Chapter Twenty-One: Permission to Save the World from Monsters
"You're driving?" Charmcaster asked, eyeing the green car with disdain. She was dressed in her old usual purple outfit, black crown and all. Battle-ready.
"I'm taking Ben, if that's what you're asking. You are not allowed in my car. You can ride with Max."
Charmcaster rolled her eyes. "Good. I certainly didn't want to ride in your car anyways. Who knows where it's been." She winked mischievously. "Not to mention that you lost your license…"
"He what now?" Max asked, his ears perking up at the news.
Crap. Kevin had no idea that Charmcaster was so well informed… she did live with Gwen, though. She probably knew just about everything about last night.
Kevin cringed at the thought.
"He lost his license. I don't know about you, Max, but I don't think it's very smart of him to be driving illegally. It would be much safer of we all took your lovely SUV." Charmcaster answered sweetly.
Ben shot Kevin a pitying glance, but otherwise didn't complain as he climbed into the Rust Bucket.
"I hate you." Kevin muttered as he walked past Charmcaster.
"Good. Hate to think you're all getting too comfortable around me."
….
"Take a right at the light." Charmcaster said and pointed, hesitantly, as the Rust Bucket took the turn sharply.
"You sure you know what you're doing?" Ben asked, skeptical.
She made a strange unhappy snarl in the back of her throat. "I'm not inept! Look, maybe I don't have the natural ability of your cousin, but I think I can sense giant waves of magic pouring into another dimension, thanks so much."
Ben continued to frown at her from his spot perched in between her and Max, until the old man reprimanded him for not sitting down and wearing a seat belt. With a sigh, Ben took a seat in the back, muttering something like "I can take down Vilgax, but an RV is gonna kill me. Right."
"And do it without the sass, please!" Max yelled back.
Kevin shook his head, leaning closer to Ben in the loud Rust Bucket's back seating. "I don't like this."
"I know, me neither." Ben glared toward the front, where the boys could see Charmcaster chatting with his grandfather. "I don't know why Gwen thinks we can trust her…"
"Well, I mean… I guess she did help bring down one of those creatures while we were gone. That buys her a little cred, I suppose. Still doesn't mean I have to like her, though."
"What if she's lying about the whole thing?" Ben wondered in a low voice. "Do we have any proof she is experiencing the same thing as Gwen? Maybe this is all some trick?"
"Then why not take out Gwen while we were all gone? Not that she can't take care of herself, but this whole thing's left her kinda vulnerable. It wouldn't make sense."
"I don't know… maybe."
"A left here." The blond witch called from the front. "We're close to one. I can feel about five different tears right now, but the more we drive, the more I sense….this might take awhile."
"We're used to long hours." Kevin called up. "Just do your job."
Charmcaster turned around, glaring. "I wasn't complaining. Just stating facts. I don't know how many cracks there are in the fabric of our universe, but I doubt we can repair them all."
"Every little bit helps. If this is all we can do right now, then we do it." Ben stated simply.
"If we could get Gwen to help, too, we could have two groups going out." Grandpa Max said casually, his eyes sliding to the rearview mirror. "Exactly why isn't she here?"
"Her parents wouldn't let her go." Charmcaster said with a shrug, staring out the window with a look of concentration etched on her face.
"WHAT?" Max exclaimed, clearly perplexed. "This is important work. I thought I had talked to them about plumber work." He shook his head. "Looks like I'll have to have another talk with my son."
"Uh… you probably just wanna leave this one alone." Kevin said, growing a little worried. Gwen would be seriously pissed if word got around why she was in deep with her parents right now.
"I was wondering about that. What was this about it involving the police…?" Ben asked, a little too loudly.
"WHAT?" Max said again, his eyebrows raising so high it looked like they might fall off.
"I was just… kidding about that, Ben." Kevin tried. He could kick himself now. Or Ben. Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut?
Charmcaster sighed. "If it will end this potentially awkward conversation, the police brought her home because Kevin's license was pulled last night for outstanding tickets. Her parents flipped. End of story."
