Chapter 10. Withstand the Storm
"You want me to WHAT?" Wolfie cried.
"Ashia won't listen to me, but maybe YOU can talk some sense into her!" Kibosh explained. "Just, TRY and get her to ACCEPT the current situation!"
"But... But I..."
"I know you'll be able to do it,"
"I... I..." The large green ghost eyed him intensely, and the poor werewolf shook nervously. He gulped. "Er... I... Can try, I guess... I-I can't guarantee anything..."
"That's good enough for me," The King of the Underworld seemed to have no idea that he was taking advantage of the student's timid nature. He turned away and stared out the window of Alder and Dash's office, which was made in the likeness of a cat's eye.
Wolfie left the office confused; he couldn't actually TALK to her about that, but he couldn't disobey the powerful figure. Only one thing left to do... The old, "Let's not and say we did," tactic.
"I can't ask her to be okay with it; I'M not okay with it! How can I be, when I'm in love with her myself?"
"Wolfie!" He almost winced, as much as he loved the sound of her voice. Ashia, back to normal, swooped down in her bat form and transformed into a vampiress, looking both happy to see him and worried. "What did the headmasters have to say? You aren't in trouble, are you?"
"It wasn't the headmasters... It was your uncle," Instantly the smile dropped off her face.
"Uncle K? What would HE want YOU for?"
"Listen, I'm not going to go through with it, but he asked me to talk to you about "accepting the current situation," I'm sure you understand what he means, about Griffinheart. And he doesn't know... That... Yet,"
"You aren't... Wolfie!"
"What? I said I wasn't going to! Look, if he asks... Say I was pretty convincing," Ashia shook her head with a smile and laughed, proceeding to give him a quick hug.
"You're the best!"
"C-could you let go now, people are starting to stare!"
"So? I've taken to hugging everyone. They all think I'm in a hugging phase,"
"You are,"
"See? Nothing to worry about,"
"Whatever you say, Ash..."
"...Dad always used that line on Mom to keep her happy!"
"It's too bad, since we'll never...You know..."
"Yeah..." Both looking down, a bit dejected, but it didn't last long. They were both too excited at what their experiment had accomplished; the results were a complete success! A full (Yes, FULL,) infinity box of pure moonlight! And they were in the process of studying it now... So far, they had found out quite a lot of things, and it was only a matter of time before they found a solution to the moonlight problem.
"I am so PROUD of you two!" Professor Burns exclaimed at their discoveries. "Students of MINE, making such ADVANCES is the field of SCIENCE! It is always GRATIFYING!"
"Yeah, but only because you give yourself some of the credit for it," Thought both junior scientists. The professor left them to their own devices and the two continued with their research.
"Doesn't it look bright? Rays of moonlight are pretty intense; but I guess they DO have to travel to Earth from the Moon!" Ashia commented, peering into the microscope at a sample of moonlight energy. Then it was Wolfie's turn, and he inspected the same sample thoroughly.
"Yeah, I don't even want to THINK about how bright and powerful it would be straight off the surface of the Moon itself!" He shivered, and she laughed at his words.
"You already ARE thinking about it!"
"...I said I didn't WANT to think about it, not that I wouldn't anyway!"
With another laugh and a smile, she rolled her eyes and playfully punched his arm. Meanwhile, off in the distance, Griffinheart was getting impatient...
Kibosh eyed his sandwich suspiciously, waiting to see if anything weird would happen this time. Once, he had been about to take a bite of his lunch when all of a sudden another creature popped out of nowhere, disappearing just as fast and leaving him startled and with bits of sandwich all over the place; he had never been the same since that day. Once satisfied that no one was going to jump out of his food, he prepared once more to take a bite... Only to have an all too familiar face appear, knocking his food from his hands.
"Kibosh, I want my payment NOW!"
"But... But my niece is still in school!"
"Then pull her out. What are you waiting for? I've got an army that can be easily manipulated to do my bidding, and you want to put the entire Underworld at stake so your little precious can finish a school year? Pathetic,"
"Ashia deserves to have a good education! She's a very bright girl..."
