Villain: Redux
Part I: Remote Control
Chapter 6 - Accidents Happen
The chilling darkness that surrounded Blossom had become all too familiar to her. The same nightmare continued to haunt the pink Powerpuff since that terrible day nearly three months ago. She sat up on the cold, dirt ground and quickly reached for a flashlight that sat beside her. The dreaming girl stood barefoot and in her pajamas as she switched on her flashlight. She turned and focused the light on her sister at the other end of the dark crystal cavern.
"So I won't have any powers for two hours?!" Buttercup shouted angrily before punching her fist hard against the rocky wall beside her. "FUCK!"
Blossom began to tremble sightly as she watched her dream sibling reenact the past for what had to be now the twentieth time. It had been a full two weeks since she last visited the hellish memory when she went to bed at night. Blossom had hoped she was finally done with the nightmare for good, but there she was again. She swallowed hard, and cautiously moved forward.
Buttercup held her hurt hand and glared at Blossom- the blame was already burning strong in her emerald eyes. That accusatory look was enough to break Blossom every time she was forced to relive it in her dreamscape. Her pink eyes swelled with tears almost instantly, "Your powers will come back," she spoke softly as she approached Buttercup. "Just... calm down."
"STOP TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN!"
Blossom threw her arms around her skinny sibling and held her tightly as she erupted into uncontrollable sobbing. Even though the nightmare was something that truly tormented her, she still could never resist smothering her dream sibling in a tight embrace every time she saw her. Despite the tomboy's always vicious mood, it was the old Buttercup again. Scowling and shouting, but it was her. Blossom buried her face against her sister's chest and wept as she squeezed her tight.
Buttercup clawed and fought against the embrace, but she was no match against Blossom's superhero strength. "Get the hell off of me!" she yelled, "I told you- I'm still mad at you!"
Buttercup's angry echo rang out throughout the cavern, but Blossom refused to let go. In one of her past visits to this same nightmare, she had let her sister go, and in an instant, she fell into a dark abyss that suddenly opened beneath them. Blossom's tears soaked through Buttercup's t-shirt, as she continued through sniffles, "We have to get going, Buttercup." She knew the Buttercup she embraced wasn't real, but Blossom was still determined to save her from her fate.
"How the hell am I supposed to go anywhere if I can't-"
Blossom scooped Buttercup up in her arms, and carried her quickly out of the crystal cave with a flash of pink light.
"Blossom, slow down!" Buttercup yelled.
But the underground tunnels were already beginning to tremble, and so Blossom only flew faster. As she carried her sister through the final tunnel of the mine, the rocky walls began to shake more violently as things began to cave in around them. Blossom cradled Buttercup against herself, carefully shielding her head from the falling debris of the collapsing mine, as she hastened her speed once more.
"Put me down!" Buttercup wriggled wildly in Blossom's arms as they narrowly escaped the mines at last.
"No, Buttercup!" Blossom's tears still streamed down her cheeks as she shouted back, "This time we are going home!"
"Blossom, I swear if you don't stop right now, I am going to puke all over you!"
"Puke on me! I don't care!" Blossom's pink eyes focused on the grated steel ceiling of the island as she continued to fly. Every time she faced this nightmare she failed to get her sister off that cursed island, and she was dead set on defeating this reoccurring dream once and for all.
As her dream sister vomited all over her pajama top, Blossom kept going. "I'm sorry!" she yelled her apology over the loud wind as they soared.
"Uggghhh!" her sister moaned miserably, "I fucking hate you!"
Blossom felt herself begin to tremble as her sister's words pierced through her, "I know you do," she quivered, "But I swear-I swear this time I'm getting you home, Buttercup!"
The pink Powerpuff used her laser eye beams to melt a hole in the steel barred ceiling as they reached it. She didn't stop to seal it this time. The last time she tried that, while she juggled Buttercup in one arm and the metal in her other hand, a winged jackal beast ripped her sister right from her. This time, she flew straight through, and refused to look back.
Buttercup still fought in her arms as they flew over the ocean. Suddenly, a military jet soared past them, and that's when Blossom finally came to a stop. She turned around, and watched as the sleek bomber reached the island and deployed its weaponry. Still with tears in her eyes, a weak, hopeful smile swept her face, "Oh my God," she breathed with relief, "We made it! We actually made it this time!"
She looked down to her arms, and saw nothing. Her heart stopped, as her pink eyes next fell on her sister plummeting to the ocean water below. Only now, the blue ocean waves had been replaced with a sea of boiling, hot green acid. Buttercup screamed as she fell, "FUCK YOU BLOSSOM!" and just before she hit the deadly waves, Blossom shut her eyes tightly and forced herself to wake.
Blossom awoke from her nightmare with a jolt. She sat up in bed with her hand held to her chest as her heart pounded loudly. Her bangs stuck to her face from the cold sweat that had overcome her during the nightmare. She glanced at her bedside alarm clock, and saw that it was just a little past three in the morning.
Blossom floated quietly to the bathroom across the hall from her bedroom, and rinsed her face with cool water in the sink. She breathed deeply as she tried to shake the unsettling dread her dream had caused her. Her pink eyes fell on her hairbrush on the bathroom counter. For Blossom, brushing her hair was a small way she could soothe herself. Her thick curls were secured in a single, long braid that fell to her waist. She untied her hairband and shook out her ginger locks. She then took her hairbrush, and began to gently stroke her hair as she slowly floated back towards her room. She paused in the hallway when she noticed a faint green light escaping from under the shut doorway to her sister Buttercup's room.
Blossom used her x-ray vision to peer inside, and saw that the glow was from her sister's television set. The scrawny teen sat cross legged on the floor of her bedroom, playing a zombie-themed video game. Her back was towards Blossom, and she was surrounded by piles of emptied cans of soda and energy drinks.
Blossom held her breath as she entered Buttercup's room. "Hey," she announced quietly as she stepped inside.
Buttercup remained with her back towards her, still focused on her video game. She said nothing.
Blossom remained at the other end of the room, close to the door, as she continued in a soft whisper, "You having trouble sleeping tonight, too?"
No answer. Buttercup simply reached for an open can of soda that sat on the floor beside her, and took a swig.
"You know, I can make us some sleepy time tea, if you want," Blossom tried again with a weak smile, "I'll be right back."
Buttercup never replied, but Blossom left to the kitchen anyway. She hadn't anticipated a real answer. Buttercup hardly spoke a word to her anymore since the accident. However, Blossom didn't blame her; she blamed herself. Even when others told her not to, she could not help it. Buttercup hated her, and blamed her for everything. And even though the Professor and Bubbles said they didn't- Blossom felt as if they secretly blamed her, too.
Blossom fixed two cups of warm chamomile tea, and returned to Buttercup's room. She walked over to her sibling and held out her green mug to her. "Here you go."
As she held out the beverage, she stood on Buttercup's right side. From there, she could see the dark "V" shaped scar that permanently branded the right side of Buttercup's face. The right stem of the "V" began at her right ear and stretched across her cheek. The left segment climbed upward, across her right eyelid, and cut through her eyebrow. Blossom always avoided staring at the gruesome marking for too long. All it did was remind her of that awful day.
Buttercup had the same, nearly black scarring all along her arms and hands, too. The charcoal carvings began at her forearms and stretched down to her fingertips, but Blossom hardly saw these anymore. Buttercup began to wear long sleeved shirts and jackets, always sized slightly too big for her, to keep those scars hidden. Even in the solitude of her room, the tomboy held her game controller clumsily with her shirt's sleeves draped over both her hands.
Blossom sat the warm mug on the floor beside Buttercup, who kept her green eyes focused on her television screen as she continued to play her game. "You should try and get a little rest, Buttercup," Blossom said quietly, "We have the Discovery Dome's grand opening later tonight, remember?"
Buttercup still did not look at, or acknowledge her sister. She reached over the fresh cup of tea, and instead grabbed her soda can and took another drink.
Blossom frowned a little as she held her own pink mug to her lips and sipped quietly. She didn't want to be a bother to Buttercup, so she slowly made her way back towards the bedroom door. "Well," she paused at the doorway before leaving, "Goodnight, Sis."
Buttercup watched her video game's avatar become overwhelmed by the zombie hoard that surrounded him. She lowered her controller as she watched the bloody text splatter across her screen: "YOU ARE DEAD." She reached for her can of soda again, and finished off the last of the syrupy liquid. She was tired- very tired- but she refused to sleep. There hadn't been a single night's rest that wasn't plagued by nightmares since the day of her accident. So, she tried to sleep as little as possible.
That night was night four of no sleep for Buttercup. It was her personal record so far. She'd gone three days successfully the time before, and she blamed a long car ride home from the therapist for that accidental napping. Being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for three and half hours while having to sit through the Professor's Patsy Cline albums on a repetitive loop was enough to lull anyone to sleep.
She rubbed at her exhausted eyes with her sleeved hand, and tried her best to focus on her video game again. As she fought to keep her eyes open, it wasn't long before her game's character was ripped a part by the same gang of zombies once more. "YOU ARE DEAD." In the past, getting stuck on the same level for hours would seriously irritate the hot-tempered teenager, but Buttercup hardly felt anything. Her only focus was on staying awake, so she surrendered to the zombie apocalypse, and shut off her game system.
She rose to her feet and made her way to her closet next. Video games were becoming a bore, so she had to find something else to keep her mind occupied. As she opened her closet door, the first thing that greeted her was her bright, lime green Powerpuff uniform- pressed and ready for the premiere. The new look was something that Bubbles had designed for them, though ultimately the sponsors added their own touches. Still, it was a big improvement on the slim-fitted spandex they originally tried to have the girls wear. It was an athletic jacket and matching track pants. Buttercup's was her signature lime green, with black stripes along the sleeves, and one large black stripe across the abdomen. The sponsors added their branding, of course, and it had their official Powerpuff heart logo embroidered over the left chest, as well as a larger display of the multicolored pink heart on the back of the jacket. The material was sheer, and a bit too shiny for Buttercup's liking. It glittered under direct light, which she found tacky, but by the time the finished product was delivered, she didn't care anymore.
Buttercup pushed the uniform to the side, as she reached for her bass guitar and mini amplifier that she kept at the back of her closet. She took her headphones and plugged them into her amp as she sat up on her bed with her sea foam green Squire bass. She secured her headphones tightly around her ears, and turned the volume high to ensure that the notes she played boomed loudly in both her ears.
She rolled up her long sleeves so she could tune her instrument properly. As she fiddled with the metal pegs, she noticed that her finger nails had managed to grow back a little more. The teen took a moment to study her stubby little nails; she rubbed her fingers together, feeling out her heavily callused fingertips. The scarring she endured had turned her hands rough, like sandpaper. It was something she was still getting used to.
She reclined against her bed's headboard as she stared at the night just outside her window. There was a full moon staring back at her as she plucked at the strings of her bass in a steady low beat...
Duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm, duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm...
Playing used to be so gratifying for her. Feeling the low boom radiate through her could be soothing in a way, and music used to be an uplifting cure for just about anything, but as she played on, the notes that rang out felt hollow. The empty sound felt just like everything else as of late-meaningless.
Duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm, duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm...
She continued to stare at the moon outside her bedroom window, as she continued to play the same riff, hoping it could awaken something-anything- inside of her.
Duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm, duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm...
But still, Buttercup felt nothing.
Duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm, duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm...
"Yo, it's three in the morning, do you think you can quit it with that damn bass already?"
Ace sat on the ground, with his back against his giant amplifier. He had made sure that the volume was turned low, but the amp itself sat behind the sofa his bandmate and temporary roommate Tyler slept on for the night and the repetitive vibrations were enough to keep anyone from getting a decent night's rest.
"It's three already?" Ace lowered his electric bass onto his lap and stretched his arms over his head as he yawned, "Shit, sorry, Man." He switched off his amp, and sat his instrument down for the night at last. "I gotta get to bed. I got work tomorrah- er, today I guess."
"You got work every day," Tyler muttered sleepily from the two-seater sofa as he fluffed his pillow under his head, "We literally live at your shop, Bro."
"Nah, I mean a temp gig. Security for that Powerpuff grand opening thing."
"You still temping on the side for real?"
"Yeah for real. I gotta keep addin' to the house fund. I'm not living here forever with Soph all cramped up in my tiny office. Having to spray her down with air freshener before sending her off to kindergarten class- shit's ridiculous." He walked to the larger, adjacent sofa which sat in the middle of his dispensary floor, and plopped down for the night. During operations, the area was meant to be a lounge for patrons to test out their products. After hours, the two plush green sofas were Ace and Tyler's beds.
"Speakin' of which," Ace said with another loud yawn, "You can't be living here forever neither, Man."
