for the rest of her life. It was sheer luck that after so many dead-ends and false opportunities, President Washington himself extended his great big hand to her, offering a position as head of his newly-inherited Tennessee waterpark. It was an honor... and more importantly, a living. Simple... and honestly quite uneventful, for its scale.
So, understandably, when her favorite lapdog, Sky Vaughn, who had just been relieved of their Gigawhale duties for the day to come tend to her taxes, burst into her office shouting, it came as quite the surprise.
"Ma'am! You- um, you gotta come see this, ma'am! Something's happening!"
Annoyed, the strict woman shot up from her desk, business-brown hair with a single blue streak calculated to show a sense of "fun" billowing behind her as she approached her observation window with a powerful stride.
Looking out over the park from her office tower, the appointed owner's eyes widened as she witnessed her once-bountiful daily crowd depleted to unforeseen levels, with many remaining guests clearly headed straight for the exit.
"Get me my bodyguards."
She ordered the poor winter worker, lifting her legs one at a time to activate the trickery in her ankles. "I don't know what's going on, but it's
my
responsibility to put a stop to it."
As they walked, their excitement only grew.
"You really think it's legit?"
"Why would everyone else be going that way? I don't really get it, but I don't think that's very much of a reason to doubt it's validity. Cash is cash."
Cooperative housewives Millie and Sandra Arnet were on their way to a certain new attraction that had just popped up towards the east side of the park when the two of them were halted by a tall and fearsome woman dressed in an expensive black-on-blue suit dropping out of the sky, leaping off the buildings nearby.
"Ah!"
Ezra Pearlman landed on the road with a splat, liquid concrete coating her shoes.
"Excuse me." She said as she stepped from the spot, restoring it to its physical form as she removed herself. "Sorry for that, I'm
Ezra Pearlman,
this park's manager. I'd like to have a word with you, as guests."
"Oh,
Ezra Pearlman!"
Sandra gasped. "Yes, you're... well, you're in some of the commercials, aren't you?"
"...Yes."
Pearlman sighed in embarrassment. "I suppose I am, in certain regions. But that's not why I'm here. You see,
I-"
"Waaaait."
Millie jolted. "No way, are
you
behind all this? Are you really gonna pay us all that money to leave for the day? Why is that? Are you giving your workers an extra break?
That's so nice!
But how can you afford that? I mean, I get you're pretty high-up in the world, but... what I'm saying is, is this for real? My wife and I, we can hardly manage to visit these big parks once a year,
but..."
"...But we've already done most of what we wanted to do today." Sandra finished. "If you're willing to give us that much cash to end our stay a few minutes early, we will
happily
take whatever you have to offer.
I mean, just think of how long that'll cover the rent for!"
Pearlman grit her teeth. Whatever was going on, it was being pinned on her? And what did they mean they would get
paid
to
leave the park?
"Ahem."
Ezra cleared her throat as audibly as possible. "I believe there's been a misunderstanding, ladies. You mean to say that- you're under the impression someone will
pay you
to exit the premises?"
"Yes, that's right!" Sandra spoke. "You can see just about everyone clearing out already. They're going in groups even, taking other people with them to get a
bonus, I think?
It's all quite interesting."
"Are you... saying this
wasn't
your idea?" Millie asked.
"No, ma'am. It was not. And I'd like to find out whoever's it
was
as fast as possible."
"Well, you can follow us then, why don't you? We were headed towards the spot anyway." Sandra said.
Ms. Pearlman's staff leapt to the ground from the nearby roofs, turning it briefly to mush as they collided.
"Where to, ma'am?" Sky asked.
"Johnson. Casey. Carry these two and let them direct you. We'll be moving on ground-level from now on, should be easier with the crowds decreasing. All units, engage swimmer mode."
Ezra's handpicked team of official personnel spread to either side of the road, creating a mobile river on each end as the passive trickery inside their soles rearranged the molecules of the land.
"SWIMMER!"
As all the team shouted, propellers exited from their heels, sticking out of the specially-crafted holes in their shoes. Within moments, they shot down the road like motorboats, the housewives giddily laughing as they watched the land behind them turn from water back to solid over and over again. |
Frankie's food was getting cold.
In the meagerly-sized, mostly shellfish-centered restaurant
Blue Monday,
smartly situated right next to the Gigawhale's exit, two women ate in relative silence as another just fiddled with the hem of the now slightly-damp shirt she had insisted on putting back on.
"How are you not hungry?" Katie asked from her left, pulling Umi's attention away from her own dish as she looked up from her plate to see the sweaty-faced girl in front of her.
"Don't you... think it's messed up how they serve seafood and show off fish in the same park?" Frankie managed.
"Eh, I guess" Umi admitted in between bites of crab. "Fits the brand though."
"So just... what did you mean earlier?" Katie continued. "About getting an idea?"
"Ah." She spoke flatly. "You mean
that.
Well I figured something out, Katie." Frankie forced herself not to look around at the creeping, twisting crowd of other customers walking all around her, polluting the small establishment.
"You're speaking easier." Umi added. "What is it?"
"You see... well, it's just... I really never
hated
this park. That's not it." She kept her sight to the old table, weary and plagued by water damage. "In fact, I could even enjoy it... if there weren't all these
goddamn
people here."
Katie took her last bite of scallops as Frankie continued.
"I'm kicking them all out.
Every last one."
Umi took a sip of water. "Woah woah woah
wait.
I hope you don't expect
me
to be able to do that for you. I'm sorry, Frankie, but you have to realize there are some things that we just-"
"Oh no."
Frankie assured. "I won't need your help. I've got everything I need..."
She pulled the giant green wad out of her sister's bag.
"...right
here." |
Umi entered the lobby of the nearest of many aquariums- the
Basilisk,
specialising in large, beastly fish, the two visitors following closely behind her in complete silence.
As she waved back to the on-duty janitor, she took in the familiar smell of the saltwater tanks ahead and smiled, what little stress bubbling up inside her washed away in an instant.
Stepping up to the main entrance, she looked at the girls with the sort of kind smile she'd thought they might be needing right about now. She wasn't expecting a response, but was relieved when she got one anyway. As Frankie simply loured at the blackly-carpeted ground, pricks of shame touching her shivering skin, Katie spoke to the lifeguard in as normal as a tone as she could muster.
"So... you said you wanted to take us somewhere... I'm guessing this is it?"
"You'd be right." The blue-suited girl replied. "We're going to sit and watch the monsters for awhile."
"M-monsters?" Katie uttered.
They stepped into a not-so-crowded circular room where they could view a single tank of mostly sharks. Umi motioned for the two to sit down on a carpeted stump protruding from the floor near the center of the room, and joined them as they both obliged.
"I'm sorry for being so pushy before." Umi offered, looking at the fish in hopes they would do the same, breaking eye contact for the first time while speaking to the two. "So your names are Frankie and Katie, correct?"
"Y-yes."
Katie confirmed, watching the reflection of the waves on the soft floor. "I should apologize again,
I-"
"No, no. I already told you, this is my job."
Frankie had not spoken since Umi's question to her. The Makoasis lifeguard had seemingly paralyzed the girl, watching as she kept her frozen gaze affixed to her cupped hands.
"Frankie? There's not so many people here as there were out there. Would you... like to talk about it now?"
Frankie made herself believe she was mute.
"...that's fine." Umi continued, lifting her weightless arms in a seated stretch before resting then back on the stump. "Just sit and stare at them, won't you? The monsters in this tank."
Frankie didn't really know why she listened. It might've been the woman's funny choice of words, or how stupidly embarrassed she was becoming. Either way, she was begrudgingly impressed to see it- a tiny little ecosystem populated by these strange beasts. It transfixed her for some reason.
"See how fast you can forget things when something unexpected comes into view." Umi postured. "Where are you two from?"
"M-Merrytown."
Katie voiced. "In Northern Missouri."
"Ah, I see." The girl replied. "Something about that sounds familiar."
"You might be thinking of..." Katie began, hesitating at the last second.
"Berrytown,
it was in the news this week..."
"Oh. Yeah, I think that's what it must've been. We're you two... close to there, when it happened?"
"Y-yes...
I... don't recall, but... Frankie says we were
in
the attack."
"I see." Katie examined a shark's beady black eye from a distance. "And you both made it out alive. ...Of course, life isn't everything. I'm sure you've both lost a lot, in one way or another."
"I... guess so, yes. But to be honest, I'm not sure what it was that we lost. Only that... well... Frankie is clearly not happy." She slowly followed the blue reflection of the water to view the tank it stemmed from. "I don't understand. I'm a little
scared,
really. I don't know how to help her."
Feeling far too engaged in the discussion, Frankie diverted her gaze back to the simple ground.
"I can't help you there. It's not in me to put words in other people's mouths- and if I tried explaining her to you, that's all I'd be doing. That's why... I want to know your sister. So I don't have to."
Umi tried to spot every fish in the tank.
"...But, if you are afraid, and you're really lost in your sister's feelings right now, I'll tell you one thing-"
She leaned back to see the entirety of the glass window into the watery world.
"Millions of people come to theme parks to separate their existences every day. I had a boy in here once who was just like your sister. I never knew why he did what he tried to do. But what I did discover was quite simple. Afterwards, when he looked at this tank of fish, he was sad- not because he'd almost thrown away his chance at having this experience- but because when he looked up at those fish in the same way that all the other happy children did, he couldn't explain what he felt." She breathed in the atmosphere of the aquarium once again, closing her eyes as she imagined the boy. "The boy only knew that he was sad, unable to understand the emptiness he took away looking at these fish. In this moment, your sister is more pain than she was at the bottom of that pool. It's just that, in this wonderful, magical world... that pain hurts much more when the world around you doesn't stop to reflect it."
A drop of water hit the ground below Frankie's eyes.
"You can't escape them, and you can't understand them- like a hug from an enemy, they break you up inside. That's what beautiful things do to a person." |
"I want to be alone."
Frankie uttered, the sound quickly picked up by Umi's trained ears.
"Of course. We can leave right now if you-"
"No."
The shaking girl's eyes were covered beneath her cap as she stared down at her chest, dearly missing her usual t-shirt.
"You two are fine. It's... everyone else I want gone."
"Why's that, Frankie?" Umi softly spoke.
"I hate... I don't like people. They scare me."
"I understand. That's a frustrating wish to have in a world like this."
"So there's nothing you can do."
Frankie spoke like a child, as if she fully expected this answer, yet had been hoping the woman would say anything else.
"I'm very sorry, Frankie. But this
is
a theme park. There's no space for all these people anyway. This room is as alone as you'll get. Umi finally turned her eyes to the younger woman. "But is that really so bad? The families back there, looking at some of the smaller fish... you can't even see them, can you? And they won't pay the smallest bit of mind to you. You're free, Frankie. And we're both here for you."
"That's not enough."
Frankie's words came out in a low rumble.
"I want them gone. Every last one of them."
Umi gave the girl some space, looking away again.
"You really are afraid."
She thought hearing this might make Frankie happy. It might make her feel safe, just to know something for certain. She was right.
"I'm terrified."
The girl uttered.
"You have every right to be. But what
are
you afraid of, Frankie?"
"The people, like I said. The ones I don't know."
"What about them exactly makes you afraid?"
With a few words no longer doing the trick, she was forced into explaining her true feelings. But in her anxiety, a short simile, crafted without thought, was as much as she could manage.
"It's... like boxes."
Umi let her speak.
"I don't know what's in them, and they clutter up everything. I'm scared of what might be- what might be in them, I'm scared of how many of them there are. I'm scared that I'm not one of them. I'm scared that I'll somehow trip over one. I'm scared I'll drown inside them. I'm scared I'll open one up and get stuck inside it. I'm scared they'll all collapse on top of me."
Frankie shivered.
"I'm scared... of the boxes themselves, too. I'm scared that... I'll never see a place without boxes in it."
"...You're a very smart girl, Frankie. Maybe you wouldn't be so afraid if you weren't. But the truth is you are. And that's why you think so much about these sorts of things. You see, people like me, we...
well,
we're just too simple to worry about what's really in a box or how many there might be. And if we aren't annoyed by them... we can go our whole lives not caring too much. That's why it's up to us to help you, Frankie. Because you think for all of us."
"I didn't ask to do this."
"Neither did we. But that's just how it is. You can still get better, you know."
"How?"
"You come with me. We'll spend a day together. And by the end, you'll know the answer to my question."
"But I won't be... any happier?"
"If you still
want
to be happy, you're already on your way."
"So you're saying I won't..."
"I don't put words in people's mouths, and I can't predict the future. I'm just a lifeguard, after all."
Umi stood up.
"Do you two want to go now, and do something new?" |
"Please, sis. You can't be serious- Frankie?
Frankie!"
Katie just missed her arm as she reached out to grab it. Frankie marched down the street at a speedy pace, eyes ready to kill.
"You can't be thinking this! Please, Frankie! Umi, talk some sense into her!"
"Listen, kid... you can't just... this isn't going to work, first of all. I get it. This isn't fun for you. But everyone else here, they-"
"It's
their
choice." Frankie spoke, as if to threaten. "We'll see what they think when I offer them twice their annual salary."
"It won't
work!"
Umi shouted. "There's too many people here, you can't possibly have that much money!"
"I only had time to just barely flip through a tenth of it." She uttered. "And that alone was more cash than I'd ever seen in my life. Must've been at
least
four or five
million."
"That's ridiculous! That can't be true, Frankie."
Katie stopped in fear.
"What's the matter?"
"It...
might."
She shivered, talking to Umi but looking at the ground. "That's the money... we got from-
P-President Washington,
you know..."
"You're kidding me..."
Paralyzed, they didn't notice Frankie was already on the edge of their field of view, about to head straight into a crowd and disappear.
"It's like she's a different
person...!"
Katie scrambled, running after her. She finally managed to catch up to the girl, at long last grabbing hold of her arm.
"Please stop this, Frankie. You'll only embarrass yourself!"
