Sniff Sniff
A strange creature sat on a blazing rock, her small feathered tail swished above bubbling lava, that ran in rivers across a blackened wasteland. The creature had furry black ears that poked out from the top of her head, and blended in with her messy long black hair.
The creature's tail consisted of a liquorish color, black as the empty land before her. It was almost as long as the upper part of her body, and decently thick, as it flinched once the feathers at the end touched the lava.
The feathers on her tail were mixed between colors, some were bright red, and others were darkened and as black as her tail. Her tail looked to be decorated with short fur, not even an inch long. Her eyes were red, as they darted around, watching and trying to peer through the thick fog-like smoke that filled her lungs and the air.
Sniff Sniff
Yes, fire and smoke, that is what she could smell. Such a wasteland like this, was to be expected to smell of burning flesh and melting rock. The creature's skin tone was pale, almost ghostly, even though the heat gathered around the land could have baked any person to a nice caramel color; or just burn them to a crisp.
The creature smiled, showing sharp fangs that were in place of her canines. Her bottom rack of teeth were normal, but the gleaming fangs on her upper jaw were enough to scare off anything. The creature seemed to be looked at something slithering towards her, a friend perhaps?
The creature approaching had the appearance of a snake, but its body was giant and took quite a bit of the land as it moved. Small boulders split, once the scaly body of the creature pressed its weight on them, before shattering them completely as it moved.
The serpent had a pure black body, its long body easily sixty feet long. No legs were present, or arms, and its head had a hood making it look very much like a venomous cobra. A long tongue flickered in and out of its mouth as it approached the female creature.
The girl creature looked up, as the cobra lifted its head, casting a shadow over the girl, who flattened her black ears against her greasy hair. The cobra's tongue flicked again, as its hood opened more exposing its menacing gaze. The female creature gulped, the cobra did not seem to be in a good mood.
The female creature shifted uncomfortably as the cobra opened its jaws, "Lilith, you have been lounging around all day, do you wish to disappoint me?"
The identified creature newly named as Lilith, swallowed hard, before replying, "No, father, I just really don't see why we have to torture people down here, I want to sleep without a million souls screaming in agony."
The cobra locked his eyes on his daughter, almost as if he was debating whether to dispose of her. "You are not to call me father, until you earn your true title of Lucifer's descendent! I am ashamed that you are the one that was chosen to bring the end upon the world!"
Lilith flinched, his words smacked her pretty hard in the soul.
"L-Lucifer, I-I just don't want to be hated, I know my kind is supposed to thrive on hate and anger, but I just don't see the need to always cause chaos and misfortune on others." Lilith said.
Lilith poked at the lava with her foot, and dozens of hands reached out, desperately trying to climb out. Lilith knew these hands belonged to the unfortunate souls destined to burn in this chunk of paradise.
Lucifer sighed, before looking at the millions of suffering souls that wailed in a large group. Lilith held her ears, she hated the sound of pain and desperation, but Lucifer seemed to feed off of it.
"You WILL learn to obey your destiny, you cannot escape it, until your training is complete you will never leave here. From here on out, I will beat it into you, until you realize that this is the only thing you were born for." Lucifer hissed.
Lilith covered her face as her father's jaws clamped down on her body, his fangs poking into her body. Lilith felt his muscles contract, as he threw her into the river of bubbling lava.
Lilith never felt the hot touch of lava before, she was usually immune, but as soon as her body hit the lava, her skin burned, and her body writhed in pain.
Hundreds of souls grabbed onto her, as the slow current took her downstream. Lilith screamed, as her father watched her struggle to keep her head above the lava, by kicking and trying to keep herself up. The souls clawed at her, dragging her under, the lava burning her eyes, as she desperately tried to kick her way back to the surface.
Her head broke through the lava, as she took a desperate gulp of disgusting hot air. Her eyes were closed, she had no idea where she was going, her eyeballs must have been a puddle of goop by now. She kicked and forced her way from the souls' tight grip, her sense of direction was awful, and she had no idea how to get back to the rocky landscape.
Lilith felt her tail sizzling, her demonic blood kept her from dying, but he father revoked her abilities, making her feel all the pain the dead humans felt for eternity. Suddenly Lilith dropped, her heart sank as her body plummeted down into a giant lake of fire. The lava poured into the hungry flames, as hundreds of souls screamed for help, as they felt the oncoming shift of pain from lava to eternal hellfire.
Lilith slapped her hand on a rocky spot of ground, as she weakly pulled herself out of the flames. Small embers were burning through her hair, and her body trembled with fear and severe pain.
