"Heya! Breezyfeather here!" Breezyfeather yells out. Dan and the others groan.
"Was it really necessary to yell?" Runo shouts.
"Yes."
"What was the reason?"
"I had to wake you up somehow."
"BREEZYFEATHER!" Fabia and Mira grab Runo's arms to keep her from attacking Breezyfeather while Julie grabs her legs. Together, they all topple over. Alice watches from where she is sitting on the beam across the living room top with Shun.
"I'm worried about Runo," she says softly.
"Don't worry. She'll be fine," Shun grins.
"Aha! Bakugan Christmas Special!" Breezy shouts. Ren, Mason, Zenet, Sid, Jesse, and the Vexos all groan. "Quiet you!"
"Ugh!"
"Sigh. Merry Christmas everyone!" Breezyfeather says happily.
Runo softly hummed "Carol of the bells" as she wiped the counter in her parents' cafe. Worry made her stomach twist and clench as she dug the sponge into an irritating grease stain. It had been an awfully busy morning, filled with customers on their way to their family's houses, or their own. She had had to endure several rude remarks from a few of the customers while her parents were in the back filling orders, but Runo had learned to develop a sort of filter to the mean comments. Thankfully her father hadn't heard. If he had, he probably would have beaten the customer with a broom.
Around eleven o'clock in the morning, it had started to snow. Every single time a customer opened the door, they would bring a huge gust of wind and snow with them, chilling everyone to the bone and earning quiet a few upset shouts from the customers. Runo had been forced to tolerate it while her parents stayed safely in the back. She shook her head as she pressed against the grease, which was being stubborn. And her patience was just about gone. At least it would be Christmas in a week.
She looked up, glaring at the door, which was decorated with several Christmas lights. The lights helped to lift her spirits, but it couldn't help the knots of worry in her stomach. She sighed. "Where are you, Julie?" she whispered, giving up on the grease. Dan and Barron had just left for New Vestroia, as Mira betrayed them and left with the Vexos. Alice was going to spend Christmas with them, but she had decided to stay with her grandfather in Moscow. Julie had gone out to get some Hot Chocolate from Starbucks and bring Runo some of the cookies she liked. But Julie wasn't back yet.
She tossed the sponge into the sink and wiped her hands on her apron, then stacked the chairs on top of the tables. Just as she was placing the last one on the table nearest the door(she had been working towards the door because it was so cold there), a gust of frigid air swirled around her. She gasped, whirling around as the door slammed shut.
What she saw made her stumble back into the table in surprise. Dully, she was shocked that her parents didn't come running at the crash she made as the chairs toppled off the tables. Her eyes were wide as she tried to get her vocal cords to work, as she tried to call out for help. But, for some strange reason, they wouldn't obey her. They were frozen, just like the rest of her. Seconds stretched into minutes, then minutes into hours, it seemed. Then, something inside her stirred, and she had control over her body again. She whispered hoarsely the name of the person who had walked into the cafe, unable to actually say it. It was as if saying his name was a taboo, so her vocal cords had a limit.
"Spectra..." The Pyrus Vexos smirked at her, his mouth twitching upwards ever so slightly. His mechanical eye did all the rest to make his facial expression appear malicious. His posture was that of leisure, both of his arms dangling limply at his sides. He appeared totally relaxed. That was what made Runo the most wary of him. She glanced behind her, cursing in her mind when she realized that she was up against the table, and therefore landlocked. She turned back to the Pyrus brawler and glared at him, summoning a spark of courage that grew into a well fed flame.
"What do you want?" she snarled, taking in Gus at his side, who seemed to be just as relaxed. She glanced at them again, noting that they were both covered in snow. What the heck were they doing in that snow storm? Runo could only guess. She sighed and brushed past them angrily, surprised that they let her pass since he had kidnapped her before.
"Is that how you greet all of your customers?" Spectra asked casually. Runo stiffened, turning around and glaring at him.
"It's after hours. I don't get customers after 5 o'clock, smart guy," Runo snapped, taking off her apron and hanging it on a hook. "So, since you are, technically, not a customer, what do you want?"
