When Friend's Attack [4]

Sweet Chocolate Terror

By CrystalQuirt

The Kids from Three Delivery are already off to their next challenge. Sue thinks she gets a present from Barney, but who really gave it to her. Danger and angst all around.

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Mr. Wu's voice boomed from the kitchen. "Sid!" Deliveries!" Sid startled and looked around from his place in the booth. He had been totally concentrating on writing his song. Darn, I am the only one here? Or is he picking on me? He sighed and put down his guitar and went to the kitchen.

"Too much slacking – you kids are going to ruin my restaurant! Where are Sue and Tobey?"

"I don't know, do you want me to find them?" Sid asked hopefully, in case Mr. Wu might send one of them instead of him.

"No, just hurry up and deliver this to Drumm Street and the others are on the counter! I'm sure Tobey and Sue will show up when they are finished slacking!"

"Yes Mr. Wu."

"Honestly . . . KILLING me and ruining my restaurant . . . I don't know what . . . slackers . . . those kids . . .!" Sid could hear Mr. Wu grumbling to himself all the way down to the storeroom.

Sid went to the counter, and there were five bags sitting on it and they were all going to different addresses all over town. Wow, Barney was busy before he left. He sighed and started to load up the sacks in his arms when he heard Tobey loudly come in through the front door.

"Yah! Yah!" He exclaimed as he kicked air on his way through the dining area. He bounced up to the counter where Sid had been looking at the addresses. Tobey greeted him and put a small package with a pink ribbon around it on the end of the counter.

"You are just in time Tobey, let's split these up; they are going in opposite directions."

"Ok." He took the two bags that Sid handed to him and checked which way he was going. "Would you care to make a little wager for dishwashing on who will return first?"

"I have a better idea, since I have three stops and you only have two, instead of a race, let's see who comes back with more money – especially tip money."

"Your ON!" Tobey didn't stop to add anything up or consider Sid always got better tips than he did.

As they got on their bikes and Tobey took off, Sid called back to him, "Hey Tobey, what was in the little box, a present?"

Tobey was already stuffing shrimp from one of the orders in his mouth, steering with one hand, but yelled back, "Box w Sue fwib – shockla – fwubs one… ayb Barney… ove tat!" Sid heard him laughing as he leaned into a corner and disappeared.

"Wow, Barney gave Sue a box of chocolate? Did I hear him say 'Love'? Tee hee, it looks like Sue's dream finally came true!"

Sid went around the corner in the other direction, toward Mr. Wu's favorite market for meat.

Right before Barney went in to the market, he heard Sid call him as he rode up behind him. Sid was on his way to the second delivery, and still had one more to go. "Barney! You won't believe how happy you will make Sue by giving her the chocolate, but why didn't you give it to her yourself? You gotta work harder when you're courting the ladies."

Barney shrugged, "Hey man, I don't know what you're talking about. Besides I know all about courting the ladies – but I wasn't courting Sue."

"You don't have to be embarrassed! That was a wonderful thing to do for her, and I know she will be very happy!"

Barney looked confused, "I didn't give Sue any chocolate, but I hope when I get back, she can help me cut up the pork for the pork Lo Mein." Sid looked puzzled for a moment before saying he would see him later, and went on to deliver the order. Sid pulled a wheelie before going around the corner and Barney walked in the store.

Sid thought, I was sure Tobey said the box of chocolate for Sue was from Barney. Oh well, Tobey must have gotten it wrong. Who else would have given Sue some chocolate? Maybe she has a secret admirer! Or a boyfriend she is hiding from us!" Sid made a face and sped around a corner. "Or maybe Barney got them for her, and was just embarrassed when I caught him." Satisfied with that explanation for now, Sid arrived at his delivery and rang the doorbell.

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The little box of chocolates was still sitting on the counter when Sid got back. Sue was sitting in the booth texting someone on her phone. She looked up and greeted him. "Hey Sid."

"Hey Sue. What's going on? Is Tobey still out?"

"Ya, I think so, haven't seen him."

Sid got the little box from the counter and looked at it. "Well, this has your name on it, it must be from Barney." He waited to see if she said anything. Sue giggled out loud and blushed when she read the note!

"Well? Who is it from?" Sid asked.

"You said it was from Barney!" Sue jumped up and did a pirouette on her way to the kitchen to get some hot chocolate. Sid followed her.

"No-I said it was probably from Barney . . . What are you doing?"

"I'm going out to the garden to wait for Barney to come back."

"Come on Sue! Tell me what the note says!"

"No, it's none of your business."

Sid frowned and then realized what she was doing. "You're having hot chocolate to go with your chocolate candy?" he cracked up and had to hold his stomach. "Yur either very upset, or yur in loOove!" Sid teased.

