Hi, me again! Okay, I know I might've shocked some of you with the cliffhanger at the end. In this final chapter, you learn why Tobey is so plain awful, and... no, it's too good, I can't say it!
On another note, Tobey will pray in this one. I am a devout Catholic (come on, the word angel is in the title; I doubt that's a big shocker), but rest assured, I am not one of those convert-to-Christianity-or-you-will-burn-in-Hell kind of people. I'm not trying to brainwash you or anything; it's just that since I practice Catholism, it is the easiest medium for me to work with. I don't care whether you're Jewish, Muslin, Hindu, or any other religion as long as you read my stories. I apologize if anyone is offended, for I will try to be more politically accurate in the future. I just needed to put that in there in case some people get the wrong idea about me.
Disclaimer: Those innocent little minds would never be safe if I owned this show.
"Tobey," Becky breathed, hardly daring to believe it. "What happened to you?"
The boy genius sneered, his now onyx eyes filling the whites of his eyes with purest darkness. "I would call it evolved, but you would call it possessed. Four years ago, this vessel ventured to my resting place, my prison, seeking eternal life with you. Several before him had similar desires; however, those were too fragile to contain my essence and died as a result. Tobey would have died as well if your power hadn't saved him. Slowly but surely, I ate away at the Light of Hope you infused in him. Now, it's all erased. Tobey is mine to control."
"You're the Shadow Phoenix," Becky gasped in realization, remembering that awful day when Tobey became Lexiconian.
Suddenly, everything went dark, as if it were a solar eclipse and an impenetrable darkness covered the land. A piercing wind resonated in the clearing, swirling dangerously around Adelina, whispering horrid secrets of death and destruction like a horde of demonic spirits. Just when it reached its peak, it transformed into a mighty black phoenix, darker than any night imaginable. On its forehead, glowed an exact replica of Becky's star and shield logo. Becky immediately began to feel ice cold, as if she had been doused with bone-chilling water. A wave of undiluted fear and sorrow washed over her. She wanted to scream, run, do anything to get away, but the darkness held her firmly in place. The powerful creature spread its wings and with a cry of agony and sorrow, flew to Tobey and forced him underneath the water...
"What do you want with Tobey?!" she screamed in fury.
"The one you call Tobey is merely the vessel through which I enacted my plan. It was quite simple, actually. Using my powers, I took control of Tobey at your coronation and neutralized the effects of the Lexonite arrow until I fired it at your mother. I never intended to kill her, yet I knew your planet would believe otherwise when they saw the engraving upon the arrowhead. Honestly, for the planet of words and knowledge, your people are remarkably narrow-minded. I was practically screaming the name of the culprit, but you and your planet still fell hook, line, and sinker for my trap. They interpreted it as a war threat from Planet Zenith and responded accordingly. You practically handed me the perfect opportunity with the Zhinite bomb in the palace. I set it off, knowing that the king's death would throw Zenith into a vicious frenzy for revenge. In this way, I ensured that both planets would never rest until the other was destroyed, regardless of the consequences." Tobey smiled wickedly, enjoying the effect his villainous plot was having upon Becky. "I've always said that mankind are the best causes of their own demise. All you have to do is give them enough rope, and they'll hang themselves. So it is with Lexicon and Zenith. Once these two planets annihilate the Andromenia Galaxy, the Hope Dimension will crumble, allowing demons from my realm, the Shadow Dimension, to rise up and inhabit this realm. The Magic Dimension won't stand a chance against our might, and evil shall become unequivocal!" Tobey, or the Shadow Phoenix, whoever he was, tacked on an overly cheesy, maniacal cackle at the end of explaining his devious plot. Becky did have to admit, it was brilliant. She desperately searched the face of her former lover, hoping for some sign that he existed beneath the throttle of evil, begging for release.
"Still, you are the one threat to my success. Well, the Light of Hope is, actually; I won't have any problem dealing with you. That's why I faked Tobey's kidnapping. I knew you would find me, so I could finally finish you off." He smiled evilly with none of Tobey's affection.
"Tobey, I know you can hear me!" Becky cried. "You can fight the Shadow Phoenix; I know you can. You may have never loved me, but I've always loved you. I just couldn't see that until now. Please, Tobey, you've chased after my heart for almost two years when we where younger, and even when I rejected you, you never gave up. You can't give up now, not when I need you the most. Please fight it, Tobey, if not for me, then for everyone you love!"