"A little harsh, aren't you?" Spectra smirked. Runo glared daggers at him but he didn't seem fazed. Neither did Gus. Runo felt a flicker of fear attempt to douse her flame of courage. Why were they here anyway? Spectra didn't seem in a rush to get to the point so Runo casually(or tried to casually) move behind the counter. She just wanted to put something between her and the feathered freak.
"Look. I don't know why you're here. Dan's not here. I don't have a Bakugan. What reason would you have for coming here?" Runo asked.
"The snow," Gus said simply. Runo glanced outside, well aware of the growing amount of the freezing white blanket outside. There had to be at least a foot on the ground already. "There's a little bit too much snow for us to keep wandering around. So, we came here. At least it's warm."
"Yeah, well, I suggest you find some other place to stay right now," Runo said, trying to sound calm. "After you kidnapped me, how could you expect to find yourself welcome here?"
"Oh, we're not staying," Spectra said smoothly. And malevolently. Runo stared at him, then, without thinking, ducked down behind the counter, rolling under one of the shelves. She grabbed the ends of her pigtails and pinned them close to her chest, knowing that he would come around and pull her out from under her hiding spot. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for him to pull her from the niche. But his hand never came. She blinked, then rolled out from under the shelf. Thankfully, when she had swept earlier, she had swept there, and didn't collect any dust bunnies. She glanced back at Spectra, and he stood there with Gus as he had before. Runo quickly covered up her disappearance.
"What? I twisted my ankle. Get over it." She moved to grab the broom, and then she heard Spectra take a step. She turned to find him flying through the air toward her. She gasped, then quickly swung the broom in front of her, succeeding in thwacking him on the head. He was forced to the side and she blinked, then held the broom tightly in her hands, ready to strike again. "Get out! Now! I'll call the police!" she shouted, then cursed silently. She should have done that in the first place! She made a face of annoyance and then Spectra leaped at her again, prompting her to swing at him – again. She made contact with his side this time, which wasn't as effective. It still managed to slow him down, though, and she managed to slip past him as he lunged at her.
She dove around the entrance to the counter, dodging Gus's grip by jabbing him in the side with the end of the broom and moving to the door back into her house. She yanked it open and then quickly shut it behind her, twisting the lock and forcing a chair in front of the door knob. It won't hold for long, the annoying voice in her head chirped. Shut up, Runo thought fearfully, dashing toward the kitchen in her house, searching for her parents. Instead, she found a note on the table that read, "Gone shopping. We'll be back in an hour. Hopefully the snow will have stopped!"
"Now why would anyone go out in a snow storm?" Runo grumbled. Then, she saw the phone. The phone. She lunged for it, snatching it off the hook. She then dove up the stair case, shut her bedroom door and locked it from the inside, and then ducked into her parents' room. Quickly, she turned the lock on that, too, and then silently dove into their bathroom, locking that door as well. Then she ducked into the closet holding the towels after carefully placing them into the bathtub to make room for herself. Then she dialed the phone.
But when it rang, she realized she hadn't called the police station, but instead Dan's cell phone! She slapped her head in annoyance as his answering machine played and she hung up, then dialed the number for the police. "Hello?" she asked softly.
"This is Wardington Police, what is the problem?" the answerer asked.
"Two teenage boys broke into my cafe while I was cleaning up. I'm Runo Misaki. My parents went out grocery shopping and aren't home and I managed to hide in my parents room. I need help!" she whispered frantically.
"Hold on, I'm dispatching a few officers right now," the lady on the other line said. "Where is your cafe?"
"It's near the main rode, Misaki is the name," Runo whispered nervously, trying not to panic. With the snow, it might be impossible for the police to reach her in time. "Please, tell them to hurry. It won't be long before they find me – and these guys aren't interested in robbery. They're interested in kidnapping!"
"How do you know?" the lady asked.
"One of them kidnapped me before, a few months ago, but a friend of mine saved me before it got out of hand. And they practically told me!" Runo hissed, panic starting to cloud her senses. "Hurry!"
"They're doing the best they can, Miss Misaki," the lady said, then was silent for a second. She hissed inwardly. "Can you hold out for a little while? Do you think they'll find you?"
