Legacy 108: Smells Like Teen Spirit
Part 4
Xxx
As they carefully opened the door of the supply closet, Payton desperately wished the crazy axman had gone away. She had begged Sean not to look, but he was too concerned about his friend and became impatient. He popped his head through the door to look around and gave the signal the coast was clear. Payton let out a relieved sigh and followed him into the hall. The axman was gone, but so were Henry and Tess. Had he gone after them instead? She knew Henry could defend himself, but he was attracted to Tess. If she really was involved in this somehow, he could be in over his head. After all, his hormones could easily get in the way of his better judgment.
"I'm sure they're okay." Sean whispered, apparently noticing the worried look on her face.
"I hope so." Payton replied.
"So you and your cousin are pretty close, right?" Sean asked as they walked down the hall, obviously trying to break the tension. "Is your entire family like that?"
"I guess so." Payton replied. "We grew up together and with our parents away, we kind-of all depend on each other."
"Yeah, I know your mom is like this famous writer, right?" Sean asked. "What's that like?"
"It depends." Payton replied. "One day she is this cool and understanding mom, the next she is driving me insane with her meddling. Just because she wrote some books, doesn't make her an expert on everything."
"That's funny." Sean remarked with a smile. "In class, you always seem to know everything."
"Really? I try not be a know-it-all." Payton replied. "I'm surprised you even noticed. I didn't think you knew who I was."
"Well, you're not exactly easy to get to know." Sean said. "You seem so serious all the time."
"I'm not that serious." Payton replied slightly annoyed. "Why does everyone think I'm like this boring goody-two-shoes?"
"Because you are?" Sean asked laughing. "Not the boring part, of course, but you seem way too focused on your academics."
"I happen to have big plans." Payton replied. "I need good grades for that."
"What kind of plans?" Sean asked.
"I want to get into a good college, Stanford or Harvard." Payton replied. "Maybe something in law or politics. I want to do something meaningful."
"That's quite a plan." Sean said impressed.
"And what about you?" Payton asked. "What about your family? Anything besides football?"
"Uh, not much to tell, I guess." Sean said. "My parents can't really afford college, so a scholarship is pretty much my only shot. But I haven't figured it out yet."
"Why not?" Payton asked.
"Because, I saw what happened to my dad and my brother." Sean said. "I'll probably end up at some dead-end job. I'm not super smart like you."
"I think you don't give yourself enough credit." Payton replied. "Your grades are pretty good, and your literature report a few weeks ago was really insightful. It was one of my favorite books."
"Mine too." Sean replied with a smile. "Wow, you've really been paying attention to me, haven't you?"
"Uh, not really. I just pay attention in class, that's all." Payton said embarrassed.
Payton felt herself getting flustered. Suddenly, she was reminded of the fact that she was alone with Sean Keller, the boy she had a crush on for years. And they were having an actual conversation. She could have never imagined this happening. It was like a dream. Except now she had basically admitted she had been stalking him. It was completely humiliating. She looked down to the floor and suddenly noticed her hand had become invisible again. She quickly rolled down her sleeve and tried to think about anything else. Henry for example, or the fact that they were in serious danger. There was no time for her foolish crush.
"We should find the others." Payton quickly said.
"Right." Sean replied. "Locker rooms?"
Payton nodded and they continued walking. They crossed a corner and froze. The figure holding the ax stood by the stairway looking around. The school was too dark to clearly see his face. He had not seen them yet, so Payton and Sean quietly backed up. However, the axman suddenly looked their way and screamed angrily.
"Run!" Sean yelled.
Sean grabbed Payton by the arm as they ran back the other way. Payton looked over her shoulder and saw the axman was right behind them. They crossed a corner and ran into a classroom. As they closed the door, Payton hoped that the axman had not seen them go in and would run past them. She screamed when suddenly an ax cut through the door.
"We're trapped." Payton said as she looked around.
"Then we have to defend ourselves." Sean said. "Get behind the desk."
Payton did as he asked and took cover behind the desk. Sean grabbed a chair and positioned himself behind the door, ready to strike. When the axman withdrew his ax and opened the door, Sean hit the chair over his head. However, the axman seemed unimpressed and pushed him against the wall. Sean barely had time to duck before the ax hit the wall where his head had just been. He tackled the axman and they rolled over the floor. The axman overpowered him and started to strange him while hitting his head against the floor, knocking him out.