"...Yeah, yeah, I know. She's smart, she's beautiful, and SHE'S MINE! Either bring me my angel or our little deal's off, 'King of the Underworld',"
"...But..." The ghost sighed in defeat. "Fine. But this is the last of it, do you understand? I will NOT cater to your needs any longer!"
"That's fine, Kibosh. Just fine. As long as I get your niece's hand in marriage,"
"You will..."
"Fabulous!"
~~~At Scare School~~~
Kibosh hovered before the headmaster's nervously, and his insecurity did not go (completely) unnoticed.
"Kibosh, sir, what's wrong? Did the Underworld Prison have a massive breakout? Are dangerous, lung devouring demons running loose? Will they steal all our left socks?" The two headed creature asked, Alder and Dash alternating between suggestions. Kibosh sighed, and shook his head, too stressed to yell at them. Ashia would NOT take this well! Not at all!
"It's Griffinheart. The nightwalker wants his bride delivered early, and you know what he's capable of doing if we refuse," The ghost nodded grimly as both headmasters gulped in sync.
"We'll call Ashia to our office immediately..."
"No. I need to tell her myself. But here is the paperwork in advance. Just... Don't be alarmed if she doesn't cooperate," Seeing their confused faces, he gave a quick, frustrated explanation... "She'll put up one heck of a fight,"
"ASH! ASH!"
"What?" Ashia turned at the sound of Mantha, Ra, and Casper's voices.
"Your uncle's coming!" Casper informed her.
"And he's looking for you! He doesn't look too happy, either," Mantha warned, causing Ashia to get a little cross.
"Oh, what is it NOW?" She grumbled, but she felt nervous just the same.
"It might have to do with Griffinheart!" Ra put in. She tensed.
"It can't. He can't. I don't leave until summer!" She protested. "It must be something else," But she couldn't think of an alternative reason for him to show up.
"Ashia... Ah, there you are!" Kibosh greeted her as politely as possible, trying to suck up to keep her calm. Unfortunately, she saw straight through the ruse, as many are wont to do.
"What are you doing here, Uncle K?" She hissed coldly.
"Ashia, don't, you know it's not my fault..."
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE? TELL ME OR GET LOST!" She shouted. Her uncle winced, but stood his ground.
"...He's changed his demands... He won't wait any longer... He wants you now,"
Ashia froze, and her heart stopped for a fraction of a second. Her mouth moved to form the word "No," but no sound came out. Beside her, Wolfie looked like he wanted to either throw up or pass out, hopefully not both, but then he did something that shocked them all... He slipped his paw into Ashia's hand, squeezed it, and leaned in to whisper something in her ear that no one else heard...
"Withstand the storm... We'll do it together!"
She glanced at his face, startled, and he nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. She slowly returned it; if Wolfie could do it, so could she! Standing straight and confidently, she and Wolfie strode forward together and in unison, said simply,
"No,"
Kibosh blinked. No, this wasn't right... He couldn't... But he had no choice! He shook his head, which hurt enough without this extra obstacle.
"I'll kill that blasted Griffinheart..." He muttered. "...For putting me through this..." He stared at his niece for a moment, before Casper suddenly flew to join them, followed closely by Mantha and Ra. As students began to flood into the room to watch the scene unfold, several other students shyly moved to stand with them, until every young creature but one stood behind the couple. Even Thatch's gang joined in, although their leader scowled at the abandonment, watching from the sidelines with interest. The teachers began to arrive, until all of the staff had gathered together, watching with Thatch (They didn't dare get themselves fired) and mentally cheering the two students on, as Ashia and Kibosh argued back and forth.
"...ASHIA MARIE KYRIER, LISTEN TO ME!"
"No, YOU listen! I CAN'T marry him! I LOVE WOLFIE!"
"WHAT?"
"Yeah! GO ASHIA!"
"Go get 'em, Wolf Girl!"
"Show 'em how it's done!" That was Dummygirl, surprisingly.
"Yeah!"
"Go!"
"Wolfie! Ashia! Wolfie! Ashia!" Chanted some kids, which got them all going.
"...That's right! I'm not YOURS to give away, Uncle K! You can't FORCE me onto another path in life! I REFUSE TO BE TREATED LIKE A MINDLESS, EXCHANGABLE OBJECT ANY LONGER! I WON'T DO IT! I don't love Griffinheart!" She screamed.
