XLI

The fight between Clawdeen — ahem — Wonder Wolf and the wraiths, turns out to be a most splendid fight! Her slender sword slashing and clashing with the scabby and bony claws of the wraiths, her golden shield shining as a perigee moon in her left claw, blocking all their attacks. Spectra — not Spectra — Polterghoul builds up her ghostly energies in her hands, violet light emanates around them — then shoots forth her violet chains at their enemies to bind them all still, and somehow her chains seem to have grown larger than ever and even multiplied, then seeing the opportunity Wolnder Wolf waves her arm and her shield is shot from her claw, howling and growling as if it had the spirit a wolf pack, as it soars through the air as a gliding golden guillotine with its own mind, beheading them all, near and afar, circling all the way back to her claw such as a masterfully trained hawk.

Yet the fight is not over, for the giant monster still tries to splat them as flies, that is until its attention is drawn somewhere else by a red beam of light shot from the middle of the city into the heart of the sky, calling for all the forces of evil both from the movie and those in disguise.

These powerful ghouls welcome the respite with open ams. Diving in with no hurry, Polterghoul lands gently as the the other girls and Keith walk out of if the fire ring which he commands to extinguish.

"Okay, that was clawesome! I totally forgot for a moment there that we're in real danger here," Twyla says, holding no excitement.

"Danger? Not as long as I'm around. Not even a chance!" Clawdeen replies with excitement, confidence, and a bite of pride.

"Clawdeen, I'm so glad you're here!" Polterghoul says hugging her hard. "And as a hero too, how lucky. We really need all the help we can get —"

"To clean up her mess?" Keith cuts in, drawling his voice, getting angry eyes from all the girls.

"Is being an ass your superpower?" Viper asks.

"No, but it seems that fixing people's blundering and unconscionable mistakes is."

Hearing somebody insulting her friend like this tickles the wrong button in Viper whose snakes hiss furiously."Hey, that's uncalled for! She —"

"No, no, is okay. I… I deserve it. after al I am the one who broke reality." Casta's voice sounds from all around and nowhere at the same time.

They all spin around looking for her to see only the translucent greenish figure of Casta hovering around them in her Emerald Enchantress costume .

"Well, technically you didn't really break it as much as sneered an awful stain all over it. Also why are you in astral form?" Keith asks, as though it were the most normal thing of all.

Really? Wonder Wolf thinks.

"Right… and you are —"

"Keith Morningstar, huge fan by the way. I don't care what the critics say, even though your last album didn't sound like you at all and was as different as it can be, it was great. I still prefer your previous work, but the point is I loved your last album."

"Why, thanks!"

"The cover was a downer, thought."

"I get that a lot."

"And I applaud your decision of wearing an Enchantress costume as close to the original as it can be. Fuck those sanctimonious moralist assholes from the Internet. They're only problem is they don't have the body to pull off such suits."

"I know, right? I can see you're —"

"A human? Yes, yes I am."

"I was going to say a big fan, but glad to know that… I thought for a second you were a vampire."

Keith rolls his eyes with annoyance and boredom. "Never gets old."

"Nice trick with the flames, by the way."

"Thanks."

""I can tell you're a wizard of sorts…" says sensing the magic flowing though him.

"Yeah, he is kind of a wizard, we got in here thanks to him," Wonder Wolf interjects before he can reply.

"Why are you in astral form?"

"I might — might — have been imprisoned by the villain from the movie — and I gotta tell you right now, they're improvising a lot, really going off the script! And now I can only keep an eye on the ghouls like this."

Keith waves his head up and down once, sighing heavily with exasperation, hands on his hips.

"You really did real show here."

"I would appreciate it more if I could get some constructive critics, thank you."

"Don't worry, he's here to fix it, he's sure to —"

"Well, to fix this, I gotta know what did you do so wrong that it turned what I guess was a simple illusion field into a reality bubble. That was your aim, was it?"

"Yeah… I kinda tried to do that and then — boom! Everything was like this, and I can't really tell what did I do… so wrong as you properly said it."

"Before getting to it, how about we go see our friends first?" Robecca proposes.

"Yeah, do you know where are they?" Venus leans over with too much impatience.