"How do you think I just walked straight into a crowd of strangers? I gave up all my fears five minutes ago. The time to cower is
up.
Now it's my turn to really go nuts." |
"Frankie-
you
don't
have to do this. He's just trying to humiliate you."
"I said I wanted
everyone
gone. Not just
most
of everyone. We do this, and we get the whole park to ourselves all night long."
They'd chosen the closest spot to practice in- a much smaller, but overall still-quite-lengthy indoor pool, the somewhat unpopular
Seagull Shore Indoor Swimming Pool.
It had green tile floors, walls, and ceilings, likely intending on some relaxing feel, but it really just came off as kind of sickly.
"The Angelfish is huge. This is the closest we'll get to simulating that length."
Frankie sighed as she set her beloved
Percy
shirt back in Katie's bag, staring down at the water in her swimwear. As her nose filled with the smell of chlorine, she remembered the wave pool at the start of the park, and the feeling of her lungs being injected with water.
She shook it off, leaping into the shining liquid.
"Okay!
Let's see what you can do!" Umi cheered as she surfaced. "First, we'll get warmed up. Just how fast can you do a lap here?"
Umi watched as Frankie carefully aligned herself with one end of the pool. She was interesting in seeing what old skills she had to brush off.
"And...
go!"
The woman shouted, voice echoing in the hollow emerald chamber.
Katie danced and cheered, almost slipping on the wet floor as she encouraged Frankie with all her might. The younger sister was silent as she shook her arms as hard as she could, fluttering her feet behind her, imaging what must have been ancient muscle memory awakening for the first time in years. The pool felt longer than any she'd ever been in. It had been so much time since she last did this that she's forgotten just how long a lap was. But still she pressed on with all her might, cutting through the water like a rusty saw.
At last, she touched the other end.
"Time!"
Katie burst, as if she'd been the one keeping track. "So? How'd she do, Umi? Umi?"
Umi, who had been looking at the wall for quite some time now, finally stared back at the water in an expression one could only describe as fear.
"You're, uh... oh, you're done. Um..."
"What... what is it?" Frankie questioned, terrified.
"It's been... almost six minutes, Frankie..." she stammered worryingly, trying very hard not to offend. "Are you... Frankie,
are you sure you were on a swim team?"
Oh god,
Umi couldn't help but think. This situation was far was worse than a little league player challenging a professional- Frankie could hardly skim to
begin
with. She
had
no skills to brush off.
"Oh... uh, now what?" The young swimmer asked.
"We get to training is what!" Umi dived in with her.
"Move your feet like this... remember these three positions."
As Umi floated alongside Frankie, she quickly noted how unhappy the girl looked. Not the general unhappiness she always had, but something more specific.
"So you didn't like swim team. Is that right?"
"Yeah." She answered groggily. "It was pretty bad, looking back on it."
"What was bad about it?"
"I didn't, like... get it. Everyone there was so obsessed with winning something. I guess it
did
rub off on me, a little. But only enough for some jealousy to brew when I lost. It never drove me to work harder... I never worked there at all, really." She tried out her breaststroke. "I don't think I saw it the same way they did. I liked...
swimming,
kind of. I liked the
water.
That said, I dreaded every single competition. Hell, I dreaded most of the practices, too. I think for me it was just an excuse to go play in the pool."
"Do you remember any of the people there?"
"Not a single one. I never... talked to them, or anything. And... it's not like they talked to me. So I was pretty much alone all the time."
"I see."
"I really don't think I can beat this guy..."
"Yeah, me neither. But maybe, if we try really hard, you'll be able to make it to the end of the pool. Then you'll at least have a chance if he gets a cramp or something." She held both of Frankie's hands as the girl practiced kicking.
"You really turned around on all this. A few minutes ago, you didn't even want me racing him."
"That was before I could tell you really wanted to."
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"Anything you wanna do is always worth doing."
They practiced for the remainder of their time before the race. |
"Well... this is what you wanted, kid." Umi spoke. "I hope you enjoy it."
The girls walked the streets of the dying town, paying off whoever they came across. Every few minutes, a family that didn't get the memo. A lone guest who hadn't been paying attention. All people who had just been spending their day here normally, unbeknownst to Frankie's schemes.
"Who are you exactly?" Asked the first guest they'd seen in at least half an hour- a man, all on his own, visiting from college.
"Doesn't matter. Look, everyone else left, yeah? Look around." Frankie groaned. "So uh... here. Have this. And get outta here."
"What the..."
Flipping through the bills, the man didn't take the chance to miss this opportunity. Frankie watched him carefully as he ran towards the nearest entrance.
As the sun slowly began to fade, Umi watched Frankie shivering.
"They should all be gone now..." she said to the girl.
"Yeah."
She answered. "But... it's, um... I had all the enforcers leave, yeah? What if... someone just runs off with the money...?"
"This place is so big, I don't think we could possibly run into them anyway."
"Eh-
yeah..."
she mumbled, tugging on her shirt. "I think... we should start... riding some rides, now."
"You sound more unnerved than you did just a few seconds ago." Katie commented. "And a lot more than when you were conning the whole park."
"You wanted to be alone so bad, maybe all that anxiety and paranoia got overpowered..." Umi guessed. "You've got some drive inside you, I'd say."
"Maybe..." Frankie said.
"We're just about out of money now, huh..." Katie mentioned, looking at the darkening concrete. "Well, I never planned to have funds for this journey anyway. Watch out, Museworld..." she riled herself up, pumping her fist. "...here I come!"
"So... what do you wanna ride, princess? The park is your oyster." Umi stretched her arms.
Frankie didn't look at the woman until she came up with her first idea for a destination- something pretty simple, but a wish she could now easily achieve.
"I wanna... go on the Gigawhale."
"Again?"
"Yeah, that's right... maybe... just maybe, this time... without that damn wait, and that weirdo behind me the whole time... I might actually enjoy it."
"You mean it, Frankie?" Katie cheered, about to jump with glee. "Woo-
hoo!"
The three trekked back to the colossal tower, returning just as the sun was almost set.
"I'm just happy you didn't pay off all the staff." Umi noted as they walked past the pool of water the ride exited to. "Safety first, you know?"
SPLASH
Everyone's attention was abruptly stolen when a rouge float hit the bottom of the ride.
"Is someone still here?"
Umi asked under her breath, the water clearing as he stood up to get off the ride.
"What seems to be... the problem?" The bald man asked, looking over his shoulder at them, itching to go up the stairs again.
"You again...
Brice Gills?"
Umi gasped. |
"Oh... you three again. So... you're still here, too." The swimmer spoke in the same dark voice he had when they first ran into each other.
"About... that." Frankie shivered, clearly quite intimidated by Gills. "Um... here." She held out a few thousand bucks.
"What?"
"T...take it, please. And... leave."
"Of all the..."
he groaned, wriggling the fingers of his right hand in frustration. "Lemme guess- you're the sourpuss bribing everyone to screw off so you can have your little birthday party?"
"Here... I have...
more, sir."
Frankie doubled the wad of cash in her palm, looking up at him expectantly.
"I don't
want
your money, little girl- I
want
to spend my day here."
"You..."
Frankie stuttered, her hat and hair falling as she stared downward so that her eyes were invisible.
"Y-you really scare me, sir. So please... if you would, just..."
Frankie held out all the money she had left, bowing to the man.
"I'm not leaving this park for any reason. Sorry, kid, but that's life. You can go run around the to the other side of town, I'm sure you won't even see me."
"Please!"
Frankie begged, shoving the money at him. But the man just sighed in disgust.
"Didn't you ever hear the phrase, "it's a free country?"
Frankie held the money to her chest, unsure of what to say.
"It's no good, kid." Umi rested her hand on Frankie's shoulder. "Let's just go someplace else. Stop by the pool or something."
"I hate pools."
Frankie bemoaned as they turned tail and started to walk away from Brice.
"We can go somewhere else then. Why is that, though? Nobody else will there, I'm sure."
"It doesn't matter. Pools just remind me of being on that stupid swim team again."
"Stop right there."
Brice Gills suddenly interrupted, making Katie jump as she turned back to him to see he hadn't moved an inch since they started leaving. "Did you just imply you were... a
swimmer?"
Frankie rotated back towards the man, Umi following closely as she watched over the girl.
"Not anymore... just something I had to do once."
"Mr. Gills, sir, we're
terribly
sorry." Umi apologized. "She's just had a rough day. We'll be on our way now, we really will-"
"I'll give you a chance, kiddo. You beat me in a swim meet, I'll march my ass right outta here. Now how's that sound?"
"Fine."
"W-what?"
Umi spun. "Why are you-" she leaner to Frankie. "You- you know this guy's been in the
Olympics,
don't you?
He's one of the best swimmers in the
world,
I don't see why he's-"
"The lady said it was
fine."
Brice decreed, waving his hand in the air. "Meet me at the
Angelfish
in an hour. We'll go one lap, all the way across. That's a deal."
As the athlete walked off, Frankie was left staring at the spot he'd once stood in. |
Miles away, a huge crowd gathered in front of a tiny plushie booth.
"Form a line!"
One of the newly-hired bodyguard's voices boomed, hoping his stellar performance would earn him extra.
"Me next, me next!" A teenage boy scurried up to the front, holding out his hands.
"One... alone." Katie told Frankie.
"I can see that." She answered, not the slightest bit of anxiety in her pupils. "Here." She offered the boy a carefully-calculated reward. "Try and cheat us, and one of my men will see to it that you're thoroughly pulverized. Make it out in under six minutes, and you'll get a bonus from the staff outside."
"You don't hafta tell me twice!"
He exclaimed, dashing off towards the closest exit.
"Er, next!" Katie called over the crowd, Umi watching her worriedly as she leaned against one of the stall's supports, hoping no one would notice her as the previous owner of the booth stood in front of her, offering parting gifts to any children upset about their parents forcing them to leave early.
"I really
don't
approve of this..." the lifeguard remarked, hoping for a response from either of the siblings. But as they worked, Katie now submitting to Frankie's mad plan, she could no longer get through to them.
"The crowds are getting smaller and smaller..." Katie spoke under her breath, trying to keep track of everyone coming to the booth. "Frankie... how much money do you have left?"
"Plenty." She said, handing off the next gift. "Hey,
I
quit worrying. Shouldn't be too hard for you to follow suit, don't you think?"
Katie mumbled a
"yeah"
before getting back to work, trying to parse her thoughts under the chaos. It was no use. She couldn't figure out why
she
was so uncomfortable all of a sudden, like the two of them had switched brains.
The more the park shrunk, the more the line grew- that's how it went for the first and slowest hour. But after that- a much different situation formed. As people left faster and faster in larger and larger groups- both the crowds around town and the people waiting in line diminished drastically. Soon enough, they were just picking up the scraps, with forty or so people waiting to get their severance pay from their vacation. Even Frankie was surprised as to how well her plan was working. It was to the point where the locals themselves happily packed their bags and left town for a free paycheck. Any stragglers were quickly swayed when offered an under-the-counter bonus, and the few that complained were satisfied much the same way.
As the timid girl stared at the shrinking wad in her left hand, she was almost mortified by the amount of power she possessed. Just as a large family came up to see what they could get with their three children in tow, however, a woman's voice, crackling with fury, broke the fascination.
"ATTENTION!"
Ms. Ezra Pearlman strode up to the counter, her guard pushing aside those in line as she stared over the counter with the most terrifying face Frankie could imagine.
"Just who is responsible for this establishment...?"
Frankie nervously raised her hand.
"That... would be me, ma'am..."
"I never spoke with
you.
Did you agree to this?"
She shot to the owner and permit-holder of the original booth, who just nodded as he stuck his hands up and slowly took cover behind the counter.
"Umi?
Is that you?" Sky noticed their trusty coworker behind where the man had been.
"M-Ma'am."
Frankie swallowed hard before managing to speak to the appointed owner of the park. "This is a... perfectly legitimate business, I swear."
"Not without
my
approval it isn't." Pearlman growled, leaning over the counter. "You've gutted my profits for the day... why, I should have you gutted
yourself..."
"P-please."
She shivered, her fear catching up to her. "Just... er, I can make up for it. Take this. See?" She offered the woman half the money she had left.
Ezra howled with laughter.
"That
pathetic clump? You couldn't pay back what you owe with all the cash you already
gave out
to my guests."
"Er, I...
uh..."
Frankie stuttered, running out of options. She looked at Katie, but she had nothing.
"Is she with you? I'll have you
both
kicked out. Then all this will have been for nothing."
Umi's ears perked up.
"B-but... ma'am, I..."
"Shut your
trap.
One more word out of you... and I'll kick your
face
before I kick you out."
"But I-
...
I wanna be here!"
"WHAT DID I JUST SAY TO YOU?!"
Ms. Pearlman's trickery-enhanced foot flew through the air, ready to turn Frankie's face into a swimming pool- before it was caught in a tanned, gentle hand.
"What the—"
"I apologize, ma'am."
Umi spoke, her hand painfully dissolving into fleshy goo.
"I enabled this guest to commit this crime. It was my fault- not hers. Please, punish me- but let her stay. She wasn't right, but... she's earned it."
Flabbergasted, awestruck, and maybe just a little humiliated- Ezra took her foot off her worker's hand, instantly reverting it back to normal.
"You... you're
fired!"
"Yes, ma'am. I understand."
Katie gasped, as Frankie's eyes just widened.
"N-no!" Katie grabbed at Pearlman's suit. "You- you can't! Just kick us out instead! Umi doesn't
deserve
this!"
"It's okay, Katie."
Umi breathed.
"Listen
... you won."
"B-but..."
Umi straightened herself back out, standing at eye-level with Ezra.
"Thank you for making such a gracious consideration, ma'am. Me nor these girls will visit this park again, I can assure you of that. Just... let us have this one day."
Pearlman sneered.
"Guess I've got no
choice-
you three are the only guests I'll have left at this rate. You better spend whatever you got left playing games. I hope you waste every penny."
