Benny POV- After Grandma healed Gwyn's wrist, they had a much more scarier visit to make. They had to tell the Vampire Council that Stern took the Lucifractor.
"The Lucifractor was confiscated by your schoolmaster?" Anastasia asked angrily.
"It's just in his office. We'll get it back easy" Ethan assured her nervously.
"And technically he's our Vice schoolmaster so…" Benny said.
"Right. Yeah which makes it even easier" Ethan added.
"The Lucifractor is the greatest threat we vampires have ever faced" Anastasia told them as she stood up and her voice got deeper when her eyes turned vamp yellow.
"You have one day to get it back or we will raid that school. And you don't want that" she told them, sitting back down and her voice returning to normal. Benny put his arm around Gwyn and they turned to go.
"So that's a threat" Benny said softly.
"It's okay. Stern won't be any trouble" Ethan replied.
"And what if he is? He's pretty strict on rules. Once he takes it, he keeps it until the end of the year" Gwyn said.
"Uh… magic?" Benny replied slowly.
"Oh…okay" Gwyn said hesitantly.
"It's okay we got this. Let's get to school and get it" Ethan said.
On their way to school, the only plan they came up with was simply go into Stern's office when he wasn't there and look for it.
"Oh come on. It's gotta be here! Have you looked under 'L' for Lucifractor?" Benny asked as they searched Stern's office.
"Benny I don't think he catalogs the stuff he takes. Plus he probably doesn't even know what the Lucifractor is" Gwyn said looking around.
"I don't see it. But I found our Alien DNA detector guards! And our Psionic Helmet and the eye of Zartak. I never realized how much of our magic stuff Stern's taken away from us" Ethan said, pulling items out of a drawer.
"Dude I found it" Benny said happily.
"The Lucifractor?" Ethan asked excitedly.
"No better. My Forever Flask! Infinite root beer" Benny said opening it and taking a drink.
"Benny…" Gwyn said shaking her head.
"That's not what we're looking for" Ethan said.
"Really? What are you looking for?" Stern asked from the doorway.
They all stood there in horror staring at him, they were so busted.
"Your nerd pile will sit in my office until the end of the year. And you will sit in detention until… the sun dies. Now get to class" Vice Principal Stern said, leading them out of his office.
"Gotta go man. Terror is starting to leak out" Benny said, rushing for the washroom while Gwyn went off to class.
"Woo" Benny said smiling as he came out of the washroom.
"Benny. Sarah just said that our date was a mistake" Ethan said.
"Oh harsh" Benny told him.
"And I kind of maybe said it was horrible."
"Oh dude harsh extract."
"I know I just felt so awkward that I agreed with her. I didn't think our night was that bad… you know aside from everything that happened."
"If my experience with girls has taught me anything it's 'be honest and tell her how you really feel' or ignore it if you don't want a shot at a second date ever."
"Yeah. You're right; be honest."
"Yeah always works for me… you know now."
"Hey do you think that maybe as an icebreaker, I could ask Sarah to go into Stern's office and get the Lucifractor back?"
"Well is she really in the helping mood? She just dumped you. Or you dumped her. Either way smells like a dump. But just hurry I do not want to be in geography class alone" Benny begged.
"Well you're almost remembering where Switzerland is" Ethan said.
"I'm getting close right?"
"Yeah you're not pointing to the blue parts of the map anymore" Ethan said, before walking off.
Sadly, Benny went to geography class but he did not feel as pumped as he should be after Ethan's slight pep talk. Benny forced himself to take notes and pay attention in class but he was so bored. Finally, Ethan snuck in sitting next to him.
"She wouldn't even talk to me. So now how are we going to get the Lucifractor?" Ethan whispered.
"Bam. Projection ring. Stern swiped this from me before I had a chance to try it out. But I palmed it when we got busted this morning" Benny said showing Ethan the ring.
"So you put it on and you can look like anyone" Ethan asked.
"Yeah. Who's gonna stop Stern from waking into his own office?"
After class, Benny put the ring on and now he was walking down the hall looking like Vice Principal Stern.
"Detention. Super detention. Weak hat. Be… better at learning" Benny said, pointing at people as he walked past.
"You think you're so cool Brady. So cool. And you're mean to Benny Weir when it's obvious that he is way more awesome than you. You're off the football team. Forever! Deal with it" Benny said to a jock against the lockers.
"You beautiful…student are free of detention" Benny said seeing Gwyn.
"Benny?" Gwyn whispered softly.
Benny grinned.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm now off to MY office" Benny winked and walked off.
"You. You're all off the hook" Benny said to the kids in the office who were in trouble.
"Secretary lady, you work too hard; take the day off."
Then Benny walked into Stern's office. Only Stern was there waiting.
"Oh hi" Benny said.
"Hello" Stern replied sitting on his desk.
"I thought you'd be handing out detentions to the late lunchers" Benny said.
"I made my quota yesterday."