"Don't worry, before they trapped me, I got everyone who wasn't in a costume to a safe place, and those who were, well… you can see they got a little too caught up. I doubt they remember they're not really those heroes and villains."

"That ought to be the case for weaker minds." Keith agrees.

Wasting no time, they follow Casta's astral form to where she hides the rest of the ghouls from the party, taking the dark allies and corners lest they want to risk being seen by an enemy who wasn't drawn by the beam red light tainting the dark sky.

It is still a perpetual midnight, but the sky gleams now scarlet as an endless sunset without sun… until it ends.

"No spoilers here, but that thing is going to be on-and-off like that for a while." Explains, and that is all she says for a while.

Uneasy, the girls move in a straight line behind the Emerald Enchantress, Wonder Wolf and Keith following closer through the dark streets. Never in their lives they have felt such discomfort for being surrounded by so much mist. So dense that it is almost a fog.

"Where are we, Whitechapel?" Robecca asks with a sense of danger rattling her copper body like she's only felt when she visited the infamous city for that dreadful week. Nearly two centuries might have passed since then, but for her is as a memory of merely years ago.

"Close, maybe. I don't know. They never give us much details about the movies and I don't wanna hear any spoilers," Keith replies hastily, getting ahead of Casta.

Compelled by her hunting instincts and a sense of curiosity by her new supersenses, Clawdeen tries to pick up any scent from her friends, sniffing the cold air, analyzing it, blocking out the smell of humidity, garbage, particular body fluids… there is also dried blood and sweat… urine and other things she's smelled in Boo York. Then the strong coppery smell of fresh blood… and… the sweet fruit-like fragrance of a perfume, highly expensive and gone out of productions seven decades ago, hiding a different scent that is quite sweet as well… and a slightly stronger fragrance, this one more modern and far more expensive, blended with the particular salty scent of sand… desert sand…

"I smell Draculaura and… Cleo. Is not strong, but they definitely went running down that alley," she points to the left, and she is surprised by how stronger her senses have become, almost getting a mental picture of her friends running away by just their lingering scents! That's even more than when under a full moon, which looking at the sky, she can tell is hiding behind thick gray clouds. But this isn't her regular moon induced sense boost, is as if all her senses have been amped up to eleven thousand!

"You're good," she says, leading them in said direction, stopping as they reach a wall with obscene graffiti on it, that she manipulates with her hands as thought it were a Chinese puzzle, sliding the figures across the wall. "After this, I'll have to be gone for a while… sustaining this form isn't easy for me."

Then a realization dawns in Clawdeen's mind.

"Hey, if all the guys in superhero costumes are real superheroes now, doesn't that mean those in villains costumes became real villains?"

"That's indeed the case," he certifies, "which is why I was counting on you to become this… I suppose character you conceived for a superhero costume line. This smells like Ghoulia's idea all over, though." Keith replies casually and… aloof.

"Maybe… I don't recall well how did I come up with this Wonder Wolf persona. Is kind of foggy the memory. Whatever, what if I end up hurting somebody?"

"Most likely they'll go back to normal once this is over… It doesn't matter, the point is you're super I predicted." His voice cold and detached.

Well, at least he's talking to me and not shouting, she thinks pretending she can't feel how angry he is right now. How bad is really the cost for casting the spell to get in here? And what was that black thing he was bleeding a while ago? Surely it couldn't have been his blood, or could it?

She has so many questions she needs answered right now, but she has no idea where to begin, and she can tell he's in no mood for talking.

Better to leave it at that, wait for him to calm down… I think I might have asked too much of him for tonight…

Clawdeen reasons, bending her right arm underneath her fur cape to scratch herself in the back.

"Don't tell me you got super fleas now, fur stick," she says in a shrill voice from beneath them.

"No, I think I got a bit of debris inside my… Keith, did… did your cat just talk to me?"

"Why, I believe she just did so," answers with no surprise in his voice. "She's a very clever cat, aren't you? Yes, yes you're daddy's clever cat."

"Okay… why?" asks confused by her apparent shock, at this point a talking cat with a witch hat shouldn't be a surprise, specially considering whose cat she is.