She stepped away, motioning to her squad.
"Let's go back, everyone. Let their customers do as they please... it won't be happening again."
Sky looked at Umi one last time. As she smiled slyly at them, they felt oddly inspired.
As the crew zipped away, Millie and Sandra stood in line, and were still paid to leave the park, along with everyone else there. As far as Frankie could tell... she'd accomplished her wish. |
That night, the three of them rode almost every ride in the park. As time passed, more guests started showing up, mostly to secure spots in hotels for the following morning. But at that point, Frankie didn't care as much as she once had. The fun she experienced wasn't going away anytime soon.
Umi saw the girls off as they picked their own room to spend the night in. On one of the lower floors of the comfy
Reefwood Lodge
they wrapped themselves up in thin Makoasis-branded blankets and got the rest they'd been needing. After more than forty-two restless, fearful hours, Frankie finally let herself drift off into dreamland.
When the sounds of the park's next business day awoke them, the groggy girls sat up in their beds, making morning conversation with their hoarse throats.
"Did you sleep well?" Katie asked simply, the exhaustion not wearing on her optimism.
"Yeah..." Frankie noticed. "I did."
She didn't return the question. After all, Katie seldom failed to blackout whenever convenient. Unexpectedly, however, she answered anyway.
"I didn't."
"You... what?" A little alarmed, Frankie checked to see that her sister was serious. Sure enough, the more somber side of her she'd only barely met was visibly present on her sighing face.
"I had nightmares." She said. "That someone was choking me."
In that moment, the girls both remembered exactly what Katie was talking about.
"Oh, god,
I..." Frankie despaired over her sister's words, innocence fallen from them entirely. "Do you... how much do you remember? You didn't... go unconscious right away... did you..."
"No." She murmured. "I was awake when the Ferris wheel fell, and... and when it collapsed with all those people. I remember now. The... the Dreadnought Girl strangling me."
Frankie ran to her sister's bed to hold her. She was the only one crying.
"It's okay, sis." She told Frankie. "We're still alive. That's all that matters."
"It's
not
okay." Frankie muttered through her tears.
"Goddamit, you- you- you didn't deserve to go through that-"
"It took me so long to remember... It would've happened sooner or later. I suppose I was just... pushing it all down. I'm sorry."
"Shut up..."
Frankie rubbed her forehead into her sister's arm.
"You've got nothing to feel sorry for. I should've protected you..."
"You did." Katie smiled. "That's why I'm still here, right? Because you ran after her."
"I'm sorry..."
The sisters held each other for a time, until the doorbell rang.
"I'll... I'll get it." Spoke Frankie.
She waddled up to the door, not giving much thought to who would be behind it. As she turned the knob, the woman behind it was excited to greet her.
"Morning." Umi smiled. "How are you two... oh? Are you okay?" She noticed the tears in her eyes.
"Fine..." Frankie began, really seeing no need to explain at first. But Umi's honest face forced her to reconsider. "Actually, I'm not sure. It's been... god, it's been a rough few days."
"Then this'll be good. I've got something to show you two, before you leave."
"Something to show us?" Katie postured, slowly rising from her matters and stepping over.
"Yeah. It's for both of you."
After a quick stop to do their laundry and eat, the sisters found themselves in the interior of Umi's small, but well-kept car, a vehicle driving down one of the countryside roads that really only the south preferred over the more efficient trolley system that connected the parks.
"Which park are we headed to?" Frankie asked earnestly.
"No park." The driver answered, raising her voice over the billowing air outside the lowered window. "It's somewhere else."
Pulling up to the cinnamon ground, Umi left her shoes in the car as she stepped out, motioning for her friends to follow.
Katie and Frankie walked into the grainy field of sand, their eyes met with an endless blue horizon.
"No parks here." Umi seemed to continue from the car ride. "What do you think of that, Frankie?"
The ocean was a limitless and flat expanse, nothing like she'd always imagined- it was a simple and beautiful thing.
"Even if all the land in the world is littered with theme parks and people... the vast majority of it's covered by nothing at all. Just miles and miles of silent water."
As Frankie witnessed a new dream of hers start to blossom, Katie was similarly awestruck.
"Huh..." she childishly verbalized. "There's really... nothing here at all."
"Nope. Just this sand, pushed back over years and years."
"I'm glad I got to see it."
Umi grinned.
"No matter what you think there is to life... there's always more. If you two keep searching around... you're gonna find things you never even thought of."
"That's..."
Katie squealed.
"That's
awesome!"
She jumped into the air, laughing as she ran up to the waves.
"Katie-
hey!"
Frankie chased after her, soon finding herself in a splash fight at the shore.
Minutes later, the three saddled up to get back in the car again.
"Thanks for everything, Miss Umi." Katie offered. "We really are grateful."
"I know you are, don't sweat it." She replied. "Keep an eye out for each other." She tossed their bag in the backseat for them. "I'll drop you off wherever you need, just be careful out there."
"Okay!" Katie cheered, jumping inside the ride. As Umi checked and made sure everything was good to go, she saw the one thing she was leaving behind still gazing out to the sea.
"Frankie?"
The young woman stood at the edge of the water, feeling the tide beckon her time and time again. It was a different tide than the one drawing her to the water before.
Umi approached the girl.
"Still looking?"
"This big place was... created by a lot of greed, yeah?"
"What makes you say that all of a sudden?"
"Didn't there used to be... another state, right where we're looking?"
Umi nodded acceptingly. "That's how things are. I mean... don't take this the wrong way, but... do you really want that? More land? More people?"
"No. The funny thing is, I don't. In fact... I've decided. When we've got the money... I wanna go there. That flat, giant ocean... I wanna go right to the middle of it, where no matter where you turn... you can't see a single thing."
"So you can be alone again?"
Frankie shook her head.
"So that I can have a memory... of what that feels like."
"You and your sister are exactly the same, you know that?"
Frankie chuckled.
"I never would've noticed before."
Umi let herself look out to the water one last time.
"Then go make yourself some money, Frankie. I saw what you were capable of yesterday. And I think... you and your sister could do even more, with a goal as great as this one."
"...I hope so." Frankie spoke with the belief that they would. |
As the cold night settled in, the girls hurried with anticipation to their next destination. Speed-walking to the largest pool in all of the park, Katie and Umi both found themselves glancing over at Frankie to see just what expression lay on her face before this trial.
This face wasn't the old Frankie's. Rather, one of sheer grit and determination.
Frankie was a fighter- in the sense that she had all the frustration she needed to push her against the walls hindering her life. She may have lacked the dream her sister had, or even that girl's basic appreciation of life- but she was used to going through hell, and had garnered the strength to go all out on something even when it didn't make the slightest bit of sense.
The doorway felt too small for the massive orb of a building. After making their way through what felt like miles of cordoned-off line space, they stood at the entrance to the grand white construct- hardly wide enough to fit all three of them if they were to stand side-by-side.
"I'm sure he's already there. Are you ready, Frankie?" Umi asked so that Frankie would have the opportunity to answer.
"Yeah." She darkly uttered, and the girls entered.
It was nothing like the pale interior of the
Seagull.
Bright and luxuriant, the golden-glass ceiling was sprayed with colorful lights that also reflected off the pearl walls. The water was sapphire, and the pool's length was notably greater than that of an Olympic-size one, to account for the amount of guests that would normally be here.
But instead, there was only one tiny shadow on the limitless indoor horizon.
"There's your guy."
Umi spoke under her breath.
"So nice of you to show up." His voice carried hollowly through the gigantic stadium, quite meagerly in volume as he slowly approached into view, rippling body already dripping with water from his own practice. "Any longer and I would've dropped our little wager."
Umi nudged Frankie in a way that quite clearly said,
"you better trash-talk him back, kid."
"I'm gonna kick your ass, old man."
Umi shook her head in a way that said
"that's not quite what I meant."
Brice laughed.
"Well, if you're so confident, let's get started already."
Frankie strutted up to where they would start- it was a huge pool, of course, but for intensity's sake, both swimmers unspokenly chose to race right side-by-side each other.
Face-to-face- or, more accurately with the man's height, face to
chest-
they squared off. Brice with a well-practiced shit-eating grin, Frankie with a defiant glare and eyes that had quite literally seen death firsthand.
"Okay, you two." Umi mediated. "I'll be your ref. On the starters, both of you."
Climbing atop their posts, the swimmers
both
prepared to go their absolute hardest- even the Olympic athlete about to crush a depressed girl who only knew how to swim in theory.
"First one to touch the farthest side wins. Stay in your lane, nothing underhanded. Katie will know if you cheat."
Katie sat to the side of the pool, glaring at the two with fearsome eyes and a pouty face.
"Alright. On one."
Brice sat still in his position.
"Five."
Frankie arched her back.
"Four."
Bruce smiled.
"Three."
Frankie scurried to match his posture, eyes then hastily focusing on the end of the pool countless meters away.
"Two."
Brice's muscles tightened.
"ONE!"
In an instant, the toes of the swimmer shot him off the post with such ferocity that when he finally plunged into the water after passing many feet of extended airtime, it made a splash so wide that all three other people present in the room were soaked, including Frankie, who hadn't leapt yet.
"What are you waiting for? Go, go!"
Panicking, Frankie belly-flopped into the water, her opponent already well out of sight.
"Hurry, Frankie!"
Katie cried out like her life depended on it.
Though she knew it was probably ineffective, Frankie flapped her arms without reason, pushing as much water behind her as she could as fast as humanly possible.
Kicking her feet like she was fighting off a wild animal, she grit her teeth and ducked her head under the water's surface just so she could scream out as loud as she could as she pursued the man. She knew she was performing poorly, but it felt like all she could do to exert as much energy as possible.
Frankie had never
wanted
something so bad.
She'd never felt this way before. Why did she care so much? After all, in all this commotion, she could probably get away with trying to drown herself again. Hell knows how easy it was the first time. But for some reason, that didn't exactly appeal to her at this moment. Even though this competition shouldn't have mattered, and was a ton of stress to even think about, she was giving it her all- and the whole event had been granted a meaning her past self wouldn't have been able to understand.
"You can do it, Frankie!"
It wasn't like when she gathered the courage to hit a murderer in the face with an iron pole the other day. Sure, she'd wanted to protect Katie, but... when she made that choice, it was with the assumption she'd die for it.
"Don't stop!"
It wasn't a hollow, suicidal lack of fear anymore. This time, she was fighting out of true courage.
"Go!"
Aligning her body, she tried to remember what Umi taught her. Brice faded from her mind, as soon she was the only human left in this pool, other guests paid to leave or not.
Pumping her conviction into a more effective form, she propelled through the water as fast as she could. It didn't feel like much, but it was fast enough. Roaring through the waves, she could soon see Brice again.
Like a shark, he was made to be in the water. Cutting through it like a hot knife, he made short work of the course. It would've been impossible for even the second-best swimmer in the world to catch up with him.
But Frankie decided to stop thinking about that.
She made her swim pattern as consistent as possible, crawling through the water at an escalating pace, timing her every movement to eek out every minuscule boost in speed like she was bunnyhopping in a video game.
She swam her best for what felt like forever, using as much of her strength as she could every moment of the journey- until all of a sudden, she was right next to him.
It felt a dream, but she didn't let herself linger on it. As the man struggled to keep up, she was soon past him. As the crowd of two roared, Frankie abruptly felt another thing she'd never, ever felt before- she felt good about herself.
As she refused to stop her forward motion, Frankie only got faster and faster. She didn't exactly
like
swimming- hell, anyone could tell the girl hated it. But in this moment, she was succeeding. And she couldn't even imagine stopping.
More and more speed, more and more power built up in her strokes- until at last, she could see the finish line, the other end of the pool, coming straight for her- Brice far off in her wake, nowhere to be seen.
As the destination was only inches away from her, it felt like an inevitable wall careening towards her face. She reached out her hand to grab her prize, and then-
His feet sounded like a motorboat. She could hear his body creaking as he pushed his arms back in a heavy motion and exploded with speed, the man blitzing past her in a mad dash. In the single moment she saw his eyes, they were positively determined to beat her.
Brice's hand smacked against the wall only a second before hers. |
As Brice left the pool triumphantly, Frankie just floated there.
She really should've been able to accept that she lost quite easily, considering the skill gap. But for whatever reason, it felt soul-crushing.
As her head bobbed under the surface of the water, she stared down at the pool floor beneath her- a place she thought she might never escape.
But a shadow crept across the depths. And as she raised her head, she saw a hand stuck out to her- a hand belonging to Brice himself.
He didn't say anything to her. But he looked at her in a way he hadn't ever before. With a frank and relaxed half-smile slipping onto his face, the guy looked honest.
She took hold of his palm, and was pulled to the side of the pool by his honed strength. Umi and Katie running up to her, she was immediately met with their praises.
"That was so cool!"
"You almost
beat him,
Frankie!"
She could only glower at the man, tilting her neck upwards to see his almost proud face.
"You don't like swimming, do you?" He said casually, like it was a joke. There wasn't the slightest rude intention in the words.
"Not really." The girl laid on the line.
"I figured. You know, I was gonna go easy on you at first."
"At first?"
Frankie's tired eyes glared, her body pushed to its limits.
"Then I saw it. That look on your face right before we started. You wanted to win, but you weren't looking forward to fighting."
Frankie thought back to when they stood prepared at the edge of the pool.
"That was when I thought I'd put it all on the line for you, give you a real show. Instead of letting you win, I'd give you something better- I'd piss you off enough to push yourself for once."
Her muscles remembered the strain of her first push after Brice surpassed her.
"Truth is, I didn't let up until I heard you really start fighting for it. That's the only point I put the kid gloves on for ya."
Frankie reminisced to taking the lead for the time she did.
"You must think I'm a real sick kinda guy, huh? Letting you believe you were gonna win like that?"
Frankie scowled, gritting her teeth at the asshole looking down on her.
"I just wanted to show it to you for awhile- the strength you could have if you put that power into something you actually
liked."
