A/N: Okay, so I promised I was going to crack down and finish the GA update, but it took longer than anticipated (again) and Halloween came along, and at the very least, I didn't want to miss my tradition. And yes, I know I'm cutting it close.
Also, no, that's not a spelling error; it's the old-fashioned spelling of "fairy".
So, without further ado, here's this year's anti-Gaz Halloween story.
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Karma Circle: A Faerie Tale
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You are now entering another dimension, a dimension not just of sight and sound, but of mind. Presented for your consideration: Miss Gazlene Membrane, age ten. A girl who cares only for her own self-gratification, and who views all others as beneath her. This is a girl who cares little for the consequences of her actions, as she feels that she is beyond anyone's power to punish. However, she is soon to be taught that she is not so powerful as she would believe, for Miss Membrane is about to enter…The Karma Circle.
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The forest outside the city, on this early summer day, was a scene of natural perfection. Flowers and trees were in full bloom, birdsong filled the air, and one could almost feel as though they were truly one with nature here.
"Why am I here again?" Gaz asked, opening one eye slightly to glare at her brother.
"Because I promised to pay for Bloaty's for a month if you helped me out today," Dib sighed as he carried all his heavy equipment. None of which Gaz was willing to carry, incidentally.
"I know why I agreed to help, stupid," she snapped, "But why are we out here, in the middle of nowhere, when it's 85 degrees out?"
"C'mon, Gaz," Dib pleaded, setting down his equipment, "It's the summer solstice. This is one of the few days of the year when the veil between worlds is weakest, and this forest is known to be visited by fairies during those days. This could be a rare opportunity to get some amazing evidence, and Agent Darkbootie's ordered me to try and get some footage."
Gaz muttered something derogatory towards her brother's manhood, and then asked, "Fine, just tell me what to do."
"I'm going to set my laptop and the main camera up here," Dib said, placing his laptop on a nearby log, "The laptop's already set up to receive feeds from all the cameras. I just need you to watch the feeds and use the walkie-talkies to tell me if anything goes wrong with any of them, or if they catch sight of anything. And you only have to do it until I get back, okay?"
"Whatever," Gaz said, sitting on the log next to the laptop. She watched as Dib set up the main camera on a tripod next to the log, then handed her one of a pair of walkie-talkies he was carrying, before walking off with the rest of the cameras to set them up elsewhere in the forest. Gaz watched him go, then tossed the walkie-talkie aside and pulled out her GameSlave. She didn't care either way whether Dib got anything from this little trip; she just wanted her pizza. And if he complained about her not watching his stupid computer, she'd shove it down his throat.
She sat there for a while, not paying attention to anything but her game. That is, until a slight buzzing sound reached her attention; she tried blocking it out, but after a few minutes, she couldn't take it anymore, so she paused her game and looked up for the source of the sound.
Her eyes widened slightly as she saw the source of the sound. A swarm of small bluish lights were surrounding her, floating in the air above her, the buzzing sound apparently coming from them.
"Huh," Gaz said, getting over her initial shock, "Guess the moron was right for once."
She tried going back to her game, but the lights – fairies, if she had to guess, since they didn't look like fireflies or any other bugs she'd seen before – floated down closer to her, the buzzing sound growing louder as they did so.
"Beat it," she snarled at them. The fairies ignored her, floating even closer, seemingly ignorant of the fact that they were annoying her.
"Okay, maybe swatting a few of you will get the point across," Gaz growled. Placing her still-paused game down, she stood up quickly. However, as she did so, her foot slid on a loose patch, throwing her off balance, and sending her falling backwards to fall off the back of the log. The sound coming from the fairies changed then, from a buzzing to a chittering sound. As Gaz got up and brushed herself up, she noticed the sound and the way the fairies were now bouncing around, she suddenly realized what they were doing.
They were laughing. They were laughing ather.
No one, absolutely noone, laughed at her and got away with it.
Growling loudly, Gaz snatched the camera – tripod and all – and began swinging it wildly at the swarm of lights. The fairies scattered, Gaz chasing after them, shifting targets randomly in her desire to inflict damage and avenge her slight humiliation. After a few minutes, the fairies had all disappeared, and Gaz was left standing there, holding the camera and panting in exasperation.