"Don't you worry your little head about it." Sue went out in the garden with her chocolate feast, and Sid went back to playing his guitar in a booth. His sheets of paper with the music notes scribbled all over them, were still on the table where he left them before the deliveries and he started shuffling through them.

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Sue sat cross-legged on one of the benches in the far corner by the flowers and watched humming birds as they visited each flower. She couldn't wait until Barney got home to thank him. She looked again at the note:

"I can't keep it to myself anymore, so I'll just tell you. I think that you're the most beautiful girl that I've ever seen. When you smile at me, it makes the world seem like a better place. Please consider these chocolates an appetizer, the beginning of things to come, not the dessert at the end! I would love to take you out to dinner, to someplace besides Wu's, if you would let me."

Sue couldn't help but giggle each time she read it! She had been waiting for so long for Barney to even show her a little attention- and now this was more than she could have ever hoped for!

Butter Cream filled! The first chocolate started to melt the second it touched her tongue and she thought it was the smoothest, most wonderful chocolate ever – AND Barney had given it to her! She rubbed her cheek on the box.

A melody ran through her head, "Sue Yee, Sue Yee, Soon to be, Sue Wu! Wait a minute. She thought, Sue Wu? I may have to work a little harder to swallow that one. Sue Yee Wu, Sue Yee Wu – now that had a better flow. She giggled again.

She took a sip of hot chocolate, and put in another small chocolate bite. This one had orange filling. She sipped the hot chocolate and let the warm, sweet liquid bliss flow into every corner of her mouth.

An orange-chested hummingbird came to visit the flowers right over Sue's head and as she watched it, she thought, it doesn't get any better than this! The last sip of hot chocolate went down so smoothly she just had to follow it with one more chocolate piece. Mmmmm, filled with Plum cream!

She grinned as it melted and she sat the box down next to her on the bench. Swirls of blue energy hovered around the little box and around Sue. "Magical." She thought, as she laid back on the bench to think about Barney.

She was floating so high on her 'chocolates from Barney' buzz that she didn't realize the blue effect had been real and magic really was at work.

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Sid was so into his music, that he didn't even look up when Tobey came back. Tobey had only got 2 bucks tip so he really didn't want to talk to him and admit to losing their bet. The one that was his idea, sort of.

Tobey quietly walked all the way through the restaurant and out the back door. Out in the garden, he saw Sue near the back corner, lying on her back on the bench.

Tobey was completely recovered from his last encounter with Kong Li and had no lasting ill effects from the really scary spell. His headache was gone and had almost as much energy as he always had. Most importantly-he could eat as much as he ever did!

Tobey went to the corner of the garden to see Sue. She heard him coming and sat up to wait for him to get there.

"What cha doin' Sue?" Sue turned toward Tobey and examined her fingernails closely like she had not seen them in a while. She made fists and opened her hands slowly and thoughtfully. Then she watched Tobey. He sat down on the grass in front of her. "Is your wrist bothering you again?"

A bug crawling through the grass in front of where he sat caught his attention. "Sue? Check out this bug!" Sue stood up facing him and straightened her shirt.

The next thing Tobey felt was blinding pain as his head snapped back after his face connected with the toe of Sue's shoe. Tobey fell back on the grass and rolled over holding his eye with both hands. "Ow! Sue?" his voice cracked – he thought it entirely possible that she broke his cheek.

Before he could get up, she kicked him again in the ribs. "Arggh, what's going on?" Tobey tried harder to get up, Sue reached down and grabbed his shirt and pulled him up, but she wasn't helping him. She rammed her knee into his abdomen, sidestepped and kicked the back of his knee and dropped him down in the grass again. "Sue! What did I do?" His voice got higher and higher, he rolled over on his back with his arms up to ward her off.

Sue still said nothing as she aimed another kick at Tobey's head. Tobey rolled out of the way just in time and stood up to face her. He had finally realized that she really was trying to hurt him. He just couldn't believe it.

"SUE! What's wrong? Why are you mad? But even if you're mad . . . ?"

Tobey thought an instant, even if she was mad at him, she wouldn't be trying seriously to hurt him, and he was definitely hurting and he was pretty sure she had broken his ribs. This couldn't be Sue-or something was very wrong with her.

Before he could finish his thought, Sue jumped up and kicked him in the chest. Tobey fell back, but was still able to block her when she tried to stomp on him. He kicked her legs out from under her and she fell back and rolled, getting back up right way. He rolled over the other way and tried to run for the back door, but she tackled him and punched his broken ribs over and over from behind while she sat on his legs to hold him down.

Tobey cried out while gasping for air and went limp as he tried to catch his breath. Sue laughed and as she got off of him, she kicked him one more time. He moaned and rolled over on his back to try to get up while holding his ribs. He fell back on his butt and looked up at her. It looked like Sue's neck had swollen up, and he blinked as he looked at her.