Lilith's father was nowhere in sight, and finally Lilith could rest, by gently touching the back of her head on the rocks. Her breathing was shallow, as she listened to the horde of unending screams.
This was a place for bad people, she was told, but no one deserved to go through that for eternity. Every inch of her skin, felt like it was painfully melting off, and her head felt like it was splitting from the pressure of the lava. She would never forget that pain for as long as she would live.
"One day, I will be able to go to earth, and when I do I will escape this awful place." Lilith wheezed.
Lilith gently held onto that hope, it was the only thing she had keeping her going.
~Elsewhere~
"Here they go again, making a scene in the cafeteria." A teenage girl whispered to her friend, as she flicked her head over to two other teenagers who were bickering loudly.
"Seriously Cindy, this was completely on purpose!" a teenage boy said, his hair styled in a strange way. This boy's hair looked pretty much like an ice-cream sundae, and it seemed to be making the girl he accused more angry the more she looked at him.
"No, if your big awkward body didn't crash into me, I wouldn't have spilled my spaghetti all over your clothes." The girl named Cindy spat, admiring the newly decorated look all over her victim's clothes.
"You came directly towards me! I saw you in the corner of my eye, and when I turned to say something you just plowed into me!" The boy said, his voice getting louder, and forcing everyone to awkwardly try to pretend they couldn't hear him.
"Look Jimmy, I said look out!" Cindy growled.
"No you didn't, you are such a liar!" the boy identified as Jimmy snapped back.
"Look out," Cindy sneered, making Jimmy's face grow red with anger. Now he knew she did it on purpose, that sparkling gleam of mischief in her eyes gave it all away. He was sick and tired of fighting with her, all day and night, every day at school, and just when he goes outside to get his mail.
Jimmy calmed his rage, it never worked when he got mad at his long time rival, when he yelled at her, she would yell back, the best thing he could do is stay calm and hope she leaves him alone.
"Okay fine, whether or not you did it on purpose, someone got spaghetti all over them, please just say you are sorry so we can both move on with our lives." Jimmy sighed, Cindy wrinkled her nose in disgust, almost as if thinking about saying sorry bit her in the soul.
Cindy bit her lip dramatically, and tapped her foot to symbolize that fact that she was debating what to say. Jimmy hated her, he didn't understand why she had to act this way, school would go so much smoother if they could get along or never talk to each other. It was stressful always tip toeing around Cindy so she wouldn't blow a fuse, and bully him until he went home and escaped to his lab.
Everything was a competition, one time Jimmy was just stacking his books neatly in his locker, Cindy for some reason got jealous of the way he organized his stuff, and chewed him out about being too prissy.
Cindy then waited until Jimmy was away from his locker, went in, and tore his textbooks his family spent a ton of money buying, to mere shreds.
Jimmy snapped back to reality, when Cindy opened her mouth to speak, Jimmy didn't notice, but everyone stopped talking to hear what she had to say.
"I'm sorry-" Cindy began, Jimmy couldn't believe his ears, was she actually apologizing for once? Cindy continued, "-that your parents have to deal with you."
"You know WHAT Vortex?" Jimmy said, losing his temper. All she had to do was say one simple thing, she was in the wrong, and he had the right to hear an apology. Cindy watched her rival throw a fit, she leaned against the wall, wanting so badly for him to make a scene.
"Oh calm down, don't burst a blood vessel." Cindy laughed, the cafeteria held their breath, each high scholar knowing this wouldn't end well, it never did.
"Ever since elementary school you have just made my life horrible, why can't you just act your age and leave me alone!" Jimmy screamed, his voice carrying throughout the silent cafeteria.
"Oh, I'm making your life miserable? Try being around a know-it-all who literally can't let anyone else have the spotlight!" Cindy boomed back, making Jimmy flinch a little, but he refused to back down, not now.
"Cindy," someone whispered from a table full of girls. Cindy tore her attention away from Jimmy for a split second, to see a beautiful chocolate girl squirming uncomfortably in her seat.
"What Libby?" Cindy barked, making Libby jump from the sudden change in volume.
"Perhaps you should let this one go, girl. I mean, Jimmy doesn't look like he can take any more hits." Libby warned. Cindy waved Libby off, before getting up in Jimmy's face challenging him with her furious gaze. Jimmy gulped, her face being so close intimidated him to the max, but he was going to prove to Cindy that he had a backbone and wouldn't keep running away all the time.