"Gaz, is everything alright?" Dib asked as he pushed through the bushes, "I thought I heard you screaming… uh, why are you holding the camera like that?"
Gaz responded by shoving the camera into Dib's chest so hard he was knocked over.
"We're leaving. Now," she snarled.
"But, my cameras," he began, only to cut off.
"Now!"
Dib wisely shut up and grabbed his laptop, following Gaz as she started stomping back the way they came. As they disappeared, the fairies reappeared, watching the siblings walk away. In particular, their attention was drawn to Gaz, as their blue lights turned an angry shade of red.
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Later that night, after darkness had fallen over the city, and the Membrane children had tucked into bed, a small parade of lights floated around the house. The fairies moved from window to window, searching for their target, before finally locating the proper one, which fortunately was already open for the warm summer night. They would have been able to open it themselves anyway, but this at least saved them some effort.
The fairies floated through the open window, the light from their forms illuminating the room ever so slightly, casting small shadows over the game posters on the walls and security dolls gathered around the room. The fairies split off into two groups at this point, one heading towards the dresser off to the side and opening the drawers, and began shifting through the contents.
The other group, meanwhile, made their way to Gaz's bed, where she lay snugly under the covers. The fairies floated above her for a few moments, before one of them detached from the group and slowly made its way down to Gaz's face, where it hovered for a moment before suddenly swooping down and back up, the trail of light behind it dissolving to reveal a tiny pinprick of blood on the spot where it had touched – and cut – Gaz's face.
"Ow!" Gaz shouted, the unexpected pain jolting her awake. It didn't actually hurt that much, but for someone who was used to causing pain in others, receiving any herself was a sufficient enough shock to wake her up. Rubbing at the sore spot, she blinked her eyes wearily for a moment, before noticing the small balls of light floating around.
"Oh, you things again?" she snarled, "Didn't learn your lesson before, huh? Well, let me remind you what happens to anyone who annoys me."
As she said that, Gaz reached for the baseball bat she kept by her bedside. Grabbing it, she jumped up, standing atop her mattress and swinging it at the fairies, which quickly moved back to avoid being hit. As Gaz reared back for another swing, several of the fairies grabbed hold of the bat; with strength far greater than anything as small as them should have been capable of, they managed to tug on the bat and pull it back. Gaz gave a small yelp as the unexpected movement threw her off her center of balance, causing her to fall off her bed and land with a soft thud on the floor.
Growling, Gaz got back her feet, glaring at the fairies, which floated above her, still holding onto her bat. A soft chittering sound emanated from the collection of lights, and Gaz growled harder as she realized they were laughing at her. Again.
"Oh, you think that's funny, do you?" she snarled, "Well, let's see how funny this is. SECUR-Mmmph!"
Her cry for her security dolls was cut off with surprise gagging as a group of the fairies at her dresser zoomed across the room, slamming a rolled up pair of socks into her open mouth. Before she could even process this, another pair of fairies from the dresser group swooped in with a pair of leggings, which they quickly and tightly tied around the bottom half of her head, trapping the socks in her mouth.
Gaz gave several muted yells as she tugged on the leggings in order to give her enough room to pull the socks out of her mouth. It briefly occurred to her to make a run for it, maybe trying to get to Dib for help. But she quickly squashed that idea; she wasn't going to let anyone, least of all a bunch of glorified fireflies, get the better of her. With that in mind, it finally occurred to her to reach behind her head and undo the knot the leggings had been tied into – which proved to be a costly mistake, as some more fairies flew in with another set of leggings, which they wrapped around her wrists, pulling them back and tying them together, trapping her arms behind her back.
Gaz gave what was meant to be a threatening growl as she struggled to free her arms. However, given her current condition, it really was just pathetic. And it just became worse as the fairies holding her bat brought it down between her legs and spun it around, knocking her off her feet to land on her back, the impact softened somewhat by the fake wings on the back of her pajamas.
Shaking her head to clear it, Gaz attempted to shift her legs so she could at least sit up. However, before she could, some more fairies came in with yet another pair of leggings, which they quickly wrapped around her legs, pulling them together and tying them off at her ankles, completely immobilizing her.