He rested his hand on his opponent's shoulder.
"You were never gonna beat me, kid. But for some reason, you believed you
could.
Against a gold medal like me. Ain't that crazy?"
He laughed, removing his hand to grip it to his hip.
"I'm sorry you couldn't beat me, miss. But you sure as hell beat some version of
yourself."
Brice smiled at Frankie, lips drawn all the way across his goofy face like he was looking at his own daughter.
"Be proud."
Umi approached him.
"Why are you here?" She asked. "Surely you didn't come just to race one of our visitors."
"I never dreamed someone would draw this kinda reaction outta me." He chuckled. "No, I'm just here for a friend."
"Friend...?" Umi muttered, the loner in front of her still grinning.
"Yeah... he ain't here right now, sadly. But he'd been to this park, once in his life." Brice watched the wobbling reflections in the water's surface. "That was... the last time he went to a place like this. And it's my knowledge that... he came here with that intention."
Frankie watched the puddle of sweat and water forming under herself, her trials and efforts spilling out into the tile ground.
"It was... very regrettably, too unkind a world for someone like him. And I should've been there to help him with that." Brice's sad eyes cowered. "He took his life, on that same Gigawhale ride I climbed up and slid down many times this day. That was the promise I made to him, long after it was too late to tell him myself. Like him, I was scared. Everytime I thought of those silly things I saw his face. Whenever a park or a slide was mentioned, I recalled all the words I never got to say to him."
The water finally grew still, the lineage of the waves created by the swimmers at long last fading into calm waters.
"It didn't get any better, riding that thing. I thought of him every time I took another step in line or crawled into that old raft. But it was good, I think." He mourned. "Thinking of him... doesn't have to be a bad thing. I had fun... the fourth or fifth time I slid down it."
The second Frankie finally garnered the courage to look up at the man, he spoke to her with a newly-formed smile.
"Tell ya what, kid. I'm gonna leave now. I got everything I wanted out of this visit."
Her eyes glew.
"Just don't take it the wrong way. Can't always get whatever you want, punk."
He showed his teeth in grinning defiance.
"T-thank you, sir..." Katie spoke for her sister. "Im sure she's very grateful..."
He nodded, taking a few paces to grab the bags he'd already set back here in anticipation for the end of the race, as he stopped one moment before leaving the wide building.
"We're all suffering."
With that, Brice Gills ended his day at Makoasisis. And Frankie's childish dream... was granted with honor. |
In the city below, Frankie kept her view to the ground as Katie led her around.
"FREE ISSUES! FREE ISSUES!"
A salesman cried at them from outside his shop door.
"JUST PAY $299.99 FOR THE SUPERBOZO SUPER SUBSCRIPTION!"
"Sorry, miss! Watch out for any
villains!"
A cosplayer said as he seemed to almost purposely bump into Frankie.
"COME RIDE
RATGUY'S RAMPAGE!
NOW FEATURING A BRAND-NEW IMPROVED SAFETY BELT SYSTEM FOR THOSE PESKY SLIP-UPS!"
Called out a well-dressed ride operator from above, standing next to a cardboard standee of an ugly-looking rodent man with a spear tail.
"Get me
outta
here..."
Frankie groaned, resolution already waning.
"It's gonna be alright, Katie! If we can land a job, then we get to be the ones yelling at people!"
"I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy..."
The first place the girls checked was a crowded gift shop focusing on exclusively hyper-rare antique action figures. Waiting in line behind a lady with a shopping bag of seventeen one-of-a-kind collector's toys, they eventually found their way up to the counter, the only place where any employees seemed to be available to talk to.
"Are ya buyin', kiddo?" The nasty old woman behind the desk asked Katie, who had clearly stepped to the front as her sister almost hid behind her back.
"Not today, ma'am. Me and my sister here were just wondering if you'd be interested in a couple young helping hands being added to your team for a while. We're looking for a job, you see."
The comic-collecting hag cackled. "A
job?
I can't afford to pay any more workers! Between all these vintage figures and the four sidekicks I pay to ring them up, I can hardly eat three meals a day at this stinkin' park!"
"But you have so many customers!"
She wheezed like a dying skeleton. "There's a lot of people in the world, missy! You should've seen what this place used to be like... but now? Hardly anyone comes here compared to then! But
no,
Bozo says, we just
can't
downsize... what a
joke!
Any day now, this whole park'll be crushed flat!"
"I'm... sorry. That's awful." Katie gripped her dress. "Do you think there's... any way we could help? Even if you can't pay us, my sister and I would be happy to-"
Frankie grabbed Katie's shoulder.
"What?" Katie asked. But she didn't respond until her sister was turned close to face her.
"We need
money,
Katie. For our
dreams.
We aren't wasting our time here."
Katie could see the intensity in Frankie's eyes.
She turned back to the counter with an absent-minded smile.
"Onnn
second thought, me and my little sis here are pretty busy. I won't hold you up any longer."
"Heh. Good riddance, kid. I respect the hustle, though."
"Thanks! Bye!" Katie shouted as she ran out,
her
being dragged by
Frankie
this time.
Frankie panted, happy to be free of that suffocating place.
"Well, that was nice." Katie noted, already looking back on the place with nostalgia.
"We gotta find this gig fast." Frankie shuddered. "I'm not afraid... but I still want the hell outta here."
"Well... it looks like the shop economy is pretty busted. Do you think there's anywhere else that we could-"
"COME RIDE
RATGUY'S RAMPAGE!
NOW FEATURING A BRAND-NEW IMPROVED SAFETY BELT SYSTEM FOR THOSE PESKY SLIP-UPS!"
Recited the ride operator from his podium above. Frankie leered at him with ire, until the pieces clicked.
She grabbed Katie's hand and hurried towards the man to make him an offer he hopefully wouldn't refuse. |
The office walls were lined with the covers of the
Grand 50-
the fifty highest-selling issues
Tough Boys Comics
had ever produced. All of them now decades old, not a single one came from Coaster Bozo's time as CEO.
The short and stout self-appointed park mascot and face of the brand itself spun in his chair like a record. The grease on his costume from his meal that day did little to worsen the already repulsive design, as the spandex hugged his aging body in all the worst ways possible. He scratched the hair on his chin, looking up at the successes of his progenitors, squinting his eyes as hard as he could.
Was there something he was missing? He didn't understand.
Without warning, sixteen board members corralled through the office door, taking their seats in moments as they laid out everything they'd been asked to bring that day- namely, issues #0-237 of Coaster Bozo's self-titled, self-starring comic series.
Once his marketing staff was situated, Coaster spun one final time to face them.
"A fi
ne-"
He choked, cleared his throat, and swallowed, before starting again.
"A
fine
day to my loyal cabinet of heroes. I'm sure you all know why I've brought you here today."
Silence from the jury.
"...Well, no, sir, we're not all that sure." An especially nerdy employee broke the silence. "Is it... about cancelling the comic?"
Bozo slapped his fist on the table, having to lean in so he could extend his stubby right arm as far it could go to do so.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO PUT MY COMPANY IN THE HANDS OF RECIEVERS? THIS IS A MEETING TO
MAKE
MONEY, NOT
THROW IT AWAY!"
The especially nerdy employee gulped, seizing his tongue to shut up as quickly as he could, before realizing he really ought to respond in a situation like this.
"Well... no, sir, it's just... sales have been particularly poor lately... not to say they've ever... been much else."
Bozo practically growled.
Curling up into a little man-ball, he coiled up in his round chair like a hedgehog before exploding out in another yell.
"Unacceptable...
COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE!
IF WE DON'T SELL MY COMIC, HOW ARE WE
EVER
SUPPOSED TO SPREAD OUR WINGS OUTSIDE OF THIS
CHEESEBURGER PARADISE?"
"Sir, with all due respect, your comic is hindering us more than anything else." An especially attractive employee chimed in. "In all it's years, from BNG to NGP, The Golden Age of Comics to today's Post-Postmodern landscape, the theme parks of
Tough Boys Comics
have never once left the states. If anything, I consider it our one ultimate limitation."
"Why must it
be
that way?" Coaster pleaded. "This company is responsible for so many comic book icons! And our rides, if I do say so myself, are the
crème
de la
cream of
classic-style engineering!"
"That's just the thing." The dreamy employee stated firmly. "Not only are those "comic book icons" of ours far more popular in the states than anywhere else, but you've essentially replaced them all with a caricature of
yourself.
And that's not mentioning the obvious. I do certainly agree that our "classic-style" rides are top of the line, at least in the bigger areas of the parks, but old world engineering doesn't necessarily appeal to foreign countries like Japan who have since abandoned it for all sorts of experimental tech."
"Why... I... I..." Mr. Bozo grumbled, tightening in his seat. "I can't stand for this!
Admit it-
the reason this company is failing is because
the people just don't
like
me!"
"We... aren't denying that, sir..." a normally timid employee spoke up. "Sales are down, interest in the property is low... there's no avoiding it. Nobody reads
Coaster Bozo.
I fear that the character- no offense to you personally, or course, sir- just doesn't appeal to today's audiences."
Coaster Bozo sat straight up in his chair, wide eyes full of both fear and conviction.
"I can't let this stand... It's about time I stopped
breaking even
and
took matters into my own hands!"
The CEO hopped off his throne, stepping hastily to the beat of a nervous ticking growing in his head.
"Everyone, to the balcony!
Let us look upon our citizens ourselves... and discover the
reason
for their betrayal!" |
Millions of dollars poorer, two sisters sat in the back of a car headed to their next destination.
A few hours ago, they asked their driver- or, Frankie did, at least- a very simple question:
"What's the easiest way to make some money around here?"
Judging she meant legally, of course, the swimmer only had one answer.
Passing by the window, the surroundings got progressively more cartoonish. Skyscrapers seemed to widen at their tops and bottoms, bridges in the distance had pointless curves and ramps, and placed overhead all of this, as if to ignore any conventional knowledge of park safety, rides were strewn about so that their riders could have the fantasy of leaping from building to building.
"If you're looking for a winter job that'll fund your big journey better than the table scraps they hand out at Makoasis ever could- we just need to drive you up to Kentucky. You know what park I'm talking about by now, right?"
Just as Frankie was recalling these words did they pass by the inadvisably boisterous sign looming straight over the road, intending you to drive right into the park inside your car:
VENGE CITY
POPULATION:
JUSTICE
Frankie was so overwhelmed that she could hardly blink before they found themselves parked on the side of a road lined with comic shops and hundreds of people in cosplay.
"Alright, girls. This is where you want it?" Umi leaned over to the backseat.
"Y-yeah..." Frankie uttered, the crowds here larger than any park they'd been to previously. This wasn't some town that happened to be filled to the brim with rides and guests- indeed, this was a city. And all throughout it, its guests walked to their rides just as its guests did to their entertainment.
"I believe in you. Text me if you ever need a single thing. I saved you once, Frankie- I'll do it again if I ever have to. From now until the end of the world, I'm your lifeguard. Got that?"
"G-got it." She affirmed.
"Okay! See ya, girls!"
"Thank you for everything Umi!
See ya!"
Katie celebrated as she leapt onto the open streets of the roller coaster metropolis, Frankie waving to Umi as she followed.
"This... is the worst one yet." She scoffed. "Let's go find us some work."
"Then can we ride the rides?" Katie chimes in.
"Sure." Frankie sat her hands on her hips, vision naturally drawn to the tallest building in the whole park: a caped skyscraper statue in the shape of the infamous
Coaster Bozo
himself. |
Ratguy's Rampage
was not a new attraction. The character for which it was named was old, unpopular, and frankly, had not aged very well. There were no fans of this ride, nor did anyone specifically dislike it. Some felt it was too dangerous, others claimed it wasn't scary
enough.
Either way, nobody thought of it that long. It was the sort of thing that fell out of one's memory quite easily.
This humble ride was the sole pride and joy of a man named Vincent Stamos. Forty-four, owner of a single sharp white suit he wore everyday. In 1998 NGP, he became the ridestock owner of this machine, earning revenue off of it and some park facilities. He didn't have to operate it, but really felt he ought to. Without him, after all, people would probably up and forget the thing existed.
"Step right up, yes!
Method of payment? Ah, offered up front! My absolute favorite." He pocketed the cash of a guest that day. "You a fan o' the
rancid ratster
himself, or didjya just hear tell of the best ride in the whole park?" He laughed as the kid went up to join the next batch of riders without answering.
He didn't know who Ratguy was when he bought the ride, but had acquainted himself pretty damn well from geeks online, or so he thought. He was a big fan in the sense that he managed to misinterpret the character into an idol for his capitalistic ambitions in a world that always seemed to be kicking him down. He'd never talk about it to his friends outside of work, but if you asked him while he was on his podium, he'd tell you he was the biggest fan of the rodential antihero in the whole world.
"Hey, uh..."
Stamos snapped out of his constant nostalgic recollections of his own life to see two customers approaching him. Before his character could slip, he promptly set out to transfix them with his ringleader-esque charms.
"Welcome to the heart-poundin'-est, authentic rat-feelin'-est ride in all of Venge City!
How will you be paying?" His excitement drooped a little at the sight of Katie's rider's license.
"Uh, well, actually, sir..." Frankie stammered. "Me and my sister, we... give us a job. We need money."
"Huh?"
"Ahaha, so sorry sir!" A tad embarrassed, Katie stepped up to the plate. "What she means to say is, we're willing to offer some helping hands in exchange for a salary! Would that be okay with you?"
"Wait, so you... you don't wanna ride?" The man scratched his mustache, still disappointed even knowing he wouldn't earn much revenue from a licensed rider.
"We certainly could ride it! It could... get us an idea of what we're working with. But mainly, we just want you to hire us, as... some kind of assistant!" She replied with a friendly smile.
"Oh. Huh... well, uh... I don't need much help just flipping the switches or anything, but... you know... I might be able to step up my marketing if I had two lackeys at my disposal. It's a deal, kid." He straightened his tie and stuck out both of his worn hands. "So there's two of ya, yeah...? Whaddya say I can getcha... five hundred an hour? That seems fair."