"Sue, what's wrong with your neck?" As if in an answer to his question, she SPIT at him!

"Hey! That's GROSS!" Tobey rolled and got out of the way just in time. Dark purple spit hit a rock by where his head had been and bubbled on it like it was cooking on the rock's surface.

Sue had purple spit running down her chin and she said, "Die!" and charged at him. She caught him as he tried to scramble away from her on his hands and knees. She pulled him up again by the back of his shirt and put him in a chokehold.

Tobey struggled and tried to pull her arm away from his neck. "Too Strong," he whispered. She had him kneeling and he couldn't kick or twist around. As she tightened her hold on Tobey's neck, Sue laughed and her eyes turned completely purple.

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Sid came out and saw what was going on out by the fountain. At first he thought they were sparing or wrestling. Tobey usually lost those matches against Sue, but something was wrong this time. Tobey looked scared, and was turning blue as he struggled to get away. Sue was not letting go of him even though she had clearly won.

"Sue! Let him go! You won already!" Sid butted in as he walked toward them. When Sue looked at Sid, he saw her eyes were glowing purple and her lips looked black. "Ew-What's with the makeup?" Tobey stopped struggling and his arms fell to his sides. Sid gasped and ran toward them. "SUE-STOP!" let him go!"

Sue didn't let him go, so Sid charged her. Instead of letting Tobey go, with super-human strength, Sue picked Tobey up with one hand around his neck and the other under his thigh and threw him at Sid!

Sid tried to catch him and they both went down. Tobey landed face-down across Sid's stomach. Tobey began to cough violently as Sid rolled him off so he could get up.

Sid bent down and looked at him. "You alright, Tobey?"

Tobey nodded and coughed some more and grabbed his side. At least he was breathing again. Each cough racked his body with pain that started at his ribs.

Sid stood to face Sue. "What did he do that was so terrible? SUE! You could have killed him!"

"Maybe I still will, but now-YOU FIRST!" Sue ran at her brother, and Sid took defense. She leaped and kicked at his head. He blocked and stepped aside. She spun in the air and landed facing him. Sue's eyes were still so strange, scary strange. He glanced down at Tobey who had stopped coughing and was trying to get up.

"No Tobey, stay down- I will take care of Sue!"

"No problem. You can have her." Tobey said, but still tried to get up to go get Nana. A sharp pain in his head made him fall back down to his knees and elbows to hold his face where her first kick had landed. He thought briefly that he didn't know if his head or his ribs hurt more.

Sue kicked at Sid again and they struck at each other and blocked each other's attacks over and over. Sue did a back flip away from Sid, her foot barely missing his jaw as she went. She landed on her feet on top of the bench she had been sitting on. "Sue! Tell me what's wrong!"

Sid saw the box of candy that Barney had denied giving to her. He saw the wisps of blue energy that surrounded it "Magic!" He screamed for Nana before trying to reason with his sister.

"Oh no-SUE! You have to STOP-the chocolate was a magic recipe! It wasn't from Barney!"

"What chocolate? I am here to kill you!" Sue's neck swelled and she SPIT at his face.

"Ewe!" Sid ducked and it went past him. She jumped off the bench and landed on him. Her grip on his shirt was so powerful the material tore and she spit again. Instead of a glob it was more of a purple spray this time and was unavoidable. Sid screamed as it went in his eyes. He covered his eyes with his hands as she back-flipped off of him. "Aaaghha! It BURNS!"

Tobey heard Sid's screams of pain and looked back. "Sid?"

Sid had rolled away from where he thought his sister was trying to kill him and stood up. He couldn't open his eyes for the burning. He was backing up with one hand covering his eyes and the other held out toward Sue, who jumped at him to deliver a round kick to his stomach.

"NO!" Tobey yelled as he watched Sid get kicked so hard he flew through the air. He screamed for Nana again before he changed direction and ran back to where Sue and Sid were.

"Is it your turn again?" Sue turned to face Tobey's charge, and visible behind her, Sid landed on his back in a flowerbed that surrounded the fountain.

Tobey stopped short when he saw Sue had turned her attention back on him. Sid was on his back in the flower bed, yelling and kicking with his feet from the pain, his eyes covered with both hands.

"Sue? No . . . Sid!" Tobey reluctantly braced himself for her attack, but he felt the air move at his elbow as someone shot past him.

Nana ran right up to Sue without saying a word. She had looked out the window, and saw a few seconds of the un-natural fight between her kids.

Unbelievably Sue raised her fist to Nana and lunged at her! Nana stopped her with one palm to her chest. Sue fell backwards and screamed in anger as Nana landed on top and held her down. Tobey went to Sid before looking back at Nana and Sue.

Sue's neck swelled up, and Tobey saw it. "Nana! Watch out!" Nana flipped Sue over in the grass and a wad of purple slim ran out harmlessly burning the grass by her head.

