Chapter 11: Ghosts

Penelope

I was speechless. She… she can't possibly be here. It's all in my head, right? My eyes glanced away, then back again. The image was the same. I put a hand to my forehead. Not again. Not another breakdown. Not again.

I heard a sound come from the figure. A call? A whisper? It had a faint ringing to it, whatever it was. I turned around and looked at the figure head on. It felt like a dream. Perhaps it was. Besides, this was a ghost of someone who had died some time ago.

I was just about to say her name when she put a finger to her bill. She turned around and went through the door. I felt compelled to follow. She stopped every now and again, but I was never close enough to touch her. I don't think I could have if I had wanted to though.

Seeing Rosalynn brought back painful memories, still raw, still very present in my mind. My eyes were blurring with unshed tears. I blinked quickly, bidding them to leave. Why here? Why now?

As I followed her ghost, I noticed she started moving faster. I had to start running to keep up with her. I followed her far out, to the edge of Danville. We stopped at a hill with a tree and a well. Rosalynn faded through the well. "Wait!" I called out softly.

I jumped onto the well's edge and looked down. The water was pretty high up and the moon shone overhead. I had a good view of the reflection in the water. The reflection gave me many memories of my past: my mistakes, my hardships… my struggles.

Epolenep appeared in the reflection of the water and sneered at me. "You are no longer welcome here," I said. I jumped into the well. Once I hit the water, I felt myself being pulled down. By weeds? What was pulling me under? My few gasps for breath had water in them.

I thrashed in the water, feeling something in my chest breaking, giving way. I felt a surge in my veins, a hot surge that burned. I flailed my arms and finally grabbed the rope. I grabbed on with both hands. I panted and gagged out the excess water. My head felt heavy, as if my consciousness was fading. I shook my head and splashed the water into my face.

I took a moment to look into the water and saw plants I recognized all too well. One of the ingredients to the Opposites Divide project. A cure for madness. I groaned. "I should have done this a long time ago," I said, to no one in particular. "That's a mind trip I don't need to take again."

I tried to climb up the rope, but my limbs felt heavy. I slipped off, but fell into the bucket, which was rising up. Someone was pulling the rope. I looked up and saw freedom close at hand.

Perry

Please, please… I can't lose her again. Please. I pulled the rope, one hand after the other. It was a good thing that I had woken up and followed her out here. When the bucket was at the top, I saw Penelope in it. I held the rope up and tied it to one of the well's posts. I then hopped onto the well's edge and reached a hand out to help Penelope into my arms. She collapsed into them and we both fell outside the well.

"Sorry! Sorry. Are you all right?" she asked. I had landed on my back and she on top of me.

"I'm fine, Pen. Are you all right?" I asked.

"Yeah. Better than I've been in a while."

"That's good." I pulled her in with one arm and kissed her. "I missed you, Pen."

"I missed you too, Perry," she replied, her eyes glassy with tears.

"Come here." I held her in my arms and she cried into my fur. I petted her back soothingly. "It's all right, Pen. It'll be okay," I affirmed.

"I just wanna go back to the way it used to be, Perry. I'm so tired of all of this. I just wanna go home."

"We'll get there, Pen. I promise." Her tears weren't done yet, but I still held her fast to me. I wasn't going to be apart from her again. We would have a normal, quiet life. No more danger. Just our family. "I promise."

Enigma

"What did I even bring you in for? What was my excuse? Your magic? This is ridiculous! I hate this body! You walk around like some… some nitwit! I am done!" I shouted.

"Does this mean I get my body back?" asked Doofenshmirtz. The one advantage to this height, at least, was that I finally stood physically over the people I had stood over mentally. "Well, I guess I'm the Enigma now," he shrugged, pretending to be nonchalant.

"You think you're so clever, don't you, Galah? No, you are not getting your way. Not from me! Not that easily!"

"Look, you're finally getting back to where you were a while ago. You're on your way to winning again. What more do you want?"

"I WANT TO DIE!" I immediately took back my words. "I mean, ugh… I'm very tired, Doofenshmirtz. I don't feel normal. I don't feel like I was meant to exist. This whole existence is like some cruel play."

"Or Fanfiction."

"Shut up, would you?" I sighed. "This isn't fun anymore. Besides, I have a new plan and I'm going to need your magic to do it. So, like it or not, you're staying with me for a while longer. Until I get what I want, I won't stop. I can't."

"Look, maybe I'm not the one to be saying this and you're certainly not the type to listen to something like this, but maybe you should see a counselor or something."

"Close, Doctor, but still off the mark. I am going higher. I am going beyond. This plan will take some time. It will take a little longer than this one, I think, but it ought to be well worth it."

"And… what exactly is your plan?"

I leaned in close and flicked his bill. "Spoilers, Doctor. Spoilers." He clamped onto his bill with his hands to still it. "Just wait. I shall have my dear Penelope and all those who oppose me will be gone… and it will all be done at the push of a few small buttons." I laughed victoriously as my new plan formed further in my mind. This was going to be good.

We've come a long way. Today, five years ago, I published the first chapter of the first Agents story. Now, here I am working on number five.

A question for you, dear readers, should I write two more Agents stories or combine the elements of both stories into one last finale? From the way this story has been going, I'm just not sure I could fill book six with enough substance before book seven, BUT I could probably fit everything I need into a lengthier final book six. What do you think?

Let me know any ideas you have in the reviews for this and future Agents stories. It's not over yet, but I am looking to the future. Also, be sure to check out my profile page for my year five statistics, which should be posted either now or very soon hereafter. As always, I request that you please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)