Katie went to shake before she was stopped by her little sister's arm.
"Two thousand." Frankie demanded.
"Whooo-
wee!"
The ridestock sounded, this close to slapping his knee. "You two better be the best damn minions a guy's ever had if you want that much." He continued to speak to them, holding up the line.
"We will be." Frankie spoke bluntly, sinking back into her business mode.
"So you're willing to do whatever it takes... for the sake of this ride, right?" Stamos glared, checking her conviction.
"You say it, we'll do it. Let's get to marketing this damn ride already."
Stamos heed and hawed, reaching out to shake both their hands with his crossed arms. "Deal. Deal deal deal. Let's get to
work."
He smirked, the plans already hatching in his balding head. |
The sixteen members of Coaster Bozo's marketing team now sat in a dimly lit room on the 23rd floor of the Bozo Monument. Staring at each other gravely, they felt like the ground they were standing on could collapse at any moment. This was not a sustainable situation- much less a marketable one.
"What do we do now?" An especially young employee asked with all honesty, instantly sending everyone's minds back to the image they had witnessed only minutes earlier of President Bozo sobbing off his balcony uncontrollably.
It had happened in a matter of seconds. One moment, he was rallying all of them more than they were him; going on about how this was the year of the Bozo and how they would find a way to turn things around. Just after, as his proud musings fell to silence, everyone's attention was drawn to a child and his mother viewing the meeting from a nearby skyscraper just across the road. Nobody wanted to admit it, but everyone there clearly heard what the child said looking at the CEO-superhero the entire park was based on:
"Who's that, mommy?"
With that, the meeting was for all intents and purposes adjourned, the staff forced to retreat as their boss became a veritable raincould slobbering all over the sidewalk hundreds of feet below.
Now they just looked at each other, nobody having an answer to their junior coworker's plea. But a few did at least try, in this desperate state of affairs.
"We gotta get him into shape." An especially muscular coworker put forth. "Heroes are supposed to inspire our youth, not be laughed at by them. Mr. Bozo is by no means unhealthy, as I see it- but he could put in more work to developing a more striking image. Sure, it would conflict with currently existing issues of his comic, but it could also make for a good character arc."
"That's ludicrous." The most especially snobby of the team shot in response. "What appeal the character of Coaster Bozo does have lies entirely in his comically boisterous yet also impishly small aesthetic. Losing that means losing the character's identity."
"So... what is it that you think Bozo is missing?" The only especially old employee in the room questioned. "Something needs to change."
"Nothing needs to change." The one most especially mysterious board member archaically posited. "That child... they didn't even know who Bozo was. That's the problem. It doesn't matter if he has appeal or not, nobody cares about the guy. We need some
publicity."
"We're standin' in a freakin' statue o' tha guys's likeness!" The infamously and especially Bostonian-accented employee called out from atop his chair.
"Not enough." The mysterious employee decreed. "Buildings are boring. Unengaging. They don't meet this generation's standards of interactive entertainment."
"Interactive?
So what, we toss tha guy out on the streets ta talk to the kiddies or somethin'?"
All eyes shot to the one employee hailing from Boston.
"There's
an idea-" abruptly, the most scheming and cunning of the employees chimed in- "what if we brought
Coaster Bozo-
the
hero,
not the CEO- into our park, as a real, interactive form of entertainment?"
Everyone grabbed their clipboards. |
"Boss, we're making you a hero."
Looking at his utmost strongest employee and the sheet of designs he held in his beefy hands, he was under the impression he was talking about a reboot of the comic.
"Is this a new costume? It looks practically the same."
"Practical's right." The cunning one shot. "We're making you a
real
hero, sir."
"A
real
one?"
"Here's the deal, old man-" an especially rude member of the team butted in- "We're gonna dress you up in your superhero getup like always, 'cept
this time
you're
actually
gonna go fight crime. This is not some mascot gig. We want
results."
"But
why?"
He prodded, looking past his subordinate's attitude for the time being. "Listen- I
know
what the people really want. And it's not another cop slapping their wrists when they make out on the bumper cars or whatever this sick generation is into. Truth is, nobody gives a
damn
about
heroes
these days...! You saw that
kid... people don't know a thing..."
Bozo went from yelling to sobbing in an aggravating blink.
"Boss. Trust us on this one." A conveniently level-headed worker breathed. "We can set you up in a way that the people
will
like you- picture this: Rescuing kittens! Fighting baddies! Chasing after damsels in distress!"
"Do I
look
like the kinda guy who gets confused for
birds and planes?"
The boss put his hand on his shrunken heart.
"I'm no hero!
Just a
fat, smelly, stubby money-grubber!"
"SIR!"
The loudest and most outspoken employee finally snapped.
"WITH ALL DO RESPECT, PLEASE DO NOT TALK NEGATIVELY ABOUT MY BOSS LIKE THAT!"
Bozo grumbled, sighed, and sat down with his head in his tiny hand.
"It's no use... I can't fulfil your plans like
this..."
"You forget something, sir." His longest-serving and most loyal employee spoke. "You don't
have
to be
"like this"
forever. We can
improve
you."
"Don't you
dare
try to feed me those vitamin capsules! This park's food was specifically crafted to be
just fine without them!"
The underling laughed. "I wasn't talking about a
diet,
sir. Don't you know..." the loyal servant lifted his clipboard to show a design the man hadn't previously been made aware of. "...we have
other
ways of making you
more
than your
current self."
"By god...
why didn't I think of that?"
The CEO stood back on his priceless brown loafers.
"EVERYBODY! TO THE SURGERY CHAMBER!" |
Walking around the empty streets at night under the illuminated attractions, Frankie found herself closer to true silence than she'd ever been.
Not all parks settle down when the sun sets. It's the worst part about living somewhere popular. Even in Merrytown, she was used to going to bed with the distant sounds of more successful parks still dirtying the airwaves. And as soon as morning rose- some might say earlier than that- the whole Earth would shake with the cries of tourists.
Here, where the surrounding areas were all helpless to compete or bought out as parking space, all she could hear was the rushing water of rides and the footsteps of her crew. She could even make out the chirrs of a few insects.
"Hot night." Umi commented, not used to such silence.
"When's it not?" Tagged on Frankie, sass only in good fun. There was even a little grin on her face tonight as she admired the crazy state she'd managed to bring about with her sister's money.
"Oh, I'm just a nerd about that sort of thing. Once upon a time, this part of the year... the whole world would be freezing."
"I hope that's not firsthand experience."
"Do I
look
a thousand years old?" Umi laughed. "No, no- before the temperatures became what we know, they actually just went all over the place. Like, I'm sure you know winter was cold back in the caveman days, but it actually got even colder once things started to heat up."
"Is that when it would snow?" Katie besieged with glowingly curious eyes.
"It snowed before that, too. But eventually, things just... evened out. And now it's scorching all year round. Not that I'm complaining. Always good weather for a swim! And not to mention the sea's even bigger than our ancestors had it."
"I wish it still snowed..." Katie pouted.
"Eh, they've got parks for that. Pretty sure you can find that whole Kidneyland subarea in like ten different places across the country. The one with the ice castle?"
"I wonder if I should visit them all, or just one..." Katie absentmindedly stargazed at the invisible stars.
The girls walked past the shop area Frankie had once taken over to set her operation. Without customers, all the markets and games run by smaller contractors were shut closed. Not that Frankie had any intention of playing that stupid rigged duck game ever again.
"We never got to ride the Gigawhale a second time." She mentioned, looking back over the park without even a little anxiety this time.
"Guess we didn't, did we? Lead the way, kid." Umi remarked. "Sheesh, what a day it's been... you know, I'm not really here to look out for you at this point. I'm just interested to see what you're gonna do with your alone time. That, and... well, you said you wanted everyone gone
but
me and your sister, yeah? So I'm not gonna screw up your wish at the last moment."
"You just wanna have fun with us, admit it~" Katie teased, tugging at the woman's arm.
"Maybe just a little. Guess I'm kind of a shit lifeguard, huh?"
They ran up the stairs to the Gigawhale like it was a ride in and of itself. Making it a race, the concrete steps turned into a fairly entertaining exercise. When they reached the top, an only vaguely-familiar face awaited them running the riderless ride.
"Sky?"
The kid laughed, seeing their coworker again with the same two girls that had thrown their boss into a frenzy.
"What are you doing back on Gigawhale duty?"
"Ms. Pearlman was pissed. Put me out here to waste my time... Ah, well. Someone had to do it. It's easier this way... without all the guests." They sat a phone down on top of the baggage elevator next to them. "So, you wanna ride?"
Frankie wasn't scared of this person. Alone, and with a link to her friend, they didn't pose a single threat. So she decided she wanted to be the one to answer them.
"Yeah." She said. "We won't bother you again."
"Ah, it's all the same." They prepared a raft for the three of them. "I'm not
that
lazy."
They readied a raft from the side of the loading bay. As the boat flopped onto the puddle just in front of the entrance to the slide, Frankie lingered on the four seats dividing it.
"Wanna slack off anyway?"
The four of them laughed as loud as they felt like as they all went down the slide together.
With each turn, Frankie felt a new wave of excitement. The speed of the drop was nothing short of exhilarating, and the water splashing around her as her friends squealed in increasingly ridiculous fashion was her favorite sort of chaos. She swore she had to have been remembering something wrong... this time around, the ride felt like it was at least six times longer.
Katie actually found herself a little worried as they slid down the endless tube. After all, the two of them were basically broke, and with nowhere to go. Even getting home would be a nightmare- if she'd even consider giving up like that. But still, she was happy- because looking at her sister's face, she could tell that was the last thing in her mind. So she resigned not so much as to bring it up.
In truth, Frankie wasn't even able to think about Action's rampage or President Washington that night. The two didn't cross her mind- not even a single time.
Unlike the last few- that crazy night was spent making a memory she'd actually quite enjoy looking back on, in time. |
Katie was overjoyed to be meeting with a
second
official for the week. And the President himself? It was a dreamlike occasion.
She sat directly across from the giant man in the tiny burger place,
Triplestacks,
somewhere in the middle of Berryland. With most of the visitors evacuated, there was hardly anyone here- certainly nobody else eating with them, other than Mr. Parker, wrapped in bandages, a still-frightened Drew sitting right next to him, and, of course, her sister Frankie, right next to her.
The green-haired girl found no amusement in meeting with another stuffy rich guy. They were just doing the same thing over and over again... even now, that kind of pissed Frankie off... that was her first thought as to why she found herself so angry on this afternoon.
A server brought them their meals, trembling in the presence of President Washington, who had ordered most of the menu. Once he had all the food in front of him, he started to assemble it into one singular sandwich, stacking chicken and fries into a multi-layer burger to challenge god.
"You look totally stupid." Frankie told him, the first words spoken at the table that day. Katie gasped.
"What are you saying? That's the
President!
Frankie, what's wrong with you?!"
"It's all good." Washington assured, taking his first bite out of the mighty construct. "Miss Katie, your sister here's a
hero,
you know."
"She... is?" Katie unwrapped her burger.
"That's right. She survived a trickery-armed terrorist attack- and the footage even shows she got a hit in on the little bastard."
"Wait... terrorist? What are you talking about...?"
Katie didn't know. That made Frankie feel just the tiniest bit better.
"You were comatose. A woman came to this park with some sort of unknown violent agenda."
"It was known." Parker spoke, hoarsely, his food resting unopened just as Drew's and Frankie's did.
"Someone you knew?"
"She had it in for us. Made an attempt on my wife and infant son years back."
"And why was that?"
"We found...
this
in the wreckage that day." Parker took an old, yet well-kept envelope from his shirt pocket. "I'm sure she left it on purpose. I kept it in hopes it would lead to her... but all it ended up being was a keepsake of a painful memory, until now." He unravelled the paper to reveal a dusty self-taken photograph of a little girl, positioned in front of what everyone at the table immediately recognized as the remains of the
X Dreadnought,
the previous owner of the title for largest coaster in the world.
"She was the-"
Katie mumbled.
"The
Dreadnought Girl,
that's correct. The fabled one-and-only survivor of the worst ride accident in history."
Frankie didn't care to hear about the woman who assaulted her sister.
"You should've told me." Washington spoke. "You should have let me know, as your protector. I came here for a reason, my child- it is my very
duty
to solve issues like these."
"It makes no difference who she was. Just an explanation for the madness. Not like you could've found her, Mr. President sir... as grateful as I am for your arrival. I thought in my heart that no other park owner'd have any incentive to save a guy like me."
"You thought right. Even so... I can't comprehend such evil. She of all people should have known causing such rampant chaos is an act of indisputable guilt."
"Oh, I think she knew, Mr. Washington. I think she was quite aware of the irony of it all. Some people... just become obsessed with such things, you know. I for one... came quite close."
"You don't know what you're saying."
"I do, sir. After my wife died, I had my whole staff fired. I couldn't accept someone else would do this. I blotted that horrid woman from my memory and told my son nothing of it. I convinced myself it'd never happened. That's bad enough, don't you think...? I for one can see with great clarity why Action became the nightmare she did." Parker unwrapped his food at long last, taking a solemn bite from the product and forcing himself to choke it down. "We aren't meant to cope with such horrible things. Madness is the only solution that fits every problem."
"She still deserved it." Frankie glared, seconding Parker's action in opening her food. As awful as she felt, she sure was hungry...
"That she did." Washington agreed. "Young lady, you saw that with your own eyes."
Action's exploding corpse flashed in Frankie's eyes. She dropped her food as she gripped her mouth, quickly running to the bathroom.
Parker sighed.
"We have to do something about this... you two suffered so much thanks to me." He looked towards Katie like he was hopeless below her. "I will compensate you a second time, of course... er- providing therapy, as well as money, for you and your sister... it is a cruel, cruel fate you have found yourselves in."
"T-thank you... but mister, I really do feel fine."