"Eh, I know," Tyler said, "Betty's just mad. She'll calm down."
"Maybe ya should make enough of your own money to find your own spot? Not rely so much on your girlfriend you can't keep half the time-"
"Man, shut up," Tyler laughed a little, half asleep, but amused. "Least I got a girl."
"Shit, I ain't got no time for those games. I got this shop to run, I got plants to grow, I got Sophia to raise, I'm hustling for a house, playing shows with our band, and not to mention I got your bum ass here now-"
"Alright, alright," Tyler chuckled again, "I'm gonna talk to Betty tomorrow. I'll be outta your space soon."
"Well, that'll all depend on Betty then, won't it?" Ace smirked to himself, as he closed his eyes for the night. Truth was, it was always nice having Tyler around as a roommate whenever he got into quarrels with his girlfriend, Betty. He just liked to give the nineteen-year-old a hard time. Having him there reminded him of how things used to be with his old gang. Ace had always been the leader of the group. Every place he went, they followed. Before they were locked up, he always had company. More than that, he had a family. Now, his bandmates Tyler and Betty were the closest thing to family besides Sophia.
"I need ya to pick up Soph from school tomorrow for me while I'm at work, a'ight?"
Tyler yawned loudly, "Sure, Man..." his voice drifted off as he began to fall asleep.
"She gets out at twelve-thirty. Got it?" Ace asked, but didn't get an answer. He reached for a throw pillow on the sofa and chucked it across the room so it struck his sleeping friend on the head.
Tyler was startled awake by the fast cushion to the face. He sat up and looked at Ace.
"Twelve-thirty," Ace repeated, "So. What time are you picking up Soph today?"
Tyler yawned as he laid back down, "Twelve-thirty," he repeated back as he shut his eyes again.
"Thank you," Ace reclined against his pillow once more, "G'night, Ty."
"Night, Ace."
As night shifted to day, Buttercup watched the early morning November sunrise. She still leaned up against her bed's headrest, with her bass lying quiet next to her. After a couple of hours of hollow plucking, she had surrendered to the numbness inside her and given up on playing altogether. At this point her head had gotten pretty heavy from exhaustion. She quickly caught herself as she felt her own head start to droop forward, and snapped back up with a jolt just before sleep could snatch her.
Buttercup quickly stood from her bed and looked for her next distraction. She went to her computer desk next, and started up her laptop. As she leaned back in her swivel green chair, and waited for her system to boot, she rubbed at her eyes sleepily. The clock on her desk read: 5:49 AM.
The fatigue that weighed her entire body down was strong. Unconsciously, the teen slowly began to slump downward in her chair, as her head dropped forward yet again. Only this time she failed to catch herself. Her eyes closed, and at last, sleep had defeated her.
Buttercup had a mouth full of dry, gritty sand, where she lay flat on her belly on the shore. Even in her dreamscape, her body ached from a lack of proper rest, and her mind felt lost and hazy. It took a moment for her to realize that she had fallen asleep at all. She held her heavy head as she rolled onto her back, and slowly sat up, spitting the sand from her mouth. As she finally realized her surroundings, her green eyes widened with terror as they fell on the sea of blinking acid bombs that surrounded her in all directions. The thousands of blinking, spherical devices beeped rapidly and in deafening high pitched unison, as she desperately shut her eyes and tried to force herself to wake.
Buttercup awoke and instantly fell from her desk chair, landing on the ground with a thud. Her heart raced powerfully within her chest, as she scrambled back onto her feet with a wild panic in her wide green eyes. Her ears were still tuned to a terrifying beeping she heard, and she spun around frantically searching for the hidden acid bomb that must be there somewhere. It took a moment to realize that it was only Blossom's alarm clock sounding off its daily 7 AM alarm, just on the other side of their shared bedroom wall.
Buttercup stood trembling slightly. Her nerves gradually began to settle once her sister shut off the beeping alarm at last. While the hour nap was hardly enough to satisfy her sleep deprivation, at least the brief nightmare accomplished one thing for Buttercup: She was definitely wide awake now.
Normally, Bubbles would only volunteer to make breakfast on the weekends, but that Friday was the day of the Discovery Dome opening, and Bubbles wanted to help her family with a proper start to the day. As she carried the towering stack of fluffy heart-shaped pancakes to the dining room table, she had to keep the plate steady so that the nearly foot tall stack would not fall over. She gently placed the plate of pancakes at the center of the table, where it was surrounded by the rest of the morning-time feast she prepared: fresh cut fruit, scrambled eggs, a great heap of hash browns, and she even baked a fresh dozen of blueberry muffins the night before.
As Bubbles began to set the table for her family, she saw Blossom enter their dining room first. "Morning, Blossom!" she greeted her sister with a smile. "How did you sleep?"
"Morning," Blossom said. "Fine," she hid the lie behind a small smile. Her eyes fell on the massive breakfast spread, "Wow, Bubbles. What's all this?"
Bubbles giggled a little, "OK, I may have gone a little overboard," she confessed with an innocent shrug. "It's just that I want us all to have a good day today with the premiere and all. I heard on the radio yesterday that they're even going to have a live feed at Townsville Stadium where even more people will be watching."
"Yeah," Blossom nodded as she carefully fixed a plate of food for herself, "They sold out the museum seating pretty fast, and there was a high demand for more. So the stadium was set up for a big watch party for the fans who couldn't get tickets."
Bubbles sat down with her own plate of food beside Blossom. Her blue eyes drifted over Blossom's head and fell on the shut doorway to Buttercup's room. "I'm kinda nervous, Blossom," she spoke quietly.
Blossom took a moment to swallow the bite of scrambled eggs she had taken. She didn't need to follow her sister's worried gaze to know what she was talking about, "Me too," she said just as quiet. She sat down her fork and tried to give Bubbles her best encouraging smile, "But, it's going to be fine. The Professor will be doing all the talking. All we have to do is stand there, and smile."
"Yeah..." Bubbles' voice faded as she thought about this. Just standing there and smiling seemed like an easy enough task, but what about her sister Buttercup who never smiled as of late? Bubbles tried every day to lift her spirits, but nothing seemed to work. Everyone told her that Buttercup needed time- that she was adjusting to a lot. She had been through a lot. It had been only three months, and while the grand opening to the Discovery Dome had been planned for over a year, Bubbles couldn't help but feel that this event was one too soon for her recovering sibling.
Blossom quietly popped a fresh strawberry in her mouth as she watched the door to her sister Buttercup's room swing open at last. Her pink eyes quickly darted away as Buttercup descended the stair case and slowly made her way into the dining room.
Bubbles greeted Buttercup with a chipper smile like every morning: "Morning, Buttercup! How did you sleep?"
"Fine," the lie was told through a low mutter as Buttercup continued past the dining room and into the kitchen without looking at either of them.
Bubbles frowned a little as she watched Buttercup return to the table with a bowl of sugar cereal and a carton of milk. She watched as her sister drowned the small mountain of marshmallow bits with a generous amount of milk. "Um," Bubbles continued with a weak smile, "I made breakfast today."
Buttercup said nothing as she took the seat beside Bubbles with her bowl of cereal.
The Professor was next to enter the room. "Good morning, girls," he greeted as he moved through the dining room and into the kitchen to grab his cup of morning coffee.
"Good morning, Professor," Bubbles and Blossom answered. Buttercup quietly slurped her cereal from her bowl, and said nothing.
Professor Utonium returned to the dining room with his fresh cup of coffee and sat down at the table with his three girls. "Look at all this," he chuckled as he started to stack his plate with heart-shaped pancakes. "I'm sure this was all you Bubbles, wasn't it?"
The blonde girl perked up from where she sat, "Well, I just figured it's a big day today."
"It is," the Professor smiled before he took a bite and savored the homemade pancakes. After a few more bites, he remembered something. "Oh yes," he said as he sat down his fork, and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Buttercup and Blossom," he began as he fished around in his lab jacket pocket for two small, plastic pill bottles. He then leaned across the dining table and sat down one bottle in front of Blossom and the other in front of Buttercup. "I have your monthly refills ready."
The small, red, oblong capsules were made to address Blossom and Buttercup's "power surges." The daily medication was something that Professor Utonium created himself. Each red pill contained just enough Antidote X to keep their powers from growing beyond their control. As long as Blossom and Buttercup took them every day, they would not have to worry about chilling, ice overs or strange, painful meltdowns. The scientist had just enough Chemical X left to produce just another month's worth of the power stabilizing medicine. Thankfully, his excavation project was set to begin in just another week's time, so that he could retrieve more cinnabar x to create more.
"Thanks, Professor," Blossom said as she took the medicine bottle in front of her, twisted the cap open, and promptly took her dose for the day. As she safely tucked the pill bottle into her school bag she had beside her, she smiled at the Professor, "So, do you have everything ready for Monster Isle, Professor?" she asked him as she cut into her pancakes with a fork and butter knife.
"Sure do," he answered with a mouthful of food.
"I was thinking," Blossom began next after she finished her bite, "Maybe while I'm on winter break, I can come and help you-"
"That's alright," the Professor interrupted her. "Why don't you just focus on your high school studies, Dear? I have everything handled just fine."
A frown swept Blossom's face as soon as the dismissal came. She watched her father as he continued to eat his breakfast in silence, while he listened to Bubbles who shared a story about school with everyone. He sat across from Blossom at the table, yet she felt as if he avoided looking at her.
The redhead suddenly felt a familiar pain in her gut. Things hadn't felt the same between herself and the Professor since Buttercup's accident. He called it an accident, but if he truly believed Blossom had no blame in what happened, then why did he revoke the promise of college? Blossom would never forget the look of simultaneous horror and disappointment on his face that day as she confessed the truth to him. The expression was almost as shocked as his look was when he first came upon Buttercup at the ICU. He said nothing further to her that day once he learned the Monster Isle scheme was entirely her plan. He said "no college" as if it were a punishment, but Blossom did not care about going to college next year anymore. All she wanted was for everyone to forgive her- especially the Professor- and especially Buttercup.
Blossom forced herself to swallow the last bit of her breakfast, as Bubbles finished her story. She laughed along with her and the Professor as if she had been listening the whole time, and forced herself to wear an artificial smile once more.
The Professor's attention returned to Buttercup who sat at the far end of the table and had been silent throughout the meal. She slouched lazily in her chair as she stirred the contents of her cereal bowl with her spoon, staring blankly at the multicolored milk that swirled with the remaining bits of soggy sugar cereal.
"Don't forget to take your medicine, Sweetie," he reminded her from across the table with a sincere smile.
Buttercup continued to stir her cereal, with no response or reaction. Bubbles leaned over and gave her a gentle tap on the shoulder, "Hey," she whispered to her dazed sibling, who finally glanced at her, "Professor says don't forget to take your medicine."
Buttercup stared at Bubbles as if what she said took a minute to register. She blinked at the pill bottle in front of her for a moment. The new medication was something she did not enjoy. Mainly because one of the power stabilizers' side effects was drowsiness, and Buttercup already felt tired enough as it was.
Buttercup frowned as she put aside her spoon, sat up in her chair, and reached for the plastic container before her.
Professor Utonium watched Buttercup closely as she twisted open the cap, placed a single pill on her tongue, raised her cereal bowl to her lips, and gulped. He then stood from the table and smiled at Blossom and Bubbles, "You girls have a nice Friday today at school," he said as he began to leave, "Buttercup, I'll see you in the lab."
Buttercup's eyes followed the Professor from behind her raised cereal bowl as he made his exit from the dining room. She sat the bowl back down, and flinched nervously from the sudden pair of lips pressed against her right cheek.
"Muah!" Bubbles planted a quick peck on Buttercup's scarred cheek, "Bye, Buttercup!" she hugged her tightly like she did every morning before she left to school. She then grabbed her backpack and a blueberry muffin for the road, and skipped out from the dining room.
Blossom rose from her seat next. She smiled weakly at Buttercup, although the tomboy did not look at her. "See you after school, Sis," Blossom said to her as she slung her book bag over her shoulder and left.
Buttercup listened to the sounds of her sisters leaving. As soon as she heard the front door to their home shut, she lifted her cereal bowl to her lips once more, and spit back out a bright red pill.
"Just where do you think you're going?"
The servant's hand halted just inches from the door handle as soon as she heard the young heiress's voice. Cathy turned and faced her five-foot boss who marched towards her with authority. "Oh, good morning, Princess-"
"Haven't I made myself clear?" Princess said as she crossed her arms. "Daddy's suite is totally off limits! Cathy, I expected better from you, honestly."