"I wish something would go horribly wrong in your lab, your absence would be the best thing that ever happened to Retroville." Cindy said, her eyes shot daggers into Jimmy, and it took him a second to realize she meant it. The hurt Jimmy showed in his eyes, was enough to make Cindy's heart grow soft, that was too far, and she knew it.
Tears pricked the corners of Jimmy's eyes, he couldn't cry, not now, but hearing her say that destroyed him. Cindy backed off, when she saw Jimmy trembling, the entire cafeteria was shocked at what came out of her mouth, and Cindy couldn't help but feel dirty inside.
Before Cindy could open her mouth to take it back, Jimmy's heart hardened and he released his entire life of frustration.
"You know what Cindy, everyone hates you, no one cares for you, I have saved Retroville hundreds of times. What do you ever do? Huh? You bully and boss people around all day and expect people to respect you! You know what your future holds? Huh? You are going to grow up with no ONE, your parents tried to raise a perfect daughter, but you are so far from perfect, you are hideous on the inside, and Retroville would benefit more if YOU were actually GONE."
Cindy was speechless, every word he said hit her in the head like a rock. She heard his emotions, his voice was cracking, and they both were trying hard not to cry. Cindy's heart shattered, everything he said was true, she bullied people, and expected them to respect her, would anyone even care if she was gone?
Cindy and Jimmy both stood in silence, as everyone else's mouthes dropped in horror, while a tear slipped from Cindy's eye.
Cindy had cracked, for the first time in her whole life, she showed that Jimmy had actually gotten to her.
But oh, Jimmy still wasn't done.
"Y-You know what else, I know about how hard your parents push you, each and every day you try to impress them. You want to know why you can't earn their love? Because you are a mistake to this world, you will never make it out in the real world, because you are stuck living a fantasy thinking you rule everything! Here is a news flash Cindy, you may have it all now, but when you are left on the streets, I might drop you some rope to help your struggles!"
Cindy slapped Jimmy as hard as she could, his head snapped to the side, as his brain gripped onto what he had just said. Cindy was sobbing now, tears streaming down her face, as Jimmy's eyes lit up in horror. He never meant to say that, he was just so angry, he was blinded by his rage.
Cindy bolted out of the cafeteria, her sobs echoing through the hall, as the doors closed shut behind her.
"Dang that was harsh," someone whispered to themselves. People never got involved with Cindy and Jimmy's fights, but Jimmy's classmates couldn't help but feel dirty after hearing their argument.
"That was cold and uncalled for Jimmy! I hope you are satisfied, congratulations you won." Libby spat, springing out of her seat and running after her best friend who was long gone by now.
Jimmy thought that winning for the first time in his life would feel amazing, but he felt awful, and wanted to cry his eyes out. The things Cindy said to him stung, and he would carry them around forever, but he never meant for Cindy to completely shut down.
Jimmy felt the urge to run after her, perhaps he could fix what he said. He wanted so badly to apologize, he just wanted all their arguing to stop, he wouldn't ever say it to anyone, but he wanted to be friends.
No one in Retroville High was as smart as him, but Cindy was smart enough for him to have someone to talk to about his ideas and his inventions. He admired her, she worked hard, and had her own opinions about things, she was sweet when she wanted to be, and he loved that side of her.
He would always watch her when she was talking to Libby, the smile she would give her was warm and friendly, and he never got one of those. Her true smiles were the most inviting thing he has seen in a long time, and he would give his most prized invention just so he could be her friend.
Jimmy realized he needed to run after her, everything he said he didn't mean, he needed to tell her there was a chance of friendship if they just tried.
Jimmy ran out of the cafeteria, but the hallway was empty, he called out her name, desperate to hear her respond, but there was only silence.
"Cindy please, I am so sorry." Jimmy said, a tear slipped down his face as he frantically started to search for his broken rival.
~One week later~
A week had passed, Jimmy refused to go to school, his grades were dropping, but he didn't really care. Cindy was in her room, she hadn't left her room once in a week, her parents didn't really care, for they didn't even try to check on her.
Jimmy had left hundreds of voicemails, and had called every second he thought of her, and now he resulted in watching her through an X-ray that showed her figure crouched in a corner in her room. Jimmy had knocked on her door, but Cindy must have told her parents to never let him in a long time ago, for they looked out the window and ignored him.
Jimmy had sent Goddard to Cindy's window to give her a note, but she didn't even move. Jimmy was desperate, he had never seen Cindy so depressed, and she was all alone, truly with no one.
Cindy knew Libby had come by, dropped off some comfort food, asked to come in, and begged Cindy to just let it go, but she couldn't. She didn't understand why Neutron's words hurt so badly, why did they cut her so deep?