Becky saw a flash of understanding and recognition glinting in his eyes before it was swallowed up by a hatred that was not his own.
"Nice try, Alexandria, but you're too late. There's nothing you can do. Theodore Tobey McCalister is dead, and soon you'll share in his demise!"
Without any warning, Tobey hurled an orb of negative energy at Becky. The darkness engulfed her, blinding her and restricting her breathing. Becky fell to the ground, shivering uncontrollably. She felt an unbridled sorrow consume her, filling every pore of her being until Becky forgot what happiness was.
"Well, that was no fun," taunted the possessed Tobey. "Where's all that strength, integrity, and Light of Hope I've heard so much about?"
Through the impenetrable haze of despair clouding her mind, Becky registered the mention of her powers, the only thing that could save her. Closing her eyes, she summoned up a happy memory, the day Tobey had tricked her into going out on a date while searching for his remote control. That day was so innocent and carefree, Becky had just been too blind to see it because of those walls she used to place around her heart and still did. She could feel the Light of Hope stirring inside her, but it wasn't strong enough. That was because Tobey didn't love her. And how could she love him when the constant fear of betrayal loomed over her head? As the darkness threatened to pull her under, Becky realized that she had to let go of all the worries and doubts holding her back from true happiness. Coming back to the memory, she reminded herself that Tobey loved her fully and unconditionally, the same way she loved him. They were destined to be together, and Becky couldn't question that love. She had to place her entire heart in his hands. Letting go of her greatest fear, the fear of being abandoned, the Light of Hope came to life, forcing away the Shadow Phoenix's energy and surrounding her in a protective cocoon of light.
Tobey backed away in fear, terrified of her power and radiance. Soon, it gave away to a mask of haughty indifference.
"Well, it looks like I've underestimated you, Alexandria," said Tobey with the air of one conversing about the weather. "I'm at your mercy. So what are you going to do now?" he questioned, his voice a hushed whisper. "Kill me?"
"I'm going to banish you, the Shadow Phoenix, not Tobey," replied Becky confidently, radiating endless beams of light.
"And how exactly do you intend to do that? The only way you can kill me is to destroy my host. Why do you think I chose him? See, Alexandria, I know your one weakness: love. That's why I hit you with that wave of negative energy. I knew if you didn't love this Tobey with all your heart, soul, and being, you would have died. If you did, I knew you would be able to save yourself with the Light of Hope by releasing a stream of love. And now that you've discovered pure, endless love for this boy, there's no way you'll be able to kill me, leaving you completely at my mercy. Either way, you lose, Alexandria. Ironic, isn't it, to be the cause of your own downfall?"
Becky's assurance faltered with the knowledge of knowing he was right. It wasn't like with Miss Power either, where Becky had the ability to change her ways. There was no possibility of redemption for this soulless abomination. Still, even if Tobey's spirit was gone, killing his body would break her, severing the tiny fragment of hope she still had. Still, maybe a fragment was all she needed. Maybe there was still a way to save the world. Tobey couldn't hang on much longer; she knew it. There was only one option that had any possible chance of success. It would require a firm courage and Becky controlling her power in a way she had never tried before, which meant it would probably never work, but if it meant saving Tobey, then Becky would march to the ends of the galaxy for him.
"I'm the savior of Lexicon," stated Becky. "I'm the only one standing in the way of you dominating my dimension. You don't want Tobey; you want me." As Tobey created another dark orb of energy, she continued even faster. "You plan to destroy me and the Light of Hope, but don't you realize what an asset my powers could be, what you would waste by destroying me? Even when you do conquer the Hope Dimension, there will be others, rival shadow demons who will try to rest your authority from you. You've already witnessed my power firsthand. Won't you need the Light of Hope's energy to keep those dissenters in check?" Tobey's interest in her rambling peaked, and Becky took this as a sign she was persuading him. Getting down on her knees, the Lexiconian continued. "Please, release Tobey and take me instead. You don't need him, but you need me. When you possess me, you'll become virtually invincible, your power unrivalled across the dimension."
Tobey thought Becky's offer over carefully. "Why in the name of Asteria would you, a little Miss Goody-Two Shoes, want to hand the world the ultimate weapon of destruction?" he asked suspiciously.
Becky gulped, hoping she would sound convincing. "You already said it: love. I love Tobey so much that I'm willing to do anything, even condemn my world to destruction. If I die, which will happen either way, I at least want Tobey to be safe."