Cathy blinked back at the young teenager. She held with one hand a freshly laundered and ironed suit, and tried to explain to Princess, "But your father reminded me months ago to have his lucky suit ready for today-"
"Today?"
"Yes, Miss. Well, today is the premiere for the Discovery Dome. So, I figured Master Morbucks would be returning from Paris any moment now, and he would want this-"
Princess's dark eyes narrowed while she kept her arms folded across her chest, "Give me the suit, Cathy."
"I'm sorry, Miss?"
"I said: Give me the suit, Cathy."
Cathy stared at the young girl for a moment. She had not raised her voice, but she spoke with such a deep and serious tone, it was just as effective. As soon as she offered the suit to her, Princess snatched it. "Miss," Cathy gulped, "I promise you that your father did give me clear instructions to-"
"To what?!" Princess interrupted her with a snap, "Have his suit ready for the stupid grand opening?! Well, he's not going, so you can just forget it, alright?!"
"Not going? But, Miss Princess, he must be returning home today. I know that your father-"
"Oh, you just know, is that it, Cathy?" Princess interrupted her quickly once more, "Well, if you know so much, then you should know that Daddy has always made it perfectly clear that when he's not home, who is in charge?"
"You?"
"That's right," Princess held the large black suit with one hand, and placed her other hand on her hip, "And I said: Nobody is allowed in Daddy's room. But you just think you know better?" Her dark brown eyes narrowed once more. "You're fired."
"Miss, you cannot be serious-"
"I said: You're FIRED!" Princess's shouting echoed throughout the manor. "NOW GET OUT OF HERE!"
The short girl yelled so forcefully, Cathy could do nothing but obey the order. She quickly rushed around the corner, down the hall, and out of sight from the screaming child. Once the servant reached the manor's main staircase, she paused to catch her breath. Princess had always been an unpleasant boss, but over the past few months she had made a habit of abruptly firing the staff of the estate. Less than a quarter of the staff remained at all. Cathy had feared she might also lose her employment, but she figured as long as she lasted until Master Morbucks returned home- the girl's father would eventually be able to talk some sense into her.
As Cathy leaned against the grand staircase's railing and still panted, Alfred approached her with a slip of paper in hand.
"What's this?" she questioned as she took the small sheet of paper.
"Your severance pay," Alfred explained simply.
Cathy blinked back at the dark haired butler, astonished that he had the check prepared so quickly. "Alfred," she began as she stared at the tiny check in disbelief, "I have worked for the Morbucks family for twenty years!"
Alfred nodded, "Twenty-two, I believe."
"Why, yes! Exactly!" the woman shouted. "Just because that little girl says so... it can't possibly be true! I'm fired?! If her father was here, he would know that I've been devoted to raising that little brat since he brought her home from the orphanage! Who else will deal with a child who is that- well, that crazy! I cannot be fired just like that!"
Alfred watched the woman still stare at the check in her hands, frozen in shock. Truthfully, he had predicted it was only a matter of time before Cathy became victim to the young heiress's wrath. She was an excellent employee who knew her job well, knew the estate well, and knew the Morbucks family almost as well as he did. But she did not know everything. And what Cathy did not know was that if Princess believed anyone was beginning to "know too much," then that would be the end of their employment.
"You may have the rest of the afternoon to pack your things," Alfred said next. Cathy stared at him with even more shock then. "It's been a pleasure working with you, Cathy."
Alfred left Cathy behind, still in a state of shock. The skinny butler's footsteps echoed throughout the quiet mansion, as he made his way down the empty corridor which led to Master Morbucks's bedroom suite. He approached the sealed double doors, and reached for a thin chain that was tucked safely behind his shirt. As he removed the chain from around his neck, and held the small, golden key on the other end, he paused. The sound was muffled, but on the other side of the door, he clearly heard crying. Alfred used the key to unlock the door, and stepped inside.
Princess had laid down her father's black suit upon his bed's mattress. The small girl sat beside the suit, at the foot of the bed, with her legs dangled off the side. She held the striped black tie in her hands, as she gently stroked the satin fabric. When she heard Alfred enter the room, she turned her head to hide the tears that stained her freckled cheeks. "Is she gone?"
"Yes," Alfred replied as he shut the door behind him. "All taken care of, Princess."
"Good." She wiped at her eyes, and looked at Alfred. She watched as he returned his chained key to around his neck, and tucked it back behind his shirt. She then glanced back down at her father's tie she held in her hands, "I still don't get why you- of all people- have your own personal key to my Daddy's private suite."
"Well," Alfred began as he slowly walked across the massive bedroom chamber, making his way towards the girl, "I am the estate's primary caretaker, and I was always your father's..." he stopped as he stood before Princess, who looked up at him, "Right hand," he finished. He watched as Princess returned her attention to the tie in her hands, and the tears began to swell in her brown eyes once more.
As the young girl began to shake, Alfred watched her grasp around the tie grow tighter, "It's not fair, Alfred!"
"What isn't fair, Miss?"
"EVERYTHING!" she shouted as the tears began to fall once more.
Alfred stood there with a small frown. The spoiled girl had always been one to be overly dramatic, but as of late, the tears were real. They had been real tears the night of her father's accidental death, too. While the regret and heartbreak the young girl felt was genuine, it could not change what she had done. He had witnessed the act himself- Princess snapped and shot her father dead in an instant- and still, nobody knew this fact except for Alfred.
When he rushed into the room after hearing the bang of the gunshot, he half expected to be executed on the spot, as well. But Princess only clung to her father's lifeless body and cried, begging for him to not leave her- just like she used to do when she was five, and he'd try to leave on one of his lengthy business trips. The tiny girl would cling to him and scream, "You can't leave me! You can't leave me! You can't!" Only that night, her father was already gone.
Princess grasped her father's neck tie even tighter, as she began to grit her teeth, "It's all their fault..."
"Whose fault?"
"The Powerpuff Girls! Who else?!" she shouted as she jumped off the bed and onto her feet. "If it weren't for those stupid Powerpuffs, my daddy wouldn't have been building some stupid museum! If it weren't for those stupid Powerpuffs, I wouldn't have gotten so angry! I wouldn't have-" she stopped herself, as she began to feel herself shake, and she fought back more tears.
Alfred watched as the young girl stood at the foot of the bed, and gently sat down the black tie with trembling hands. She stared at the suit, quiet for a long time, and Alfred could tell that the young girl's mind was racing. His eyes drifted to the shut doorway that connected the bedroom suite to Master Morbucks's office. He wondered just what Princess was plotting next. "What would you like me to do, Princess?" he inquired after several minutes of silence.
Princess glanced at Alfred and stared. She had nobody left but him. Alfred- of all people- had helped her up to that point. Daddy had always said the man was his most loyal servant, but she was only beginning to see it for herself then. She wiped the tears from her face, and placed her hands firmly on her hips. "Find yourself a suit," she said with a determined nod.
"A suit?" Alfred raised an eyebrow as he watched her.
"Yes," she said a she continued to nod slowly, "I also need you to get my travel pistol ready. The small one that fits in my clutch. Got it?"
Alfred frowned slightly, but nodded, "Yes, Princess." He watched as the teenager straightened her posture, before turning to leave.
"We are going to that premiere tonight, Alfred," she announced as she reached the door. "And I'm going to make those Puffs pay for everything."
While Buttercup's sisters began their freshman year at Townsville High earlier that fall, Buttercup was enrolled in home study for her first semester. The Professor had been advised by several professionals that the extra time at home was best for her physical and mental recovery. It was a suggestion he gladly enacted. Having Buttercup at home for her studies was one sure way he could keep a careful eye on her. Ms. Keane was also quick to volunteer with tutoring the girl, and would see her every day after she finished with her kindergarten class.
Professor Utonium studied Buttercup from where she sat across the room at her sister Blossom's workstation. The skinny teen had her elbow rested on the desk, and her chin balanced on her sleeved hand as she stared at her laptop monitor. Her green eyes scanned the text on the screen, and Professor could see that there were dark bags underneath both her eyes. She slumped lazily in her seat, but would occasionally start to squirm as she'd rub at her eyes repeatedly with her sleeved hand.
Professor Utonium rose from his own workstation and walked over to her. Buttercup, whose eyesight had worsened in her right eye since the accident, was startled as the Professor rested his hand gently on her shoulder. "Are you feeling tired, Sweetie?"
Buttercup blinked up at him for a moment, before responding simply: "I'm fine." She tried to return her attention to her laptop, but the Professor gently lowered the screen, and closed it.
Professor Utonium frowned as he knelt down in front of her, looking straight into her obviously tired eyes, "You know, Honey," he began as he scratched his chin, "I think you should go upstairs and take a little nap before it's time to see Ms. Keane for the day. What do you say?" he gave her a small smile.
A nap was the last thing Buttercup wanted, but her research assignment was certainly putting her to sleep as it was. She nodded slowly, "OK."
As Buttercup went upstairs, she felt as if she could hardly gather enough energy to float up the staircase. She made it, but not without stumbling clumsily over the final step. While the Professor had sent her upstairs for a nap, she still refused to sleep. So she went into the bathroom across the hall, and stood over the sink faucet. She turned on the cold water, and waited for the temperature to reach its coldest before she bent forward, and submerged her face underneath the cool, running stream, hoping that the sudden chill would wake her up a little more.
Buttercup turned off the water, and lifted her head. She ran her fingers through her now drenched hair as she glanced upwards to the mirror. As her green eyes fell on her reflection, they widened as she stumbled backwards, taken a back by what she saw- or at least thought she saw.
Buttercup's reflection stared back at her with the same wet head of hair, same shocked expression, same movements, same everything, save for one thing: her scar was gone.
The skinny teenager cautiously leaned closer to her reflection, and slowly lifted her hand to touch the area of her face where her scar should have been, but stopped. As she raised her hand, she realized that it was no longer scarred either. She looked down at both her hands, and saw that they were completely as good as new. Buttercup immediately pushed up the sleeves of her jacket and discovered that the marks on her forearms were gone as well.
She was confused, but the sight of her unscathed skin brought on such a sense of relief, the tomboy couldn't help but smile. She glanced back at the mirror and started to laugh a little with her reflection, as she leaned closer once more.
Slowly, she lifted her hand to the right side of her face and gently touched her skin. As her fingers met her cheek, she stopped laughing and her smile instantly faded. Her face felt unnatural- like mud or wet clay- and as she touched her skin, her fingers sunk into her delicate flesh. Her green eyes widened with terror as she began to dig her fingers deeper into the unnatural sludge that had become her skin. As she dug further along her right cheek, she pulled away the false layer of epidermis, only to reveal her blackened scar was still there underneath.
Buttercup then looked down at her hands, and felt the slightest tingle beginning at her finger tips. She raised both her hands up while the burning sensation continued to grow. As she stared at her hands, the heat she felt intensified as the skin on her finger tips began to slowly sizzle and melt away. Buttercup shut her eyes tightly and screamed.
"Knock, knock," the Professor's voice and rapping on her shut bedroom door is what awakened Buttercup from her nightmare.
The teenager shot up from her sleep with a loud gasp. She had been lying on her bed in her bedroom, though she had no memory of how she got there, or when or how she managed to fall asleep. She instantly felt for her face, and traced the rough "V" that was still there. She then looked at both her hands- still scarred.
"Time to see Ms. Keane, Buttercup," Professor continued on the other side of the door. "Ready to go?"
Buttercup did not answer at first. She was still in a state of shock as her green eyes fell on the clock on her desk across the room: 12:41 PM. That meant she lost track of over two hours. How did that happen? "Yeah..." she finally answered the Professor as she hesitantly rose to her feet, "I'm ready."
Pokey Oaks Kindergarten was where Ms. Keane had been a school teacher for over two decades. The bright pink building which sat at the top of a grassy hill hadn't changed much over the years. Pokey Oaks Kindergarten was still considered the leading institution for primary education in the city. Ms. Keane prided herself in this fact. All of her graduating students went onto elementary school with more than a head start in their schooling. The teacher believed with all her heart that kindergarten was the most important stage of a child's education. It was where everything began, after all.
Inspiring and educating the tiny toddlers of Townsville was no easy task, however. Five-year-olds possessed wild amounts of energy and it took a lot to match them as an adult. Every day was nonstop for Ms. Keane until the bell rang at 12:30.
"Sophia, is anyone coming to pick you up today?" Ms. Keane blinked at the wall clock before walking over to the tiny green child who sat at a bright pink, toddler sized table. The rest of her students had all been picked up by their parents over twenty minutes ago when the bell rang. Ms. Keane pulled out a tiny chair and sat beside Sophia. She watched as the pint sized girl scribbled away with her apple green crayon.