Gaz growled as she slammed her head back against the floor in frustration. This was by far the most humiliating moment of her life – tied up, gagged, and powerless, all in the confines of her own room. And by things a fraction of her size! She should have been crushing these things like bugs, not being beaten by them!
As she continued to struggle, she noticed the fairies gathering around her, ignoring the heated glare she was giving them.
'Now what?' she thought bitterly, as the fairies concentrated on the loose ends of the leggings tied around her legs. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as they started pulling on the leggings, dragging Gaz towards her bed and under it.
'Is this it?' Gaz mentally scoffed, 'They're going to stick me under the bed? Big deal, so I get a little dusty; I'll get loose sooner or later, and when I do, I'm gonna – What the-? !'
Gaz gave a scream that was muffled by the sock-gag as the fairies pulled her under her bed and onto the floor underneath it – except there was no floor anymore, just a hole that led into a large, dirt tunnel. A tunnel that Gaz fell into as the fairies dragged her into it, promptly releasing their impromptu tether and letting her fall.
Her already muffled cries grew even fainter as she disappeared down the tunnel, and were cut off completely as the portal the fairies had opened closed, the tunnel vanishing from sight and being replaced by the normal floor of the room, leaving no sign of what had just transpired.
Their job done, the fairies floated away and out the window, leaving the Membrane house behind… all except one, the one who had pricked Gaz. This particular fairy settled down on Gaz's now vacant bed, giving more of that chittering laughter as its glow grew brighter, before suddenly filling the room with a flash.
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The by-now-saliva-soaked socks filling her mouth kept Gaz from cursing as she bounced off every twist and turn of the tunnel, rocks and exposed roots poking into her every time. She was going to be covered in bruises by the time this was done, but all she cared about was what she was going to do to those fairies when she got free from… wherever it was she was going.
'I am going to rip those little freaks apart!' she fumed, as she bounced around another turn of the tunnel, a particularly large root bashing against her legs, 'And I think I'll bash in Dib's big head while I'm at it – it's his fault I met those things in the first place.'
Any further thoughts of revenge were cut off as Gaz suddenly reached the end of the tunnel, flying out of the opening and hitting a dirt floor. She bounced off the floor and rolled for a few seconds before coming to a rest, lying on her front. She was completely disorientated and sore all over, but at least she hadn't landed on her back; considering her current condition, that probably would have broken – or at least badly damaged – her hands.
"Oh goody, you're here," a high-pitched voice spoke up. Shaking her head to clear it, Gaz looked up; she was in a large room, the floor and walls composed of packed dirt and modestly decorated with tapestries and rugs covered in designs she didn't recognize. But her attention was drawn to the other side of the room, where a short man with pointed ears, platinum-colored hair and unnaturally golden eyes, wearing lime green robes and holding a wooden staff, sat on a small stone throne covered in strange runes.
"I was hoping you'd get here soon," the man – elf, whatever he was – said, before giggling and adding, "But are those really your sleeping clothes? Does the big tough Goth girl really sleep in a pair of footsy pajamas? With wings?"
Gaz blushed slightly, before growling, "Hho pht hlmph phar phoo?"
"Excuse me?" the elf blinked in confusion, before realization shined in his eyes, "Oh, yes, the gag. Here, let me help with that."
He snapped his fingers, and with a flash of light, Gaz's bindings and gag disappeared. She promptly spat out the excess saliva that had built up in her mouth and slowly stood up, gingerly rubbing the parts of her body that were more sore than others.
"Who the hell are you?" Gaz repeated, much more clear now that her mouth was free.
"I am Narteroth," he replied, waving his free arm with a dramatic flourish, "Admittedly a minor lord of the Fair Folk, but a lord none the less. No need to introduce yourself in turn; you're Gazlene Membrane, the mean little child who attacked several of my subjects for no good reason."
"Hey, I had a perfectly good reason!" Gaz snapped, "They were annoying me!"