"You do realize your boyfriend won't have anything to come back to once I take over?" he questioned further, not entirely sold on Becky's idea, sensing a hidden layer of deception.
She nodded fearfully, praying with all her might that he would be fooled by her ruse.
Suddenly, his entire face light up as if he were amused by a joke. "Ha! I get it now! You think your beloved Tobey will miraculously be able to defeat me once you're dead." His tone dropped to a dangerously soft whisper. "Do you have any idea how stupid that idea is, Alexandria?"
"Maybe you underestimate the power of miracles," Becky said with a note of defiance.
"Miracle or not, he'll never win against me, so I accept your offer, Alexandria Theia. Take in your fill of your beloved, for he will be the last thing you ever see."
As the Shadow Phoenix prepared to leave Tobey's body, Becky prepared herself to make the ultimate sacrifice. With a blood-curdling scream, a mighty phoenix, forged from shadows and inflictor of torment, rose up from Tobey's chest, causing the boy genius to collapse to the ground, motionless. The majestic yet terrible bird soared to Becky who didn't even flinch. She knew what she had to do and was determined to see it through. For the sake of Tobey and everyone she loved, Becky had no choice but to make this sacrifice. Praying she would live to see the light of day, the prophesized savior allowed the Shadow Phoenix to wrap her in his freezing cold wings, which caused an unstoppable wave of hopeless to penetrate to the very core of her being. Then the dark abomination drove itself into Becky's chest.
Becky let out a tortured cry of the utmost agony as the Shadow Phoenix and the Light of Hope clashed inside her. Light and darkness were locked in a deadly battle, fighting vigorously for control. Becky screamed and screamed, filled with pain, begging for it to end, to be granted the sweet, blissful release of death. She could feel herself slowly being ripped apart, her body contorting violently. Becky couldn't stand it, she was going insane, the bane of her essence being ravaged by the two deadly opposites. She closed her eyes and covered her ears to prevent her from hearing the tormented cries that were her own. She willed the Light of Hope to conquer, but she had no control over it anymore, for the light had thrown itself fully and completely into the battle. Becky would never be able to reign it in until the Shadow Phoenix's essence was obliterated. As the fight wore on, Becky could feel the vestiges of her life slowly slipping away. Through her absolute suffering, she realized with a jolt that if she died, so would the Light of Hope, and so would Planet Lexicon. She knew neither side was gaining an advantage, nor would they ever, for good and evil were made equal, neither granted the ability to overpower the other. One of them had to go, and it couldn't be the Shadow Phoenix.
Amazingly, the Light of Hope seemed to know what she was thinking and acted accordingly. Breaking free from the shackles of battle lust, the essence of Lexicon was once again Becky's to command. With a great heave, the Lexiconian girl forced the Light of Hope to leave her body and hover above her contorted form, trapping the Shadow Phoenix with her dying corpse. Sensing its demise, the evil spirit fought to free itself from Becky, but her willpower kept it attached to her, unable to escape.
I saved Tobey, Becky thought with a dreamy, satisfied euphoria as she felt the arms of Death carrying her away from the world she knew to begin a new life.
His head was throbbing, the world was spinning, and there was a persistent, bothersome ringing in his ears that refused to relent. These were the first things Tobey registered upon his return to consciousness. Sitting up, however, he forgot all his discomforts when he opened his eyes and saw Becky lying motionless a few feet away, the Light of Hope casting a glaring spotlight on her lifeless form. The memories from that day streamed through his groggy mind, causing him to blanch with fear.
The memory lapses, the irrepressible anger, everything finally made sense. He had released the Shadow Phoenix four years ago, yet it was Becky who had paid the price.
Tobey rushed to Becky's side, praying he wasn't too late. On his way, he tripped over an old sack, causing a shallow scrape to form on his elbow. If the circumstances hadn't been this urgent, he would have paused and stared in fascination, for he had never had the slightest bruise in the past four years. Surely, this was a sign that his former humanity had once more been restored. Still, Tobey was preoccupied with far more pressing matters. "Oh God, please, no, no, no! Becky, answer me!" He rattled her unmoving corpse violently but to no avail. Then he checked for a pulse, his hand trembling uncontrollably, his fingers numbed with the chill of death. Her chest wasn't moving, her skin was far too cold, all signs pointed to the conclusion she had passed on, and yet Tobey could sense that all was not lost. There was still a way to save her… but how?