Cindy hugged her knees, she had cried so hard for so long that her body was slowly drained of water, and her body was too weak to even try to move. The comfort food Libby brought was the only thing she had eaten, and the tea with it was the only thing she had that was liquid for a while.
Cindy laid her head on her floor in her room, she hadn't slept in three days, she was exhausted but couldn't sleep. Her eyes burned when she tried to close them, and her depression screamed at her to keep replaying Jimmy's words over and over again.
Perhaps a rope wouldn't be so bad.
Jimmy hated Cindy, Libby only hung out with Cindy because she had no one else, Cindy's parents only want her talents, and that pretty much rules out everyone in her life.
No one has asked her out her entire life in high school, they were all too afraid of her, and she wasn't sure anyone could really love the monster she was. Her heart was heavy with hurt, she wanted to die, perhaps these feelings would never pass, and she couldn't live like that.
Cindy was never a strong person, people always thought she never cracked but she did, when she was alone. Sometimes she would play loud music and cry so hard her throat would be scratchy the next day. Jimmy would complain about the music the next day, saying he couldn't sleep because of the volume, if only he knew why she played it.
Jimmy watched Cindy shift through the screen, it broke his heart to see Cindy curled up in a ball on the floor not moving a muscle. Jimmy slammed his hands on his desk, that was it, he was tired of not being able to talk to her, and he needed to be there for her and apologize!
Jimmy knew he would probably get his butt kicked for even thinking about this, but he was going to do it anyway.
Jimmy kept an emergency kit under his bed, usually to get him inside Cindy's house to prevent her from playing a prank on him. His kit consisted on a grappling hook, a flashlight, and a lock pick, all good things to use when getting into someone's house.
Jimmy grabbed his grappling hook, that was attached to a rope and snuck out of his house to avoid any questions from his parents. Cindy's house was in view, and he was covered by the darkness of night, as he crouched under Cindy's bedroom window.
Jimmy tossed his grappling hook, and started to climb the rope all the way up to the window. Jimmy knocked on the window, hoping that she would answer before he just broke in.
When there was no answer, he took a deep breath and told himself that he was the only one that could fix this problem.
Jimmy stuck the pick in the lock, twisting it around until the lock popped right off. Jimmy's heart was pounding, Cindy could beat him to the ground if she got mad. Cindy had just hardly shoved him once, and he was in pain for a few days, her strength was definitely not something to play with.
Jimmy lifted her window, and crept inside, before closing it behind him and letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. Jimmy has never been as scared as he was in his entire life, if Cindy wanted to she could beat him up, and call the police on him for breaking and entering.
Jimmy's gaze stopped on someone curled in a ball on the floor, the person wasn't moving, and as the moonlight touched their hair, exposing the blond hair he had known for so long, he realized that it was Cindy.
Her eyes were open, and her breathing was slow, her unblinking stare was enough to tell Jimmy that she was extremely deep in thought, and probably didn't even notice he was there.
Jimmy cautiously stepped towards Cindy, her body didn't even move, her eyes just stared at the wall in front of her. Jimmy gently called her name, moving slowly and patiently, before sitting down in front of her, wanting so badly just to erase the past week.
"Holy Heisenberg, Cindy I am so sorry I didn't mean for this to happen to you." Jimmy said sincerely. Cindy was unresponsive, he didn't even think she heard him, as he sat with her in silence.
Suddenly Cindy's eyes moved, and she looked into his eyes. Jimmy's heart felt like it was stabbed, her eyes were so red and raw from crying, and her face was just so full of sadness, that it was almost too painful to look at.
"Y-You were right," Cindy croaked.
Jimmy was confused, this wasn't Cindy, first of all she would never admit that he was right about anything, now he knew something was terribly wrong.
Cindy's hair was a mess, her ponytail was no longer neat and tidy, but more of an out of control disaster. Jimmy was on his knees, as Cindy sat herself up for the first time in days.
"-In my darkest hour, no one cared about me." Cindy said softly. The words were harsh but they were true, her parents didn't care, they would rather not see her in this state and leave her to rot in her room. Libby came over once, but didn't even try to really make an effort, dropped off her food, and didn't come back. Even Cindy's best friend thought she wasn't worth the time and effort to try and make her feel better.
Jimmy cringed, as she hugged her knees and stared at the floor. He didn't know what to say first, sorry, or try to make her feel better? Or just pour out all the things he wanted to say over the years.
"I-I care about you, I-I'm here believe it or not." Jimmy said. His words were true, even though he hated the way she treated him, he didn't truly hate her. He couldn't think of his life without her, and he really wanted to be friends with his lifelong enemy, he couldn't think of a better thing happening to him.
