CHAPTER 49: The Abduction at the Gallery

Peater, please! Tell me about it, please!

"NO means NO, Elsi. I'm so sorry, but . . . I gotta take every precaution. I don't want you to . . . I dunno . . . go crazy . . ."

Like I would! Now come on, Peater! Come ON!

I received no answer, which meant that Peater wasn't paying attention.

"Well, Peater? Are you gonna go to bed, or are you going to talk to Elyssia?" Elias asked.

"Uhhh . . . I'll just talk to Elyssia." Peater mumbled.

I finally heard steps pitter-pattering over to where I was sleeping, and I immediately stopped levitating the small rock and started acting unassuming.

"Oh . . . hi, Peater. What's going on?" I asked as I looked up at Peater.

"Elyssia, please . . . don't kill me. I only want to protect your sanity. I don't want anything bad happening. This secret might drive you insane." he whispered.

"Look, it's fine. When you think that I'm ready, and you think that you're ready, just . . . say it. I guess that now's not the time. I understand, Peater." I replied.

I then lay down to sleep, entertaining my mind with the possible "secret."

The next morning, I woke up coughing and wheezing. I was once again having what a doctor would call "medical tics." Buzzes and clicks were filling my mind, as well as the sounds of mad laughter. Laughter that was crazy, humourless and evil.

"AAHH! What the hell is going on here?!" I howled, which woke Elias and Peater up.

"Elyssia! Are you okay?" Peater asked as he squeezed my leaves so tightly that the circulation of my blood was almost cut off at the tips of my leaves.

"Ohh . . . Scuttle's back . . . help me . . ." I slurred as the world around me began to twist and bend in terrifying ways: the walls appeared to burst with blood, red ants threatened to bite into me, and Peater momentarily transformed from a Repeater to a shadowy devil.

Finally, Scuttle's voice crept into my mind.

"Oh, Elyssia! Thought that I'd be gone for good, didn't you?"

AH, GODDAMMIT! HONESTLY, COME AND BOTHER ME ONE MORE TIME, AND YOU'LL GET ONE HELL OF A ―

"Now, now, Lyssia Lay! I'll haunt your mind for as long as I want to, and by that I mean FOREVER!"

UUGGHHHH! Enough, Scuttle!

"Elyssia, you're choking, and your temperature is going up!" Elias gasped as he felt my forehead.

"There's . . . nothing . . . I can . . . do . . ." I croaked as my vision swam.

"Keep it up, darling! Make me happy!"

NO! NO! NO! NO! I won't let you take control of me, no matter what you think, Scuttle!

Suddenly, a warm feeling began to flood my body. It wasn't as boiling as the sun, no; this warmth was something I wanted more of, for it made me feel like dancing on the inside. The pain, laughter, choking, and deliria started to subside after a few seconds of feeling this warmth. Peater smiled as soon as he saw that I was normal again, although I was sweating like the dickens.

"It worked . . ." he hissed triumphantly.

"What . . . huh? What worked?" I asked as my vision cleared.

"It's a form of healing. I won't say it, but it overpowers evil." Elias answered as he pulled me to my roots.

Just then, a silence hung in the air. It was a beautiful silence, so full of anticipation.

And then I saw it.

Snowflakes were lazily, hazily drifting down onto the snowy ground, and I couldn't help but be excited, because hey ― I was a frozen plant!

"Elias! Peater! Come on!" I yelled at the two plants, dragging them out onto the snow. "Elyssia, you're gonna catch cold, and so are we!" Elias huffed.

"Please, Elias?" I pleaded with the two plants.

"Fine!" they muttered in unison as they went out into the snow with me.

I then created a mound of snowballs and sent them hurling at Elias with a blast of icy wind.

"Ouch! Watch how hard you're throwing those things, would you?" Elias griped.

"No problem! I guess I'll aim for Peater!" I exclaimed as I sent some more snowballs whistling at the jaded boy-plant, covering him with snow.

"H-hey!" Peater yelled as he tossed a snowball at me.

I ducked and giggled in response as I ran over to him and tackled him.

"Ouch! That hurts!" he laughed.

I oulled in response, and we spent the next half hour having a snowball fight. I savoured these precious minutes, for it was such a long time since I was happy like this. Panting, but in high spirits, we cheerily returned to the warmth of the art gallery. Just then, a shiny tin was hurled through the window. I nervously opened it, and I lived to regret it, for it felt as if the room was on fire. Elias and Peater stood there, unblinking, wondering if I had gone mad or something, for I was slowly sinking to the floor, weakly screaming "Help! Help me . . . please!" Last thing that I remembered was that Ash was cackling, and leaning over me. He then tied me up, while I slurred random curse words. One last blow to the bulb, and I was knocked out.