"Yeah, Uncle Tyler's supposed to come," Sophia remained focused on her drawing as she responded. "Nino yelled at him over and over afore he left to work today- 'Don't forget! Don't forget!'" the tiny girl shook her head, "But he probably forgot. He's always forgettin' stuff. Nino says he's a dope."
"I see..." Ms. Keane said. Her blue eyes fell on the window and saw a familiar white station wagon pull into the parking lot. She returned her attention to Sophia, "Well, I suppose if your uncle doesn't remember, I can take you home myself. But first I have a student that I teach for a couple of hours. Will you be OK sitting here until then with your crayons?"
The little girl gave her a bright big smile, "Yeah!"
Ms. Keane smiled as she stood from her seat just as Professor Utonium and Buttercup arrived. "Hello, Professor! Hello, Buttercup!"
"Hello, Ms. Keane!" Professor greeted in return. His eyes fell on Sophia, "Are we too early?"
"No, no," Ms. Keane said, "Sophia's guardian is just running a little late today, that's all." She turned her attention to Buttercup who stood a step behind her father, "How are you today, Dear?"
"Fine," the response was automatic every time.
Professor Utonium gave Buttercup a small pat on the back as he turned to leave, "I'll see you in a couple of hours, Buttercup-"
"Oh, Professor," Ms. Keane followed after him, "May I have a quick discussion with you before you go?"
Professor paused at the doorway, "Of course, Ms. Keane."
Ms. Keane smiled at Buttercup, "I'll be right back, Dear."
Buttercup watched as Ms. Keane escorted the Professor to their family station wagon. The pair stood in the empty parking lot and had their talk. Buttercup had no doubts that the discussion Ms. Keane wished to have was about her. She had grown used to the fact that everyone in her life seemed to always be talking about her- What's wrong? What can we do? Is she any better yet?- it was always the same.
As Buttercup faced the window and watched Ms. Keane and the Professor, she heard a tiny voice shout: "Heyyy! I know you!"
Buttercup glanced at the little girl who still sat in her assigned classroom seat. She pointed at Buttercup with her green crayon in hand, "Your my nino's friend with the weird name- Buttercup!"
Buttercup turned to face Sophia, and as she did, her tiny brown eyes widened, "Woah! You got a tattoo!"
Buttercup blinked back at the small, green kid, and slowly began to remember, "Oh... So...phie? ...Right?"
"Sophia," she corrected with a giggle, "Hey can I ask you something?!"
Buttercup remained where she was, and watched as Sophia bounced excitedly in her seat as she waited for an answer. "Um... sure..."
"Did your tattoo hurt?" Sophia asked innocently as she pointed at the scar on Buttercup's face. "Um, 'Cause one time, I went to my abuela's house, and my uncle was getting a tattoo and he was crying! Like a whole bunch! He was like 'Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!' And it was a tiiiny tattoo like this-" the five-year-old pinched her stubby fingers together as she giggled. "But your tattoo is ginormous!"
Buttercup nodded her head a long as she followed the kindergartner's nonstop bouncing. She slowly raised her hand to touch her scar as she realized what Sophia was referring to, "Oh, this... isn't..." Buttercup's voice trailed off before she could finish. She wasn't sure how to explain something like that to a child. She shook her head as she walked over to Sophia and stopped at the table behind hers. "Yeah," she answered finally. "It hurt."
Sophia faced backwards in her chair as she watched Buttercup sit down at the table behind hers. "Ms. Kean is your teacher, too?" she asked curiously.
Buttercup nodded.
"I like her!" Sophia said as she continued to bounce up and down, "I think she's super nice! Do you think she's super nice?"
Buttercup nodded again.
"Yo, Sophia! You still here?!" Sophia and Buttercup both turned their heads as they heard someone shout from the doorway as they entered the building.
Buttercup watched as the tiny girl quickly scrambled to shove her drawings into her blue Scooby Doo-themed backpack, "Finally!" Sophia shouted back in return, "Nino's gonna be sooo mad when I tell him you forgot again!" the little girl lectured as she marched up to Tyler.
Tyler knelt down and gave the small girl a pat on her head as he grinned, "How about if we stop and get ice cream then this stays between me and you?"
The five-year-old giggled, "OK, deal!" She turned around and waved joyfully at Buttercup, "Bye, Buttercup!"
Tyler then noticed the tall teenager who sat quietly across the room. Like every citizen of Townsville, he was aware of who Buttercup was. Tyler had never been a personal fan of the Powerpuff Girls, but Ace vouched for the green Puff after he invited her to one of their shows. That night as his band played, he watched one skinny, raven-haired kid with unmatched energy go nonstop in the mosh pit that night, and he was shocked to learn afterwards from Ace that that kid was Buttercup. He had been meaning to shake her hand since.
Tyler walked up to Buttercup with an outstretched hand and wide grin, "Yo, Buttercup! What's up, Man?" It was only when Tyler got closer, that he could see the right side of her face from where she sat. The scar was jarring, and there was no hiding his reaction. He flinched slightly, and his smile faded for a moment, but he kept his hand out towards her as he stammered on, "Y-yeah, Dude, I ain't never seen someone go over two straight hours in the pit before with no breaks. Y-you're pretty wild, Man!"
Buttercup was taken a back by the young man's open attitude. It took a moment for her to recognize him as the guitarist for Ace's band. "Oh... hey..." her green eyes fell on his still outstretched hand and she hesitantly reached for it.
Tyler couldn't help but flinch again once he saw the girl's scarred hand, but he grasped it anyway. "Tyler," he introduced himself with a nervous gulp.
"Hey," Buttercup gulped as well. It was an awkward meeting, for sure, but it was always awkward any time someone saw her scars for the first time.
"Well," Tyler began after a while, "Time to go, Soph." He smiled weakly at Buttercup. She avoided eye contact with him and seemed to tug on her jacket's sleeves to hide her hands once more. He wondered what could have happened to her since last he saw her, and he felt pity for her. "Eh, you should come to another show some time, Dude."
Buttercup looked at Tyler and nodded slowly, "OK... yeah... maybe..."
Tyler nodded back in return as he took Sophia's hand in his, "Cool. Well... see ya."
Buttercup watched as the two walked away hand in hand. As they reached the door, Ms. Keane greeted them with a cheerful smile, "Oh, Sophia your uncle's here at last!" she chuckled as she held the door open for them and waved as they left, "Have a great weekend!"
"Bye, Ms. Keane!" Sophia shouted.
Ms. Keane walked over to where Buttercup sat. The short woman wore a giant grin as she stood before her. "Do I have a surprise for you today!" she clapped her hands together in excitement.
Buttercup stared back at her with a confused expression. Ms. Keane could get a little excited over their lessons from time to time, but she seemed extra animated that day. She watched as Ms. Keane hurried over to her teacher's desk and retrieved a cardboard box from her bottom drawer.
"Your father asked me to review these and suggest what may or may not be appropriate for you," Ms. Keane said as she carried the box over to the table where Buttercup sat. "And I'll be honest, Buttercup, a lot of this stuff I have to agree is a bit much for a thirteen-year-old." Ms. Keane opened the flaps to the cardboard box so Buttercup could see inside- it was her old music collection that the Professor had confiscated months ago and had yet to return.
Ms. Keane smiled as she picked up a CD from the box, "But, Buttercup, I also have to admit that you actually have some pretty good taste in music."
Buttercup stared at Ms. Keane, unsure if she heard her correctly, "What?"
Ms. Keane chuckled, "Dear, most of this stuff came out when I was in college!" she waved the Dead Kennedys CD in her hand, "This is exactly what I listened to as I crammed for my finals!"
Buttercup raised a suspicious eyebrow, "No way..."
Ms. Keane smirked at the skeptical teenager. "I thought you'd say that!" she said as she shuffled back to her teacher's desk, and retrieved something from her top drawer. "So, I brought proof!" She hurried back to Buttercup with an eager smile as she handed her an old Polaroid photograph.
Buttercup took the photograph in her hand and studied it. In the photo there was a much younger Ms. Keane with wildly frizzy black hair. Her bangs were long and covered both her eyes. She wore a leather studded jacket with a Ramones t-shirt and leopard print pants. A man with a spiky, red Mohawk stood next to her, with one arm around her waist and his other hand flipping the bird to the camera. Slowly the smallest of smiles swept Buttercup's face, "Ms. Keane," she shook her head as she laughed a little, "You were a punk?"
Buttercup looked up at Ms. Keane who shrugged innocently and smiled, "I was young once." She returned to Buttercup and took the seat beside her. She watched as the teenager stared at the photo with a smile; it had been a while since she seen an expression like that from her.
"I know what it's like to feel frustrated, Buttercup," Ms. Keane began. "And I get how validating and good it can feel to have those frustrations heard in music like this. So, I spoke to the Professor, and he's agreed to let you have your music back, under one condition." Buttercup looked at Ms. Keane, and Ms. Keane continued, "From this Friday forward, every Friday you and I will pick one album to listen to. Then, you'll write me an essay about it. Once I feel like you've grasped the subject material well enough, then I'll return the album to you. Sound like a deal?"
Buttercup smirked a little more, "Yeah."
Ms. Keane could not help but wrap her arms around Buttercup in a tight hug. She considered her and her sisters to be like the daughters she never had. Even though it was the tiniest of smiles, seeing Buttercup express a positive reaction for the first time in months brought on a strong wave of emotions for Ms. Keane, and smothering the girl in a tight embrace was all she could do to remedy it.
At first, Buttercup kept still as Ms. Keane hugged her. The tomboy had never been one for physical touch, but the sudden embrace sparked an unexpected wave of emotions in her also. Slowly, she raised her own arms and returned the hug to Ms. Keane. As Buttercup embraced the mentor she had known all her life, she felt herself, for the first time in an age, breathe deeply and fully. For the first time, in a long time, she was free of her fears. For the first time, in a long time, Buttercup felt peace.
The final bell for the day rang at 3:15 PM for the students of Townsville High School. Blossom and Bubbles shared the same freshman English class at the end of the day, and left together as soon as the bell sounded. Across the street from their high school was the intermediate school they attended the year prior. Townsville Intermediate's classes ended just fifteen minutes before theirs, and every day their best friend Robin would wait outside the high school's gates so that they could walk home together. Even though they weren't in the same grade anymore, Robin still made a point to try to see her best friends daily.
As Blossom and Bubbles walked down the steps of their school's entrance, they were stopped by a group of kids from the senior class, "Hey, Blossom and Bubbles! Can we get your autograph?"
The two Powerpuffs stopped as their peers surrounded them on the steps. Each student held one of the many fliers that had been posted throughout the school that day. It was an advertisement for that night's premiere. Like all advertisements for the event, the photographs they used of the girls were dated, but it wasn't as if any of them had been in the mood for any more photo shoots as of late.
Both Bubbles and Blossom had grown used to the random requests for autographs. They made fast work of signing each of the glossy ads, as they greeted each of their peers one by one. As Blossom signed the final poster, she overheard a question being asked of Bubbles that she had grown personally tired of: "Hey, where's Buttercup?"
"Yeah, why doesn't she come to school with you guys?" another student asked.
Bubbles replied with her usual simple and truthful answer, "She's homeschooling this semester, but she'll start school here with us next semester."
"Why? Is she like not as smart as you two or something?" another student laughed a little.
Blossom's pink eyes instantly narrowed on the girl who laughed and she spoke up quickly, "No, actually it's a health thing, OK?"
Before any of the students could respond, Blossom pushed past the group and continued down the steps at a moderate hover. Bubbles quickly followed her, but kept quiet. She would be lying if she said the rumors that circulated around her absent sister did not bother her a little, too. As they reached the front gates of the school, they found Robin leaning against the fence waiting for them.
Both Blossom and Bubbles gasped at the same time as they reached the same realization together.
"You didn't tell her?"
"I thought you were gonna tell her!"
"No, Bubbles," Blossom sighed, "I asked you to tell her, remember?"
Robin turned to face her friends as soon as they came out from the gate, "Hey!" she greeted them with a cheerful smile, "How was school, guys?"
"Hey," Blossom and Bubbles said with weak smiles. Blossom began, "I'm sorry, Robin, Bubbles and I meant to tell you but we forgot."
"Forgot to tell me what?" Robin asked.
"We have the grand opening tonight, and the Professor's supposed to pick us up today so we can go straight there," Bubbles said.
"Yeah," Blossom frowned a little, "So, I'm afraid we can't walk home with you today."
"Oh," Robin frowned as well. "Well... that's OK."
The three girls' eyes fell on a white station wagon that waited at the end of the block.
"Do you wanna come with us?" Bubbles suggested. An idea crossed her mind and she smiled big, "You can curl my hair and help us get ready backstage!"