"Nonsense!" Gesus Washington banged his bricky fist on the table. "You two
will
make up for this repugnant memory a million times over. I swear it!"
"You want to help us too...?"
Washington sat up in his seat even further than he had been previously, cracking the wood that made it. "I
must.
What is your dream, Katie?"
"To... visit every theme park."
"Then next, go to one of mine. Here." He handed the girl a hard, cerulean ticket. "If it's therapy you seek... no place could be more relaxing than our beautiful Makoasis Park."
"Makoasis...?!" Katie bolted out of her chair. "But that's... one of the most expensive parks in the country!"
"And I'm President of the goddamn United States!" He joined her in standing, saluting as he did so. "Listen well, my child... go live out your dream. That ticket will provide you a chauffeur to my park. Afterwards... use this to get along."
He handed the girl a raw stack of cash he'd brought for the occasion. It could hardly fit in her hands.
"Use this money to reach your dream. I won't support you all the way- you need to learn to use it for yourself. Spend it smartly, and it'll last. Just... keep it a secret from your sister, if you're able... that poor girl seems quite volatile."
Drew still couldn't get himself to eat. |
"WEEEEEE!
FRANKIE-
FRANKIE
THIS IS SO FUN
FRANKIE-"
At eighteen years old Katie was louder and twice as excited than any of the children on the giant swing set. Her red-faced sister behind her, stoic as she was, decided to reply, in a feeble attempt to make this moment pass quicker.
"Yeah." She grumbled. "It's great, Katie."
When they got off, Frankie slid her flip-flops back on and promptly turned to her elder sister.
"Okay. You said that was the last one? Were you being honest with me?"
"Last one.... Hmm..."
Katie's mind raced back. There was the Golem, the bumper cars, a quick stop at Jester's Cotton Candy, the drop tower immediately following that (wrong choice) and then all the rides in this general area, starting with the rocking sea serpent, then the merry-go-round, then the other spinning ride (the one you sat down for) and lastly, the swings, to finish of the rotating trilogy.
"I think we should go one more on the drop tower!"
Frankie pulled her hat into her hair as her fingertips itched her scalp. "KATIE-" she growled, before toning down her volume as people started looking. "Katie... don't you think... that if you really want to see everything... we should at least focus... on seeing new things?"
"I'm just kidding~" said Katie with a smile. Someone wasn't buying it. "We need to find a place for the night anyway. What's say you and I go find a hotel?"
"One night only. Yes, of course. That'll be seven hundred dollars, ma'am."
As the hotel clerk blinked at Katie- the assumed financial head of the pair, as she was the only one social enough to speak to her- the same girl turned around to face her anxious sister.
"Alright, it's just seven hundred. You got that, Frankie?"
Frankie blinked similarly. She'd been paying no attention to the interaction, just taking in the ambient orange light of the lobby. Talking to people was Katie's job, not hers.
"What?"
"You're holding our money, silly! Now, come on, fork it over."
Frankie sighed. She asked for this.
The younger girl nervously handed over seven hundred dollars in cash to the employee, careful not to annoy her any further. Before long, the sisters were in their room for the night.
"We shoulda asked the owner for money..."
"Hey, it's no biggie! Since we didn't need to pay for food, you're not broke yet!"
"I'm pretty close. At most I could maybe afford another pair of flip-flops."
"See? You can even afford the luxury of a second pair of shoes!"
"This is stupid. I'm going to sleep." Frankie rolled over in her snow-white bed.
Frankie's phone beeped.
"What was that? Someone texting you?"
"Jus' mom..." she groggily lifted the device.
"Oh! Lemme know how she's doing~"
...
The phone dropped to the floor.
"Wait, what?!"
Frankie recoiled.
"Huh? What's going on, sis?" The wide-awake Katie stepped over to the fallen device, alerting Frankie to quickly snatch it up.
"Hey! I wanna see!"
Frankie glanced at the screen one more time before hiding it against her chest.
"No way! Not gonna happen!"
"What is it?!"
"It's nothing! Just- give me a moment!"
Frankie's mind raced, trying to figure out her next move. Whether she told her sister or not, she was seriously screwed.
"Hey, Katie..." she uttered. "Let's say... if we had more time... to go see everything, you'd spread it out more, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well if- if mom and dad weren't coming home right away, you wouldn't be so... crazy, yeah? You'd... stay indoors now and then. Maybe even... visit parks without me. Or maybe you'd take
breaks!
I'm just... asking- like, if you weren't on such a strict schedule... how- how would you handle that?"
"Hmmm.... that'd be great!" Katie practically jumped.
"Is that right?"
"Why of course! I'd be able to go even harder knowing I have more time to do whatever I want!" She smiled. "Hey, why are you holding down the power button on your phone?"
Frankie ran to the furthest corner of the room as she watched her still-lit phone screen. "Turn off- turn off, dammit!"
Katie chased after her. "Gimme that! Lemme know what mom said!"
"Not gonna happen!
Shit, shit,
why is this
taking
so long!?"
Katie leapt at her sister, tackling her hard enough to knock the phone out of her clutched hand. As it quickly slid under Katie's bed, they both reached for it, but considering one was pinned to the ground and the other was busy
pinning
her to the ground, neither could quite make it.
"Frankie."
Katie panted. "In a few seconds, I'm gonna go for the phone. And if you get it... that's it. But if I get it... you had better stop fighting me. Okay?"
"Lemme-
go!"
"Okay... here goes..."
Katie jumped off her sister's belly to grasp out to the cell phone. But as soon as her fingers went under the bed, Frankie's hand met them halfway, pushing them aside and scrambling to grab hold of the telephone. Her nails scratched across the back of it, dragging it ever-closer. But by the time Katie's other hand shot in, it was too late. Instantly drawing the case up to her eyes, she pointed straight at Frankie.
"No more fighting!"
She ordered. "I'm gonna read the text now, so just calm down." She turned the phone to her to see a blank "enter password" screen.
"Ha! I win, Kate..." Frankie panted.
"Nope!" The girl smiled, fingers racing through the numbers 737291 as the homescreen opened immediately.
"How'd you-?!"
"It wouldn't be very sisterly of me not to know your interests. Still, "
PERCY1?"
I kinda can't believe that worked..."
"You
little-!"
Frankie reached for it, but it was no use at this point. Katie was already reading the message.
"What.... What is this...?"
hey kids!!! your dad and I were having a great time and all but iiiiiiii may have spent a little too much money on a little something and uhhhhhhhh
you know how we said between your college funds and all that we had enough to get back??
uhhh what im saying is girls i spent your tuition on sexy moon robots
(Inserted beneath the message was a picture of many metallic men with beautiful faces.)
we won't be coming back yet
Katie looked at the phone, disgusted, just as a new barrage of messages came in.
but hey!!! theres a silver lining ok babies- your father got a job up here!!! for WALTER KIDNEY!!! can you beleve it?? they came to us as soon as they found out we were basically broke! LMAO hes gonna be building some new ferris wheel or something... he wouldnt tell me anything about it idk why but like he said it would be big
so we could be here for awhile!!!!
see you not soon <3 (kisses)
Katie set the phone down.
Frankie groaned. "Now we're gonna be doing this
foreverrr..."
Katie sniffled.
"Hm? You alright sis?"
Katie picked up Frankie's phone again, and started to cry all over it.
"Huh-?
Hey- Katie?!"
Katie bawled.
"I didn't really want... mom and dad to be away for so long... I'm gonna... gonna miss them..." she sobbed embarrassingly all over the floor. Frankie signed for the thousandth time that day.
"Hey... will it cheer you up if we go see... you know...
Berrytown,
was it? The owner seemed pretty confident in it... you'd... like it, I'm sure you would..."
Katie sniffled, water retracting up her nostril. "You mean it..?"
"Yeah... come on sis, what choice do I have?"
"You always... had a choice..."
Frankie groaned. "Says the girl who forced me outta my own house! Stop acting like I'm doing you a favor and get some sleep so you can order me around again tomorrow! Maybe this time the train won't have any
weirdos
on it..."
Katie sniffled again as she smiled. "Thanks, sis."
"Goodnight." Frankie had already gotten up from Katie and into her covers instead. |
The machine was comprised of
three
layers of movement, one more than most scramblers: the first spinner, holding onto the higher-up carts, which themselves would spin, as par the course. The twist was that each of these spinning carts were also attached to a "lower floor" of carts that were even more erratic than them, each one being attached to multiple of these chassis, all holding two people on each side of them for a total of four.
It was one of these many carts where Frankie and Katie sat. Thankfully for the more anxious of the pair, not having to face the other riders and being separated by a few inches of metal made conversation between the two parties highly unlikely.
Waiting for Stamos to start the ride, they sat in silence. Katie was too hyper to speak and Frankie was too worried. Before their ex-boss pushed the button, he called out on the intercom like he'd been doing every single time he started the ride all day.
"THANK YOU FOR RIDING
RATGUY'S RAMPAGE!
HAVE A REAL RAT OF A TIME, FOLKS!"
It looked bad from the outside, but Frankie wasn't ready for the twisted vomitron's true power. Within moments of it beginning to turn, the girls were being thrown from side to side, quickly finding themselves in a man-made tornado in which all you could hear was a deafening cacophony of screams and the painful bangs every time the side of your head smashed against the walls of the chassis. How anyone could find this even a little bit enjoyable, she had no idea.
Looking at the blurry image of Vincent Stamos that popped into view before disappearing every few milliseconds as they spun, Frankie figured now was the time to get her little souvenir of payback. Katie was having so much fun on the torture device that she didn't notice what was happening until Frankie's middle finger was already firmly extended just inside of the corner of her vision, her hand stretching far outside the ride to display her obscene gesture in the direction of the psycho.
"FRANKIE?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
She yelled at the top of her lungs over the metal orchestra.
"Don't sweat it! What, it's not like he can see me at this speed!"
Frankie assured the very moment she looked down to see a single blink of the man no longer standing where he was.
Katie could just barely hear her sister swear more intensely than she ever had before just seconds prior to the roar of the ride screeching to a halt as they slowed down. Before they knew it, everything was coming to a stop.
"Frankie!"
"Shit, shit,
shit..."
She panicked, finagling with the terribly constructed seatbelt.
All had stopped. As the people complained, confused- the angriest adult man she had ever seen was headed straight towards her, muscles nearly bursting out of his suit. She tried to free herself, but of course, most carts on a ride so dangerous didn't open or close without the operator's help. Sure enough, Vincent Stamos was about to kill her, too.
Just then, as she gave it one last tug, fear in her eyes, the cheap thing broke and came loose.
"FREAKING
RUN!"
She cried, the sisters instinctively jumping from their restraints and heading straight towards the line, a furious ridestock close behind in pursuit. |
Bozo tossed the greedy ridestock aside, accidentally throwing him directly through a storefront window.
"You're
fired."
The CEO superhero shot, prior to noticing what he'd done.
"Yikes! That's gonna leave a mark... on my record. I guess I can pay for a few injuries... and a window. Uh,
see ya, girls!"
He turned away from Frankie and Katie, preparing himself to use his trickery.
"W-wait!" Katie panted, tugging at his cape. "You're not just going to-"
"No need to thank me." He seemed to brag. "I've got plenty more people to save, after this. I gotta improve my image
somehow!
My comic's aren't selling anywhere near what a
modern classic
really ought to... so tell everyone you know about the real-life
Coaster Bozo!
Aha... good lord, this had better work..."
"Wait!"
Frankie got up just so she could yell at the park owner. "H-hold up..." she laughed, still making sense of the situation. "Uh, what are you... doing, exactly? Would you maybe like some assistan-"
"In recent memory? Why, I've been saving poor, unfortunate souls for the past few minutes! And I really should go to save some more, so if you don't mind-"
"Hey-!"
She stepped closer to him, desperately trying to leave the smallest bit of an impression. "You can't just- er- Mr. Bozo, sir..." after running so far, she was lightheaded enough, but talking to a walking internet meme wasn't making things any better. "Thank you for saving us. We- me and my sister, you see- we're looking for a job. So if you wouldn't mind-"
"Job?"
He laughed. "If you really wanna job, I'm sure you can find one! It's tough out there, for sure, but
thaaaat's
business! Good luck, kid. Make sure to check out
Coaster Bozo, Issue 238-
Out tomorrow for owners of the
Tough Boys Pass!"
"W-wait!"
He threw his fist into the air, activating his newest tricks. Ignoring the satisfied customer below him, he flew high up into the skyline in an instant, a little sick from the gravity-manipulating devices inside of him, but nonetheless having fun.
"We're never gonna find a job at this rate..."
Frankie collapsed back onto the pavement as the people around her all had their gazes fixed on the park-approved vigilante above. Katie followed suit, neither able to stand after all the insanity that had just gone down. |
The two were on break for a little while. Frankie's rat mask flopped on an empty cardboard box behind the ride, she only had it in her to sigh.
Katie watched her sister's head droop into her palms. She knew what she was thinking. Here they'd gotten themselves into another weird situation with a weird person and nobody was sure how or even if they should try to escape it.
"Frankie... do you want to quit?"
"Huh?" She gawked. "Didn't expect to hear that coming outta
you."
"Well- clearly, neither of us are having the best of times right now. I mean, Mr. Stamos,
he-"
"He sucks, I know. Guy's probably a real piece of crap. But... whatever." She exhaled through her nostrils, chin on her fist as she turned to look at nothing in particular. "I want money. Do you want money?"
Katie hesitated, holding her dress, then nodded.
"I really want money."
"Then it's settled. We keep our mouths shut and when we're done with the psycho I'll flip him the bird or something on our way out."
"Don't you dare! Then he'll- what if he hurts you, too?"
"Juuust joking." The worker scoffed dryly. "He's not gonna do anything to
us,
anyway. He's just from a different generation with different standards. Old people are like that."
"Dad isn't like that." Katie argued from in a tone of innocence that was surprisingly effective.
