Candlelight flickered against the wooden boards of the tree house ceiling. Fionna rolled from one side to the next but no sleeping condition was comfortable enough. She focused her gaze on the wax that dripped down the scented candle's sides. The candle spread its rosy scent into the room. It was supposed to be soothing but she crinkled her nose.
Cake had been worried when Fionna had finally made her way home, sure that that guy hadn't followed her home. Cake had sprung up from her curled position on the couch to envelope Fionna in a tight and big hug.
"I was so worried! Where in the world have you been, girl?" Cake took in Fionna's torn clothing and cuts. "What happened to you!?"
"I…got caught up with some marauders," Fionna mumbled, dropping her torn and cut backpack on the ground. She'd managed to wipe away some of the blood and dirt in a stream before coming home, but the wounds of the battle, not to mention her clothes, were still there.
"I told you, you shouldn't hang out with them. They're too rough," Cake scolded. She lifted Fionna's shirt off of her. "Look at you! You already have bruising." She rolled the bandaging over Fionna's purple and blue bruising chest and stomach. Her ribs still ached but not as badly as before.
"I'm sorry. I got out of there as soon as they got out the knives. Promise," she lied, watching Cake finish her wrapping. "Will you forgive me?"
Cake sighed loudly. "Yes, you ARE my sister. But that doesn't mean you're completely off the hook." She looked up. "I don't want you getting hurt, Fionna. It tears my heart to see you like this now!"
"No more marauders," Fionna promised.
"Good. There, why don't get out of those shorts and into your pajama pants? Then you can tell me about Gumball." Fionna blushed as Cake winked at the mention of Gumball.
A few moments later Fionna lay nestled against Cake on the couch as she cleaned out her wounds. "So, how was everything? Plus, why did you come home so late? You couldn't have been with the marauders too long."
"I'm sorry, I lost track of time at Gumball's. I would've called but things were a bit hectic over there," Fionna lied. Her fingers fidgeted behind her back. She felt guilty about not sharing the whole encounter with that one guy, but the last thing she needed was to think about him more. So with the marauders story it was.
"You must be hungry," Cake exclaimed, standing up. "Tree Trunks brought some apple pie earlier. Want a slice?"
So that's why he wasn't there, she thought. That's one mystery solved. "Yes ma'am." She kicked her shoes off of her aching feet while Cake scurried into the kitchen to fix her up a plate of pie.
"Something's been getting at Tree Trunks apple wagon again," Cake said, walking back into the room and handing Fionna a plate of piping hot pie. "Nearly half of his apples were gone."
Fionna listened intently. That didn't sound too peculiar or urgent to look into. She'd decide to keep it on the side though and not fully overlook it. It was probably some crows again or something.
"It was probably the crows," she replied then took a massive bite of her pie. "I don't think it's a lot to worry about for right now."
Cake nodded. Fionna noticed she was very detached today. Cake's fingers drummed against the couch irritably. Something was definitely wrong.
"Hey, are you feeling okay?" Fionna asked, setting her half-eaten pie down onto her paper plate. She wiped the crumbs from her mouth and chin with the back of her hand. "You seem really…out of it. You can tell me you know. We're sisters."
"I know," Cake said with a small smile, "And I appreciate that very much. I don't know, I guess it's just a little thing I'm going through." She stood up and patted Fionna's cheek. "You shouldn't worry so much about me, I'm perfectly fine. Now," Cake sat down beside Fionna, "word on the street is that you're Gumball's representative."
Fionna groaned. "Don't remind me. I don't know one thing about being a…representative. Why would he even choose me? I'm not a candy person."
"Well you have helped them out so much," Cake implied.
"Yeah, I know that, but really, I bet Peppermint Maid would be a better choice than me. I'll probably make a fool of myself…"
"Fionna!"
She shook out of her saddened state. "Sorry. It's just… I know I'll make a complete fool of myself. I'm not proper, polite, or princess-like." She sighed and slumped back. "This stinks."
Cake reached over and rubbed Fionna's back soothingly. "You should sleep over it, Fi. I think you'll feel better about the whole thing in the morning. Gumball's dropping by in the mornin' to talk to you about it. If you have any questions or problems, you can still talk to him."
Fionna only nodded in agreement. "Yeah." She looked up and noticed the corner of one of the envelopes sticking out of her bag. "Hey, I have a request." She stood up, crossed the room, and retrieved the envelope. She handed it to Cake. "Can you read this? It looks like letters…but I don't know."
Cake picked up the envelope and opened it with her claw, picking off the wax seal. The smell of mold and dust made Fionna crinkle her nose. Cake flattened out the creases and leaned it close to her eyes.
"Well?" Fionna asked eagerly.