"Because I'm a magical cat now, with many magical powers, like talking. Meow," Selina replies in a deceptively sweet and innocent voice with just a hint of that temptress ring.

"Oh, right… it was so obvious."

"It was super obvious for me, " Twyla mocks, walking between Viper and Venus, and they giggle.

"Here's another shocker for you, he brought me here just to see if the spell here worked on me, congrats genius, it does. Now I can use my mouth for talking instead of eating as I was so pleasantly doing." Selina turns to Keith.

"I knew it would," answers with a quick glance at her, then turning to Clawdeen, seizing her arm, pulling off her cape over her left shoulder to bare her back. "Let me see," he begins scratching her back gently, sending small ripples of ticklish pleasure along her back… and yet she can feel none of his warm in the gesture, in his touch… "better?"

"Almost, I think I still got a little debris inside the suit, think you can reach it?"

Before she even finished, he slithers his fingers underneath her leather armor in search for the annoying rock that itches her, ending successful.

"Done."

"Thanks."

An hour ago, a gesture like this would have stirred so many feelings inside her, but now she feels that heart wrenching pain that comes from knowing she has done something wrong…

"I didn't mean to snap at you like that, you… you didn't do anything wrong." Keith says, and if he is not looking for a way to undermine my narrative, then he just loves being a prick. "Is just… the price for this magic is not cheap, and it brings out the worst in me. That is in part why I didn't want to do this."

"The price? You said the other day that magic comes at a price, but never said it was like that." She turns around to get a look on his face. "I thought it was like a monkey's paw kinda thing or —"

"Sometimes. It depends… Believe me, I got it easy this time."

"I'm so sorry, if I had known that, I wouldn't have insisted, it is my fault that you —"

"No, is not. You just do as you do, as so do I. And I like that about you."

"… But last time you didn't —"

"Last time all I needed was my own talent, this time I needed something… which I don't posses in enough abundance, and has to be borrowed. Bargained is more appropriate. Also, we agreed to never talk about the last time at all. Please just leave it there," asks in a wintry tone, then kindly pulling her hands, drawing her closer… bending his head towards hers, their foreheads touching, she welcomes him, feeling him as he was an hour ago: happy to simply being with her. "What's done is done, and is not like this is my first rodeo, besides you know everything I do, I do it for you… I'd die for you."

"That's so sweet for you to say, but how about you don't… die?"

"Yeah! That's selfish from you! Who's gonna feed me then?" Selina adds, almost ignored… almost.

"Then you better stay with me and —"

"Be your heaven given guardian wolf sent to deliver you from the dreads lurking in this Abyss? 'Cuz I aleady got the heaven given part covered…" says she with a smile, he chuckles, and to see him regaining his light mood again… having him this close brings back the same feelings from earlier at the dancefloor. "Just don't try to do anything wicked, 'cuz I'm also here to deliver punishment upon you."

"If that whip is involved, then we're gonna be in for a long night, deary."

"…I noticed you call everyone that, at least those you like."

"I guess I do… but I like you the most."

"You know, I liked it better when you called me dear in Russian earlier. I kinda love it coming from you cuz it actually sounds cute and sweet, and not like an insult, which is the feeling I get when I hear Russian in a movie."

"You mean dorogoya?"

"Da."

"You want it to be your pet name, don't you?" Selina sneers with annoyance in her childish voice, which she notices is exactly like they voice Keith used for her earlier when she jumped on her head.

Clawdeen scowls at her.

"You know, since you're a talking cat now, how about you tell me what was that whole jumping on my head earlier about?"

"Me? But I'm just a pretty silly cat who did only what pretty silly cats do, you can't blame me for doing what I do when I'm a barely thinking animal."

"And I'm an angry werewolf with a sword who feels like doing what angry werewolves with swords do."

"Well, I'm sorry I'm the kind of cat who likes to protect her master from… strange ghouls who get too close to him. In case you didn't know… he's the one who feeds me, I mean… I suppose if I had a body like yours with which to make a few hundreds a night with just some good old pole dancing to buy my own tuna cans, I wouldn't mind so much. But I'm a cat, so you know…" Selina snarls as derisive as she can, sounding even more like her master.