Cindy looked into Jimmy's eyes, his face was full of desperation and hurt, she knew she had hurt him pretty bad, and he had done the same. They have never had a fight this bad, but his words couldn't be taken back, and now that she thought about it, she was angry.
Why should she be wasting her time sobbing on the floor, Jimmy was the biggest problem in her life. Every time she thought she was going to make her parents proud, Jimmy would show up and beat her. Jimmy was a jerk, and she hated him with every inch of her soul, he didn't come here to apologize, he is probably pretending just to make him look like the good guy in the situation.
Jimmy saw Cindy's gaze harden, and fury blaze in her green eyes. He had never seen her so furious, and it made him shrink into his skin, afraid that he had somehow crossed a line.
Cindy was done playing games with him, they have fought and fought ever since she moved to Retroville. It had all been small fights, rivalry, and occasional jealousy, but Neutron was running her life! She refused to drop another tear, Jimmy wasn't going to affect her life anymore, no one was.
The sudden change in the atmosphere made Jimmy cower, as he tried to scoot away from Cindy, "whatever I did to make you angry I am sorry!"
Jimmy's voice cracked as he backed as far away from Cindy as possible, his back hit the wall as he shielded his face with his hands and cowered.
"You know what Neutron, I am done playing games with you, I am done trying to run circles, and I cannot stand you anymore!" Cindy thundered, making Jimmy flinch as Cindy got up and walked towards him.
Cindy grabbed his shirt and forced him up against the wall, as her eyes bore into his very soul. Jimmy squirmed uncomfortably, whatever she was going to say next, he deserved, but he was scared out of his mind!
"I hate you! Why can't you just let me live my life? Is it so hard for you to let someone else be excited for once? I worked so hard to get where I am with perfect grades, and a chance to get into the best college, but why should it matter, when they will skip right past me to look at you! My parents, my family, I will be disowned, all because of you!" Cindy said, shoving Jimmy's back against the wall making him cry out in pain.
"I-I'm sorry, I'll try to fail some tests, I will do anything, just please, I don't want us to fight anymore." Jimmy cried out.
"I don't care about having friends, I don't care if I am alone, in fact, that would be the best thing that has ever happened to me! I don't care anymore Jimmy, just get out of my life!" Cindy screamed, causing Jimmy to tremble in fear.
"B-But, Cindy p-please." Jimmy begged, but he was tossed towards the window, almost making him lose his footing.
"GET OUT, LEAVE!" Cindy yelled, throwing the nearest thing at him, and causing Jimmy to quickly duck to avoid being assaulted with a textbook. Cindy was in so much pain he could see it, but Cindy now felt numb off all emotions, she just wanted to be left alone, she wanted everyone to just leave her be!
Jimmy didn't move, he didn't want to leave. He came to her to make things better, but he just caused her to explode and hate him even more.
"Get out Nerdtron! Buck toothed beaver! What do I have to say to make you get OUT! Get it through your thick skull, I don't want anything to do with you EVER! I hate YOU, I want to never speak to you again!" Cindy screamed, making her throat burn.
Jimmy was shaking, but he didn't move, he couldn't leave her like this, she was breaking, and she had no one. Jimmy took a step forward, but that was a big mistake.
Cindy stomped over, grabbed his arm, opened her window, and shoved him out, ignoring the fact that it was a long way down. Jimmy cried out in surprise, as he dropped from her bedroom window, and landed in the bushes below. His tailbone hurt really bad, he spent a second massaging it, before looking back up to Cindy's bedroom window.
Cindy snarled at him, before shutting her window closed. She could hear Jimmy's frantic cries of desperate pleas, but she didn't care. Their rivalry was over, all the fighting ended today, she was tried, and done.
Jimmy no longer mattered to her, he was no one, Cindy didn't care about her grades, her parents, or anything at all. She was done fighting everyone and everything, struggling to balance everything together.
Her parents could yell, threaten, or force her to do anything they wanted, she was done.
No one was going to boss her around anymore, she hated everyone, why should she have to work so hard to please everyone else?
Cindy slid her back down the wall, before sitting down on the floor and crying softly for the last time.
This was the last thing her body could take, she couldn't do this anymore.
~Two Days Later~
Jimmy was finally forced to go back to school by his parents, his grades took quite a beating for his absence, but nowhere as bad as Cindy's could be. Jimmy felt awful, and the first day when he went back was probably the worst day of his life.