"Er, yeah. And that's all." Could it possibly be that Charmcaster had just covered for Gwen? That certainly seemed out of character.
"Well, I'm still going to have a talk with Frank. We could have really used Gwen's help today."
"We also could have used a fast car." Ben remarked, shaking his head at Kevin.
"I've been off-planet for a few weeks- I forgot. So sue me. I sent in the payments, and I'll get my license back by the end of the month."
"There!" Charmcaster yelled, suddenly, pointing off to her left. Max pulled the rust bucket to the side of the road with a screech and they all scrambled out quickly. Charmcaster was running, now, her eyes glowing a soft pink.
"Hold up!" Kevin called, running after the girl alongside Ben.
"Here!" She said, breathing hard and pointing up… at empty sky.
"That's it?" Ben asked, sounding vaguely disappointed. There was nothing to see, really. Maybe a small ripple in the air…He thought a tear in the fabric of their reality would be a little more… impressive. Instead it was something only Mana-users could see, apparently.
"Sometimes things we can't see can hurt us." Max said, catching up with the group and carrying a large box. "There are two more of these in the back of the Rust Bucket, which you would know if you hadn't all run off. Charmcaster, Ben, go grab them. Kevin, you can help me assemble this thing."
….
Gwen sat in her room, running through familiar math problems on her laptop. Online classes.
She sighed, annoyed with just how complete her house arrest was. She couldn't wait for this stupid Anodite holiday to be over so she could go back to school.
Oh, and not die. Both were pretty up there on her list.
It made her nervous, now, being home alone. At least with Charmcaster there she could feel assured that she wouldn't change into someone horrible and go on a killing spree. Maybe she should go talk to her parents? How long could they keep her here, anyways? The group needed her, and she needed her super-powered friends to save her from herself.
She tapped a finger against her keyboard nervously, not actually pressing any keys. When would they be back? She was just beginning to realize it had been awhile since her last skip, and it was making her nervous.
Her phone rang, and she jumped, stirred from morbid thoughts of herself with sharp teeth, using a knife to cut off Ben's hand…
She shivered, reaching for her phone. "Hello?"
"We're on our way back."
It was Kevin's voice, and she took comfort from the familiar steady sound. She wanted to see him so badly… "Good. How'd it go?"
"Well enough. We took out about six of them, and Charmcaster says she's beat from tracking. I'm thinking it'll go a lot quicker if we just mount the port-cannon on top of the rust bucket, so we're gonna take a break until tomorrow night." He paused, and it sounded like he was talking to someone next to him. Maybe Ben. "We, uh, we think it'll go a lot quicker if you came along, too. We could split into two groups and cover more ground."
Gwen sighed. "I'll try and talk to my parents. I don't know. If I can catch my mom alone, maybe…"
Kevin was silent for a minute, then Gwen heard a small groan of surrender. "Look, would it help if I talked to them…"
Kevin was volunteering? For talking to her parents? This was seriously out-of-character. "I can't believe this is really Kevin. Put Kevin on the phone."
"Haha."
"You would really do that?" Gwen thought about it, tapping her lip and sitting down on her bed. She wondered if that would help the situation, or make it worse? Probably, if her parents got to know Kevin, they would like him. He was a good person, with a very well-developed sense of right and wrong. He worked with their group to take care of the world, and he took care of her. The two of them relied on each other in battle, each watching the other's back. Without him, she could have been toast long ago. And visa versa. She didn't want them to keep hating him. "I'd like that."
"Oh. I was kinda hoping you'd turn me down on that one."
"Nope. You offered. You're stuck, now."
"…alright, whatever makes you happy."
Her heart jumped, and she was glad no one could see her grinning like an idiot into the phone. "Thanks, Kevin."
…
Gwen's mom brought out snacks and pop, which Ben happily dug into immediately. Kevin didn't really feel like eating- why did he say he'd talk to the Tennyson's? About what? Was he supposed to apologize or something? Probably.