"Then you're dreaming" Benny said, slowly waving his hands around.
"No I'm not" Stern said in the same slow voice waving one of his hands around.
Then he hit Benny with an immobility spell without even saying anything. He magically took the ring off Benny's finger and made it fly into his hand.
"So that's what this does. I never thought to try it on."
"I can explain" Benny said.
"Oh I know you can" Stern placed his finger right between Benny's eyes.
It kind of hurt and Benny couldn't stop the words coming out of his mouth.
"I'm a wizard and we're looking for a magic marble and my girlfriend is a telekinetic hottie and Ethan is a seer and has visions."
After that, Benny woke up at home. He couldn't remember anything after he went into Stern's office. He called Gwyn over but she said she didn't remember seeing him or even Stern enter or leave that office.
"Maybe Ethan knows something or can at least get a vision" Benny said.
So they went over to Ethan's.
"Hey Benny, Gwyn. Ethan's up in his room but I don't think he feels well" Ethan's mom greeted them.
"We'll check on him make sure he's okay" Gwyn assured her as they went up the stairs.
All the lights were off in Ethan's room, the sun streaming in was all that kept it from being totally dark.
"Ethan? Uh your mom says you're nuts" Benny said entering slowly.
Gwyn lightly hit him in the chest.
"Ow. Okay uh we can hug it out if you want. I won't actually hug you but we can talk" Benny went on.
"Ethan we're here for you what's going on?" Gwyn asked.
"Show me your hands both of you now!" Ethan said, from behind his book case.
Benny and Gwyn each held up their hands. Gwyn even let a little of her blue flame flow a crossed her fingers but she didn't use it to move anything.
"We're the same as the last time you saw us" Benny said.
"Well the last time I saw you, you were Stern. He had your ring" Ethan explained.
"Yeah everything kind of went blank after I snuck into his office. But I just woke up a little while ago at home. Somehow I made this wicked sandwich. But I don't know what was in it. Weird" Benny said.
"Everybody's dead you guys. I see them they're all dead" Ethan said scared.
"Relax dude. First um you see dead people?" Benny chuckled.
"Benny this is not funny he's really scared" Gwyn said looking at Ethan.
Then, Benny took her hand and stepped into the sunlight for Ethan to see.
"I'm pretty sure we're fine" Benny said.
"No you're not" Ethan said looking pale.
"Oookay. Um I'm gonna have Gran take a look at your brain alright?" Benny said.
Gwyn POV- "Ethan, what do you see when you look at us?" Gwyn asked softly as they slowly got Ethan to go downstairs.
"You're dead" Ethan said.
"Be more exact" Gwyn asked.
"Your skin is white and cracked, your lips are black and your eyes are dead white" Ethan explained while slowly walking to Benny's house.
"Okay well my eyes are blue and my skin while yes it's white it's not deathly white and no cracks. I like my lotions thank you very much. And black is not a color lipstick I'd wear so my lips are red" Gwyn said, trying to keep Ethan calm.
They managed to get him over to Benny's but he was shaking by the time they got him to sit down.
"Anything?" Benny asked as his Grandma did her magic on Ethan's head.
"Yes" she said.
"In his head?"
"Yes."
"Is it bad?"
"Benny, he wouldn't be shaking and terrified if it wasn't bad" Gwyn said but even she was starting to get nervous.
"Sorry" Benny said.
"Ethan the fear binding you're under is very strong" Grandma said.
"We're all gonna die" Ethan said, keeping his head down.
"Look at me. Now! What you see is not real. I don't have a spike through my head."
"You don't have a head actually. It's Sarah. I have to get her out of Whitechapel. We should all leave" Ethan said when his phone rang.
"No we should stay. We need to talk with her" Grandma said.
Night had fallen by the time they had everything set up in Ethan's living room. Sarah sat next to Ethan on the couch.
"We're ready. Ethan look at Sarah. Stern wants you afraid why? Because he knows you can stop him. You just have to find something stronger than your fear. Sarah's the one you want to protect the most" Grandma said.
"But I'm his best friend" Benny said.
"Shh she's talking about love Benny if anything you understand that right?" Gwyn said softly.
"Yeah I do" Benny said, smiling taking her hand.
"Now whatever teenager nonsense is going on, you two care about each other. And you have to believe me that's stronger than any magic Stern might have put in this message. Let's see what we're dealing with" Grandma said opening the letter from Stern.
The magic inside it cause her to stumble then sit heavily on the couch unblinking.
"What happened? Grandma? What happened?" Benny asked panicking.
"Stern's magic. She'll be okay but she may be like that for a while. We're on our own. Now what?" Ethan asked.
"We go after that goon and show him what the score is. Can't be that hard his jackets are so ugly. Right?" Benny said.
"Benny he's stronger than anything we've ever faced" Gwyn said, watching Ethan curl up in a ball and put his head on a couch cushion.
"I don't know how we'll stop him" she finished.