Cake sighed. "I don't know. This is in cursive but it's really…I haven't read cursive in a very long time, Fi." Cake gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry."
"It's all right," Fionna sighed. She took the letter from Cake and stuffed it back into the envelope. "I'll probably ask Gumball tomorrow anyway." Cake nodded in agreement.
Fionna stood up. "Well, I better get to sleep now." The sun had already set an hour ago, only the moonlight casting any real light into the room and the few candles that now burned.
"I'll be right up," Cake called after her. Fionna nodded and climbed up the ladder.
She now lay in her bed, arm over her eyes. Eyes heavy but mind reeling, it was really hard to fall asleep against the lumpy monster skin blankets. They felt like lumpy pads of human bodies that poked into her back. The image made her not only revolted, but also scared out of her skin.
Fionna jumped out of the bed, feet planted firmly on ground. That was the last straw. No shred of exhaustion or sleepiness was going to come to her now with that disgusting image in her mind.
She slipped on her slippers and climbed downstairs, making sure not to wake up Cake. Downstairs it was pitch black except for the moonlight streaming through the half closed shutters. Cake had blown out the candles so not to cause a fire and wisps of smoke from the wicks still drifted here and there.
"Cake?" she whispered, listening for a reply. Sometimes Cake slept downstairs, and she wanted to make sure she hadn't this time. Without a small meow or grunting sound in reply, Fionna decided the coast was clear.
Taking out a match box from the coffee table (after knocking into it multiple times…ouch), she struck a match and lit one of the candles.
Rustling occurred as the new light of the flame sprouted dim shadows into the room. Fionna jumped back and spun around as something whistled by. She managed to see a white and tan paw from the dimness of the room.
Her heart hammered against her chest. "C-Cake? Sorry for waking you up, I couldn't sleep." She felt her way around slowly, trying to find her sleepy feline friend. "It's about Gumball…well, I think he's keeping something from me and…"
Muffled mumbling reached her ears, cutting her off. She turned slowly, eyes looking over her shoulder. Something smiled in the corner, red eyes and sharp white teeth glowing in the darkness. Something thrashed around in the thing's arms. Cake!
Fionna growled and grabbed into the pant leg of her pajama pants where she kept a blade just in case. She wielded it forward. She had no clue what she was up against. A curling hand covered her best friend's mouth.
That made Fionna angrier.
"What do you want?" she countered, feet spread apart.
It didn't answer. Merely, from the movement of its eyes, it cocked its head to the side tauntingly. Cake's claws dug into its hands but it didn't even seem to register it. Not good at all.
"Fionna, heroine of Aaa, I've come to take you."
She brought a hand to her ear, wincing. The thing had spoken inside her head.
"Come without a hassle and your friend might not get hurt in the process. If I feel generous enough, that is…"
Fionna's knee fell onto the floor as she tried to block off the voice making her ears and head pulsate and ring. The pain was terrible as it ricocheted across her.
"Stop…" she whispered, dropping to the floor. What was going on?!
"Stop fighting back or the cat gets it."
Fionna looked up tersely. The hand over her sister's mouth tightened, seeming to block off the oxygen flow. Cake thrashed around violently now.
"I can't…I am Fionna, heroine of Aaa, and I fight back!" She lunged forward, despite the explosions in her head, dagger extended. It didn't expect it just as her blade nearly missed it as it dodged to the side. It jumped to the ground and knocked the candle down, making the room pitch black.
Fionna squinted through the darkness. Her vision was never good in the dark, that's usually Cake's job. Now she was alone in the dark it seemed, her only breathing the sound. Something tapped her shoulder and she spun around, dagger extended. Nothing was there except the wind and laughter.
"Not funny," she whispered, head beginning to clear again. The ringing and pain in her head had subsided. Hopefully it won't happen again, whatever that rippling pain was.
"Give me back Cake," she yelled, hand shaking. "And no one gets hurt. I swear on it."
"You swear on it?" it hissed. Other than talking in her head, it spoke out loud this time, to her gladness. She pinpointed where the voice was and moved blindly towards it. "I don't believe you. And it's not entirely helping what I want."
"What is your business with me?"
"It's rare for someone to see you, someone like me. But, that isn't the full extent on your rarity. You're also human. Am I wrong?"
"You're dancing around the question," Fionna hissed, taking another step forward. The voice was coming closer now. "Let her go now! Or I'll slay you like all others that dare try to provoke me!"
"Fine." A startled Cake smashed into her, claws digging into her face. Fionna hissed under her breath from the pain as she fell down onto her butt, eyes wide. She heard the figure in front of her dart towards the window as she tried to get Cake off of her.
