HEY GUYS! Oh dear, I can't even begin to explain why this is so late. I think I might have a Wish Master of my own because the past few weeks have been miserable!
I'll try to keep this rant short: We spent two and a half months looking for a new house, and we just found one and moved in about a week ago. All of our furniture arrives and is assembled, and then we realize that this house has faulty (dangerous) wiring and electrical issues, the heat doesn't work so I almost froze to death writing this chapter, there is mold, and we have a roach infestation. Fantastic! So now we're looking for a new one. AGAIN!
Oh yeah, and because of this we haven't had internet for almost two weeks. So yeah, sorry readers!
Reviews:
True Beast 01: Ha! Yeah! And that's just Danny's style...or, now it is!
New Prussia: Yep! I actually hadn't realized that until I wrote that chapter! And yeah, WM isn't your typical villain. In more ways than one...;)
Man285: Thank you! I'll try to find some more places to insert SpideyxTiger, but no promises!
ArtemisBAMF1218: Thanks, glad you liked the dream sequence! Yeah, Samantha's is quite sad. Danny is incredibly obsessive! More so later. Good guess, but not quite. And I've watched the new season and I'm not super impressed. Ever since they introduced the New Warriors the main team has gotten less and less screen time! And they just keep adding new characters! Ugh!
Chaos: Hey! I've missed hearing from you! Thanks so much for telling me Jace's costume, I'll mention it in probably the next chapter! Glad you're still reading!
The next week went by slowly. Everyday, they all went out to look for anything that might lead them to the Wish Master, but the villain had stayed away.
And every day, Peter's agitation grew. He needed to get home soon. And this goose chase method wasn't working.
"This is the longest movie in the world," Jace moaned. He was sprawled on the couch, watching The Fellowship of the Ring with Dorian. Jade was on the other couch with Peter, listening to the movie. Samantha was in the kitchen. It was her turn to make dinner.
"It's the longest work of art in the world!" Dorian huffed.
"Everything they do is so unnecessary!" Jace said. "Why can't they just ride the giant freaking eagles to the volcano and shove the ring in? Why do they have to walk so far?"
"Because it's an adventure!" Dorian argued.
"Ugh!"
"I like it," Jade smiled.
"What kind of a name is Frodo? What kind of an idiot puts all the world's power into one ring? And why a ring? Obviously it gets lost way too easily. Why not...like...a battle axe or something? Or a throne? Or an elephant?"
"THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART SHUT UP!" Dorian screamed.
Peter watched them argue, going through stacks of notes and theories. He still had no idea what the Wish Master's message might have meant. He sighed.
"You should stop worrying," Jade said to him. Peter blinked tiredly.
"I can't. I need to fix things."
"Not like that though. Come on, we should all go out to eat. It'll be fun!"
"Samantha's cooking," Peter said. A white flash of light exploded from the kitchen.
"Stupid oven!" Samantha yelled. "Should've cooked faster!"
Jace sat up slowly.
"Yeah...let's go."
Peter smiled wryly as Samantha stalked out of the kitchen, covered in oil and flour.
Dorian grudgingly shut off the movie, and Samantha quickly cleaned up. Peter really didn't feel like going, but he figured all his obsessing was probably doing more harm than good.
Just one night. Then we can get serious again.
Together they walked out of the house and headed down the street. None of them had driver's licenses, and even if they did, no one had a car. Peter itched to just web sling all the way into the city, but he couldn't just leave his friends to walk. Although Dorian had mentioned he had a motorcycle...
Still. They would all go together.
Ugh! I miss my SpiderCycle...but SHEILD never gave it to me here!
It took an hour for the teens to get into the city, and another fifteen minutes to decide on where to eat. They eventually went to the new Denny's in town that had opened a few weeks ago. A smiley waitress sat them at a booth near the window.
"Can I take your order?" She asked, eyeing Dorian.
"Um...can we have the group breakfast special?" Peter ordered.
"Sure! What sides would you like?"
"Toast," Peter muttered uncomfortably.
"Does it come with pancakes?" Jade asked.
The waitress nodded and left with the order.
"She was totally checking me out, right?" Dorian whispered.
"Sure hobbit-head," Jace snickered. He stood up, "I'll be back."
"Where are you going?" Samantha called.
"Bathroom," Jace shrugged unconvincingly. He grinned before leaving.
Peter rubbed his head, still thinking about everything that had happened to him.
"Maple syrup is definitely a food," Jade was saying. Dorian nodded in agreement.