"I'm not sure...is the snow too much of a problem?" Runo dreaded the answer. Was she imagining the footsteps on the stairs?
"It will make getting to your house harder, Runo," the lady said, trying to remain calm. "Do you have anything to defend yourself with?"
"I... had a broom, but... I must have... dropped it somewhere," Runo said shakily, hearing footsteps coming closer to the room. "I can hear their footsteps – they're in the hallway," she whispered.
"Where are you again?" the lady asked.
"I'm in my parent's bathroom. I locked the door outside – in the hallway, and I also locked the one to the bathroom. I'm in a cabinet," Runo whispered, trying not to hyperventilate.
"Just stay calm," the lady said softly. "The police should be there in a few minutes."
"Alright," Runo breathed. Then, the squeaking of her parent's door filled the air and Runo held her breath.
"Are you still there?" the lady asked.
"Yeah," Runo breathed almost silently. "They're in my parents' bedroom."
"Stay quiet. Tap the mouth piece of the phone every so often so I know you're still there," the lady directed. Runo made a small sound and detected the soft sound of feet on carpet, searching the room. She remained like that for 45 seconds while the intruder poked around the room outside, then she tapped the phone. She thought she could hear sirens.
Then the doorknob rattled. Runo froze, holding her breath in terror. The lady on the other end of the phone must have heard it too, for Runo could hear her shouting in the background for quiet. The sirens were growing louder. Each second felt like an hour to Runo, the fear in her stomach beginning to consume her. Then, something clicked in the lock mechanism, and the door silently slid open. Runo's slight breathing sounded through the phone, alerting the lady that she was still there.
The sound of boots on the tile floor of the bathroom sounded like dropping bombs to Runo. Each one assaulted her, bringing her panic up to critical. It took all of her concentration not to scream, or move, or even twitch. The slightest movement or sound might bring about her demise, she knew.
The footsteps fell silent. Runo held her breath, waiting to see if the intruder had given up. But the shadow over the small strip of light that shone through the cabinet doors told otherwise. She had been caught.
"Runo." Runo lashed out with her legs, hard, against the door to the cabinet, sending the door flying outward with a cry. Spectra's mask flew off his face, landing on the linoleum floor a few feet away. He himself was also forced back and Runo sprung out of the cabinet in a panic, dashing toward the door of the bathroom.
"He found me," she shouted into the phone. But she could hear the sirens! Yes! She knew she wasn't out of the woods yet, but she was as good as safe. She dashed out of her parent's room, her sock-clad feet sliding over the wood floor of the hallway. Gus lunged at her but she ducked and he missed, instead crashing into the wall with a grunt. Runo reached her room, ducking into it and locking the door, realizing that Gus must have unlocked it in their search for her. She quickly dove over her bed and pushed it in front of the door, succeeding just before she heard the rattling of Gus's hand on the doorknob.
She then ducked under her bed, deciding that that would not be expected, since in order for them to get in, they'd have to move the bed. "I managed, to get away. Sorta," Runo panted. "I'm hiding in my room, under my bed, with the door shut and locked and blocked with my bed."
"Okay, Runo," the lady said. "The police should be there very soon. Just sit tight for a little longer!"
"Mhm," Runo mumbled, shaking with fear. Dang, I wish Dan were here... or Julie... or even Marucho... Then, the lock clocked and Runo bit her lip, stiffening. The door slowly pushed open, forcing the bed to the side. Runo swallowed hard, moving her body so that she moved under the bed, concealed. Then, Spectra and Gus walked in. Runo could see their boots and the ends of Spectra's coat. They walked past her, then split. Gus walked over to her desk while Spectra took her closet. Runo held her breath and tapped the phone.
The sirens grew louder, tearing through the snow. Runo crossed her fingers. Come on, just a little longer! Don't let them find me for a little longer!
"She's not in the closet," Spectra said.
"Nor is she under her desk. She had to have come in here, though," Gus responded. "Did she go out the window?"
"No, she would have landed on the ground below. She's not stupid enough to do that, and besides, is the middle of a snow storm."