Not knowing what else to do, Tobey knelt down and attempted to pray the rosary. That's what you did when you wanted God to save someone, right? Tobey and his family had never had much in the way of religion other than celebrating Christmas. Still, if there was ever a need for an all-powerful guy who could resurrect the dead, now was the time. He prayed ten Hail Marys but had forgotten what came next.
Forgetting the prayer, Tobey shouted desperately to the heavens, "Please, God, all I'm asking is for Becky to live. I know I don't deserve even the tiniest portion of her or her love, but she is a good person. She deserves a long, full life, so please give her one! She has a wondrous soul, even if she's not human. No, she's more than that; she's an angel, an angel who is on the brink of death because she chose to save me! If any of the stories are true, and even if they're not, save Becky for her sake and the sake of the entire world. Please, just don't take her away from me! I need this girl more than life itself. I'll do anything if it means saving her, just like she did for me. Please, I have to save her!"
As if He was answering Tobey's plea, a dues ex machina came in the form of Violet, the fairy of creativity. She descended from the sky like an angel, her delicate silver wings beating rapidly in the breeze, sunlight glinting off her sparkling lavender dress. Alarmed at Becky's limp form, she touched down and rushed to her side.
"I followed my tracking spell," she explained to Tobey. "What happened to her?"
"There's no time to explain," the boy genius replied, trying to preclude the tears streaming down his cheeks. "She's dying, and you need to save her."
"Oh Tobey," Violet said sadly. "Even I can't bring back the dead. The best I can do is keep her alive for a few minutes."
"Then do it!" commanded Tobey angrily. Roughly gripping her shoulders, he continued with frightening intensity. "Tap into that magical power source thingy and bring ourselves a miracle. If there's one thing I know, it's that Becky Botsford does not die today."
Violet nodded and set about her impossible task. Placing her hands over Becky's chest, she let waves of magic energy surround her, wrapping her in a haze of purple. Tobey waited with baited breath, his muscles nearly snapping with tension, waiting for Becky to take a deep breath of precious oxygen and see her beautiful eyes flicker open, shining with the light of life.
"Please, Becky, just hang on," whispered Tobey, taking her hand. "If you can hear me, and even if you can't, I love you. I love you with all my heart; I just haven't always treasured that. Even though mere words can never convey my regret, can never erase my mistakes, I want you to know that I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you. I would do anything, even sacrifice my life if it meant saving you, because life is nothing without you. If you die, so will I, so you need to fight this Becky! Fight for both of our lives! You're the strongest person I know, and I have faith in you. Please, Becky, I've lost so much. Don't leave me. I love you too much to let you go."
With his declaration of love, Violet ended the enchanted current surrounding Becky. Tobey waited for a verdict, but the tears in Violet's eyes said it all.
"I'm sorry, Tobey," she said, eyes sparkling with sorrow. "She's gone."
"No," he breathed, refusing to believe it. "NO!" he repeated angrily, yet he knew she was right. This corpse, which used to captivate him, was now barren and empty, for her soul had passed beyond the gate, even beyond the bounds of love. "Becky, come back! Becky, WordGirl, Alexandria, wake up!"
Over and over, he shouted all three names, but none responded, for all three were dead.
I can just SEE your stunned faces! I'm sure that ending brought on strong reactions, most of them being some variation on "OMG, WORDGIRL'S DEAD! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS, BELLA? RADIANCE CAN'T END LIKE THIS!" Chill out, it's not: there's still an epilogue. And now I can picture that tiny spark of hope that just lit up at the thought of an epilogue. Well, just because I'm feeling especially evil today and wish to crush that hope, here's an excerpt from the epilogue:
Finally, it was Tobey's turn. The flower trembling in his hands, there was so much he wanted to say. Memories, final prayers, and declarations of love swirled around his head, and yet all were inadequate in the presence of Becky's lifeless body. Nothing he could say could possibly rectify his mistake, a mistake that had cost Becky her life. She had saved him more times than he could count, and somehow he wasn't able to save her just when it mattered most. Fighting to hold back tears, all Tobey could choke out was, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
That's a passage from Becky's funeral, folks. Yes, you read that right: her funeral.
As you can tell, I'm not the kind of writer who believes in happy endings. Review, even though you all probably despise me for killing off your beloved heroine.
Love to all,
Bella