But that would wait until Ben and Max decided to leave, after they all had their little "Team Me Meeting" as Ben put it.
"So, you managed to shut down six of the rips."
"Yes, but I could sense dozens more in the area."
"I know, I can too."
Charmcaster glared. "You can sense them, now, even though they're so far away?"
Gwen nodded sheepishly, taking a long drink of her diet coke. She really didn't need Charmcaster getting competitive now, but the fact was that Gwen was the stronger of the two. Charmcaster had access to more spells growing up, but Gwen had natural raw talent.
Charmcaster harrumphed, folding her arms and glaring at the tray of cookies set on the coffee table.
"Every little bit helps." Max said, helping himself to a cookie. "These are wonderful, Natalie!"
"Oh, they came out of a box." Gwen's mom said, waving a hand in front of her as if to deflect the compliment.
"Oh, really? They almost taste like Neroshin worm pies!"
Ben slowly put back the cookie he was about to take a bite of.
"Er, uh, thanks?" Natalie said, taking a seat next to her daughter.
"Anyways, back to business." Max said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. "As I said, I contacted the plumbers about the girl's problems," he nodded at Gwen and Charmcaster, "but so far no luck on a way to stop the skips. At least by closing these rips we're doing something. We don't want one of those monsters rampaging around a populated area. Again."
"So, we go out again tonight." Ben said confidently, chugging down his orange soda. "No big deal- we'll close the rips then find a way to stop the skips."
"You act like it's going to be simple- we talked to an Anodite and didn't get answers. What makes you think the plumbers will be any more help?" Gwen said with a sigh.
"To be fair, you have to ask Anodites the right questions. Even Verdona can be a bit flakey…" Max admitted, shaking his head.
"I believe grandma's exact words were, 'suck it up.'" Gwen answered, glaring at nothing in particular.
Ben couldn't keep in a small snort of laughter.
"It isn't funny!"
"I know, I know. Sorry. Serious face." Ben said, pointing to his face as he forced his smile back down into a frown.
"Now, the first thing to do is to mount the Port-Cannon to the top of the Rust Bucket. It's a pain to assemble again and again, but it won't fit inside in one piece."
"I'll handle that." Kevin volunteered. "I'll bring around some tools in the morning."
"Right." Max said, nodding. "Then, we should do the same with your car."
"Sure. Fine."
"But you can't be driving it, if you don't have a valid license."
Kevin groaned. This was the problem with working with responsible adults. But then they couldn't have really gotten ahold of a port-cannon without Max's help. Not easily, anyways.
"I agree with that." Natalie said. Her eyes narrowed at the dark-haired boy, her legs and arms crossed while her leg bounced in an irritated way.
"I can drive, then." Ben said, grinning. Kevin groaned.
"So, now all we need is a second Mana-user to go with one of the two groups…" Max said, casually. Very sly, for an old-timer.
"No." Natalie said simply, pursing her lips angrily.
"Oh, Natalie, you know how it is with kids. Even the best behaved have a way of getting in trouble now and then…"
"No."
"Really, Gwen is more than just a kid. She has a lot of responsibility for someone her age- she's had to grow up pretty fast. And right now, she's needed."
"Max, I understand, believe me I do, but she's still my daughter and I can't just always let her off the hook for every little thing…"
"Saving the town from monsters is more of a 'big thing,' if you ask me…plus, it's her first offense. Time off for good behavior, maybe?"
Max winked at his granddaughter, but Gwen just looked a few shades too pale. Kevin could see her mom getting more and more annoyed. Max was unintentionally making the situation worse.
Then again, he didn't know why she was really in trouble.
Charmcaster sighed, loudly, bringing the attention of the room straight to herself. "What if Gwen went with Max, and I went with Kevin? You," she pointed at Ben, waving a hand flippantly in front of her, "can go wherever."
"Don't talk about me like I'm not important, here. I am a gigantic hero, afterall." Ben said, popping a cookie in his mouth without thinking about it then grimacing at the taste. They must actually be pretty awful. "Plus, why would that make a difference?" He added as he tried to scrape cookie off his tongue with a napkin.