"Sean!" Payton called out in a panic.
The axman suddenly looked at her and Payton was shocked to see it was Tommy. He was the psychotic axman that was chasing them? Was he somehow possessed or had he just been driven insane? It didn't matter, as he was about to kill his best friend. Payton grabbed a book from the desk and threw it at his head. Tommy cried out in pain and crawled up. Payton ducked behind the desk again and figured now was a really good time to turn invisible.
An enraged Tommy screamed and walked around the desk, though he suddenly stopped and looked around. Payton looked at her hands and saw she had become invisible just in time. Tommy started looking for her in blind rage. Payton picked up a heavy lamp from the desk and slowly walked toward him. When she was close enough, she screamed and knocked him over the head. Tommy was knocked out and fell on the floor.
"Okay, that was insane." Payton remarked to herself as she became visible again.
Payton ran over to Sean and kneeled down next to him. Luckily, he was still breathing and was just waking up. Payton smiled when she realized he would be alright and was relieved that he had not seen her use magic.
"What happened?" Sean asked a little dazed.
"Well, we found Tommy." Payton replied. "I knocked him out when he attacked you."
"So you saved me." Sean said surprised as he sat up. "I'm starting to think you're pretty amazing, Payton Halliwell."
Before Payton could say something or even react to his words, Sean placed a hand on her neck and leaned in to kiss her. She was too stunned to even think what was happening. Her mind became cloudy and all she could think about was how nice his lips felt.
Xxx
On the other side of the school, Henry tried to make sense of what had just happened. Tess had used some kind of light blast to chase off the shadow creature. He knew she was somehow involved in this, but it still didn't make sense. If she was behind this, she had no reason to chase it off, unless it was all some kind of trick. When Tess got up from the floor, Henry grabbed her arm and pushed her against one of the lockers. He held her arms in place so she could not use her light blast on him. He needed to know what he was dealing with.
"Someone's a little kinky." Tess remarked smirking.
"Enough with the games, Tess." Henry replied. "You said we should talk, so talk. Who or what are you? What is going on here?"
"Alright, I guess there is no point in keeping it a secret." Tess replied. "Though I doubt you will believe me."
"Are you a witch?" Henry asked.
"No, I'm not like you or your cousin." Tess replied.
"So you know about us, about my family. Have you known all along?" Henry asked.
"Of course. I could sense it. Not to mention everyone's heard of the Charmed Ones." Tess replied. "I met them once, you know. Your aunts. Before they discovered your mother."
"How is that possible?" Henry asked. "How old are you? You look seventeen."
"I'm not." Tess replied. "Far from it, actually."
"Why don't you just tell me the truth?" Henry asked impatiently. "I'm getting tired of asking questions that you only give half answers to."
"Fine, I think you deserve an explanation." Tess said. "My name is not really Tess. It's a name I took when I got to this realm. My name is Thistle, princess Thistle to be exact."
Upon hearing that name, Henry remembered reading something in the Book of Shadows. But that was insane. He let go of her and took a step back. "Wait a minute!" He said confused. "Are you telling me you're a Fairy?"
"So you've heard of me." Tess replied reluctantly. "I bet you're wondering how that's possible, right? Well, Fairy Dust has many magical properties. I used to give myself human form."
"Okay, that covers the how, but why?" Henry asked. "Why are you here?"
"That's a long story." Tess said and she took a deep breath before explaining herself. "Living in the enchanted kingdom is not the fairy tale everyone thinks. It's tough, especially when you're royalty. My entire life, my parents have pressured and trained me to take the throne, but I never wanted it. That's why I ran away the first time. To see the human world and be free."
"And now you're back." Henry said.
"Fairies age far slower than humans, to the point where we're almost immortal." Tess explained. "I'm about to become an adult by our standards, meaning I would have been forced to claim the throne soon. I became scared, so I ran. I wanted to be human, to experience human life for myself."
"So you came to a high school?" Henry asked skeptically.