"No it's not, it's a condiment!" Samantha said.
"Same thing," Dorian shrugged. "Right Pete?"
Peter looked up in surprise. He hadn't been listening.
"Uh..."
"Ugh, Peter! Just relax! You're going to make yourself sick," Samantha sighed in annoyance.
"I just want to find him," Peter explained.
"We all do," Jade reminded him. "But you need to know when to step back a little."
"Speaking of which..." Dorian tossed his head towards the bar area.
"You can't have that, kid!" The bartender growled.
"You gave it to me," Jace smirked, holding a cup of reddish black liquid.
"No I did not because I would never give alcohol to a teenager!"
"I'm twenty one," Jace lied.
"Even if you were, you still can't steal drinks."
"I didn't. You gave it to me. And you're about to give me another one," Jace told him. He stopped time, finished his drink, walked to the bar and swiped another one off the counter, then went back to stand in front of the bartender.
Peter watched him resume time.
"Great," He groaned.
"Should we help?" Dorian asked.
"I don't know...he seems to have it under control..." Samantha said.
"What did you just..." The bartender sputtered. Jace looked at him coolly. The bartender snatched the glass from Jace's hands.
"I don't know how you're doing this, but I can still call the cops."
"Fine, if you want to get arrested for giving a kid alcohol, that's your problem," Jace chuckled. Then he turned and walked back to the table.
"What was that?" Peter yelled at him. They watched the bartender stalk back to the counter, a look of frustration on his face. He didn't go near the phone.
"What?" Jace said innocently, "I'm just having fun."
"Could've grabbed some for us," Dorian muttered.
"Dorian!" Peter lectured.
Jace hiccupped, smiling with slightly glazed eyes.
"Here's your meal!" The waitress reappeared out of nowhere, carrying plates of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and hash browns. The smell was heavenly as she set the food down on the table.
"Thanks," Dorian smirked at her, wriggling his eyebrows slightly. She batted her eyes and left.
Peter couldn't help but laugh. As they ate, they made small-talk, all trying to avoid mentioning Wish Master. Jade drowned her share of the pancakes in maple syrup and instructed Dorian on the perfect ratio of 'cake to syrup.'
"Trust me, I'm Canadian. I know pancakes," She giggled.
Peter had to say he was enjoying himself. He felt at home. And a part of him wished he could stay there, like that, forever. But no. He needed to get home.
No Peter! Stop thinking of that! There'll be time for that later. Focus on the food. This is the best thing I've ever tasted!
Peter shoveled eggs into his mouth, trying to engage occasionally in the conversation. The group debated on whether or not Dorian had a shot with the waitress, and on who cooked the best.
"You all are pretty terrible," Jace snorted.
"Hey! It was the oven's fault!" Samantha retorted.
The waitress checked on them a few times, and then Peter finally asked for the check.
"Here you go!" She smiled brightly.
Everyone helped pay, though it was mostly Peter who took care of the bill, and then it was time to leave. Time to break the perfect evening out with his friends and return to uncertainty. Failure.
And yet Peter didn't feel like a failure. In that moment, he actually felt pretty confident. Happy, even. Jace stepped out of the booth and clutched onto the table for a second.
He looked kind of pale. Peter sympathized. He felt slightly sick too, probably something disagreeable in the food. That, or the fact that they'd all completely pigged out.
They walked outside into the night. The air was still warm, and Peter was debating on whether or not to hail a cab. Change jingled in his pockets, but that wouldn't be enough.
Guess we're walking back...
"Come on," He called out to his friends. Jade rubbed her hands over her face tiredly.
"Do we have to walk?" She groaned.
"Yeah," Peter said.
They crossed the street and began their long journey. But they'd only walked about five minutes when Peter noticed that Jace wasn't exactly walking in a straight line anymore.
"Is it the drinks?" Jade asked with equal parts of amusement and worry. She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"'Course not! 'm not 'ven t'psy," Jace slurred, before his eyes unfocused and he collapsed on the sidewalk.
"Jace!" Everyone cried out. He didn't move, unconscious.
Peter looked around frantically to check if anyone had seen, but the usually busy streets were uncharacteristically empty. Jade yawned, not seeming very worried. She took a wobbly step forward and fell next to Jace.
"Tired..." She mumbled.
Peter shook her.
"Jade! Jade! Hey, stay with me! What's wrong?"
She muttered something incoherent, then passed out.