Natalie looked introspective, tapping her lip and staring at her daughter. "I don't know. Let me talk to Frank. We'll see…"
"Well, think about it." Max said cheerfully, standing up and making his way to the door. "You boys need a lift home?"
"Me!" Ben said, grabbing another soda and walking to the door.
"That's ok." Kevin managed to spit out, regretfully. "I'll, uh, walk home later."
Ben gave him a suspicious glance, and shrugged. "Suit yourself. The Rust Bucket's not that bad. Bye."
And with that, Kevin was left alone with Gwen, her mom, and Charmcaster. He wished the room were about 67% less crowded with people who didn't like him.
"Wow, Levin's sticking around for the after-party." Charmcaster said, sliding off the couch. "I think I've had enough fun for one day- I'm gonna go study some spells for awhile." She made a swift escape up the stairs, and Kevin had the distinct impression she was standing at the top listening.
"Uh…" Kevin began eloquently, at a loss for words. What was he doing here, again? What was the point?
He saw Gwen raise an eyebrow at him from her spot by her mom across the room. Oh, right. The point was to make his girlfriend happy.
"I just wanted to, you know, apologize for last night and all that." He managed, pointedly looking at the ceiling to avoid eye contact. He had no idea what the cop had said to Gwen's parents, but the guy had seemed like a prude. Probably told them he had found the two going at it in the back seat… which was only slightly untrue.
"Well… good." Natalia answered after a moment of awkward silence. She sounded surprised, and when Kevin ended his ceiling-inspection he saw Gwen looked surprised too. What, did she think he was incapable of apologizing? "Although, I don't really put all the blame on you, Kevin." She added, glancing at her daughter, who slunk further into her seat. "It takes two."
"Mom… I apologized. I shouldn't have snuck out, especially when it wasn't business-related…"
"You're right, you shouldn't have. It's the sneakiness I can't stand, Gwen." She sighed, rubbing at her temple. "Your father wants me to tell you two you couldn't see each other anymore…"
Kevin held in a derisive laugh. Like that was possible.
"…but I told him if I said that it would only make you want to see him more." She gave her daughter a half-smile. "That would just be part of the appeal, wouldn't it?"
"Oh my god, mom, I'm not going through a rebellious stage or whatever your books are telling you…"
"Look, I just want to set up three ground-rules. 1- you have a curfew starting at eleven from now on, pending an alien emergency." She pointed at Kevin. "Got that? You get her home by eleven. When you get your license back, that is." Kevin nodded obediently, feeling a little flummoxed. He wasn't so used to the "parenting" thing. "2- no more sneaking around. If you two want to go on a date, Gwen, you can let me know. And 3-…" Gwen's mom looked a little uncomfortable, and coughed into her hand. Seeming to grasp a wave of courage from this act, she hurried on, "… if - and this is a big if, since I'd prefer it if you two would wait- if you two are going to have sex, you're going to be safe, you hear me!?"
Kevin was definitely thinking it was time to leave.
"Mother! You can embarrass me in private, ok?" Gwen pleaded, shooting apologetic looks Kevin's way.
"I'm not finished." Natalie said firmly. "4-"
"There's a 'four' now?" Gwen whined. Kevin had never heard her sound so… tragically teenaged. Her exasperated tone almost made the situation amusing. Almost.
"4- you are still grounded, and I want you both to cool it for the next week. I wasn't kidding about you giving your dad a heart attack! He said you're grounded, so you're grounded. One week. But-" She shifted in her seat, "Provided, of course, that you follow your friend Caroline's suggestion, I will let you go with your friends tomorrow night to save the world from monsters."
"Uh… thanks mom." Was all Gwen could manage. That was not the kind of thing a normal teen would ever hear their mom say.
"If we're done here, I'm going too…" Kevin began, edging towards the door.
He had almost managed to escape when a loud, howling scream echoed from the second floor of the Tennyson household, the kind of scream that gave normal people goosebumps and sent heroes into action.