Robin's teal eyes lit up a little, "Really? I wouldn't be in the way or anything?"
Blossom smiled, "No way. It'd be nice to have you there."
"OK then!" Robin stood between the two girls and linked her arms with theirs as she beamed, "Let's go!"
The three girls giggled as they skipped in unison to the Professor's car, where he and Buttercup waited. Professor's eyes fell on his rear view mirror as he watched the trio approach. He chuckled to Buttercup who sat in the backseat, directly behind him, "I should have known Robin would tag along for the day."
Buttercup rested her head against the window beside her, and her eyes fell on the car's side mirror where she could see her sisters skipping happily with Robin. Buttercup frowned as she forced herself to sit up straight once more. As she sat up, she felt a headache suddenly and she winced a little.
As the three girls reached the car, Bubbles automatically slid into the passenger seat. "Hi, Buttercup! Hi, Professor! Professor, Robin can come with us to the premiere, right? I want her to curl my hair just how I like it tonight!"
"Of course," the Professor replied, "Robin's always welcome!"
Blossom and Robin halted for a moment outside the car. Blossom smiled weakly at Robin, "I can sit in the middle-"
"I'm shorter," Robin said, "I can sit in the middle. It's fine." She opened the rear door and slid into the back seat beside Buttercup, and Blossom followed after her.
As Robin slid into the back she greeted Buttercup quietly, "Hey." The brunette slid across the white leather seat without looking at her.
"Hey," Buttercup answered back, just as quiet. She glanced over to Robin and saw that she had stopped just before she made any physical contact with her.
"Hello, Professor," Robin greeted next.
"Hello, Robin!"
As Blossom shut the door and fastened her seat belt, Robin remained huddled closer to Blossom's side, as she still avoided looking at Buttercup. The tomboy couldn't help but notice that Robin seemed to have no problem leaning against Blossom, yet she seemed to treat Buttercup like she was contagious.
"Hey, Buttercup," Blossom tried to greet her sister next, "How was your-" she stopped as she watched her sister turn her head away from her as she placed two earbuds in her ears, and turned up her music. "...day," she finished quietly to herself.
"Is everyone buckled up safely?" Professor Utonium asked as he began the car's engine.
Blossom, Robin and Bubbles answered, "Yeah."
As the Professor pulled their car into the road, he cheered, "Next stop: The Discovery Dome!"
The Discovery Dome's grand opening was set to happen several hours later that night, but the Utonium family was asked to arrive early. They had a lot of details to review for the opening ceremony that would kick off the premiere. Professor Utonium and his Powerpuff Girls were to be the main attraction of the museum and the event that night. The museum tickets were sold out, as well as the overflow at Townsville Stadium. There would also be a live broadcast on television. Truly, every Powerpuff Girl fan would be watching.
As their family station wagon pulled into the empty parking lot of the volcano-top museum, they could see a crowd of eager museum employees who waited at the very top of the escalator steps. The small crowd began to cheer and applaud as they watched the super hero team ascend the escalator slowly. The Professor led the way up, followed by Blossom and Robin just a step behind him, and Bubbles and Buttercup just behind them.
As they rode the escalator upward, Buttercup's eyes fell on the colorfully painted museum which was once Mojo Jojo's observatory. She had seen it before, and gone through the initial shock of the drastic renovations that were done to the villain's lair, but somehow it felt just as strange as it did the first time she saw it.
"This is kinda weird," Bubbles whispered quietly to Buttercup as they neared the top of the escalator. Buttercup glanced at her. "Right?" Bubbles asked again.
Buttercup nodded, but said nothing as she and Bubbles stepped off the escalator together. The dozen or so of Discovery Dome employees cleared a path for the girls and the Professor as they continued through the museum entrance together. A smaller staff waited just on the other side of the entrance, and one of them stepped forward as they announced: "Welcome to the Discovery Dome, Professor Utonium and Powerpuff Girls!"
The group stood there for a moment as they gazed around the massive lobby area, taking in their surroundings. There was a temporary stage set up against the far curved wall, with a massive pink, green and blue backdrop, illuminated by plentiful stage lights. There were already teams of camera men setting up their equipment along the edge of the great stage. The lobby held the majority of seating for those who would be in attendance, with some overflow into the main hallway which led to the museum's separate exhibit halls and rooms.
The four girls fell a step behind the Professor as he shook hands with the museum curator who began to lead them towards the stage. "It's so great to finally meet you all! We're all very excited for tonight!" he spoke cheerfully as he glanced over his shoulders at the girls, "I've heard rumors on how tall Blossom was in person," he chuckled as he spotted the redhead who had him beat by several inches, "now I finally get to see for myself!"
Blossom smiled, but said nothing. The museum curator next looked at Robin by her side, "And Buttercup, you've changed your hair! It looks great!"
Robin blushed a little, "Oh, I'm not Buttercup-"
"That's our best friend, Robin," Bubbles corrected the man as she linked arms with Buttercup to her right, who avoided looking directly at the curator herself.
"Oh," the man stopped as his eyes finally fell on Buttercup and realized his mistake. He laughed nervously, "Sorry. My mistake." He cleared his throat, before he called out to a woman who waited at the foot of the stage, "Fiona! Will you show the Powerpuff Girls their dressing room for the evening? I'm sure they'll love for you to get started on their hair and makeup," he smiled weakly at Buttercup as she passed by him with her sisters. "Professor, please come with me and I'll show you where you'll be delivering your speech."
Robin, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup followed the young makeup artist towards an area beyond the stage which led to the museum's gift shop. "Sorry," she apologized as she walked with the girls through the gift shop, "I guess they don't have a lot of rooms here that aren't devoted to exhibits, so they had to improvise with the storage room for the gift shop."
The girls eyes fell on the rows upon rows of Powerpuff merchandise as they traversed through the tightly packed gift shop. As if the hundreds of plushies, action figures, and apparel weren't enough, once they followed Fiona into the storage room, there were hundreds more still packed away in boxes.
At the center of the room, there was a clothing rack where their three uniforms hung waiting for them. Behind that, three chairs labeled with "Blossom," "Bubbles," and "Buttercup," were spaced evenly in front of three vanity mirrors. The young make up artist walked over to the first station on the left where Buttercup's seat was designated. "How about we start with you, Buttercup?" the woman asked with a forced smile.
Blossom and Bubbles cringed. They knew their tomboy sibling had never been a fan of wearing makeup. They were used to having to deal with the beauty treatments during photo shoots, but this was the first live event they had attended where they had a similar thing. Bubbles and Blossom exchanged nervous glances as they next watched their sister who stared at the woman blankly for a moment.
Buttercup's eyes then fell on her reflection in the mirror, and she frowned. She knew why the woman wanted to start with her first. It was obvious, wasn't it? The teenager slowly made her way over to the chair, and sat down without a word.
Blossom stared with her jaw agape as she watched the makeup artist reach for her first palette of colors and picked up her brush. Her sister Buttercup sat in the chair, emotionless, as she stared at her own reflection and braced for the impact of the cosmetic brush.
"Wait," Blossom said just as the woman was about to raise her makeup brush to her sibling's cheek. "Buttercup... you don't want to wear any make up tonight... do you?"
The woman lowered her brush and blinked at Blossom before turning to Buttercup who said nothing, and only kept her eyes forward on her reflection. "Well," Fiona began nervously, "I would suggest maybe just some light coverup-"
"She doesn't like wearing makeup," Blossom interrupted with a serious tone. "Right, Buttercup?"
Buttercup said nothing, and the makeup artist stood there confused. After a minute of silence, she dipped her brush back into the light colored concealer in her hand and sighed deeply. "Well, I think she'd look a little better if we-"
Blossom stepped forward and spoke louder, "I said wait, lady!"
"Look," the makeup artist began as she faced the redheaded teen, "She didn't say no-"
"She doesn't have to," Blossom interrupted sternly once more, "She's my sister. I know her, and I know she doesn't want the stupid makeup, OK?" Blossom's eyes fell on Buttercup's reflection in the mirror, and noticed that her green eyes met hers for the first time in months. Blossom gave her sister a small smile, before she placed her hands on her hips and looked at the woman seriously again, "In fact, none of us do. We brought Robin along as our stylist for the evening. So maybe you can check on the Professor, and see if he needs any help. We're fine here."
The young woman stared at each of the girls with a shocked expression, before she sat down her makeup brush and palette, and left with a simple, "OK."
Once she was gone, Blossom returned her attention to Buttercup who still watched her through the mirror. Blossom smiled weakly at Buttercup, who looked like she was just about to finally say something to her, when Robin interrupted.
"Oh my God, Blossom!" Robin cheered loudly as she began to clap, "That was so cool!"
Blossom blushed slightly, "R-really?"
"Yeah! You totally told her off!"
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Blossom spoke bashfully. She looked back at Buttercup, but the tomboy had already looked away from her.
Robin grabbed Blossom by the hand and led her to her own chair at the center, "And she left all her stuff behind!" Robin grinned at the dozens of shades of colors spread throughout the station. "Let's get started!" she giggled as she fished around for a clean brush among the station.
Blossom sat down in her seat, and closed her eyes as Robin began to paint her cheeks with the lightest shade of pink blush.
Buttercup tried not to look at the two of them, as she began to feel sick. The skinny teen grasped her forehead as she felt another sharp migraine coming on, and winced.
Bubbles came to Buttercup's side as soon as she noticed the reaction, "Hey," she whispered gently to her sister, "You OK?"
Buttercup glanced at Bubbles and slowly nodded.
Bubbles frowned. Her blue eyes drifted beyond Buttercup to Blossom and Robin some several feet away. They seemed wrapped up in their own conversation as Robin continued to paint Blossom's face, so Bubbles continued to whisper to Buttercup, "You can tell me," Bubbles squeaked softly, "What's wrong?"
Buttercup looked at Bubbles and spoke just as quietly, "I feel... bad."
"Bad like how?"
Buttercup shook her head as she felt another sharp headache, "I... dunno..." as she grasped her head again, she felt a strange twitch in her hand.
"Me and Buttercup are gonna go to the bathroom real quick," Bubbles announced as she gently linked arms with Buttercup and pulled her down from her seat. "Be right back," she said to Blossom and Robin as she escorted Buttercup from the room.
Buttercup floated along with Bubbles back to the gift shop area of the museum. As soon as they were alone, Bubbles asked her sister the same question, "What's wrong, Buttercup?"
Buttercup shook her head, "Nothing," she insisted, "Just... Robin, I guess..."
Bubbles frowned. "What about her?"
"Nothing," Buttercup shook her head again, "It's nothing."
"No, it isn't," Bubbles frowned even more. "Tell me."
Buttercup's gaze traveled across the gift shop as a hundred tiny versions of herself stared back at her, "She... doesn't even look at me anymore." Buttercup finally looked at Bubbles as she continued to speak low, despite them being alone. "She won't look at me. She thinks I'm hideous now."
Bubbles shook her head quickly, "No, no, no!" she tried to wrap her arms around Buttercup, but she turned away as she came near. Bubbles halted, and her bright blue eyes started to glisten a little. "Buttercup, it's not that!" she continued behind her glossy eyes, "I swear, OK? Robin does not think your hideous!"
"Yeah, right-"
"Buttercup, I'm serious! I know it isn't that!"
"How do you know something like that?" Buttercup stared at Bubbles whose blue eyes only continued to water.
The blue Powerpuff trembled a little as she tried to fight back her tears. She slowly floated towards her sister once more and reattempted a hug. Buttercup surrendered and allowed the short girl to wrap her arms around her as she wept quietly on her shoulder, "If I tell you something, do you promise not to get mad at me?"
Buttercup didn't answer at first. She felt her sister's hold tighten around her. "...Ok... fine... what is it?"
Bubbles pulled away from Buttercup and wiped at her eyes. The blonde took a deep breath before she blurted out her confession in a single breath: "After-your-accident-you-weren't-talking-for-days-and-I-was-really-scared-that-maybe-you-won't-ever-talk-again-and-so-I-kept-trying-to-cheer-you-up-but-nothing-would-work-and-so-I-thought-if-I-just-told-Robin-that-you-liked-her-then-she-would-say-'Hey-I-really-like-Buttercup-too'and-then-she-could-be-your-girlfriend-and-then-it-would-make-you-happy-and-you-would-finally-be-better-but-instead-Robin-said-'Actually-I-really-like-this-boy-in-my-karate-class'and-ever-since-I-told-her-that-you-liked-her-she-said-she-feels-weird-around-you-because-she-knows-that-you-secretly-like-her-and-so-thats-why-she's-avoiding-you-and-it's-not-because-she-thinks-you're-ugly-it's-all-because-of-me-and-it's-all-my-fault!"