Now Peter felt it. A wave of exhaustion and confusion. He blinked blearily, trying to speak. His voice sounded heavy and slow to his ears. He watched as Samantha and Dorian also dropped. His eyelids drooped for a second and suddenly he found himself lying on the floor. He fought to stay awake as darkness called to him.
Why can't things ever just go right for even one day?
Peter woke up with his head pounding. His vision blurred in and out of focus, but he seemed to be in some kind of alleyway.
"Peter?" Samantha gurgled. She was slowly waking up, rubbing her face. "Where..."
"I don't know," Peter croaked. He sat up and his stomach lurched.
Yep. Definitely an alley.
He cracked a smile.
"This could only happen to me," He said. Samantha grinned wryly.
"What did happen?"
Peter dug through half-coherent memories. His face felt hot and his head still tingled slightly.
"We blacked out," He concluded dumbly.
"Obviously. But why?" Samantha asked.
"I think...I don't know...I felt kind of sick after we ate..." Peter struggled to remember. Samantha nodded.
"Me too. Do you think they put something in it?" She mused.
Yeah, and I think I know who...
Peter was about to speak again when a shadow appeared in front of them. The darkness parted, revealing the overly perky waitress.
Oh hey, I was right! What do I win?
"Hello drunken ducklings! How was the food?" She giggled. Her blond hair waved around as she spoke. Peter scowled.
"What are you doing?" He yelled.
She smiled.
"Oh Petey dearest! Don't you recognize me?" She growled. Her voice changed and her outfit loosened into a robe.
A purple robe.
Not again! Not again!
"You!" Peter shrieked.
"Slips in the cakes make dips in the brain!" Wish Master taunted, levitating in front of Peter. Samantha gasped.
"Is that him?" She whispered.
"Him is me and me is all! Keys to doors have gone unloved! Why bother with old when the gift is a present?"
Peter leaped to his feet, only to shake and sway enough to fall back down. Dorian stirred next to him, starting to blink open his eyes.
Samantha hurled a light shard at Wish Master, but it flickered and faded before reaching him.
"I'm too weak," She muttered.
"The weak invited me, called out to me, and now all scream inside of me! You're almost here! So near so clear! Soon trapped inside your maze's mind!" Wish Master screeched gleefully.
Dorian yelped as he recovered his wits. He disentangled himself from Jade, who he had somehow ended up hugging in his sleep.
"Did you freaking drug us?" He demanded. Wish Master turned to him, white pinpoint eyes glowing madly.
"Failures make my favorite meals! They only last a couple years! Anew! And soon, the dust will be replenished!"
"Whoa," Dorian muttered. Peter watched as he tried to produce smoke, but only a few puffs came out. Whatever magic the Wish Master had used on them, they were still feeling the effects.
"How about things are even made? To quicker winning in this game?" Wish Master waved his arms and Jade and Jace began to wake up.
Jade moaned loudly, clutching her head.
"How many did I have?" Jace rasped, gagging into his hands.
They both froze when they heard the Wish Master speak next.
"Now all have seen and all have known. Time's not alone in growing old and all of you will spin forever, always toiling, turning, hurting, into his web of pain!"
Peter felt the glances from his friends, but kept his eyes glued on his enemy. He knew what this was. This was a message.
The Wish Master could be anyone.
Go anywhere.
And was always watching.
Peter would never win. It was impossible.
"Why do you do this?" Jade asked. The Wish Master whirled on her. "Why do you need misery so much?"
"Not the it, the who! The who who feeds the it and thus feeds me so I can live to hurt another who!"
"What are you saying?" Samantha spoke, trying to form another shard.
"All villains have some kind of tragedy," Jade continued, "What's yours?"
Peter's eyes widened.
What is she doing!?
Wish Master seemed to spasm, jerking in random directions for a second. He shot high into the air and the sky darkened dangerously.
"STOP IT! YOU ASKED FOR IT! YOU WANTED IT! SHUT UP!" He shrieked. Everyone froze. Peter's mouth hung open.
"Keep talking!" He screamed at Jade. But by the time the blind girl was speaking again, the villain had already disappeared.
I'm one of those people who really enjoys spoiling books, movies, tv shows, and pretty much everything that has any sort of twist ending...so you have no idea how much I want to just tell all of you everything that's going to happen in this story! Ugh! I need to stay strong! Please review! Interpretations and theories are always welcome! Have any of you ever had weeks when you felt like you had a Wish Master?
Wolf Out...