"It doesn't matter! Creatures could be destroyed if you refuse! Thousands of families could be doomed to the same fate as YOURS if you don't do this!"
"I... There has to be a way!"
"Trick him," Wolfie muttered softly, and all grew silent.
"How?" Ashia asked in the same tone. At first, the clever but timid werewolf was silent, but then...
"His people have what they want... The only threat is him... We just need him to THINK he's getting what he wants... Get him to sign the official papers, make his speech to his people, etc. and then, he won't be needed anymore! Kibosh can send him straight to prison,"
"But he won't let it happen! The contract signed will require his protection and Ashia's hand in marriage. Griffinheart is no fool. He knows what he's doing," Kibosh pointed out grimly. "I'll gladly do all I can, but I have to put the good of the Underworld before the good of myself and my family!"
"He might not notice if Ashia commands his attention, and what do you think will happen if Griffinheart marries INTO your family? That puts him in the perfect position to start this entire issue up again!"
"...I... I... You're RIGHT! He could demand the UNDERWORLD next time!"
"So you'll help us, Uncle K?" Ashia asked hopefully, giving Kibosh the kind of look he hadn't seen for quite a while now. He smiled.
"Who am I to stand in the way of love?"
Everyone (Even Thatch!) cheered, but none were louder than the howl of a certain werewolf and the cry of a certain hybrid vampiress, both of which stood side by side, hand in paw, for the first time before their peers, no need to hide it any longer.
~~~A Week Later~~~
Joey tapped his shadowy fingers against the long table impatiently. He hated waiting. It was why he had decided to speed this up! He grumbled quietly to himself...
"When I'm King of the Underworld, they'll DIE for making me wait!" He sighed, and checked his watch.
Joey Griffinheart was a nightwalker, a shadowman, humanoid but fearsome. His flesh was made up of constantly moving shadows, and his body was tall and lean, flexible as the shadows he was born to, and as the shadows they themselves had descended from. He had icy light blue eyes and short, silver hair, which he ran his fingers through with a sigh. His clothing was comprised entirely of a tight fitting grey T-shirt and a pair of jeans, no shoes or socks to be seen. But then, a nightwalker of either gender had no need for such things when they did nothing more than limit their shadow jumping abilities.
At long last, two figures appeared through the wall to the meeting room, Kibosh himself, and his pretty little niece. Joey grinned at the sight of her, and much to his surprise, she grinned back. This pleased him visibly as he smirked in Kibosh direction, whom had a queer look on his face bordering on fear, anger, and embarrassment.
"So far, so good," Ashia thought, still smiling sweetly at her betrothed. "He doesn't suspect anything,"
"VERY nice, Kibosh, and to think this little beauty is blood related to the likes of you, you fat ugly green hulk," Commented the rebel leader, causing the green ghost to start turning red. Ashia giggled, which was extremely out of character for her, but he didn't know that. Having never gotten to know her personally, he took it as a natural characteristic... He was moron then, she noted in her mind.
"I've brought what you wanted; I've done what you asked... Just sign the papers, Griffinheart!"
"Ah, ah, ah, I'm not stupid, Kibosh! Let's just take a look at those papers, you're bound to have tried something, snitch,"
"But Joey!" Ashia pouted. "That will take too long! I don't like waiting!" She vanished and reappeared beside the creature, batting her eyelashes suggestively.
"Neither do I, darling, but your uncle is against us!"
"Oh, Uncle K would never! And besides..." She leaned in to whisper as though Kibosh wasn't to be aware what she was doing. "...I already went through them,"
"Did you now? And how do I know you aren't lying, love?"
"Don't insult me! Why in the UNDERWORLD would I do THAT?" She cried. As if to prove her point, Ashia reached into her pocket and produced the I.M.P. Once it was activated and unfolded, she brought up the computer screen and set out to "prove" herself. "You see, I scanned the papers by hand and ran in through the scanner here; there's no possible way that Uncle K could have slipped something into your contract," She informed him matter-of-factly. Joey looked both interested, amused, and impressed.