Tobey saw purple slime in Sid's eyes as he writhed around in the flowerbed. He held Sid as still as he could with one hand while he scooped water from the fountain that was right next to them with the other hand, repeating it over and over to rinse out Sid's eyes.

"Sid-KEEP your hands away-hold still!" Sid made fists and concentrated on keeping his hands away from his eyes, but they burned so badly! He arched his back and panted and gasped, "Where's Sue?"

"Nana is taking care of her. Hold still!" Tobey caught both of Sid's flailing hands and held them together pressed to his chest with one hand. Sid tried harder to hold still and Tobey kept splashing water in his eyes.

Nana made Sue drink something from a small bottle and Sue stopped struggling. Within a moment, Sue went limp. Nana stood up and went to the boys.

Tobey glanced over at Sue lying on her stomach where Nana had left her. "Nana-Sue?" Tobey asked as he rubbed the last of the purple off of Sid's cheek with his hand.

"Don't worry Tobey, she is sleeping. She won't wake up until I make up the antidote to fix this."

The burning had almost stopped since Tobey rinsed Sid's eyes out so well. Tobey felt Sid relax a little and released his hands. Sid used his knuckles to rub the last of the water from his eyes and sat up. "Thanks Tobey!" The skin around his eyes was red and irritated and looked like it had been burned. His voice sounded shaky.

Tobey let himself fall back on his butt in the flowers. "Nana, what happened to Sue?"

"Magic recipe, I don't know which one yet Tobey, but she is safe for now." Tobey and Nana watched Sid as he continued to blink and rub his eyes. "Sid, how are you feeling?"

He opened his eyes to look at her, but gasped and squeezed them shut them again. "Nana, I can't . . . I can't see!"

Tobey scooted to Sid's side and put his hand on his shoulder. "It will be ok Sid."

Nana saw that Tobey was developing a black eye, and held his ribs like they really hurt. Tobey, can you help Sid inside? I will bring Sue in. We are going to the storeroom.

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Sid sat up on top of the workbench. While Tobey made sure Sue would be comfortable, Nana bandaged Sid's eyes. She spread a thin layer of yellow goo from one of her bottles on two squares of gauze and placed them gently over his eyes. Then he held a layer of cotton in place while she wrapped gauze all the way around his head. "That will help with the stinging and start to heal your burned skin while we make the antidote for the recipe.

"Thanks Nana."

Tobey made Sue a bed on the floor so she would be more comfortable out of the bean bag chair from his room and a pile of blankets and pillows from the linen closet. It looked like a huge bird's nest. After he got everything arranged he and Nana gently placed her in the center of it. He watched her for a moment.

Muscles twitched as the magic in the recipe fought against the spell that Nana put on her to make her sleep. Her eyelids fluttered open wide sometimes and Tobey could see that they were still dark purple and her irises were not visible. Occasionally she would moan when the muscle spasms would happen at the same time as a breath.

Nana had to explain to him more than once, that she was not waking up too soon. Sid could hear his sister's moans and their concerned voices and it tore him up inside. He kicked the front of the cabinet with his heel.

"Sid?"

"Sorry Nana but I am just so frustrated."

Sid was feeling totally worthless. He couldn't even help research or mix ingredients. He had never experienced what it was like to be blind and was totally scared out of his wits. He thought about how he had a new appreciation for people who lived in this situation and got tears in his eyes- he thought it was good his eyes were covered so no one would see that he was about to cry.

Tobey's black eye had caused his eyelids to swell shut. He held an ice pack pressed against it while he turned pages in a book of magic with one hand. He sat on the floor in the corner. Nana sat in the only chair in the storeroom with books in her lap and beside her on the counter. What was left of the box of chocolates sat on the counter too.

Nana wondered, "Where did Sue get the box of chocolate?"

Sid answered, "Tobey brought it to her."

"Tobey, where did you get it?"

Sid answered again before Tobey could open his mouth. "He said Barney gave it to him to give to her."

"No Sid, I didn't say that."

"Well what did you say? I guess I didn't understand because your mouth was stuffed too full of someone's order."

"I said it was a box for Sue with chocolate in it from 'someone' and that they beat Barney too it."

Nana interrupted the boys, "Well Tobey, who gave you the box?"

"No one. I found it sitting on her bicycle seat, parked outside. I brought it in so the pigeons wouldn't get it."

Nana thought it sounded just like Kong Li as she pointed to a page in her book. "This is the one. It is the Purple Venom of Plum Sauce Recipe. It replaces the consciousness of the victim with an evil one that the one who used the recipe can command and control. Sounds just like Kong Li. The victim is equipped with super-human strength and will spit purple, poisonous venom.

"Venom?" Tobey asked.

"Poisonous?" Sid confirmed.

"What do we do?" They said together.

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Tobee Continued . . .