Buttercup stared as Bubbles buried her head in her hands and wept. It took a full minute for the loaded statement to fully settle in her mind. "You... told Robin that... I liked her?!" as Buttercup finished the sentence, she raised her voice for the first time in an age. The teen's voice cracked a little as she continued to shout, "Why the hell did you do that?!"
"I'm sorry!" Bubbles pleaded as she threw her arms around her sister once more, "I was just so desperate to cheer you up somehow, and you know how when I get ideas I just say them out loud! I just blurted it out one day! It was an accident! I really really thought she liked you too! I swear I just wanted you to get better, Buttercup! I'm so sorry!"
Buttercup felt herself start to shake from her rising emotions. She hadn't felt so many things at once before, and she didn't know how to handle it. Her sister clung to her with all her might as she continued to sob. Buttercup gritted her teeth as she tried to push everything inside her back down. She remained completely still as Bubbles hugged her tighter and tighter.
"Please, Buttercup," she begged as she squeezed with all her might, "Please, please forgive me!"
Buttercup swallowed hard. She felt her hands twitch at her sides, and her head throbbed horribly as she closed her eyes. She wasn't sure what she was feeling, but she felt like it was all too much to handle. She had already been fighting exhaustion all day, and now this. Bubbles still cried on her shoulder as Buttercup fought against the urge to scream. She took a deep breath, and eventually forced herself to say slowly and calmly: "It's... OK."
Bubbles pulled away from Buttercup at last and blinked up at her. "R-really?"
Buttercup nodded slowly, but said nothing more. Bubbles hugged her again, and this time, Buttercup slowly raised her arms, and hugged her back a little.
"I love you, Buttercup," Bubbles said as she continued to hold onto her, "You know that, right?" When she didn't hear an answer, the short girl only tightened her embrace, "Right?" she repeated.
Buttercup breathed deeply once more as she forced herself to answer, "Right."
As Princess stepped from the back of her stretched limousine, her eyes fell on the Discovery Dome for the first time. Her nose crinkled in disgust at the sight of the offensive Powerpuff themed attraction. "Eugh!" she shuttered a little as she she waited for Alfred to shut the door and join her by her side. "If Monkey Boy was around to see this, he'd lose his mind." She turned to Alfred, "Do you have everything I asked for inside my clutch?"
Alfred joined Princess by her side and patted the glittery, gold sequin bag he guarded safely under his arm, "Yes, Princess."
Princess grinned deviously, "Good. Hand it here," she held out her hand.
Alfred hesitated, but slowly handed over the bag to the short girl.
Princess tucked her clutch under her arm, as she straightened her posture and began to march forward, "Let's go then, Alfred."
It was still hours before the scheduled event that night, and Princess and Alfred were the first to arrive other than the event coordinators, staff and participants themselves. Security was still setting up the majority of their check points just outside the museum's lengthy elevator entrance. The first station was ready, however, and was manned by Ace for the night.
"Show don't start for another two hours," Ace announced as he watched Princess and Alfred approach his gate.
Princess snapped her fingers at Alfred who instantly produced their tickets to Ace. "I believe our VIP passes allow us access backstage," Princess said, "And I wanted to pay my friends, the Powerpuff Girls, a little visit before everything begins."
Ace studied the tickets for a moment before returning them to Alfred, "Hey that's nice of ya, Kid. Glad you girls got that hatchet buried after all these years." He moved the barrier outside his gate so that the pair could pass through, but still stood in their path with a wand metal detector in hand, "Just gotta check ya first, of course."
Princess glanced at Alfred, "Alfred?"
Alfred next produced a small, white card and handed it to Ace.
Ace took the card in his hand, and lowered his shades as he read to himself: "The bearer of this card is hereby certified as a metallic implant patient-" Ace handed the card back to Alfred,"No shit?!" he held the wand up towards Princess and it started to beep loudly, "Well, alright, then," he shrugged as he handed the card back to Alfred.
Princess smiled a little as she began to walk forward, as she did, the device in Ace's hand sounded loudly as the clutch in her hand passed near.
"Hold up," Ace stopped her again. "Gotta check the bag, Princess."
Princess's eyes narrowed for a moment, but she stopped herself. She sighed a little as she offered her bag to him freely. "It was probably just my money clip inside. You need a rather large one to hold ten grand, after all. If it's a problem, of course, you can just confiscate it for yourself."
Princess watched Ace closely as he took the bag and peered inside. His dark shades hid his eyes from Princess, but she imagined they had grown pretty wide from what he saw. She, of course, told Alfred to pack her gun, but she also instructed him to place a sizeable cash bribe for security- just in case.
"Go on," Princess continued with a sly smirk, "It's just loose change. Take the clip and whatever's with it. I really don't mind."
Ace nodded slowly as he seemed to weigh his options for a moment. The man then lowered his glasses a little as he glanced around. Coast was clear. He reached inside the bag and swiftly grabbed the giant wad of cash for himself. He quickly stashed it inside his black security jacket, and offered the bag back to Princess. "Yeah, I guess that'll take care of it," he said as he stepped aside, "You're good to go."
Princess and Alfred ascended the elevator together. As they entered the building, Princess's dark brown eyes immediately narrowed on her target who stood, alone on stage as he rehearsed his speech- Professor Utonium. The short girl grabbed Alfred by his hand and quickly led him to a spot behind a nearby structure. There weren't a lot of people around inside the lobby at the time, but Princess knew she would have to stay hidden if she had any chance at getting away with this.
As Alfred ducked behind Princess, he kept quiet while she plotted her next move. She watched as several nearby workers began to leave down the museum's main hall, and knew that that was her moment. "Stay here, Alfred," she instructed as she quickly ran for the stage.
As soon as Princess reached the side of the stage, she ducked low to shield herself from being seen by Professor Utonium. The scientist paced back and forth as he reviewed a stack of index cards. Princess peered over the side of the stage and watched him. Her eyes searched the room for any possible witnesses. There weren't any that she could see.
A crooked smile swept her face as she reached for her pistol inside her bag. She took the gun in hand, and released the safety. Her beady eyes narrowed even more on the Professor as she carefully took aim. "How's this for revenge, Powerpukes?" Princess spoke to herself as she savored the moment her finger slowly released the trigger.
A click sounded, but nothing happened.
Princess ducked back down quickly and blinked at the faulty weapon in her hands with confusion. She quickly checked the gun's chamber and discovered that there were no bullets. Her eyes narrowed once more as she tossed her empty pistol back into her bag, "That no good, greasy haired gangster sabotaged me!"
Princess instantly began to march back towards the entrance. As she passed through, Alfred hurried after her.
"You!" Princess shouted as soon as she stepped off the elevator and spotted Ace still at his station. "You took my bullets, you bastard!"
"Woah, woah," Ace threw up his hands in defense as the short girl stood before him, seething with anger. He reached into his jacket as he felt around for something, "All I took was what was in the money clip, just like you asked me. The clip, the dough, and this note," he handed a small slip of paper to Princess.
"What note?" she grabbed it from Ace and read the handwritten note: "Don't worry. There are no bullets. Thank you for your cooperation."
Princess gritted her teeth as she grasped the note in her hands. "I recognize this stupid, fluttery penmanship anywhere," she crumpled the sheet of paper in her hands and threw it against the ground. Her eyes fell on Alfred who had continued past security on his own, and casually walked back towards their parked limousine in the parking lot.
The short redhead hurried after the butler and yelled after him, "Alfred! Why the hell did you sabotage my brilliant scheme?! What is wrong with you?!"
Alfred halted as soon as he reached the parking lot and turned to face Princess. He remained calm as the girl continued to scream at him.
"Well?!" she demanded.
"My apologies, Princess," Alfred said, "I must have forgotten the bullets."
"You did not forget them! You purposely left them out so that my plan would fail! I'm not an idiot, Alfred! I saw your stupid note!" Princess shook as she screamed at the top of her lungs, "YOU'RE FIRED!"
Alfred raised a single eyebrow at the young teen, before he cleared his throat, and said simply, "Very well."
Princess stared blankly as she watched the butler casually stroll past their limo, and began to walk off on his own. "Where are you going?!" she shouted after him, "Hello?! I need a ride home!" When the man didn't stop, Princess had no choice but to chase after him. "Alfred, I said: I need a ride home!"
"Oh?" Alfred said as he continued to walk, "Do you?"
"Yes! I do!" Princess continued to hurry along beside him.
"You could call for a taxi, maybe?"
"OK, well, then call one for me!"
"You need me to do that, too?"
"Well, yeah!" Princess yelled, "I don't know how to!"
Alfred said nothing further to her. He just kept walking. Princess stopped in her tracks and watched as he continued to walk away from her as if he did not care. She was just angry, but now she was beginning to feel desperate.
She ran after him once more, "Alfred, come back! You're not fired OK?! I take it back! Alfred, stop! I need you!"
Finally, Alfred stopped. He turned and faced Princess as she ran up to him. "Miss, you need me for a lot of things," he began. He held up his hand and began to count on his fingers, "You need me to drive you. You need me to walk your dog. You need me to fire the other employees. You need me to manage your finances and to tell your father's business partners that he is on vacation..." he paused as his eyes met Princess's before he continued. "And of course, you need me to clean your messes." He sighed deeply, "Well, forgive me, Princess, if this was just one more mess I was trying to avoid having to clean for you."
Princess gulped quietly as she listened to Alfred. Normally, she would never stand for that sort of behavior from him, but at that moment, she still felt desperate for his return. So, for once, she kept her mouth shut.
"Do you know why I do these things for you, Princess?" Alfred asked her next.
Princess shook her head. She watched as Alfred reached into his vest pocket and retrieved a leather-bound wallet. He handed it to Princess, and she took it. She opened the thin wallet, and the first thing she saw was a photograph positioned behind the first plastic sleeve inside.
The photo was of Alfred, her father, and her when she was just four years old. It was the day she was adopted. The first thing her daddy did was take her and Alfred to Disneyland. In the photograph, Princess stood between Alfred and her father just outside the gates of the amusement park. Princess was still dressed in the plain t-shirt and tattered jeans she left the group home in that day.
"Those ventures were always too brief and all too far between," Alfred continued as Princess still stared at the photograph, "But you know your father was such a busy man, and he tried... Family, I think had always been a foreign concept to him... Affection just did not come naturally, but he did try. That's why he wanted to adopt you so badly, after all."
Princess felt her eyes begin to water. She rubbed at her eyes as she looked up to Alfred, and slowly handed his wallet back to him.
"We had some fun times though, didn't we?" Alfred smiled a little as he took the wallet from her.
"Alfred..." Princess's voice trailed off as she watched the man return his wallet to his vest pocket. She had always treated him like just a servant, but for the first time then, she looked at the butler in an entirely new light. He had been there for her, longer than anyone else. And he was right. While family vacations were a rarity, when they did happen, it was always just the three of them. Princess only just realized then that they had been a family that whole time. A family that she destroyed with a single bullet.
"It was an accident, Alfred..."
"I know, Princess." Alfred offered his hand to Princess, and she took it. "Let's get going before the swarms of crazy Puff fans arrive, shall we?"
Princess walked beside Alfred as she held his hand in hers, "But what about my revenge?"
"Shooting before thinking is what got you into this mess. I promised your father that I would look after you if anything were to happen. I intend to."
"So, how do I get even?"
"I'm sure you'll think of something, Princess," Alfred said as they reached the limousine at last. "But as your father would say: Good plans take a lot of time, and a lot of work." He reached for the black vehicle's rear door handle and smiled at Princess as he opened the door for her, "For now, let's go home."
Buttercup sat by herself in the corner of the dimly lit storage room, resting on a large box of unopened Powerpuff merchandise. She was dressed in her Powerpuff Girl uniform, and as ready as she could be for the premiere. It was set to begin in just several more minutes. She was still experiencing random migraines from time to time, but Buttercup assumed it was due to her lack of sleep. She was still very tired, and the boredom of waiting around for the opening ceremony to begin was not helping.
Buttercup's eyes fell on Bubbles who spoke quietly with Robin at the other end of the room. The tomboy used her super hearing to eavesdrop on the two for a moment, but when she heard them discussing the boy in Robin's karate class Bubbles referred to earlier, she lost interest.
Blossom had left to check on the status of things backstage, and when she returned she brought someone back with her, "Look who I found!" she announced as she opened the door to the storage space.
Ms. Keane walked in as Blossom held the door open for her. The short woman held three bouquets of flowers in her arms. She handed the first to Blossom as she grinned big, "What an exciting night!" She approached Buttercup next and sat the daisy flower arrangement on the skinny teen's lap, "I just wanted to pop back here and wish you girls good luck!"