"Wait, Cake it's me!" she yelled uselessly, throwing the enraged cat off of her and darting towards the unlatched window. A cold pale hand pushed it open, a surge of cold night air flowing into the room. Fionna lunged forward, latching onto the being's foot. "Wait right there, you!"
It hissed and with strength kicked her back, her back landing painfully on the hard wooden floor. It snorted silently under its breath and jumped out, only a black shirt and wavy hair noticeable from the light of the crescent moon.
"Come back here, coward, and face me!" Fionna shouted out the window, hands on the window sill, ready to project herself out the window at any moment. But there was no one. No darting figure in the distance, just the usual empty meadow around their tree house. "What?"
"Fionna, are you all right?!" Cake said frantically lighting the candle that had fallen. Fionna turned around and saw her sister's worried and tight face in the light of the burning scented candle.
"Yeah," she replied, racking a hand through her hair which had escaped its hat. She kept it up tight, seeing her hair as really a burden than beauty which Cake called it. "Where the Aaa did he go? Just disappeared in a puff of smoke…" she mumbled under her breath.
"You let him go?" Cake said loudly, eyes enlarged.
"I nearly got him!" Fionna countered, trying to keep her mature heroism intact. "He kicked me back and just…disappeared. Who the hell was that anyway?"
Cake shook her head, rubbing her mouth where his hand had been, cutting off her air. "He was as cold as ice, like he has no body temperature! I just came downstairs for my late night ice cream cravings and was grabbed from behind when I opened the fridge. Threatened me to keep quiet or else he would kill you in front of me. Glob, he was so terrifying, Fi!"
"Yeah, I know what you mean…" she whispered.
"Do you think he could've been a vamp?" Cake whispered, barely heard. It's rare when Cake would bring up her true fear of vampires. Before Fionna came along, apparently Cake had been heavily lectured about vampires by their mom. Bloodthirsty, cold skin, no remorse, and immortality, which, pretty much, summed up Cake's one and only fear.
"I thought you said vampires only stay in the Night 'o Sphere?" Fionna asked, crouching down to pick up her fallen dagger. She winced as the claw marks from Cake's nails began to sting.
"Not always…" Cake mumbled. She said louder, "They usually come up mostly at night to cause havoc and get their "blood fix" as some of the buddies I used to hang out at the tavern in my rebellious stage called it. Just the name is bone chilling, even now when I'm talking about it." Cake shuddered in her skin, wrapping her arms around herself.
"It's unlikely anyway," Fionna replied, trying to lighten up her scared sister. She walked forward and placed a hand on Cake's shoulder, crouching down to get eye level with her. "Are you truly okay?"
"Trust me, Fi, I'm fine. Just a bit tired," Cake reassured her, mouth stretching into a cat yawn. "You'd think I'd be riled up from that and not be able to fall asleep."
Fionna closed her eyes and breathed through her nose. The pain of that creature's voice still rang hard in her head. A headache came out of nowhere and Fionna flinched, hand rising on instinct to her temple. "Ouch…"
"Did it hit you in the head?"
"No, I just got knocked down and hit my head on the floor…" Fionna explained. Waves of nausea rolled through her stomach uncomfortably and she swayed on the balls of her feet. "Just give me a moment, will ya?" Swaying towards the window, Fionna threw up. Cake appeared by her side, patting her back.
"You've been too stressed today. Plus, the combat you've put yourself through. Maybe you shouldn't be Gumball's representative…"
"And make him think I'm not mature enough to handle it?" Fionna asked, wiping her hand over her lips. "No way, Cake, I can't do that. Plus, you talked me into it. I'm not giving up now."
"You need to put yourself ahead of others sometimes, Fi," Cake lectured her, letting Fionna's bangs fall back to the side of her face. "I'm worried about your health right now. Too much stress at once isn't a good thing."
Fionna straightened and looked at her unrelated sister in the eye. "You know I can handle almost anything. It's in my hero blood. But if it really gets bad, I'll listen to you." She sucked in a deep breath. "Please, just let me do this."
Cake looked into her best friend's eyes, watching the churning courage that they held in their blue depths. Her thoughts conflicted with each other on right and wrong before she finally sighed in defeat. "Please, don't over exert yourself."
"I won't," Fionna promised, face lighting up in delight.
Cake only smiled at her sister's turn of emotion. "Good. Help me lock up all the windows so that…vampire can't get in again."
Fionna followed her sister to the cupboard where they kept the keys to the locks on all the doors and windows. Her heart trembled at the thought of having seen that creature before, but she couldn't quite place where. Just the way the hair looked and had moved seemed so familiar.
Instead of thinking harder about it like she should of, Fionna redirected her thoughts and actions to helping Cake lock up the whole tree house.