I've been told to stop with the negative comments on my own work. I'll do that now. Here's Chapter 11! We're close to finishing here; I just need to come up with an ending. (I'm completely serious right now). Well enjoy!
This didn't even make any sense! But then again, maybe it did.
Columbia's voice was louder. "Kyara! Oh my goodness, Kyara!" Suddenly, I jumped from my dream-world back into reality. Columbia was shaking my shoulder and yelling at me to get up.
"Kyara? You're awake! Magenta, she's alive! I told you!"
"I do recall I telling you." Magenta drawled, unamused from her bed.
Columbia ignored her. "Kyara, you fell asleep really early in the night! Magenta thought you had died, since you weren't waking up!"
"Actually, she thought you died,"
"Magenta, shut up, we can see right through you." I believed Magenta in this. She probably wouldn't have cared too much if I was dead. I actually started to doubt I was truly alive.
"I'm fine," I lied through my teeth. I wasn't fine. But I would be soon when mom and dad came. "Just… Had a bad dream is all."
"A bad dream? Oh I'm sorry. I'm glad I woke you up then!"
"Yeah…" My skin crawled and I shuddered. "Can I get changed now? Back into my real clothes?"
Columbia looked at me, confused. "Real clothes? Is your bathing suit fake?"
"No, I meant my street clothes. Where are they?"
"The dresser," Magenta drawled from her spot. Just like my dream, I thought. I got up and went over to the bureau, snatching my still-damp clothes off the top of it, knocking over a photo frame. I picked it up, realizing I had broken the glass on it.
Oops.
I'm in trouble now.
I reset it back to its original spot on the dresser top, hoping no one would notice. The two girls didn't seem to, from what I saw, As I was pulling on my pants, I looked at the photo. It was a picture of Magenta and Riffraff. They seemed younger. Riffraff's arm was around Magenta and they were smiling together. The photo wasn't taken anywhere in the castle, from what I had gathered. Magenta looked pretty when she smiled, but so far, I haven't seen it in real life. I buttoned my pants and felt really bad about breaking the frame.
"Don't worry about that frame," Magenta spoke, as if on cue. "It was broken years ago."
I struggled into my tan sweater, sighing with relief. I didn't feel as bad about the picture anymore. I was finally in my clothes; though they were damp, they provided a significant amount of heat for my freezing body.
"Are you finished?" Columbia asked. I looked myself over. Shirt, jeans, sneakers, socks; yeah, I was. I nodded. "When are your parents coming over?"
This stumped me. Mom and Dad didn't actually say when they were coming to get me, all I knew is that they were coming. I was about to answer when suddenly Magenta gasped.
"Columbia," she sat up. "What day is today?"
"In Earth days or Transylvanian days?"
"Since when do you know the Transylvanian days?"
"I don't. So you want it in Earth days?"
"Yes."
"It's…" Columbia stopped and looked at me.
"August ninth."
She turned back to Magenta. "It's the ninth of August."
"Shit." Magenta rose to her feet. "I'll be downstairs." She walked purposefully out of the room. I was a bit startled by this.
"What's wrong with the ninth of August?"
"I have no idea. But if she said shit and stormed out purposefully, I do believe it's something important."
"Does she swear like that often?"
"Like what?"
"Nevermind." My parents never would allow me to swear. Never. Even saying "oh my God" was considered a federal offense in our house. Mom and Dad always seemed nervous, and they always seemed to be preoccupied with something. Whenever they were like that, it seemed like they didn't care at all. Their anxiousness came in shifts.
"Can we go see what she's doing?" That was my code for "Can we get something to eat?" but she wouldn't pick up on that. My best friends barely do.
"No. She would hate us eternally for that," she said, as though she was thinking. "But maybe we could go and ask Riff what the problem is." She rose from her chair and on her way by she grabbed my hand and led me out the door. I reached for my backpack a second too late and I grabbed at it the moment it was out of my reach, being dragged like a dog through the doorway by Columbia. So much for sneaking out.
I followed Columbia, whose shoes tapped endlessly down the hardwood hallway. I felt a little more comfortable around here with her around; she knew her way around the castle well. Columbia entered the entrance area and stopped. She looked around.
"Well I can't find him."
"That's really how much you're going to look?"
"You're right I should look harder," She turned around and looked over the entire room. Clearly, Riffraff wasn't in here. "RIFFRAFF!" Columbia screeched. "WHERE ARE YOU?"
Riffraff came running in with his duster at the ready. He realized that neither Columbia, nor I were in trouble. "Are you in trouble?" he asked us, even though he probably knew the answer.
"No."
"Is Magenta in trouble?"
Columbia paused. "No."
"Is our guest in trouble?"
She looked at me. "No."
"Then please tell me why in hell I'm standing here right now."
"Magenta left the room in a hurry all of a sudden after I told her it was August the tenth."
"Ninth," I corrected.
"Ninth. Why is that, Riff?"
Riffraff sighed. "Do you not remember what the master told us exactly seven Earth days ago today?"
Columbia stared at him. "Something tells me I don't."
"He's having about forty ambassadors from Transsexual over tonight. Now do you remember?"
"Why?"
"He's having a get-together. It's been years since he's had one." Riffraff explained, more to me than to Columbia I was hoping. "Last time your parents were here, I believe was the last. The night he made Rocky."
Looks like Mom and Dad had broken down at the worst possible time.
"I suppose that my dear Magenta would be cleaning. Or cooking. Two things you seem to have no history in, Columbia."
"I do so! I can… clean. Sort of."
Riffraff just rolled his eyes and was about to start off when a noise came from seemingly nowhere, perhaps an intercom.
"Riffraff! Would you come up to the lab? I require your services up here."
"Yes, master." Riffraff called back. He trudged to the large cage elevator I had seen before. Shifting his duster from one hand to another he slammed the door across, startling me. He got inside slowly and turned around, slamming the door back with another loud KA-CHANK. The elevator slowly rose upward, disappearing eventually.
"Someone's a little touchy this morning," Columbia giggled. "Let's go find Magenta."
"I thought you said that's a bad idea."
"I did?"
"Mhmm."
"Well let's do it anyway." She grabbed my hand and led me off toward the dining room and kitchen.
With one last look at the door, I wondered. Where are my parents? Why aren't they here yet?