"Well, I figured high school is like a rite of passage." Tess replied. "What better way to experience the best and worst humanity has to offer?"
"I guess." Henry said. "I still have my doubts, but let's get back to the real issue here. Do you know what that shadow was?"
"I think so." Tess admitted. "They're Goblins. I recognized the black goo, it's a residue they leave behind, sort-of like ectoplasm."
"Goblins?" Henry asked with a frown. "Plural?"
"A nest to be specific." Tess said. "They are shadow-like creatures related to trolls. They feed on negative emotions such as anger, fear and pain. I think they followed me here from my kingdom."
"They feed on negative emotions?" Henry asked concerned.
"Exactly, that's why they are so powerful here." Tess said. "Let's face it, with all these teenagers, high school is a breeding ground for negative emotions."
"So why are they attacking random people?" Henry asked.
"I don't think it's random." Tess replied. "When Goblins find someone they can draw enough energy from, they attach themselves to that person like leeches. They will consider that person their leader and do his bidding."
"You're saying someone is controlling them? Sending them after innocents?" Henry asked.
"That depends on your definition of innocent." Tess replied with a shrug. "As far as I can tell, Tommy and Melissa are not exactly nice people. They're bullies."
"So you're saying they deserve this?" Henry asked accusingly.
"Of course not." Tess argued. "I'm saying they are being targeted for a reason."
"Okay, I get it." Henry replied. "So how do we stop these things?"
"We stop the person they are attached to." Tess said. "And I think that person is closer than we realize."
"What are you..?" Henry started to ask, but then realized what she meant. "Wait, you mean whoever ran from us in the locker room?"
"Exactly." Tess said. "Whoever it is, he's here in the school, and he was probably at the party as well, so see the results of his actions."
"So what do these Goblins do to their targets?" Henry asked curiously.
"They don't kill them." Tess replied. "They like to torture them, play mind tricks and drive them insane."
"So that's probably what happened to Tommy." Henry reasoned. "What about Melissa?"
"Don't worry, they didn't have the time to drive her crazy." Tess replied.
"But Tommy?" Henry asked.
"Oh, he's probably insane by now." Tess replied casually. "But if we vanquish the Goblins in time, we should be able to reverse the process."
"Okay, then we should hurry." Henry said.
"Wait, so you trust me?" Tess asked confused.
"Not really, but you know what we're dealing with, so you're our best shot." Henry replied. "We can figure out the other stuff later."
"I'm surprised you even believe me." Tess said.
"I don't think anyone would lie about being a Fairy princess." Henry remarked dryly. "Way to embarrassing, now let's get moving, your highness."
"I'm so going to regret telling you." Tess said as she rolled her eyes.
As they headed out to find the others, Henry looked at Tess and wondered if she had been completely honest with him. Fairies were good magical beings, but they were also known as pranksters. And if she was Fairy royalty, she had to be very skilled at deceit.
Xxx
In the dark basement of the school, creepy laughter sounded as several shadows gathered and assumed small humanoid shapes with glowing green eyes. A figure stepped into the beam of a small light bulb, wearing a dark hoodie so his face was obscured. The Goblins gathered around him, forming a circle just outside of the light.
"I think they're getting close to figuring us out." The figure said. "Tommy and Melissa deserved what happened to them, but these people have nothing to do with it. I don't want to hurt them."
The Goblins gathered and formed into a larger shadowy figure. It circled around the light, being careful not to appear directly in it.
"But they will destroy us." the shadow whispered in a hissing manner. "We help you, protect you. We are your friend, your only friend."
"I know that. But I don't want to hurt innocent people like Payton." The figure replied.
"Does she even know your name?" the shadow asked.
"Well, I don't know… I mean, I don't think so." The figure replied stumbling.
"She doesn't care about you. She is just like the others." The shadow said. "We are the only friends you can depend on. We can be your family. Don't let them destroy us, my king."
"King?" the figure asked confused.
"We will forever be loyal to you." The shadow hissed. "Nothing will ever hurt you or bring you down ever again. You will no longer be ignored or ridiculed. You will get all you deserve."
"Alright." The figure eventually said after some consideration. "Do what you must."
The shadow spun around and erupted into several smaller shadows while their creepy laughs filled the basement.
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