"She IS a brilliant little star, isn't she? Absolutely fabulous!" The shadowman clasped his hands enthusiastically and they began. Ashia sat beside her betrothed and kept him preoccupied, toying with his hair and flirting as best she could. Unfortunately, he kept his head enough to demand to see the papers himself. And so Plan B was set into motion.
"Here you are, Griffinheart. I assure you, there are no tricks to speak of,"
"Excellent, we'll see if that's the truth," Joey took the papers and scanned through them, never realizing that the pages he held were decoys. Ashia held the real papers, and she knew what to do. When he was satisfied and prepared to sign in the appropriate spot, she jumped to stop him.
"Hold on, there could still be something! You know the trick with lemon juice, right? And other things?"
"Yeah, yeah, that's clever thinking, sweetie! Check it over for me, will you dearest?"
"But of course!' She giggled, feeling more nauseous with each passing minute. She placed the papers into the I.M.P and typed furiously, knowing there was no room for mistake. Deep within the machine, the vortex placed the fake document into an entirely new dimensional plain. It then flashed, and switched to another time and place, pulling out the real contract, with an extra, crucial paragraph added to the middle. After a moment or two, Ashia beamed brightly.
"All done!" She announced. "Nothing. It's all perfectly safe. I told you I went through it, what kind of imbecile do you take me for?" She flipped to the last page, and handed them to Griffinheart, who accepted graciously.
"Thank you, you're right, I should have known your uncle was too cowardly to try anything!" Both laughed, and Kibosh was shaking with rage, but he knew he couldn't mess things up at this point. Both Kyriers held their breathes as Griffinheart took his time in signing the contract. He then stood up, took Ashia by the hand, and led her out. Kibosh followed behind. The cream colored walls were too plain and boring for her taste, so Ashia was NOT a happy vampiress during this time, stuck with her hand in Griffinheart's, yet she kept a smile plastered on her face at all times.
"...Is it working?" Asked Mantha and Ra as one.
"Yeah, it's definitely worked," Casper assured them. "Wolfie, are you okay?"
"No," Whined the werewolf, cowering in the corner. He had only watched a small bit of Ashia's performance before losing it. "How? Just, HOW? That moron, he doesn't know her at all, and yet he has the nerve to force her into marriage! The creep!..."
"No ranting, you KNOW what's happening!"
"...Do I have to like it?"
"Deal with it. She's doing it for you, you know,"
"..."
With Ashia, she was lead out onto an enormous platform, which was surrounded by thousands of millions of creatures! Her breath caught; THAT was what they had been up against this whole time? She had known the army was large, but... It was COLOSSAL!
Joey raised both their hands high for all to see, which was especially annoying because he was older and taller, and Ashia wound up having to hover above the ground a ways to keep her arm in it's socket. Either he didn't notice or he didn't care.
A cheer rose up from the crowds; apparently, she was very symbolic to them. How touching. Not!
"Our wishes have been fulfilled!" Shouted Griffinheart, and the cheers grew louder. "We have fought long and hard, and our efforts have paid off! Kibosh, leader of the Underworld, has succumbed to our might and met every last one of our demands! WE will run this world forever more! No more cowering and simply "obeying" the rules this tyrant makes! If we so wish it, we CAN override his will! WE are the true Kings and Queens of the Underworld!" Ashia herself was almost sucked into the speech. What he said sounded right, sounded fair, sounded just... But then, not all of his demands had been legit in her mind. The people did not seem to notice, but they were STILL being lead by yet ANOTHER tyrant... Just a more persuasive, charismatic, and manipulative one than the previous. Nonetheless, the enormous rebel army crowd roared and screeched with enthusiasm and agreement. They were joyful; but they truly had no idea that they were being herded like sheep.
"He's good," Ashia thought to herself. "Which is what makes him so dangerous,"
When the speech was given to completion, Joey led her away once more... But this time, it was HE who had no idea what was to happen next!
"Well, it looks as though you've lost this round," Kibosh glared at the grinning nightwalker.
"Not so much as you might think,"
"Come now; there's no way you could have slipped something past me with your niece on my side! Isn't that right, sweetest?"
"The game's over, Griffinheart. And believe it or not, you're the one out of luck," Joey continued to smirk in victory. His grip, however, tightened further, cutting off Ashia's circulation and causing the flesh to itch and crawl, tingling for loss of blood and oxygen. She turned intangible to regain feeling in her fingers, and as she did so, returned to her uncle's side for the first time in a long, long time.