Wow, even the way she speaks sounds just like him when being a snarky prick.

"I don't suppose I'll be getting a real apology from you." Clawdeen remarks, folding her arms.

"Not in any of my nine lives. I'll never regret doing what I feel right.."

"Wow… this really is your cat."

Keith sneers, reaching for her hands again.

"Klodin… darling, I love your name, at least the first, but if that is what you really want…"

"…I kinda do," she admits shyly and a little embarrassed.

"Well, there are other words besides dorogoya, like dushechka, golubushka, milochka…."

All those words are strange to her and as sweet in her ears as honey in her pancakes when coming from his lips.

"Is it weird that I like them all? Just don't dare using any of them on another ghoul, or we'll have a serious problem. "

"You'll never hear that."

From behind them, she clears her tiny throat for attention, "You guys remember your friends are missing, don't you?" Selina recalls.

"Yeah, but I don't see the problem," he says dispassionately, getting nudged in his ribs by Clawdeen. "What? I don't. They're all grown ghouls — most of them are grown ghouls, they can take care of themselves here in spoiler world even if they didn't find a magic hideaway. And they got Agent Devi, he was here as a super spy I think. Or was he as a cowboy? Let's hope he's not Tuxedo Mask. Didn't pay him much mind, I think I saw a hat, all I know is he said he'd convince Rochelle to get here as western saloon ghoul and now I owe him a hundred bucks, the point is I don't worry."

"I do! I don't want them here any more than you want yourself in here," snaps Clawdeen.

"I'll be honest, I thought for a moment they would start packing up further the age rating of this movie." Twyla says to the other girls under her breathe.

"Sorry I had to bring you into this mess, but I know we can get through this one…" explains Casta, hitting the right combination, then the magic wall opens to reveal the secret hiding of their friends.

What they see is not quite what they expected.

XLII

"I feel like I'm back in the projects," Keith says, suddenly feeling more comfortable, reminiscent of a simpler age.

"She hid them inside a run down apartment building?" Twyla asks, looking at the unkept, old, and torn walls, with cracks, falling paint, stains of diverse natures and shapes and graffiti befitting of gangsters adorning the walls that make the all-too-real scenery the least likely place to find their friends holing up, but there is no mistaking it, one thing Wonder Wolf can always trust is her nose. She has brought them to the right place. No need to ask in which room are her ghoulfriends, her nose knows.

Room 401 is where the monsters hide, so with no hesitation she opens the door at the end of the hall.

Howleen, Clawdia, Cleo, Lala and Rochelle jump at her in sight, relieved to see her again, then with no warning Lala jumps on Keith who hugs her back, less hesitant and warmer than before, a low and short growl flies from a table on the corner. Naturally she tells them how they got here while they tell her how they have spent their time in this pocket world. Much to her surprise, her friends have been enjoying the situation rather than dreading it.

"Soon as it happened, Rochelle and Devon saw something was wrong and when almost everyone started douching it out as real supers, they were the first to look for shelter. Rochelle and Cleo got most the other ghouls — everyone who was not in a costume that is — rounded up in here. There are a lot of rooms in this place, then Casta did something magical to this room and hide it from the invasion," Draculaura explains cheerfully, a little too much actually. "Ever since we've just been watching the fights and it has been awesome! Not sure half of this will be in the final edit but I'm so looking forward to watch this movie."

"And here you were worried for nothing," he says coldly, glaring at her. "That was some quick thinking from you, Lady Marmalade… for a gargoyle I mean," Keith turns to Rochelle. "You've changed." Adds too casually and it almost feels like a compliment.

"It was that or letting them die."

"Oh, and you should see Ghoulia, Spectra and Toralei in their new Power Ghoul costumes! Well, they had it on when it happened and now they're supers too —"

"Yes, I know. I just saved… Polterghoul from a bunch of weir creepy things." Wonder wolf cuts in, ignored.

"— and they've been kicking some real ass, and you should see Webarella swinging around in that new sleek black and white costume while she fights. Most exiting three nights of my unlife."

"Three nights?" Twyla utters.

