This is the season to bake cookies…with the grandkids of your grandparents' friends? What a weird day…I'm worn out, so there will only be one chapter today, sorry! (Also, the power went out at my house, making it really hard for me to write and use the Internet.) But there will be two chapters in the future, I promise! I won't say when, but I think you all can figure out the date! ;)
Hearts Aglow—I don't think that's corny at all (especially since I don't know what you're referencing, LOL).
Alicia-*inserts dreamy sigh here* I know! I love Gill! Sorry that you're not in this chapter, but I'll try to work you into the next one…it might be fluffy stuff with you and Nigel for a while, but you'll both play a huge part later.
Chapter Seven
Nemo and Lulu had been fast asleep for quite some time when they both became aware of being hit with multiple pebbles. Lulu jerked awake right away and glared at the person who had tossed them up at them. It was Jacques. He muttered something in French to them, causing the two newcomers to stare at him blankly as he swam away. "Follow me," he translated when he returned to their side, and they complied.
"What's going on?" Nemo whispered as they swam through the tank.
"I have no idea," Lulu replied, growing anxious as the voices of ominous chants grew louder and clearer. They were led past the members of the Tank Gang…who were acting very creepy. They just stared at Lulu and Nemo as they repeated words from a language that they didn't understand. Was it Hawaiian?
"I suppose now they'll start singing He Mele no Lilo from Lilo and Stitch," she muttered to herself as they reached the top of a plastic volcano. All of the members of the Tank Gang were gathered there. Lulu turned to ask Jacques what in the hell was going on, but she was even more confused when she found that he had not accompanied them to the top. Where was he? What was going on here?
"State your names," Gill ordered softly.
"N-Nemo," the clownfish stammered.
"And Lulu," Lulu said, deciding to just let go of the real world she lived in and go along with whatever bizarre rituals they were about to take her through.
"Nemo and Lulu, newcomers of orange and white and black and white, you have been called forth to the summit of Mount Wanna-Hock-A-Loogie to join with us in the fraternal bonds of tankhood!" Bloat cried out in his deep voice.
"What?" Nemo asked.
"Speak English!" Lulu ordered.
"We want you two to join our club!" Peach explained.
"But first you must pass through THE RING OF FIRE!" Bloat's voice boomed out. There was a small moment of silence. He muttered through the corner of his mouth, "Turn on the Ring of Fire!"
"Oops, sorry," the shrimp said sheepishly, running around on a small wheel that sent bubbles flying out of the top of the volcano.
"Jacques, you said you would do it," Bloat scolded over the sounds of the chanting.
"You guys are seriously weirding me out," Lulu complained as they all started freaking out and crying like they were watching a horror movie when Nemo decided to swim through it. They congratulated him on his success, but when it looked like they were going to have another freak-out over her swimming through the ring, she slapped a fin to her face and moaned.
"You're all being totally dramatic. Get over it!" And with that, she swam through the Ring of Fire. She flashed a smug grin at Gill and the others, who all looked surprised that she had done it, too…and a little disappointed that she had done it before they could continue with their "sacred chanting".
"Is there a special handshake that comes with the club?" Lulu joked. A few of the others chuckled, but they snapped back into their serious business mode when Gill started talking to Nemo.
"From this moment on, you shall be known as Shark Bait!" Gill declared.
"Shark Bait, boo ha hah," the others chanted.
"Welcome, Brother Shark Bait!"
"Shark Bait, boo ha hah," the Tank Gang echoed.
"Okay, enough with the Shark Bait!"
"Shark Bait…blah blah blah," Gurgle muttered.
"Kid, you're going to help us with our new escape plan!" Gill explained excitedly, causing everyone else to let out a collective groan.
"Not ANOTHER escape plan," Gurgle moaned.
"They never work," Deb said gently. But Gill ignored her and the others.
"See that filter?"
"Yeah…"
"You're the only one small enough to fit inside that thing. All you have to do is swim inside, jam a pebble in the fan, and swim back out. Once you do that, this tank is going to keep getting filthier and filthier until the dentist will have no choice but to clean it himself. And then he'll put us in individual baggies. Then we roll across the counter, through the window, across the street, and into the ocean! Who's with me?"
"We are!" Bloat, Deb, Bubbles, and Peach chorused.
"I am!" Lulu added. She had to admit that as crazy as the plan was…it could work. They would just have to be extremely careful in executing each step.
"I think you're nuts!" Gurgle announced. "This seems ridiculous! It's never going to work!"
"It will work," Gill promised. "Now, let's get some rest. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." The others nodded and swam away in separate directions. Nemo returned to the resting place from before, and Lulu planned to join him there later…but first she had something to ask Gill about. She followed him back to a toy skull that he used as a home.
"Hey, uh, Gill…I didn't get my special nickname," she reminded him.
"Oh, yeah, right," Gill said apologetically, then closing his eyes as he thought. He was quiet for a few minutes, but then his whole face lit up with a small smile. "I know!" Then he became all formal again, like he was acting back at the meeting. "Henceforth, you shall be known as Million Fish!"
"Million Fish…?" Lulu repeated, puzzled. "Um…okay! Why?"
"You're one in a million," he explained, the smile returning to his face once more before he swam inside the skull.
"Perfect," Lulu blushed. She floated outside of the skull for about five more minutes before joining Nemo in their sleeping place.
Review, please! :)