Bubbles squealed with joy as she received her flowers from Ms. Keane. "Thanks, Ms. Keane!"
Buttercup wasn't very interested in flowers, but as Ms. Keane returned to her side and sat down on another box next to her, she quietly thanked her, "Thanks."
Her teacher reached over with one hand and tousled her shaggy black hair lovingly. "You'll do just fine out there," she spoke as if she were talking to all three of them, but Buttercup saw that she looked at her specifically.
"Thanks, Ms. Keane," Blossom said. She looked at each of her sister's next. "It's time to head backstage, girls."
"Come on, Robin," Ms. Keane said as she stood, "Let's go find our seats."
As the super hero team left together and reached the entrance to the gift shop, they couldn't yet see the massive crowd of fans who waited eagerly in their seats that surrounded the stage. They had dimmed the lights in the lobby where the audience was, but the stage itself was bright. The museum curator waited for the girls just outside the gift shop, and he led them next to the area behind the stage.
Professor Utonium was already giving his presentation at the podium which sat at the far left end of the stage. The girls were supposed to enter stage right. Their cue would be a one by one introduction made by the Professor. First Blossom, then Bubbles, and lastly Buttercup. They had rehearsed the simple walk on stage about a dozen times, but still the museum curator seemed to watch the teenagers nervously as they waited by the stage stairs.
"You remember your markers, right?" he asked them each.
The three nodded.
"OK," he gulped a little as he paused to listen in on the Professor's speech. "Here it comes."
"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for... the Powerpuff Girls!"
As the girls waited by the steps of the stage, they could not see the audience directly from where they stood. However, when the Professor said "Powerpuff Girls," the entire room shook from the sudden, overwhelming volume of cheers and applause. The cheering went on for so long, the Professor had to wait for them to stop before he could continue. A steady chant of "POW-ER-PUFF! POW-ER-PUFF!" began among the crowd.
Each girls' eyes widened from the response as they glanced at one another. Blossom stood first in line at the stairs. She rose to the first few steps and peered beyond the stage for the first time. There were definitely more people there than they would see at their annual birthday carnival, and with the city's stadium filled as well, Blossom could only imagine how many eyes would be watching them. She turned back to her sisters and gave them each a weak smile, "Remember girls," she began, "All we have to do is stand there and smile. OK?"
Bubbles nodded, "Right."
Buttercup hadn't heard her sister at all. As soon as the sounds of cheering began, the teen had felt suddenly frozen. She knew that the screams she heard were just excited fans, but as they grew louder, her head began to throb once more, and the screams she heard began to shift into the haunting memory of the agonizing screams she heard on Monster Isle.
Buttercup shut her eyes tightly and tried to ignore the deafening cries. She flinched as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw that it was Blossom who stood in front of her.
"Buttercup," she said as she placed her hand on her shoulder, "You got this."
Buttercup stared back at Blossom, but did not say anything. She could feel herself start to sweat as she watched her sister return to the base of the stage steps.
The crowd's cheering seemed unending, so the Professor continued, shouting his first introduction over the crowd as best he could, "The commander and leader of the Powerpuff Girls- Blossom!"
Blossom took a deep breath before she stepped out onto the stage. As soon as she appeared before the audience, the loud rally of the crowd only intensified. The enormously positive reaction took the pink Puff aback for a moment. As her pink eyes fell on the sea of fans who screamed for her, her previously rehearsed smile was replaced slowly by a real one. The redhead waved at the audience as she drifted across the stage and reached her spot beside the Professor.
She looked at Professor Utonium, who stood behind the podium. As he looked at her, Blossom could see that his smile was genuine, too. Seeing his reaction was the best feeling she had felt in months. As he smiled at her with a pride in his eyes she had been missing for so long, her heart swelled. Despite everything, he was still proud of her, and despite everything her fans still loved her. Blossom faced the audience once more, placed her hands on her hips and grinned big from ear to ear as she basked in the beautiful symphony of praise.
Bubbles held Buttercup's hand as she led them onto the first few steps so that they could watch their sister as she made her entrance. While the fans cheered for Blossom, Buttercup's eyes fell on the audience. As her sister took her place on stage, there was a sudden explosion of flashing lights from thousands of cameras in the audience all at once. As the lights flashed, Buttercup shut her eyes tightly as her mind cut immediately to a memory of exploding acid bombs. The screaming once again morphed in her mind to be cries of excruciating torment.
Bubbles looked to Buttercup and saw that she physically trembled as she stood with her eyes shut tightly. She immediately wrapped her arms around Buttercup, and held her close, "We're just going to be up there for fifteen minutes, Buttercup. Then it's all over." She pulled away from her and gently placed both her hands on the sides of Buttercup's face, forcing her sibling to look at her. "Let's practice our smile, OK?" she smiled at Buttercup.
Buttercup only stared back at her as they could hear the Professor continue on stage, "The joy and the laughter- Bubbles!"
Despite being called on stage, Bubbles remained with Buttercup. "You can do this, Buttercup. I know you can," Bubbles continued to try and encourage her sister with a smile. "Try... thinking of the time me and you gave Blossom a haircut," she giggled. "Remember? We really messed up bad, huh?"
Buttercup slowly nodded and the slightest of smiles swept her face.
"The joy and the laughter... Bubbles!" Professor Utonium repeated the introduction again.
Bubbles gave Buttercup one last hug before she finally answered the fans' calling for her. As the blue Powerpuff floated across the stage the crowd erupted wildly once more.
"There she is!" the Professor chuckled as Bubbles took her place beside Blossom.
Buttercup knew that the sight of the giant audience was only making things worse for her, so she kept her head down as she waited anxiously for her cue. The skinny teen held her hands by her side, and they began to involuntarily twitch even more. She continued to battle with her nightmarish visions, trying instead to focus on the memory Bubbles had suggested to her. It helped, but just barely.
"And lastly, our toughest fighter- Buttercup!"
Buttercup took a deep breath, and stepped out onto the stage.
At first, she thought it was just the loud booming of her own heart that drowned out the sounds of the audience from her ears. The green Puff kept her eyes glued to the ground as she joined her sisters on stage. As she took her place beside Bubbles, she slowly lifted her eyes to the audience. The beating of her heart was strong, but as she looked out into the crowd, she could see for herself that it wasn't her heartbeat that had caused the room to suddenly grow quiet. On each side of the room, there were massive projections of what was occuring on stage, ensuring everyone in attendance had a perfect view. The shot was on Buttercup, and her alone. Her face-her scar- is what they saw. There was no hiding the dark "V" blemish under the bright glow of the stage lights.
The abrupt hush that fell over the audience somehow felt a thousand times worse than the shouting that had just unnerved Buttercup so much. She stood before the world, a Powerpuff Girl like her sisters, yet nobody recognized her as such. There was no applause. There were no cheers. There was only stunned silence.
Professor Utonium continued speaking, but Buttercup did not listen to any of his speech. She hung her head low as she tried to ignore the increasing dread she felt. Her scar was long healed, yet it began to feel hot as it burned from the intensity of a million eyes staring tortuously all at once.
As the Professor carried on with his speech, Buttercup's super hearing began to pick up on the thousands of whispers that spoke low throughout the audience:
"What the hell happened to her?"
"Holy shit, is that Buttercup?"
"That's not her. No way."
"She looks sick."
"What's wrong with her face?"
"I guess they can't all be cute."
"I can't believe she used to be my favorite."
"This must be some sort of joke."
"So much for perfect little girls."
It took everything inside Buttercup to just stand there and pretend like everything was fine. It was not. She glanced at her sisters beside her, who stood there smiling just as they were instructed to do. Didn't they hear them? Didn't they care what they were saying about her?
Of course, in reality, her sisters did not hear the same voices that taunted Buttercup. Nor was the silence that obvious to them as Buttercup entered the stage. To Bubbles and Blossom, everything seemed to be going pretty well. They had no idea that their sibling was slowly unraveling just beside them in real time.
Applause began once more as the Professor concluded his speech. The group exited the stage as a documentary about the Powerpuff Girls began to play for the audience next. After the short film, they were suppose to begin the first museum tour- guided by Professor Utonium and the Powerpuff Girls themselves.
As soon as Buttercup stepped off the stage, she pushed past both her sisters and walked straight for the Professor. "I want to go home," she said immediately.
Professor Utonium frowned. His tomboy daughter stood before him with a clear look of desperation on her face. "What's wrong, Sweetie?"
"I want to go home," she repeated again as her green eyes slowly began to swell with tears, and her body trembled. "Please."
Bubbles and Blossom exchanged worried glances with one another as they came to their sibling's side. They remained silent as Professor Utonium asked Buttercup once more, "What's wrong? Talk to me, Buttercup."
"I don't feel good," Buttercup said as she continued to shake, and the tears began to fall. "And I... just want to go home. Please. Can I go home?"
"I can take her," Ms. Keane spoke up suddenly. The short school teacher pushed past a group of stagehands who had crowded around backstage. She reached the Utonium family, and stood beside Buttercup. She gently placed her hand on her shoulder and gave her a small smile.
Professor Utonium nodded slowly, "Of course, if you're not feeling well, you can go home, Sweetie." He glanced at Ms. Keane, "Thank you."
"Come on, Dear," Ms. Keane said as she took Buttercup's trembling hand in hers, "Let's get you home."
The ride home had been quiet. Ms. Keane parked her vehicle along the curb just outside the Utonium household. She shut off her sedan's engine, and turned to face Buttercup who sat in the passenger seat. Although Buttercup was completely silent, the tears that started falling backstage at the Discovery Dome still hadn't stopped. The skinny teenager still trembled as she stared blankly forward, and sat rigid in her seat.
Ms. Keane frowned as she unfastened her seat belt. "There, there, Dear," she reached for Buttercup and gently embraced her in a hug. The teen remained stiff in her arms. "Everything is going to be alright."
Buttercup had felt trapped in her mind the entire ride home. Her head swarmed with everything from the accident, to Robin, to the things that were said about her at the premiere, to her sisters and the Professor smiling there throughout everything. It was as if everything bombarded her at once, and it was all so dizzying, she felt completely broken.
But as Ms. Keane wrapped her arms around her, her emotions began to break free. Buttercup closed her eyes and erupted into loud, uncontrollable sobbing. She threw her arms around Ms. Keane and hugged her tightly as she cried, "Why did this happen?!" Buttercup wailed loudly as her entire body shook. "It's not fair! Why me?! Why the fuck did this happen to me?!"
Ms. Keane's heart broke as the teenager fell apart in her arms. As she held Buttercup, she rubbed the girl's back while she wept. "I know, Sweetie," Ms. Keane soothed, "I know... It isn't fair..."
Buttercup shook as she continued to sob, "This is it! This is the rest of my life! For the rest of my life, I'm that weird Powerpuff! I-I'm that ugly one! I-I-"
"Shhh, shhh," Ms. Keane hushed her softly, "Everything will be alright, Buttercup-"
"No, it's not! It's not alright! It won't ever be alright ever again!" Buttercup gripped her fists as she began to shake even more. "This is all Blossom's fault! She's the one who left me on that fucking island! She's the one who left me to die!"
Ms. Keane pulled away from Buttercup. She spoke softly, but seriously, "Buttercup, you're just angry. You know, that it was an accident. A horrible, horrible accident, but accidents happen, Dear. It's just a part of life. All you can do is move forward."
Buttercup gritted her teeth as her headache overwhelmed her. Her hands were balled up in tight fists as the anger inside her began to win over her other emotions. Ms. Keane reached for Buttercup again, but halted as she noticed a faint green glow beginning to form around the teenager's fists. She watched as Buttercup seemed to shake even more, while the glow around her hands intensified, "Buttercup..." she began slowly, "Everything will be-"
Buttercup turned to Ms. Keane as she screamed, "NO IT WON'T!"
As the teenager cried out, she reached for her seat belt so that she could unfasten it and leave the car. All she wanted to do was run, as if she could run away from everything awful she had experienced. But as she reached for her belt, and opened her hand, a fiery, electric green beam of light shot from her palm. As the green energy was released, it shot from her with such force, she was physically pushed back against the passenger side door. She instantly lifted her other hand to try to support herself, only it too opened with a fiery green blast.
Buttercup found herself pitted against the door, with her hands stretched out before her as the uncontrollable green shock wave erupted from both her palms. The small, grey sedan was illuminated by a blinding green light that prevented Buttercup from being able to see anything. The blast was extremely overpowering for her, especially because her body had been so weak for so long. But after just several seconds of straight flowing electric light, Buttercup suddenly felt her body begin to grow stronger. Several more seconds passed and she suddenly found enough strength to lift herself back up, and she was at last able to close her fingers, ending the fiery light show.