"It's only been about an hour out there," Clawdeen points out.

"What?! An hour?" Clawd jumps off of the table. "How is that possible."

"Usually reality bubbles tend to distort time and space to fulfil their function." Keith explains casually, staring out of the window. "I suppose the villains from the movie have been showing up in a constant loop every time they're defeated and every time they show up a new shift jumps into action."

"You're good." Draculaura says. "That is exactly what's been happening, Ms. Dead Fast has been calling the shots, and there have been so many alternative endings. I feel like an unliving DVD!"

"How did you guys do with food?" Keith asks.

"Oh, you're going to love this," Devon says showing him the fridge which is full of food, and as he explains for some reason it seems to have infinite supplies. Magic, because of course. He catches a glimpse of a joyous gleam in his brother's eyes. "She left us here with this, and then took off to fight the Deimos Horde, she believes she can break this spell by ending them, you would have loved them, true to comics. Needless to say, no matter what they do, the spell remains unbroken, so clearly that's not it, then again she hasn't tried defeating the big boss (not many chances of that now). Either way, someone has to fight them, lest they destroy everything, our apartment included — surely is hidden by spell but we're not taking any chances with her charm," says with a slightly sardonic tone.

"Well it doesn't matter what the problem is,": Clawdeen cuts in, "I told you if the school's is burning or something stupider happens — like the alien-demon siege we got out there and you need a hero and a god to save the day —"

"— You'll be at the cemetery, but as you know we couldn't get there," Cleo says, arms folded.

"Right, well it doesn't matter. We're here now, so time to save the night. Put on your mask, honey."

"Not sure it will be enough to turn into Anubis," he argues.

"Well, then take off your shirt, sure that'll do it." Lala interjects, Clawdeen scowls a little.

"Yeah, I mean Anubis is always bare chested." Cleo follows with a wicked grin in her beautiful face.

"Not. Happening. Ever!"

"…Sorry Deenie, that is all the help I can get you with Clawd around," Lala adds, then Clawdeen's little scowl turns into a wait what? look.

"Where are the others?" Venus asks, poorly masking her concern in her voice.

"Somewhere around this building, we don't have a check-in book, whoever you're looking for find it yourself," Cleo replies.

With a scowl and a few well chosen words meant to sully her capacity for ruling Venus slams her way out of the room looking for Batsy.

"I'm guessing someone must have a secret paramour around here." Lala states so dismissively, it aligns with indifference.

"Would you explain to me again how did you get here again?" Clawd insists, approaching Keith.

"Magick."

"And how exactly is it you can do magic?"

At the second he makes that question, Keith's expressionless and indifferent eyes turn cold and hard with hatred. The one emotions that gets away with peeking the most through them.

"I am what you'd call a Thaumaturge."

"All right, how about you get us all out of here then?" Clawd asks, his voice teeming with a desire for confrontation.

"Because that won't solve the problem." Keith answers, this time cold and controlled. "But she can, assuming we can figure out why she lost control of her powers in such way, and I really hope it wasn't a case of stage fright," he states.

"That… might take a while." Polterghoul says, looking abashed. "That red beacon is where they keep her, and we can't get through. No one here came as a hero strong enough for that it seems… and the ones we got are too busy fighting their foot soldiers."

"Well, either we spend a month in here as the night ends outside waiting for this spell to whither or we solve it quickly from here. And I'm not about living a month worth of spoilers. I can easily leave anyway."

"I don't care what, I'm ready to go out and kick some alien ass and be done with this crap," Wonder Wolf says, taking a step forward. "Maybe you didn't have anyone strong enough, but now you got me! I'm the hero this city needs"

There she said it!

"Then by all means do it. And make an awesome, over the top, visually fantastic display of heroism while you're at it. Oh, and since some of those things are close enough to dinosaurs… surely is not ideal since is not what I've dreamt of witnessing my entire life, but unless we find one —"

"You're not letting it go, are you?"

Keith stares at her for a brief moment, quiet.

"Pretty please?"

Clawdeen sighs heavily with faint exasperation.

"Fine…"

"That's my ghoul!"

Clawdeen rolls her eyes, arm folded.