Wolfie, Casper, Mantha, and Ra finally revealed themselves at this moment. The shadow man's eyes narrowed and though his expression did not show it, his body language screamed shock and insecurity.
"This is what you read..." Mantha announced, holding up the fake document.
"...And this is what you signed!" Ra finished a little meanly, holding up the real papers. Kibosh took them and flipped to the 3rd page.
"Ahem... 'However, if either party does not give consent for a wedding to take place, and the unwilling participant has an acceptably legit reason for their objection, this contract shall be rendered void on terms that it has the potential to be harmful and destruction to the lives or unlives of any and all creatures the Underworld contains,'"
"And what about my people?" Snarled the opposing creature.
"They'll get what they asked for. But you... You'll have to live without,"
"And what "legit reason" does she bear for this rejection?"
"She has me," Wolfie offered, putting an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder.
"This... This isn't fair! I DEMAND my requirements be met! Do you hear me? I DEMAND it!" Stretch, Fatso, and Stinky arrived quickly to drag him (still screaming demands) towards prison. Or rather, Stretch and Stinky did while Fatso gave a small paper card to Kibosh.
"Ghost Brothers Enemy Arrest?"
"We were police when we were alive... Until we got caught,"
Casper shook his head with an exasperated sigh, and everyone had to laugh.
~~~Days Later~~~
Not much happened after the big "conquest." Some of the people who had followed Griffinheart were enraged to find out that he had been arrested, but without their full numbers and their leader, they were far less a threat then they had been previously. Still a threat nonetheless, however, so Kibosh was kept busy dealing with them, as his niece returned to Scare School with her friends and boyfriend.
Ashia also noticed a change in Wolfie; no more stuttering and uncertainty, at least very often. He'd gained some confidence in the ordeal. Well, the saying did apply; what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
But there was one matter they had yet to resolve...
Ashia swung the prized amulet back and forth before herself, watching its pendulum movements as though trying to hypnotize herself. She was actually contemplating the still present hole in the medallion, not the amulet itself. Why was it still there? Her recent decisions had been immense! Nothing had gone wrong, either. Hmm, maybe it had to, to be effective...
"Why hasn't it been completed?" She sighed. "With all the life decisions I've made, why? Haven't I done the right thing?" She whimpered.
"The size of the decision shouldn't matter; it's the effect on your life that creates the gem, isn't it?"
"Well... yeah..."
"Maybe there's still something left undecided,"
"..." She thought about that in silence for several minutes. Finally she heaved a dramatic sigh. "You're probably right; but I don't know what it could be..."
"What else do you need to figure out?"
"I said I don't know!"
"I was just trying to help! Maybe... It has to do with your parents?"
"What about them?"
"Do you still blame yourself for their deaths?"
"I... I know I'm not supposed to, it's just... I was there, I should have done something!"
"You couldn't, and that's not your fault!"
"I probably should let it go..." She sniffed. "There is something I could do that might help; I... Guess I could visit... The graves,"
"I'll go with you," Wolfie offered, and she smiled.
"Thanks. I haven't been there for hundreds of years!"
~~~A week after~~~
Ashia and Wolfie tread along the worn stone pathway through the graveyard. The cemetery was located just behind the vampiress' former abode, which she had also not visited in a while. They had not gone far when she turned back anxiously.
"I want to go inside first," She announced. "There are... A lot of memories in that old place," Wolfie just nodded, and followed her to the entrance.
They wandered seemingly aimlessly through the myriad of rooms and hallways, Ashia moving slowly as she soaked in the details. This was where she was born and raised; she was given birth to here and had been brought up happily, until the incident.
"What happened here?" The male was not answered.
They had entered an empty room that appeared to have been blanched white and splashed with various neon colors. Gemstones hung from the ceiling on strong threads, casting prisms of vibrant colored light across the walls. Ashia touched her fingertips gently to the surface, a soft smile playing on her lips.
"This is the result of my early attempts to capture moonlight... it failed ultimately, but the aftermath was... Interesting," She traced the outline of one of the color splashes, and walked back out.
"This was my room..."