"Dad's nice." Frankie countered. "This guy's mean. It's as simple as that. Once we're done, we never have to see him again. Let's just finish up for the day, take our pay, and find a better spot. I'm not letting the work I've already done go to waste. I oughta be given
something
for putting up with those jerks in line..."
"Okay." Katie nodded. "I'll keep working if you keep working."
The girls put their costumes back on and walked back onto the ride together. |
It wasn't that bad a day, all things considered. Frankie disliked working, and Katie eventually got bored, wishing she was spending her valuable time
riding
attractions instead of just standing in front of them. But convincing herself this was necessary to get there, she sucked it up and pushed through. Frankie did the very same thing.
Nothing like the smoker incident happened again, and Stamos assured them it wasn't something that occurred more than once a day. Still, with the thousands of people coming in to ride the thing, Frankie couldn't help but wonder if, mathematically speaking, a situation like that was bound to happen again at some point in her shift.
Rides in this park had to be built especially big to hold all the interested parties. They were also pretty damn huge everywhere
else,
of course, but in Venge City it was on another level. Through all her boredom-inducing work she eventually calculated this one to hold at least sixty people a round.
Sixty people would enter, another sixty would approach. Some would turn around to go again. Over and over, like she was stuck in a time loop. It was a gruelling experience, in that way.
As the day grew late and Frankie's very eyesight was dimming, her and Katie's burly boss finally approached them with his wallet out.
"Hey... good work out here today, girls. How long you gonna be in town?"
"We dunno..." Frankie moaned, eyeing the cash. "But, uh... I think that's it for us here... one day fine by you?"
"Uh... well yeah, I don't see why not. You did your fair share. Let's see here... we were talking about pay a few hours ago... so you think this'll do?"
When he held out the brick in his hand, it was like he was holding a bar of solid gold. Even though Frankie knew it was nothing more than a crumb of the cash handed over by their customers today, a tiny cut of the much greater profit Vincent was earning just by pushing a button every few seconds, she was just so overjoyed at the idea that, not only was this day over, but she was earning a decent amount of cash for it.
"Thank you... sir." The girls both took their cut before they put it all in Katie's bag anyway.
"Say..." the older sister piped up. "You think we could have a go on the ride before we leave? We can just join the next batch... Whaddya say, sir?"
Frankie shot her sibling a glance.
They were already
done
here!
They should just leave before enough time passes for some other stupid issue to come up!
"Oh, that's just fine. Of course, little lady. You two hop right on up."
Without a choice, Frankie stepped onto the ride with her sister and fifty-eight other people. |
HILARIOUS New "Coaster Bozo" Videos shot in Venge City KY
Bozo Breaks the Internet Again
Venge City Owner Convinced He's a Superhero
Coaster Bozo's New Trickery and Why It Matters
Viral Shots of Flying CEO of Tough Boys Comics
DEGANGED Park Owner Punches Cheating Guest
What is Walter Kidney's Mysterious New Project?
Top Ten BEST Anime by Studio Rouge
After one full day now of saving countless guests from minor injuries and slightly inconvenient situations, Coaster Bozo held his round head in his hands, sobbing relentlessly into his opened laptop that rested upon the meeting room table.
"They all
hate
me..."
The sixteen board members gathered in the room surrounded their boss with concerned looks and weary posture.
"Whaddya
talkin'
about? Yous' gettin' more press than
ya ever have,
boss!"
The Bostonian contributor encouraged.
"I'll admit it's too soon to tell whether or not this is drawing people to the park or not..." the reasonable one added in her usual level-headed tone. "But we're seeing a strange increase in guests ever since this morning. Your work seems to be paying off already, Mr. Bozo. It's gonna be fine."
"For
what?
It's no use... I don't wanna be a
meme...
I wanna be a
hero!"
"YOU
ARE
A HERO, BOSS!" The outspoken little brother of the team burst a tad too close to his ear.
"If this keeps up, we should see increases in comic sales either way." The nerdy one argued. "The character has re-entered the public consciousness."
"Come on... who cares
how
you make it there, you're still climbing the ladder! Isn't that what you always taught us? You keep this up, and the fat stacks'll come rolling right in, I'm sure. So give it a damn rest already." The rude one then butted in.
"I don't
care
about the
"fat" "stacks..."
and I don't care about the ladder!
It's
simple... so simple...
I want... to be a
hero,
like I said."
"Boss..."
the attractive one entered, drawing everyone's attention. "Why is that? Why... should being a real hero matter so much to you?"
Coaster sat inside himself, unbottling a memory as he read the letters on his laptop keyboard.
"I was... a kid too, once."
To him, he was still sitting in front of a turned-off TV reading cheaply-printed issues of dozens of ongoing series, imaging the impossible day where he'd wake up to be inside of one.
"Formed my entire
identity
off those characters... made them my reason for living. You know... why I took over this brand? Spent everything my dad left me to buy it out? Because... it wasn't
fun
anymore. This name was
dying. Boring
comics.
Uninspiring
stories. They were getting it all
wrong!
I
had to be the one to fix it. I was one of them. A
fan,
just like all the people
mocking me!
And now... I've become their
enemy.
I don't
want
that. I want... to be a
hero."
Everyone on the team collectively gave a glance to each other, out of some kind of courtesy. As if to say, "Okay, I guess we're doing this."
"Then... sir, we just have to keep moving along then." The shy one spoke for them all. "Same plan... same tactics. All there is to do... is hope. And maybe... if you try real hard,
one
day... they'll come to appreciate your efforts. I'm sure they will.
"Yeah... I hope so." Bozo sniffled, then humbly laughed.
"Heheh.
I'll get back out there soon. I just wish, Y'know... if only there were some
actual
bad guys to fight." |
Their new friends all gathered around the sisters, vying for their attention. One wanted to show them how the place was laid out, another was already trying to add their info to the registry. Dozens more were asking a million questions they didn't know how to answer- mostly regarding the publications of
Tough Boys Comics.
Before they knew it, they were being tugged at from all sides with no way out.
The struggle was mercifully ended when extremely long-haired woman, more persistent than all the others, suddenly pulled them aside. Herself dressed in an elaborate gothic costume, the cosplayer seemed particularly interested in their clothing- as Frankie looked down amidst the chaos, she was already being sized, a tape measure wrapped tightly against her.
"Uh...!"
"So sorry!"
The dark princess perked up, freeing the girl. "I'm
Anita.
Would you like some new clothes?"
"Oh!
Really?" Katie asked in excitement. "We'd
love
some!
Frankie eyed the smiling woman suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"
"I can tell you don't have much other than what you're wearing now. Is that right?"
The younger sister blinked, embarrassed. "How'd you know...?
D-did we forget to wash our stuff?"
"No,
no! Don't worry. I just have a special eye for the fashion-stifled. It's not that these clothes are
bad,
far
from
it... but you look so
bored.
The way I see it, antibody should be just positively
overjoyed
by the act of wearing clothes that truly
excite
them. By the looks of it, you've had to put those on again and again for
days.
I'm gonna make you two something, okay? Come see me in an hour!" The eccentric woman ran off in an instant, scurrying to her sewing machine.
"Well, that was..." Frankie began, before she was stopped by the words of a loud,
loud
young lad.
"NEW RECRUITS!
HOLY
SHIT!"
He looked at least twenty judging by his great height and impressive beard, but his demeanor made it quickly apparent he wasn't any older than sixteen. The bounding golden retriever of a boy was dressed in perhaps the most unique way out of all the legion, pairing a long, stained fast food t-shirt with black widow-print tights and a
chapeau à bec,
still
mostly
managing to fit in with the red-on-black color palette- except for the giant gold shackle glaringly strapped to his neck, extending down into a long chain ending in a claw-like spider figure.
"Oh, we went to that place yesterday!" Katie noted at his choice of torso garb.
"Yeah, Hatter hates it. He doesn't want us supporting the park, but I don't see him providing any alternative with the same greasy goodness." The wild child popped a vitamin capsule.
"What is that
thing
on your neck?" The younger sister questioned.
"This?"
He lifted up the shining arachnid on his chain. "Clifford, one of my inventions. I'm kind of a mechanic. I use him to bug Kyrie sometimes."
"And what's
with
all the bugs?"
"Oh!
Well, you know, spiders. Cause I'm Spider Hood. That's my villain name. You like it?"
"Uh... sure, I-"
"Just kidding. I don't care if you like it. It's the best one ever created, so it doesn't matter either way."
Seemingly wanting to use this declaration to punctuate and therefore end the interaction, the lad threw himself into a nearby spinning chair and rolled off into the crowd whilst laughing maniacally.
"He seems nice!" Katie granted. "I wonder who's next."
Looking around, there were a lot of people already about to approach them now that they noticed Spider had retreated, but they all immediately backed off as soon as a single woman emerged from the sea of eager rebels.
"My name is Kyrie." She said flatly, offering a hand only to Katie. "Arsene's second-in-command. Don't worry, they won't bother you anymore."
"It was fine, really!" The older sister shook her plain, bare nails, feeling the coldness of her skin. "You guys are fun."
"It's not all fun. Gets old fast when you're asked to babysit the bunch all day."
"How long have you... like, been doing this?" Frankie asked, eyes lingering on the other members returning to their duties.
"It must've been at least two years ago at this point. S'when Arsene called me up... and told me what happened to
Missile Man."
"The comic? I didn't know something happened with it."
"Yeah, guess you wouldn't have. I mean... Missile Man is
Missile Man,
everybody and their oldest known ancestor knows
that.
But what they
don't
understand... is how Bozo
butchered
him. After 5654 issues of greatness... the decisions he shoved in killed the series in an instant. With his interpretation of the character... came the death of everything the story had going for it."
"5654...?
Isn't that... enough?"
"Frankie!"
Katie exclaimed sternly. "They probably really
cared
about that comic!"
"Yeah, we did. But... it's okay. You're right. 5654
is
a lot. Anyone else... they'd be complacent enough to accept that. Maybe even me, given the right circumstances. But
Arsene...
he chose to take a stand. Arsene Hatter was gonna be the name that tore down Coaster Bozo's rule, and bring
Tough Boys Comics
back into its former glory. His dream... his
conviction...
is what keeps us all going."
Kyrie's knowing brown eyes turned to their leader on the other side of the room, staring at him in admiration.
All of a sudden, the regal rioter turned to look back to her. Blessing his second-in-command with a smile, he once again exercised his jubilant, inspiring tongue:
"Alright, villains!
You've had your chance at an introduction. Now... allow me to announce our very next mission... the plan to
humiliate Coaster Bozo beyond
all recovery!" |
"Super
strength."
The especially knowledgeable member of the client's team ordered, her tone growing more serious by the syllable.
"Super
speed."
The emotional core of the group added, thoughtful eyes blinking at the doctor as if to affirm his message.
"And don't forget the flight." The rude one chirped in again just to make sure the bearded dude was actually
listening
to their demands.
"I got it,
I got it..."
Doctor Arrow wiped the sweat off his furrowed brow. "I hear ya, you want him just like he is in the comic books... like I'd screw up an order from a damn park owner. Do I look like I was born yesterday? Alright, put him under."
Readying his own trickery, the tiny metal hands extended from the technician's bare, wrinkling back, trickery wielding his scalpels just to install the same tech in someone else. Though he kept it to himself... even now, doing this to someone always felt like giving the gift of life
itself.
Life as it
should be,
anyway. "Let's get to work."
"W-what about your... assistants, sir?" The shy one interrogated as her boss was out under.
"Always was a tad anxious around people... figured if I got good enough, I wouldn't need 'em. So do me a favor and act like you ain't here."
In shocked silence, all sixteen members of The Great Bozo's core marketing team watched him undergo total inner reconstruction, as his muscles were replaced, machines were installed, and art was made. By the time Dr. Arrow was done with the fool and had him all sealed up again, nobody there had a single complaint.
"Now get outta my
sight."
The old prodigy refused to turn his back from his patient to look at the caretakers he was speaking to. "Got a job comin' up... it's for
Kidney.
So don't come bothering me for a while."
"Are you...
um.
Really at liberty to divulge that information? I mean, you could be-" the nerd of the group's nervous warning fell on deaf ears as the hermit's low growl of a voice kicked back in.
"Actually, after this next job... I ain't got
nothin'.
So just don't come botherin' me at
all,
actually."
Nobody there really wanted to in the first place. |
"Eh, why should important people care about us anyway?"
Under the shade of one of the coasters stretching above Venge City's buildings, the two found themselves hunting for more work, perusing different services and storefronts.
"They've been nice to us so far, Frankie."
"Yeah, that's not normal. We got astronomically lucky back then. Some fat cat in a latex onesie isn't just gonna give us positions as his personal piggybanks. I dunno if we'll even land another
normal
job, like this..."
"There's a school over there."
Katie pointed to the brick building off to the side, wedged haplessly in between a theater and a Ferris wheel.
"Katie... don't."
"Oh- I'm sorry. We don't have to go near the wheel! I'm just wondering, maybe the school could use a cleaner or two while everyone's on break-"
"No, not... not that. I'm... over all that stuff. I'm not gonna freak out because of... because of some ride. I just don't feel like... having to go back into one of those places right now."
"Why not?"
Frankie was suddenly very interested in her flip-flops, casting her gaze downward and away from her elder.
"Frankie... is this about...
that
again?"
"I don' wanna bring it up..."
"It's too late for that..." Katie sighed motherly, trying to check the expression on her sister's concealed face. "Hey. Are you still considering dropping out?"
Frankie swallowed hard to avoid talking.
"It's winter break already, Frankie. There really isn't much left. Just one final year... it's not a long stretch."
"Easy for you to say, maybe..." the girl grumbled. "You're already
done.
And you never have to do that again..."
"You won't either. Once you've graduated, your memories of school will last you forever."
"It's not as easy with you gone, Katie... I don't want those memories in the first place. Neither of us had friends, but at least... with you- with you it was bearable. It's not like that any longer."
"I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could still do for you..."