"Then where could she be?" The two were silent for a moment and Runo could hear the blood rushing in her ears. Just a little longer, just a little longer, just a little longer, she though over and over, closing her eyes tightly. She opened them again when she detected a footfall on the carpet – in her direction. She had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming in frustration. He crossed the distance between where he was standing and her bed while Runo pushed herself as far away from him as possible, toward the other side of the bed.
She squirmed out from under it, crouching in the little space between her bed and the wall. Runo hoped that the dust ruffles would conceal her. Dang! What would Dan do? she found herself unconsciously thinking. She bit her lip, bracing her leg against the wall. Then she pushed off flying up. She landed on the bed then jumped off barreling into Gus, who gasped as he went down. She got to her feet whirling around as Spectra straightened up. He must have been looking under the bed for her. He had a telltale smirk on his face and Runo's insides clenched.
Then Gus grabbed her legs, pulling her down(AGH THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY COMMA KEY!). Runo yelped, struggling. Then, something wrapped around her arms. She gasped, looking at Spectra, who had wrapped a tangle of Christmas Tree lights around her arms. "Are you kidding me? Christmas lights?" Once the initial shock that they were using lights evaporated and she realized they had her, she screamed. "Let go! Get off!"
"I don't think so," Gus smirked, pulling out a small rod about six inches long and an inch in diameter. Runo stiffened as the wires around her arms tightened, pulling them over her head.
"You feathered freak, let go!" Runo screeched. She kicked wildly, managing to catch Gus's wrist, knocking the rod out of his hand. Gus hissed in irritation but Spectra shook his head.
"We don't need it. Come on, we can take her as it is," he said. Gus nodded and Runo froze, then struggled with renewed passion, not caring if she broke the wires or if she cut herself. She had to get free! "Hurry up and align the transporter," Spectra ordered, pulling Runo to her feet and twisting her arms behind her back. She yanked her arms from his grip and tried to jump over her bed, but they caught her before she could get far.
"Let me go! Shoot, let me go!" she shouted, panic flooding her senses. She froze as Spectra's arm came in front of her neck, pinning her to his chest. She felt the Christmas lights fall from her arms and she tried to pull his arm from her throat, but it was no use. She gasped as her body started to disintegrate and struggled again. "No! Shoot! Dan!" she screamed finally as her form disappeared and she watched her room disappear before her eyes, just as the door behind her burst open and an armed group of police officers stormed into the room. She caught a fleeting glance of their eyes widening in surprise, and then they were gone.
The three of them appeared on board a ship. Spectra's ship. Runo was frozen in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Spectra removed his arm from her neck and she sank to her knees, staring at her legs folded underneath her. no... this can't be happening, she thought in horror. He can't have... Dan... no... Dan... I'm sorry... he got me... She started as something warm and wet fell onto the back of her fist, curled on her lap. She blinked and more landed. That was when she realized she was crying. She closed her eyes, allowing the tears to fall silently. She felt like she had failed Dan. She had let him down. And now she was at the mercy of the enemy... and that probably meant that Dan was, too.
"And it's almost Christmas," Runo whispered. Then, suddenly, she felt like she had been punched in the gut. She gasped, but her stomach didn't hurt. She blinked, looking around, and understood. She narrowed her eyes, then closed them and briskly brushed her tears away. She stood up, fists clenched at her sides. She turned around to face Spectra and Gus, who both were standing there, watching her. She glanced at Gus, then stepped up to him. He blinked at her, then gasped as her hand came sharply into contact with his cheek.
"What the heck? Let me go, you jerk!"
"I'm not the one to decide that. And you don't go slapping people!" he said to her.
"I can slap someone if they've just been rude!" Runo snarled, slipping a hand into her pocket. Gus took a step back and she glared at him. "Oh relax! It's a tube of lip gloss!" He blinked at her and rolled his eyes. She glared back at him and pulled out a small tube – not of lip gloss, but how was he, a Vestal, supposed to know that?
She whipped up her arm and quickly pressed down on the top, sending a spray of Pepper into his eyes. He yelled in pain, sinking into a crouch, holding his eyes. Runo whirled around, sprinting from them. She smirked at her hand. "I forgot I had that," she muttered. "I should have used that to begin with."