He walked down the halls, and saw that familiar head of blond hair that gave him the slightest glimmer of hope that perhaps Cindy got over everything. He approached his rival, and tapped her on the shoulder, only for her to give him a blank stare.
She slammed her locker shut and walked away.
She didn't talk to him for the rest of his first day back, no teasing, no pranks, she didn't even say a word when he read his work out loud to the class. Now that he thought about it, she looked like she was playing on her phone the entire class period.
Jimmy was just in shock, he had hoped for a day when she would just blend in with the rest of the school, but now that it happened he hated it. There was no competition, no bullying, it was like she didn't exist at all!
She never raised her hand to answer a question, didn't even look up from her phone in AP Chemistry. Jimmy tried to do so many things to get her attention, he even purposely answered a question wrong out loud, making the entire class gasp because the question was so easy. Vortex didn't even make a sound, she didn't even try to correct him!
He just watched her stare at her phone, for the entire class. She didn't even try to make an effort to look up at the board to see where the class was at, so Jimmy even tried to call her name in class, (which he never did) he has always paid attention in class, but her behavior was just so bizarre!
Cindy didn't move, just rolled her thumb across her screen, reading something that he couldn't see from his angle.
The second day was even worse, Jimmy tried to warn Cindy that their AP Calculus teacher noticed her slacking off, but she got caught.
Cindy was confronted, but she still didn't care, and got sent to the principal's office for the first time in her life. Cindy was the talk of the school, her crazy behavior got everyone wondering if she was okay.
Rumors started, some saying she was on drugs, others saying she broke up with a rumored long distance boyfriend that cheated on her, others were saying her mother brainwashed her and it backfired.
Cindy even refused to let anyone sit next to her, so she sat alone, not even touching her food, and just leaning on her elbow, lost in thought.
"What is wrong with Cindy? She is almost as sad as me when Ultra Lord lost his fight in episode sixty three." Sheen said in a whisper.
Jimmy, Sheen, and Carl usually sat behind the table of girls so they could eavesdrop on their conversation. They were all shocked when Cindy chose a table at the very back, and refused to let anyone sit with her.
"You had something to do with this Neutron!" a girl named Brittany yelled from the girl's table.
Jimmy flinched, and looked towards the floor. Libby came to their table and slammed her tray on the table, making Sheen and Carl jump in alarm.
Libby pointed to Cindy and said with a threatening tone, "THAT is not Cindy, I know Neutron probably did something to her with some crazy invention of his for revenge! You better fix my girl, Nerdtron!"
Jimmy stared at the floor, he wanted to fix it, but he didn't know how. The rumors physically hurt him to hear, when he knew the truth after what happened when he went to her room. Jimmy stood up for her, and tried to disperse the rumors by telling everyone to leave her alone, but no one cared about what he had to say.
"So Jimmy, you were telling us what happened," Carl said softly. Sheen picked at his teeth with his nail, as Jimmy took a deep breath and prepared to tell his best friends what had happened the night he went to Cindy's bedroom.
"I tried to apologize guys, I even committed a crime to try and make things right. I don't know why she is like this, it's like she doesn't care about anything anymore! I caught her sneaking out of the class for the second time this day, and no returning until the class was over! Since when does Vortex do that?" Jimmy said in a hushed angry whisper.
"Well since when do we care about what happens to Cindy? She has bullied us ever since Elementary School, I say it's about time karma got her." Sheen said with a goofy smile.
"Yeah Jim, she stole my inhaler in gym, after a really terrible running exercise, causing me to have severe asthma. Jimmy, she made me go to the hospital." Carl wheezed, almost as if the memory was making his lungs act up, as he took out his inhaler and took a puff.
Carl was not in the best shape, he was always getting hurt, or always having a medical problem. Cindy would usually poke fun of the fact that he was overweight, and purposely steal his medical items to watch him struggle, and eventually have to go home to get his extras.
"Yeah, remember the time I brought my extremely expensive Ultra Lord comic book, which was in mint condition to show the computer club? I did that to get into their club, and Cindy shoved it in the toilet to get revenge on me for making her drop her pencil and her having to pick it up earlier that day, WHO remembers something like that!?" Sheen yelled, clawing at his face, mourning his comic book.
"Look at her guys, she is miserable, do you all really think after all the things she has done to you, she deserves this kind of misery?" Jimmy said, it pained him to defend her like this, but he was responsible for how she was acting.
Carl and Sheen both looked at each other before both replying, "yes."
"Come on, she has done some good things, like remember all those adventures we have had with her, she helped us out a lot in the past right?" Jimmy quickly said, trying to make his friends remember all the times she has helped them out.