"What are you...
gonna
do, when school starts back? Keep travelling alone? If... if I drop out, we'd both be happier..."
"That's not true, Frankie... you'll regret giving up at the last second. That'd be an awful feeling."
"What are you going to do... when this trip is over, and mom and dad come back?"
The wind felt cold for once.
"I guess... I guess I'll spend the rest of my life combing through the parks we missed. Isn't that what anyone would do?"
"What if you can't reach them all?"
Katie froze.
Frankie was the one leering into her now. As she avoided her sister's sight, neither moved a muscle as the interrogation continued.
"...Remember the field trips?" Katie asked nostalgically. Frankie didn't have anything to respond with. "We would always go see the same parks over and over again... and they'd show us how to do all the jobs there... how the parks were made... and all anyone could think of was when we'd get to ride the rides."
Frankie continued to stare in silence for a time, until she realized Katie was already getting lost in thought. She tried to reel her back in.
"So... what are you trying to say?"
"Everyone else changed since then, Frankie." She finally met eyes with her sister. "Just like you... they don't really care about the parks
that
much. More importantly... they don't seem to care about missing a few things. They don't
think
they do. But... we're all gonna reach the same truth I did. One day.. well, this'll go away, won't it..? My
"Museworld..."
it's not gonna last forever, will it? Your time as a highschooler... one way or another, it's going to end. Please don't throw it out early."
"Katie..."
A masked man in black and red suddenly stood inches from Frankie's face.
"Good day ma'am. Have you been wronged by a certain member of the upper class recently?" |
It felt a little painful, spending a third of what they earned that day just to rent a room for the night.
In between the four cramped walls plastered with
Tough Boys Comics
wallpaper, Katie had already fallen asleep on the single provided bed. Frankie on the other hand wasn't even a little bit able to rest this early, even after a nice, greasy meal the two shared together and the few rides they went on to take their minds off the difficult state they found themselves in. So the lone waking sister sat with her knees to her chest, hiding in the small space betwixt the bed and the wall with her eyes stuck to the dim screen of her phone in the dark room.
She had purchased a cheap charger, having it plugged in as she typed quite a long message to mom. Mostly to keep herself occupied long enough to shake off her thoughts and catch some z's, but it felt good to pass all these loose feelings to someone else, or at least to think about it.
As lucky as she'd been... getting help from all these different people, owners of entire parks... the president
himself,
somehow- she couldn't help but wonder why everything always still had to be so damn difficult in the end.
Hi mom. I guess it hasnt even been a week since you left, but my memories of being at the house with everyone doing nothing all day feel pretty distant now
She hadn't had time to imagine going back home in what felt like forever. It was all she could do just to keep track of the things happening in front of her. In this moment, she forced herself slow down. To look back on things- to look back on
today,
at the very least.
Me and Katie got a job. It sucked and it didn't last long, but Katie and I got some cash out of it before things went to crap. I hope your doing okay with your robots or whatever, and I hope dads work isnt too hard. There's a lot I wanna catch both of you up on, bit I dunno how to talk about it over the phone. Maybe when you all come back and we see each other again we can all just sit in the living room and explain for awhile.
Right now were at Venge City, I think this is the first one they made. It's in Kentucky. I still dont like any of the rides. Katie's happy though. We're gonna save up money here so that she can go more places and I can see the ocean. That's my dream now I guess. I won't lie, I kinda wanna go home right now. Itd be nice to read through percy phytoplankton again. But its like more has happened these last few days than anything before. And some of that stuff was terrible. I wish it never happened. Yet I dunno, im still going. There's something dragging me forward. Maybe katies rubbing off on me.
I know this isn't like me, but I love you guys. Just try and get back before new years, I dont wanna kick off 2013 with out you. See ya soon
She was a little embarrassed to send the message, but it gave her a warm feeling when she did. Maybe tomorrow, something good would happen. She hoped it would. |
The gentleman's masked face seemed silly enough paired with his flared suit, his smooth, fuzzy head already bowed in greeting before he at last rose and placed upon it the ribboned top hat he had politely removed to hold in his gloved hand as not to bump into the girls with its comical length. It seemed only to further exaggerate his great height as he looked down to them anticipating their response.
"We..." Frankie began, anxiety overruled in this instance by the sheer absurdity of the occasion. "We might have?
Who are you?"
"Arsene Hatter, leader of the auspicious
Villainous Legion
of the Venge City underworld. I am their founder, and they are my loyal siblings in
chaos."
He flicked his hand back to reveal the plucky sort; climbing down from the nearby buildings and appearing from the darkness of the alleys like rats as they filled the street until all the normal tourists had retreated out of fear. Dressed in unified black and red, though all with their own "signature" outfits- many deliberately and classically "punk," sporting kilts and leather, others more "sophisticated-" if
"sophisticated"
was to imply a certain ancient French-European sensibility- like Hatter, many donned flowing coats and dapper hats, boots, and even striking capes. The army of supervillains all, however, had the same glow of rebellion in their eyes.
"Villainous Legion?"
Katie stuck a confused finger to her chin. "So you mean you guys are, like... criminals?"
"I won't deny your accusation." Arsene seemed to brag, setting his fists to his hips. "But you must first listen to what we stand for in order to understand our actions. Yes, it is true- indeed, we are outlaws. And we engage in much debauchery the likes of which you two civilized lasses have likely not born witness to in your times at parks like these."
"I think we've seen our fair share of treachery..."
Frankie mumbled under the man's speech.
"However! All our protests are in service to a lofty goal: to rid this sacred park of-" he improvised a throaty puking sound effect-
"Coaster Bozo's
influence!"
"So this is just a big hate club for the guy...? I mean, I get it... but doesn't everybody dog on him anyway...? Seems like you can't go two clicks on the internet these days without coming across some unsavoury post about him." The minty-haired contrarian cut in between the figurehead's words.
"Astutely put! And an undeniable truth of this matter- Bozo is reviled by virtual denizens, be they laypeople
or
other devoted comic fans.
However!
None
have the courage or means to take a stand against the fool. Against what he's
done!
How he's made a
mockery
of Venge City! How he's
ruined
the brand of
Tough Boys Comics!"
"Wait... you're all just comic book fans?"
"Indeed! At least,
were.
But as I said- Bozo has defiled these properties with his laughable attempt at a serialized graphic novel, and all the choices he's made as holder of the brand name! Not to mention... we saw earlier, how the pig brushed you aside moments after "saving" you, just as he has many other guests! The man is flying around solving problems, but it's all for his own image and ego! This scornful, distasteful un-heroicness must be
stopped!"
"But I thought you guys were villains. If he's "un-heroic," doesn't that make him... like, one of you?"
Frankie earned a chuckle from the towering gang leader.
"He forced us into this position. If he wants to play the role of hero, we'll gladly be the villains!"
"So what do you want from
us?"
"Isn't it
obvious..."
the scoundrel grinned. "For you to join our cause, of course! It's money you're in need of, is it not?"
"How'd you know?" Katie asked.
"Is it not obvious we witnessed your encounter with the plump little man? Our members stalk the shadows of this city at all times."
"How
much
money?" The business side of Frankie returned, asking seriously.
"One of our members happens to be a former big shot herself. Even now, she's quite the sponsor to our operation. If you agree to help us, I can guarantee you'll be compensated quite handsomely."
Frankie bit her nail. Katie took her aside as well as she could with all the prying criminal eyes on them.
"Frankie... should we really do this? They look like they mean business... they really do, but... I'm just worried if it's a good idea to get involved in something like this..."
"Yeah... I... I get you. Look, they seem to mean well. And I don't much care for guys like Bozo to begin with. If you're okay with it... I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"
"But just how far are they willing to go to stop him?"
"There's no telling... I mean, the real question is... are you willing to push someone else down for the sake of your dream? Can you do that, Katie?"
Katie made a concerted effort not to break concentration with her sister's gaze this time. It was scary... but Katie's conviction was ultimately even greater than Frankie's.
"It's... ugly, I guess." She smiled. "But yes, I am."
"Alright then. Decision made, then..."
Frankie flipped around back to the well-dressed captain of crooks.
"We're in. Take us to your secret lair or whatever. My sister loves seeing new things." |
All throughout the aquatic-themed town, lines leading to rides and crowds of people on their way to join them filled the land like water through a bottleneck. But despite her fear- that gripping, melting feeling she had whenever someone looked at her- one girl in a pinkish hat pushed through them all.
With her sister and a tall member of the park staff trailing behind her, she made her way straight to the center of Makoasis- where she was sure any park government would lie.
"Frankie!" Umi cried. "Just where are you
headed?"
"You guys got a sub-owner, a manager or something, right? Gesus couldn't be here himself."
"Yes,
we-" The woman panted. "We have an appointed owner, of course. What do you think talking to her's going to accomplish?"
"I'll try to make... an announcement or something, to the whole park! I'm sure she'll listen if I can just tip her a little..."
"Are you
crazy?
She'll kick you out for ruining her profits! You can't possibly match what she brings in from a single day at this place, you know that, don't you? Even if you offered every
cent
of that to her, she couldn't give you a private day here without scheduling it first! People plan trips to this place every hour of every day of every
year!"
Frankie groaned, skidding to a halt.
"Thank
you." Umi put her hand on the girl's shoulder, hoping she wouldn't pull that kind of stunt again. "Now have you come to your senses?"
As the three stood in the middle of a street, cheap game and food booths to either side, Katie approached her little sister.
"Frankie. I hate to have these words to anyone, but... it just isn't going to work. You can't evacuate a whole park without causing some sort of emergency."
Bile filled Frankie's throat as the image of a woman in black standing atop rubble filled her mind.
Forcing the horror back down, the lass took a deep swallow and turned to her elder.
"You're
wrong."
She spoke, rife with an angry conviction. "I'm still doing this. In fact, I just came up with a
backup plan."
"Backup plan?"
Frankie stuck her finger at the booth selling plushies beside them, the older, heavyset man behind the counter looking up in confusion.
"See that sucker there...?" Frankie panted. "We're buyin' him out, right now. Then I'll start my
own
business- where our customers get paid a fortune just to pack their bags and do something else with their stupid day."
Umi blinked. There were so many questions, so many problems that such a simple plan would create. But the girl was intent on following through.
Katie was shocked as her sister approached the man without an ounce of fear, slapping an emerald mush on the counter.
"This booth... lemme have it for a day. You can keep sellin' your stuffed animals all you want, just let me run my act from the front. Deal?"
Astonished, the shy fellow murmured as he flipped through her offer with great interest. Inserting it into his pocket, he shook her hand as she grinned.
Katie and Umi watched on in equal parts horror and amazement. |
Further and further from the center of the park they strayed, the desperate new recruits curiously eager to see where it was they would be taken.
Much to Katie's surprise and Frankie's relief, they watched as the crowds around them grew thinner and thinner as they proceeded. As massive as the metropolis was, it was still a surprise to set eyes on an area allowing personal space.
Hatter was quite proud to show them to the boarded-up old thing: a humble dark ride, ancient and abandoned. No one walked near it, no one remembered it. Tucked behind rows of other unpopular attractions, it was already dead and buried to the other park-goers. To him and his comrades, it was the perfect safe haven.
The faded front sign just above the entrance designated it:
"Captain Vile's Wild Ride."
Past the wooden boards, they steeped into it as if it were a cave system. Sure did look like one. There were no carts left on the tracks, so they slowly walked down the initial drop on feet inside the cold and lightless interior coaster. Old signs resting on the stonelike walls depicted fictional propaganda of a regal red skeleton in a navy uniform pointing at the viewer, challenging them to survive his deadly commercial theme park attraction.
Once they'd already walked for half a minute, climbing a few of the steeper hills by using the track like ladders, the path was blocked at a boarded-up tunnel. Arsene simply slinked through, motioning for the girls to do the same. Afterwards, they arrived at the door. Haphazardly installed like a child's pillow fort, the wall of sheet metal guarded entry with a sliding gate and a code input constructed from what looked like a calculator. The girls watched as their new evil leader reflexively typed in the numbers
5654.
Behind the gates, the main hideout area was still in the process of being carved out for more space. Since this section of the ride was deep enough to be actually underground, members of the Villainous Legion had taken it upon themselves to expand the narrow coaster path into a large room able to serve as a truly quite impressive base of operations, all by digging through the ground surrounding the original track. Katie didn't think it was a very safe idea.
All the other members they'd seen were already there. After retreating back into the shadows, they hadn't seen them since Hatter's introduction. They moved pretty fast for a bunch of random cosplayers. Frankie guessed they must've been doing this for a while.
Even the people slacking off looked like they had something to do. It was a lot like a party, though neither of the sisters had ever been to one. Some worked on contraptions and creations atop workbenches, others played video games sitting hooked up to a large electrical block that seemed to have been recycled from some of the ride's old power sources.
"Everyone!" Hatter announced over the rowdy bunch. "We're finally here. Won't you help me show our new minions around?" |
The cork of a bottle popped in the carved-out corridors of the hidden base. The first of many, the place was soon abuzz with the laughter and rowdy celebration of the many dozen legionnaires.
"That actually went great!" Anita clapped, praising Frankie as she pat her on the head. "You did amazing out there. Be proud!"
The new recruit was an iron pole in the wind, standing still as she looked at nothing. Thinking nothing of it, the cheery Anita went to congratulate someone else inside the raging crowd.
"Frankie? How are you holding up?" Her sister asked her in a hushed tone.
"Can't believe... I just did that, is all."
"Well... you've been in scary situations before. We ran from that guy yesterday, and... you fought that terrorist."
Frankie shuddered, pushing down something inside her.
"I don't think... I was in my right mind, that day."
"So... does that mean you're feeling better now than you did earlier this week?"
"I... don't know."
The truth of the matter was that Frankie felt worse. At least when that disaster struck, she wasn't worried about getting hurt or losing everything.
"You look better to me."
"I... thanks." She took her sister's hand and the two walked off to find someplace where it wasn't so loud. |