"...This is where my parents slept..."
"The guest room, where Sara used to sleep when she visited overnight..."
"...This... Was my sister's. This room belonged to Trililly..." A single acidic tear ran down her cheek, and she brushed it away hurriedly.
"I thought you were here for the graves?" Kibosh interrupted from behind. The pair jumped, having forgotten that they had brought him along.
"I am... But, maybe we could do this tomorrow..."
She was promptly dragged out to the cemetery against her will.
"...Or not,"
"Where are they?"
"The northeastern side," Uncle K informed him, his niece still fuming at her rough treatment. Wolfie nodded, and they made their way towards the tombstones.
They all three shared the same large grave, an inverted cross rising high above all the surrounding stones. Carved into in silver letters was an epitaph Ashia herself had written...
In loving memory
of the greatest parents
and sweetest
sibling one could ever
ask for.
We love you.
R.I.P
She had felt compelled to add the R.I.P, wanting her deceased family members to be happy wherever they were, even though she doubted it made a difference for them what she wrote on an elaborate, expensive rock above their old, decaying skulls.
Ugh. Don't think about that now.
Kneeling down before the cross like it was an alter, she placed her hands on the stone and sent a prayer her parents way. She also forced herself to speak to them, in her mind. It probably didn't matter, if they were in that, "wonderfully awful place in the sky," she didn't figure her life made a difference to them.
I stayed strong for you Dad; I swear I'll make you proud.
I tried to do what was right, Mom, I really did. Was I okay?
Trililly... I promised to let you know first whenever I went out. Well, this is belated but... I've got a boyfriend. That would have made you happy, right?
I love you. All of you.
The whole time her companions heard nothing but silence, but they waited patiently. She needed privacy for this. Denial had not allowed her to heal over her centuries long lifespan. And a day often seemed the same as a hundred years to the girl, particularly when she was not human and did not age like one.
Ashia...
Her eyes snapped open, heart pounding. Was that...?
Ash!
It was, it had to be!
We're still here, sweetie. And we always will be!
"I'm sorry I let you die," She choked aloud. Wolfie and Kibosh exchanged looks.
You didn't let us, you couldn't even help us! Trililly quickly scolded. It doesn't help us any to watch you suffer. Just let it go, Ash. For us. For me!
"I can't let it go..." She whispered under her breath.
You can. I know you will. You make me a proud father everyday, for I am still and will always be with you.
The right thing can be hard, but remember... You're just as stubborn as the rest of us!
And you really should've told me sooner. Even though I already knew.
She laughed. Recovery could finally begin, and she felt much better now. She would always feel responsible for their deaths... But it was the least she could do to live on for their sake. It didn't matter that the voices were probably figments of her imagination. They still mattered to her, and she had to respect their words.
I did it you guys. I found the trick to moonlight!
We know; and we're very proud!
But... I don't know... There's something more I've got to do...
She reached up, unclasped the amulet, and with some concentration forced it to grow intangible with her hand. It was easier said than done, sometimes she got objects stuck into walls or floors midway. But this time she encountered no problems burying the blessing under the earth. When she withdrew her palm was empty.
"Ashia... Your amulet isn't finished yet..."
"It doesn't need to be; I'm happy just the way I am," She smiled and took off, clutching Wolfie's shoulders in her silver talons. It wasn't the first time a bat had carried him. And it most definitely wouldn't be the last.
Withstand the storm.
I did, and I couldn't be more glad.
(I have about 5 immediate excuses ready for how long this took, and an army of little reasons... But all I'm really going to say is this chapter gave me a bad case of Writer's Block, and I'm depressed. Not from the story, of course, but from a series of bad events previously in my life. I've had it for years looking back, but it's just begun to fester and it's not only worsening my natural insomnia but stealing the joy out of my writing. Which sucks. Big time.
Sorry but I've got no one else to rant to. =/
cant think of a name right now: Haha, he does hate humiliation with a passion! I'll probably torture him in the future, just because I love him so much. ;)
...And he wouldn't be Thatch if he didn't mess with people. All. The time!
Sophie: You had some very good suggestions, but I'd already started the chapter when I got them. I appreciated the input though! I was actually quite close to rewriting it with him as a goblin! =P)