Cindy wasn't a complete psychopath, there were times she was sweet and passionate, enough to make Jimmy admire her in the past. Their most famous adventures happened in Elementary and Middle school, Jimmy would be in a pickle, and Cindy was the closest person that was smart enough to help reverse his mistakes.
In Middle School just before graduation, Jimmy tried to create a dimensional portal to travel long distances in seconds, and he got trapped under the earth's crust. Cindy figured out how to track him down, and get him home safely. Then that time when Jimmy got kidnapped by aliens far from Earth, Cindy figured out how to bring him back, after physically fighting them all off.
"Yeah you are right Jim, she has helped us." Carl said, looking at Sheen.
"Yeah she has done some things for us, but she is also a big PAIN in the butt!" Sheen yelled.
"Yeah remember that time when Cindy cut your belt so it couldn't support your pants, and you stood in front of the whole class with your pants down in freshmen year?" Carl said, making Sheen gasp and his cheeks turn red.
"Yeah I remember that, but the reason you are so embarrassed by that is because you were not wearing underwear," Jimmy said.
Sheen puffed out his cheeks, "I rarely wear underwear, and Cindy knows that, so it was the perfect plan! She is a mad genius!"
Sheen and Carl started to talk about all the things Cindy has done to them, making Jimmy lose all hope. They were happy these things were happening to Cindy, and he was starting to wonder if he should just leave her be, she has done more bad then good to him.
Jimmy looked over to Cindy, she still was lost in thought, and no matter how he tried to harden his heart, he has honestly always had a soft spot for his rival.
When school was over, he watched Cindy walk home without saying goodbye to anyone. Jimmy decided to walk home as well, just to make sure she made it home safely, Cindy could feel her rival watching her from behind, but she ignored him like everyone else in her life.
He could follow her home if he wanted to, she was not going to say a word to him, or even look at him.
Jimmy walked closer, when he heard her mumble something under her breath and shift her backpack.
"Stupid Neutron, so persistent." Cindy growled, picking up the pace and avoiding Jimmy's gaze.
When Cindy got to her house, she ran up the steps to rush to her front door, when Jimmy stopped by her driveway.
"One day Vortex, we will have to talk, you can't do this forever!" Jimmy shouted, as Cindy slammed the door behind her.
Jimmy sighed, he was exhausted, he didn't want this awkward silence between them. He actually wished things would go back to what they were, the fighting was so much better than this uncaring Cindy Vortex, at least he could have had a conversation with her, even if there was yelling.
Jimmy tore at his hair, and cried out in frustration, he didn't know what to do.
"Hey Jimmy!" a voice yelled from behind him.
Jimmy turned to see Sheen sitting on his front steps with some strange book in his hands. Jimmy sighed, but he would have to let Cindy go for the time being and help his friend out with whatever ridiculous thing Sheen had planned.
Jimmy walked over to Sheen before replying, "what can I help you with? Something Ultra Lord related I presume."
"No, actually I found this really cool book on these creatures called demons! I want you to summon one from the underworld so I can fight it with my new Ultra Lord punching glove!" Sheen giggled, punching the air with a ridiculous looking purple glove the size of a large pumpkin.
"Okay for one Sheen, that is Ultra Lord related, and two, hate to disappoint you, but the underworld and demons are just fairytales. No one can prove with science that either of them exist, so I refuse to believe that they exist either." Jimmy explained.
Jimmy jumped when Sheen threw himself at his feet, and grabbed his ankles suddenly.
"Please Jimmy, I have to fight a demon with my bare hands! Imagine how impressed Libby would be if I pulled this off!" Sheen begged.
"Sheen come on, demons don't exist, they are fantasy like werewolves and Ult-" Jimmy stopped when he realized that he was going too far.
Jimmy sighed before getting his legs out of Sheen's grip and motioning for Sheen to follow him.
Sheen's eyes lit up when he realized his best friend was going to let him fight a demon with his two fists! Sheen giggled excitedly, before skipping after Jimmy with the picture of a conquered demon in his mind.
Jimmy unlocked the door to his lab, before inviting Sheen in and closing the door behind him. All of Jimmy's gadgets were untouched and neatly organized on shelves and on tables, and his giant computer screen was dark and inactive just like how he left it.
Jimmy slid into his chair, before taking a deep breath, knowing very well he would have to go deep into mythology to learn about demons. This went against everything he has ever learned, but his best friend mattered more than his beliefs, and perhaps he could show Sheen that not everything he reads is true.