As the eerie green light that filled the car began to fade, Buttercup's eyes fell on Ms. Keane who still sat in the driver's seat. The school teacher was slumped in her chair, and her head drooped forward. Her eyes were closed, and as Buttercup stared at her in confusion and shock, she wondered at first if she was just sleeping. "Ms... Keane...?" Buttercup gulped nervously as she slowly reached towards her. She grasped her shoulder, and shook her as if she could wake her somehow, "Ms. Keane?" she repeated.
There was no response, and shaking her only caused Ms. Keane to collapse forward against her steering wheel. The car horn blared loudly as Ms. Keane's lifeless body rested against it. As the long, drawn out horn continued to sound, Buttercup sat paralyzed by shock for a long time.
Gradually, Buttercup gathered enough courage to reach for Ms. Keane again. She gently pushed the short woman backward so that she rested against her car seat once more, silencing the car's horn at last. As the gravity of what she faced slowly began to settle in her mind, her eyes began to water with tears. "Ms. Keane!" she cried as she hugged the dead woman, "Ms. Keane, I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to! I-I don't even know what just happened! I-I-I-I..."
"There, there, Dear... Everything will be alright."
Buttercup sat up with a jolt as the unexpected voice startled her. She jumped again as she turned towards the voice she heard and found Ms. Keane sitting in the backseat, smiling.
"Of course, I know that you didn't mean to kill me," the woman continued to speak with a smile, "Accidents happen, Dear."
Buttercup stared with wide green eyes for a long time. Slowly, she turned her head to look back at the Ms. Keane who still sat in the driver's seat. That Ms. Keane was still very much dead. Buttercup gulped as she turned back to look at the second Ms. Keane in the backseat, "I don't... I-I don't understand..." She shook her head as she spoke, "Ms. Keane... are you... dead?" Tears began to stream down Buttercup's cheeks once more.
"Afraid so," Ms. Keane replied, still with a smile.
Buttercup began to cry again. As she buried her face in her hands, she heard Ms. Keane continue to speak in a sweet, soft voice.
"Oh, Dear, don't cry," she said. "Don't get yourself worked up again."
"But you're dead!"
"Now is not the time to panic," she reached for Buttercup and tousled her hair a little. "I'm sure we can fix this somehow."
"H-how?" As Buttercup stared at the apparition, she heard a chime ring from Ms. Keane's cell that sat on her car's dashboard.
"Oh, that's probably the Professor asking about us now. Go ahead and answer him."
Buttercup took the cellphone in her hand and opened the text message from the Professor. It read: "How are things?"
Ms. Keane leaned forward from the backseat and read the message for herself, "Hmm. Tell him that I'm taking you to my place for some dinner, and I'll have you back before curfew."
Buttercup blinked at Ms. Keane for a moment before she slowly nodded, "OK." She replied to the Professor just as she was instructed. Professor Utonium replied immediately with a brief "thank you."
Ms. Keane read the reply as Buttercup showed it to her. "Perfect!" she clapped her hands together. "Now, we can't just leave my body in this car and outside your home. Let's start with moving my body to the backseat. Do you think you can do that, Dear?"
Buttercup slowly nodded, "Y-yeah." She stepped out of the car and walked over to the driver's side. As she opened the door, she jumped a little at the sudden sight of the second Ms. Keane now sitting patiently in the passenger seat. Buttercup gulped as she scooped the dead body in her arms, and gently carried her.
"Aww," Ms. Keane watched Buttercup as she gently laid her body in the backseat, "That's nice, Dear."
Buttercup looked to Ms. Keane in the passenger seat, "Now what?"
"Well, we have to get my car home. So come on up here," she patted the driver's seat and smiled.
"I have to drive?"
"Well, I'm afraid I can't because I'm dead, Dear."
"But... I dunno how."
"Just come sit here, and I'll walk you through everything, Sweetie. It's just a few blocks away."
Buttercup sat in the driver's seat. While she fastened her seat belt, Ms. Keane began to point at the various mechanics of the car.
"There's your brake, and there's your gas. Don't forget to adjust your seat. Good. Now your mirrors. Very good."
Buttercup shook nervously as she listened to her teacher's instructions. She had never driven a car before, but Ms. Keane seemed pretty confident.
"Now just put the car in drive, and slowly pull out."
Buttercup grasped the steering wheel with sweaty hands. She felt very unsure at first, but as she steered the car down her neighborhood, she was surprised to find how easy it was. Slowly, her nerves began to settle as they reached the end of their block.
"Good!" Ms. Keane said cheerfully, "Now slow down a little. We're coming to a stop sign."
Buttercup eased her foot against the brake and came to a stop at the stop sign. There were no other vehicles and she slowly rolled along once more.
"You're doing wonderful, Dear!" Ms. Keane clapped. "I'm so proud of you!"
A small smile swept Buttercup's face as she drove the sedan down the quiet street. She came to a red light next, and slowed to a stop once more. As she stopped, she turned her head to look at Ms. Keane and saw that she grinned back at her cheerfully. Buttercup smiled, too, but it faded as her eyes began to drift slowly to the backseat once more.
"Light's green now, Buttercup," Ms. Keane said.
Buttercup turned her attention back to the road and began to drive forward again.
Another red light, a left and then a right, and Buttercup found herself at Ms. Keane's house. "There's a garage door opener on your left side, Dear," Ms. Keane said as they arrived. Buttercup hit the small remote control and slowly pulled the car into the garage, where she parked it, shutting the door behind them.
"Well done, Buttercup!" Ms. Keane cheered again. "I knew you could do it!"
Buttercup shut off the engine, and breathed deeply with relief. "Thanks."
"Now, let's take me inside, OK?"
Buttercup nodded as she unfastened her seat belt. She went to the backseat and gathered Ms. Keane's body in her arms. She carried her to the door which led from the garage into the home's kitchen.
Buttercup walked through the kitchen, into Ms. Keane's living room. She gently laid down Ms. Keane's body on her blue, living room sofa. She fixed a throw pillow under her head, and found a small blanket that she covered her with next. As Buttercup laid the fleece blanket down, Ms. Keane stood behind her and watched.
"Aww. That's nice, Dear," she said. "It looks like I laid down to take a nap and, well, just never woke up."
Buttercup stepped away from Ms. Keane's body and looked at the other Ms. Keane. "Yeah," she said slowly, "I guess it does..."
"Would you do me a favor and feed Valentino before you leave?"
"Of-Of course," Buttercup nodded before walking over to the kitchen.
She found the cat food in the cupboard and refilled the cat dish that sat on top of the counter. As the kibble bits hit the ceramic bowl, the sound awakened Ms. Keane's cat, Valentino, in the other room. The scrawny cat ran into the kitchen, leapt onto the counter and purred as he began to feast.
"Thank you, Sweetie," Ms. Keane smiled. "You're such a good kid, Buttercup."
Buttercup walked over to Ms. Keane and felt her eyes begin to water again. "Ms. Keane... I'm... sorry."
The apparition reached for Buttercup and gently cupped her face in her hand, "No need to be sorry, Dear. These things happen. It's just life. All we can do now, is move forward."
Buttercup slowly nodded, as she sniffed and rubbed her eyes.
"Now when you go home," Ms. Keane continued, "I want you to get some rest, put all this behind you, and do just one more thing for me."
"Sure," Buttercup answered. "What is it?"
"Start taking your medication, Buttercup."
And with that, Ms. Keane was gone.
Buttercup sat in the dark of their home's living room as she waited for her family's return that night. Ms. Keane had asked her to get some rest, but as much as she tried to fall asleep that evening, she found herself wide awake. She was no longer tired though. In fact, she felt strangely rested.
As the teenager waited in the dark, her eyes fell on the many framed family photos that hung on the wall. One of them featured herself, her sisters and Ms. Keane. Buttercup thought back to earlier that night, and wondered to herself what happened. She was at the premiere. Ms. Keane drove her home. She started to cry and then...
Buttercup shook her head, as she tried to push the recent events from her mind. There was no way any of that happened. There was no way there were two Ms. Keane's, and there was no way that she killed her. It was... a nightmare. It had to be that. She was having them intermittently throughout the day after all, and she had fallen asleep earlier without even realizing it. Is that what happened?
She was at the premiere. Ms. Keane drove her to her house. They had dinner. Ms. Keane took her back home. Ms. Keane left. Buttercup nodded to herself slowly as she thought about this. Right... that's what happened.
Buttercup rose to her feet and quickly flew up to her bedroom. She went directly to her nightstand and found the medicine bottle which held her power stabilizers. She twisted open the cap, and promptly took her dose. As she swallowed the red pill, she heard the sound of her family's station wagon pulling into the driveway. Buttercup returned her medication to her nightstand, and left the room.
"I am so exhausted," Blossom yawned as she and Bubbles began to ascend the steps to their bedrooms. "I'm going straight to bed-" Blossom stopped as her pink eyes fell on Buttercup who stood at the top of the staircase.
"I don't think I can sleep," Buttercup said as her sisters stood below her on the staircase steps. "You guys wanna watch a movie with me?"
Bubbles and Blossom glanced at one another and smiled. They were surprised to see Buttercup awake, and even more surprised to hear her invitation. Blossom landed on Buttercup's right and Bubbles landed beside her on her left. They instantly wrapped their arms around their sibling.
"Of course, Sis," Bubbles said as she hugged her.
"And you mean me too?" Blossom asked as she held her breath.
Buttercup's eyes met Blossom's and she nodded, "Sure."
Blossom's eyes watered a little as she smiled at Buttercup, "I'll get us a comfy blanket," she announced as she started towards her room.
"And I'll pop some popcorn!" Bubbles also grinned before she shot off with a flash of blue light.
Buttercup slowly descended the staircase, and floated back to the family living room. She sat on the sofa and began to flip through the cable networks, searching for something good to watch. She eventually found one of her favorite horror films and it was just beginning to start.
Blossom arrived first with a flash of pink light. She quickly hopped up on the sofa beside Buttercup, and covered herself and Buttercup with her oversized quilted pink blanket. Bubbles arrived shortly after with a large bowl of freshly popped popcorn. She cuddled up on Buttercup's other side, burrowing herself under the blanket as well.
Buttercup was sandwiched between her sisters as she reclined against the sofa and watched the opening credits to the movie. She held the bowl of popcorn in her lap as both her sisters took turns snacking. As the movie's opening song, Blue Moon, played in the background, Buttercup closed her eyes for a moment, and breathed deeply. At the end of the day, she had to admit: It was nice to be home.
"Is this gonna be scary, Buttercup?" Bubbles questioned as the movie began.
Buttercup shrugged, "I dunno."
"You haven't seen this one before?" Blossom asked.
"Nah, I have."
"So then how do you not know if it's scary or not?" Bubbles asked.
Buttercup shrugged again. "Depends on your definition of scary," she said as she took a handful of popcorn and shoveled it into her mouth. "And you two are a couple of wimps," she laughed with her mouth full.
"Hey!" Bubbles and Blossom shouted in unison, but laughed, too.
Professor Utonium stood by the living room entrance, "There you are, Buttercup. I thought you'd be asleep upstairs." He stepped forward and asked her, "Are you feeling better?"
Buttercup nodded, "Yeah. I think I am."
End Part I
Author's Note: Well, that's the end of Part 1 of 3 for Villain: Redux. I consider this to be a sort of "prelude" to the major events of the overall "Villain" story. Chapter 7 will start off Part 2! Part 2 begins with a time skip of about three years, where we truly begin our path to villainy.
Thanks once again for reading! Please leave a comment or review and let me know your thoughts, feelings, opinions, critique, etc. As the author, this would be a nice point to know what you think of the story so far. If you can't think of anything to say in a review, please just leave a comment mentioning what your favorite scene of Part 1 was and why. That would be sweet! :D
As for our next update... Forgive me for taking my time once again with the next chapter. I've literally been writing chapter 7 for a few weeks now, but it still needs work. I've been devoting SO MUCH TIME to working on this fanfic, but I'm working with a lot of subplots/characters for Part 2, and so it's taking me some time to find the right balance for everything that needs to be told. But seriously, this fic is my project baby right now. I am always working on it whenever possible, and I hope to still have an update up before the end of May. Part 2 has my favorite pieces to this story, so I'm just being a painful butt-head perfectionist with it- sorry about that lol. Thanks for your patience! I'll be posting about my progress and when to expect the next chapter on my tumblr, so you can check that for updates.
Wishing you all the best of vibes! I hope you are all staying safe and sane out there!