"Ah, yes, the standard bully reply," Narteroth snorted "And that's all you are, isn't it? I looked you up before having you brought here; you've spent your whole life pushing around those weaker than you, or who aren't allowed to push back, forcing them to give you your way, or else you resort to violence. Well, its time you learned what happens when the people you pick on are defended by people who are allowed to fight back."
"What, you think you can take me in a fight?" Gaz asked as she clenched her fists by her sides, "I'd like to see that."
"Oh, I didn't mean a actual 'fight'," Narteroth replied with a wave of his hand, "I meant using my powers. Like so."
The elf snapped his fingers again, and there was another flash of light. When it cleared, Gaz blinked in surprise as she realized she was now locked in, of all things, a set of double-leveled medieval stocks – her head and hands were locked securely in the top set, while her feet were locked in the lower set, which was positioned slightly further back; the overall setup left her in a slightly uncomfortable leaning position.
She struggled uselessly against the wooden boards, attempting to pull herself free, when she heard Narteroth giggling behind her, outside her now limited field of vision.
"Is this it?" she snarled, trying to sound more menacing than her current position made her, "I'm going to get loose sooner or later, and when I do I'm gonna-"
THWACK!
"Gah!"
Smirking, Narteroth slowly lifted his staff from where he had just slammed it into her rear.
"In case you were wondering, yes, I did just spank you," he said smugly, "Probably the first time someone disciplined you like this, isn't it? Or in any form at all? It wouldn't surprise me."
"When I get out of here," a red-faced Gaz hissed, "I am going to make you eat that staff, you stupid Keebler wannabe!"
THWACK!
"Ow!"
"Of course," Narteroth continued as he lifted the staff from its second strike, ignoring Gaz's comments, "Most people figure physical punishment like this only makes brats like you worse, and I suppose there's some truth to that. But I figure the occasional punishment is necessary, if only to remind you that there are consequences for your actions. Who knows – maybe if someone had spanked you every now and then, you wouldn't be such a little bitch?"
With that, he brought the staff down again, eliciting another cry of pain.
"Stop that!" Gaz shouted, sounding more desperate than angry.
"I'd be happy to," Narteroth said, sounding genuine, "Just as soon as you apologize for attacking my people."
"What? !" now Gaz's anger was overpowering her pain, "I am not apologizing to anyone, especially not those stupid bugs!"
THWACK!
"Gah!" Gaz shouted in pain again, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Happy now?"
THWACK!
"Say it like you mean it," the elf lord said sternly.
THWACK!
THWACK!
THWACK!
For the next several minutes, the room was filled with the sounds of Narteroth's staff striking Gaz's rear repeatedly, and her pained cries accompanying each strike. By this point, tears of pain were sliding down her reddened face, and her breath was coming in short gasps.
"Stop…" she moaned.
"Inflicting pain isn't so much fun when you're on the receiving end, is it?" Narteroth asked.
THWACK!
"Please! Stop!" Gaz sobbed.
"Now there's a word I didn't think you knew," Narteroth said, mock-cheerfully, "And I told you, you can stop it any time you want. Just apologize."
THWACK!
"I'm sorry!" Gaz shouted, half hysterical, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't ever do it again! Just please, stop!"
Narteroth smiled, lowered his staff, and snapped his fingers. There was a flash of light, and now Gaz was sitting on a large sofa, sinking into the very soft cushions. Gaz moaned in relief, grabbing her sore butt, flinching slightly as she caressed the abused flesh.
"There now," Narteroth said happily, "That wasn't so bad, was it?"
That was clearly the wrong thing to say; that one statement brought all the anger and humiliation Gaz felt over what had just happened back to the surface. With a feral scream, she jumped up, ignoring the pain in her lower body, and threw a wild punch at Narteroth. The elf didn't even flinch, as Gaz's fist stopped just short of his face. Gaz's eyes widened as she suddenly found herself unable to move.
"What the hell?" she asked.
"Did I forget to mention that as long as you're in my realm you're completely under my power?" Narteroth asked. Gaz frowned.
"Okay, you've made your point and got your apology. Now let me go," she said, attempting to move any part of her body.
"Certainly – in a year or two."
"WHAT? !" Gaz shouted, "But you punished me already, what else do you want? !"