For two hours, Jimmy read up on demons, where they came from, their abilities, and where they could be found. Jimmy wanted to gag, it started to talk about biblical things, and Jimmy had already figured out that he was an atheist. Jimmy put his head in his hands, and massaged his cheeks, as Sheen snored in a chair beside him.
"Alright, I guess I am building a portal to the gates of hell." Jimmy sighed. The boy genius thought for a second, with all the research he did, there was apparently a famous historical place, that was known to harbor the gates of hell. Jimmy hated the thought of building another dimensional portal, but he wouldn't go in it this time, just show Sheen that there was nothing there.
Jimmy shook Sheen to wake him up as his best friend yelled out in surprise, "w-what? Are we being attacked by space robots?!"
"No Sheen, I am just going to build a dimensional portal to where it said the underworld opens up. No matter what happens, you can't be devastated, alright Sheen? Even if there are no demons, okay?" Jimmy said gently, watching as Sheen slowly yawned and stretched.
"Don't worry Jimmy, I won't be disappointed, because I know I am going to kick that big red demon's butt!" Sheen said with a thumbs up and a smile.
Jimmy turned around so Sheen couldn't see him roll his eyes, and then got to work. It took Jimmy about an hour to set up all his equipment, until he finally pieced together his dimensional portal ray.
"Stand back Sheen, are you ready with your Ultra Glove?" Jimmy asked, as Sheen got into position.
"All ready Jim!" Sheen replied, as Jimmy nodded his head and pressed a button on his ray. The device sparked, and vibrated to life, before spitting out a harsh ray of light and expanding into a large bright ball of light.
When the light died down, a hole was visible in the lab, while electricity and light sparked around the rim of the circle. Lightning shot out from the edges, as Jimmy un-shielded his eyes to look into the portal.
"Interesting, this doesn't look like British Columbia where the historical gates of hell are located." Jimmy said.
Inside the portal, fire and brimstone boiled and rampaged through a barren and blackened stony wasteland. Hanging stalagmites that were hundreds of feet tall decorated the ground, and a pitch black sky hung above this depressing and scary sight.
Rivers of lava ran throughout the black rocks, and lakes of furious flames, miles wide sizzled the rocks with their intense heat. The temperature was so intense, both Sheen and Jimmy had to shield their faces and step away, and the smell was so putrid and horrid they gagged.
"This is impossible, the ray must have malfunctioned and made a portal to another planet, but that is so strange, I know everything is functioning correctly, and my coordinates were right." Jimmy said scratching his head.
That was when the wails started, the horrible sound of screaming, that destroyed Sheen and Jimmy's eardrums. The creatures making those sounds were screaming so loud and painfully, it's like it was coming from their soul.
"J-Jimmy, I don't like this, I don't want to fight a demon anymore, I don't want to see the underworld anymore, close it!" Sheen screamed over the wails.
"Sheen it's not the underworld, hell doesn't exist!" Jimmy yelled back, so Sheen could hear him.
Jimmy shielded his face when looking at the horrendous sight, but when he looked back, something was standing at the portal's entrance.
The creature was completely black, almost like a shadow, with a long tail, and sharp gleaming fangs that could be seen when it opened its mouth.
Its features couldn't be seen, because it moved with blinding speed as it entered through the portal. Jimmy screamed, as the creature looked at him, with angry blood-red eyes.
"Jimmy get away that thing is a demon!" Sheen yelled, pushing his buddy out of the way and making him land on his back hard.
"Sheen, there are no such thing as-" Jimmy was stopped as Sheen raised his glove threateningly at the demon.
"Stop vile demon, prepare to feel the wrath of Ultra Lo-" Sheen was cut off as the creature slammed its arm into Sheen's stomach making him fly into Jimmy's computer screen. The glass shattered, slicing Sheen's skin and causing a wave of glass to spill all over the lab floor.
Sheen was immediately knocked unconscious, and his body went tumbling towards the floor.
"Sheen!" Jimmy yelled, but his body was suddenly ripped off of the ground by an unseen force and slammed into the back metal wall. Jimmy cried out in pain as his spine shifted under the pressure, he was immobilized, as the creature flexed its hand, proving that it was the one controlling Jimmy's body.
Jimmy couldn't breathe, he gasped for air, but eventually his body gave out due to the lack of oxygen, and his body fell limp. The creature let Jimmy go, and his body fell onto the floor face first, but he did not move.
The creature was indeed something out of the ordinary, as it looked at its hands in pure awe. Black shadowy flames flickered on its body, as it examined itself and its environment around it, curious as to where it could be.
The creature wasted no time in roaring, before running towards the wall and disappearing without a trace.