Oh here we go. Here's where it starts getting awesome! Review and vote on my next story!
Cole slowly crawled down the dusty tunnel, a single candle lighting his way.
"It'll be simple. Go in, get my parents back from the Other Sensei and get out. Easy. I think." Cole murmured.
The cat looked at him for a bit, then spoke.
"Challenge him. He's got a thing for games." the cat said.
"Okay," Cole said.
As Cole continued to crawl, the door at the end of the tunnel opened. Then Cole saw a familiar face.
"Cole?" Sensei Wu said.
"Sensei!" Cole yelled excitedly, crawling faster towards the end of the tunnel towards him.
"Cole! You came back for us!" Sensei Wu said gratefully.
"SENSEI!" Cole screamed, breaking into a run in the little space he had left.
He finally reached the end of the tunnel, and he practically launched himself at Sensei Wu. He grabbed him in a bone-crushing hug. Then he looked at Sensei Wu's hand and saw that it had become bony and stick-like. He gasped.
"Cole...who would you leave me?" the Other sensei said.
Cole looked up at the Other Sensei and saw that he had become tall and bony, just like when he had last seen him. He finally found his voice again.
"Where's Sensei Wu? And Misako?" Cole asked firmly.
"Gosh, I have no idea where your old caretakers are. Perhaps they grew bored of you and ran away to France." the Other Sensei said.
"They didn't grow bored of me, you stole them." Cole spat, pointing at the Other Sensei.
"Now, don't be difficult, Cole. Have a seat, won't you?" the Other Sensei said.
Before Cole knew it, he was lifted into the air and placed in a bug armchair by a half-deformed pumpkiny Other Misako. The Other Sensei clapped his hands and a rat ran out of the tunnel, carrying something in its mouth. The key. Oh no! He had left it in the lock!
The Other Sensei took the key from the rat, closed the little door and locked it. The giant bug from before walked in front of the door again. The Other Sensei brought the key to his mouth and swallowed it. Whole.
"Why don't you have your own key?" Cole asked.
"Oooonly ooone keey..." Other Misako slurred.
"The garden squash needs tending to, don't you agree?" the Other Sensei said quickly. He grabbed Other Misako and dragged her out of the room before she could say anything else.
As soon as the Other Sensei left, Cole heard something. It sounded like glass being wiped clean with a hand. Sensei. Misako. Cole whipped around, trying to find the source of the sound.
"Sensei? Misako? Where are you?" Cole whispered.
"Breakfast time!" the other Sensei yelled from the kitchen.
Cole heard the Other Sensei calling. He took a deep breath and walked through the halls towards the kitchen. Once he got to the kitchen doorway he saw the Other Sensei, frying some bacon and humming to himself. Cole gulped.
Be strong, Cole. Cole thought to himself as he slowly walked to the kitchen table and sat down. He noticed that the 'present' the Other Sensei and Other Misako was still sitting on the table. The lid was off, and the shiny black buttons inside seemed to be looking right at him. Cole started to sweat as he stared at the buttons. Suddenly a voice echoed in his head.
Challenge him. He's got a thing for games.
"Why don't we play...a game?" Cole asked. The Other Sensei stopped humming.
"I know you like them." Cole said.
"Everybody likes games." the Other Sensei murmured, "What kind of game would it be?"
"An exploring game. A finding things game."
"And what is it you'll be finding, Cole?"
Cole glanced at the Other Sensei and saw that he was strumming his fingers on the counter. Got him.
"My real Sensei. And Misako"
"Too easy..."
"And the eyes of the ghost children."
"What if you don't find them?" the Other Sensei asked, placing a plate with an omelette and three strips of bacon in front of Cole.
"Um...if I win, I'll stay here and be your pupil." Cole said.
The other Sensei didn't answer. The deal wasn't good enough. Quick, think of something! Cole's eyes fell on the box in the middle of the table. Oh boy.
"And I'll let you sew buttons into my eyes." Cole blurted out.
"Hmm...and if you somehow win this game?..." the other Sensei said.
"Then you let me go. You let everybody go. My real Sensei, the real Misako, the ghost children, everyone you have trapped here." Cole said.
"Deal." the Other Sensei said, extending a bony hand to shake.
"Not until you give me a clue." Cole said quickly.
"Oh...right." the Other Sensei sighed before going silent for a few seconds. Then he spoke.
"In each of the three wonders I've made just for you, a ghost's eye is hidden in plain sight."
Cole's mind reeled. Wonders? Plain sight? How was he going to figure this out? Did he have a time limit, or did he just say whether he wanted to give up or not? Crap...he shouldn't have brought the buttons up.
"*sigh*...it's a deal." Cole said.
He stood up and turned around, ready to shake the Other Sensei's hand. But the Other Sensei was gone.
The game had begun.
There we go! We'll just stop there for today! Thank you for reading! Review, vote and I'll see you all in the next chapter!