"Get her!" Spectra's voice slashed through the air, making Runo's stomach clench. She glanced around, then skidded to a halt as an armed guard held a 2 foot long rod with glowing rings in front of her. She stared wide eyed, then whirled around and came face to face with another one. She cursed silently as they all surrounded her. Spectra walked calmly up to her, Gus trailing behind while tears streamed down his face. He stood in front of her, his cold mechanical gaze meeting her defiant one. He held out a hand and Runo glared at him. "Now."
"No."
"Runo..."
"Yeah?"
"Give it to me if you want to see Dan again." Runo gasped, her eyes wide open in horror. He smirked, holding out his hand again. Runo, grudgingly, placed the bottle of Pepper Spray on his gloved palm. His smirk grew wider and he pocketed it, then turned and beckoned. Runo knew what he meant and scowled, but followed. The guards parted to let her through and she stared at the floor, wondering what Spectra had in store for her.
Gus came behind her, wiping his eyes. He glared at her back, then spoke. "What was that stuff?"
"Pepper Spray," Runo said shortly. "It's supposed to ward off creeps."
"Quiet back there," Spectra called. Runo made a face but listened while Gus was silent.
After a few minutes of navigating through narrow corridors(Runo had lost count of the many twists and turns), they arrived at a room with a metal door. It opened when Spectra pressed a few keys on the keypad outside. The door opened quietly, revealing a transporter. Gus grabbed Runo's arm and pulled her forward. Runo, of course, resisted, but after a look from Spectra she hissed, but walked forward. Gus led her to the transporter itself and pushed her onto it. She gasped, tripping. He jumped onto it, and then Spectra pressed a button on a control panel on the wall. Runo's form started to disintegrate, as did Gus's, and they vanished.
Runo was getting sick of the forced teleportations, and she stood up, surprised to find herself outside a metal door. Gus walked over to a keypad on the wall, pressed a few keys, and the door opened. Gus stood to the side and Runo caught the hint. She sighed, walking past him into the room. The door closed behind her with a mechanical "whir", making her whirl around. She sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be getting out. Instead, she took in her surroundings.
There was a bed against one wall, made out of the metal material of the floor. A mattress had been placed upon it with a few blankets. A door branched off the left wall, which Runo assumed was the bathroom. There were no windows. The floor was a sandy color, as were the walls. There was a table in the far corner of the room with a chair and some pencils and paper. There was also what looked like a laptop on top. Runo stared at it for a moment, then turned away.
She walked over to the door to the bathroom and tried to turn the doorknob, but was met with resistance. Runo blinked in confusion and tried again, but it seemed the door was locked. She knocked on it and heard a yelp. She stumbled back in surprise, landing on the floor. "Spectra? I'll be out in a minute," a voice called. Runo froze. She knew that voice. The sound of water running reached her ears, but she didn't realize it. She was too shocked.
But she betrayed us, Runo thought, staring at the door. Then, the doorknob clicked, and the door swung open. The girl standing above Runo looked around, then glanced down at the ground. Her blue eyes widened in horror. Everything about her was familiar to Runo. The spiky hair, the brown jumpsuit, the white boots. Mira and Runo's eyes met then and nothing seemed to exist besides the two of them. They stayed like that for a minute, then Runo adjusted her position and Mira gasped.
"Runo?"
"Mira?"
"He he... I think I'll leave it there," Breezyfeather smirks. Gus and Spectra stare at her and shrug while Runo sighed. Dan glares and Shun looks indifferent, hanging from a pole attached to the ceiling. Mira looks at Runo and grins. Runo grins back while Fabia, Alice, and Julie come up.
"I have some surprises for you to come," Breezyfeather says, grinning evily. Runo and the girls blink at each other.
"I can't be in it!" Fabia says.
"Hm... you're right. You're spared from this one," Breezyfeather grumbles. "Next one will have you! Or at least, the next chapter in "Dan and Runo's LegendProphecy" will be about you. I have to go back and edit it because the actual episode about that came out... yeah... anyway, Night!"
"Night... wait it's only 10:30!" Dan says.
"You're point is...?"
(I was having issues finding the quote key... he he... FAIL!)
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