"That was for my subjects who you harmed," Narteroth said slowly, as if he were explaining it to an idiot, "However, as long as you're here, I feel it's my responsibility to see you're punished for all the times you've bullied and harmed those weaker than you. I think a couple of years of servitude will teach you proper humility."
"You can't do that!" Gaz screamed, sounding quite desperate as she continued in vain to try to move.
"And why not?" Narteroth asked, slapping his staff into the palm of his free hand. Gaz flinched as the sound reminded her of the dull – yet still present – pain in her rear, while she desperately tried to think of a way out. Finally, she said the only thing she could think of.
"My brother's a paranormal investigator; he'll find me, and he's probably got all sorts of ways of make you pay for this."
"Oh, so when your brother's beliefs are convenient for you, you support them?" Narteroth asked with a raised eyebrow. He then smirked and patted her on the head condescendingly, like she was two years old.
"But don't you worry about your brother. I've taken steps to insure that he never even knows you're gone…"
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Dib raised an eyebrow he Gaz walked into the kitchen, grabbing a box of cereal and pouring herself a bowl. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something… different about her today. There was just something about the way she walked, and held herself, that didn't seem quite right. Sitting down at the table, she noticed the way he was looking at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Sorry, there's just something different about you today. Are you feeling alright?"
"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know. Like I said, there's just something off about you today."
"Well there isn't, so shut up."
"Are you sure? Maybe-" Dib cut himself off when Gaz shot a glare at him.
"I said, shut up," she snapped "Got it?"
"Okay, okay," Dib said, raising his hands defensively, "Forget I said anything."
With that, Dib got up and dumped his own bowl in the sink, before leaving the room… and therefore missed it as "Gaz's" eyes momentarily flashed gold.
The changeling smirked to herself as she watched Dib leave the room. As Narteroth had expected, Dib's experience with the supernatural was allowing him to partially see through the glamour she'd created from that sample of Gaz's blood, but a few slight threats was enough for him to instinctually back off; with time, he'd adjust, and wouldn't notice anything wrong with her form. Meanwhile, she'd have to act like Gaz, at least initially – officially, the plan was for her to start acting nicer over time, in order to prepare Dib for the presumably "rehabilitated" Gaz who would eventually be released from Narteroth's realm in a few years.
She doubted that would ever happen, however. Somehow, she knew Narteroth was going to be having too much fun to let her go.
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Laughter filled Narteroth's hall as his guests – elves, gnomes, and assorted other Fair Folk – gathered together to watch his new entertainment. Namely Gaz, who'd been forced into a ridiculously vibrant clown costume, before her limbs began moving on their own, forcing her to dance. Badly.
Gaz's face bright red, from either anger or humiliation – or most likely, both – as the Fair Folk's laughter, laughter aimed at her, filled her ears. She probably would have been cursing a blue streak, if Narteroth hadn't had the foresight to, for the time being, removed her voice. He didn't want her anger ruining his party, after all.
Narteroth himself sat on his throne, smirking as he helped himself to a glass of wine. He was starting to think he might keep her around longer than originally planned. He'd forgotten how much fun it was to take the proud and the cruel and to break them down. Maybe when Gaz stopped thinking this wasn't something she deserved, that she was somehow ultimately the victim, he'd let her go. But as long as her sense of self-righteousness remained, she'd stay here and be punished for her years of bullying.
With that thought in mind, he conjured a table of cream pies, and invited his guests to all take a shot. And as his guests began pelting Gaz with the pies, and she glared bloody murder at him, he simply joined in the laughter.
No, he wasn't getting rid of her anytime soon.
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Let this be a lesson to the cruel and the vindictive, to those who would punish others so disproportionally for their perceived crimes. There are those who can be just as vindictive as you, and should you be cruel to them, they will turn that cruelty back on you. A lesson now learned by Gaz Membrane, here in… The Karma Circle.
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A/N: Funny thing – I actually wrote that first scene last. First time I've done that.
Anyway, again, I'm sorry for the later submission, but I hope it was worth it. And I'll be getting right back to work on GA, and should – hopefully – have that chapter done by the end of the week.
Till then, read and review!