LISA
Okay, this is starting to get a bit boring.
It's been nearly a full blown WEEK since school has started, and Cory's been pestering me about this super important project he suddenly dumped into my hands! Seriously?! My job is as stressful as it is!
And here I thought I'd do something fun. Well, here I am, at least USING my monster knowledge to the test. I'm not just doing Bigfoot and Nessie here (Don't worry, I'm not telling anyone I met them), but all KINDS of monsters. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, mummies, zombies, sea creatures, demons, Lovecraft, machines, time travel, aliens, ALL of it. All part of their respective periods in history, and how science counters their lore (At least MAGIC'S not very known).
We're going in chronological order for history. Starting ALL the way back to the Big Bang. Yeah. THAT far. But at least each one is brief so I can fit more in. I just got back student theories on what may have caused the Big Bang (I call them quests and not homework), and thankfully, they're not super absurd. At least I said they wouldn't be graded. I'm going easy on the guys.
Finally, the bell rings. When even I get bored of hearing myself talk, you know it's bad.
"Alright, folks, you know what that means." I state. "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."
Some joke back that they'd prefer to. At least I have the next hour off. THEN I have my final class. It's kinda annoying to hear myself on repeat. But I never try to say the same exact same words twice to spice things up.
Once the classroom is empty, I make my way to the teachers' lounge. I've had a pretty long day. Poor Larry must be missing me.
"So…how is your sports video project going?"
Hey…that voice…
I hug the corner of a wall. Mitra Salar! I just had her last hour! She's the one I mostly know out of ALL of my students, because I used to babysit her back as a summer job when I was a high school student.
Ugh. The memories are coming back. Never again…
Oh yeah. She has an older brother called Mehrdad. He's a hall monitor, but got his right arm broken after a skateboarding accident yesterday. Heh. Cute. That's got nothing over this badass chest scar of mine. From a bear claw, from what I've told people.
That's when I remember something else. Mitra's working on some kind of semester-long project from another class involving creating an app for a small business or something. Thank god I'M not having any projects. But that WOULD explain why she's at the computer lab. Didn't some boys get sick and barf on some keyboards? Must've been some nasty lunch.
"Great." Another girl says. "MORE than great."
Hold on…that's one of the tech girls, right? Weather Chan? I think that's her name. Although I automatically assume she's Japanese with a name like that (Ugh, god I've been watching too much anime…).
"You know how people react when the ball is coming towards them, but there's also a rush of players…?"
"Uh-huh." Mitra answers.
"I got that on film, the small ticks and the way their faces change." Weather continues.
Hold on…is Mitra…blushing?
"Yeah…kinda like how your face looks right now."
Woah. She's got a crush on Weather Woman! Better stay out of it. Teens try to hide stuff from adults anyway.
Still…this reminds me of that OTHER girl-girl couple I know. They even became moms themselves!
"I just want to hang out with you."
Huh? Wait, who said that? That didn't sound like Weather at all…
My vision suddenly flickers, and I see an image of Mitra celebrating with balloons, streamers, and confetti. Woah. I feel like my brain's on the fritz!
"I need to tell Mitra about Weather." I hear a distorted voice of Mitra's pal Kyra Steelbreaker (I want a last name like that!) say. "She's gonna be so sad, but she's my best friend."
I also see something beside Mitra. A green ghost-like figure of Kyra. But…that's not a ghost…
"Did you hear that?"
For a split-second, I think she saw me.
"You okay?"
"HA!" Mitra jolts up, startled but embarrassed. "I, uh, thought I heard someone speaking. G-Gotta get back to work!"
Her face a bright red, she rushes back in. Weather only shrugs and leaves herself.
Still, this is one stupid headache I'm having! What is…?!
"Cool. Cool." I hear Mitra whisper, pulling out her phone. "First my cat is pink, and now I'm hearing my friends' voices in my head."
A cat with pink fur? That can't be right…
Hey, sweet model. It looks like a gray Samsung…
Galaxy…
S…2…1…
With…a…a pink screen…and…a skull….
HOLY SHIT!
I get THIS close to yelling it, but I clamp a hand over my mouth and duck out of sight. No way…it's her! Mitra has that super evil phone! H-How long has she had it?!
I scramble to dial Cory's number when I realize something. No, it's too public. I gotta do it someplace private! But this…it's urgent!
"Got to tell her about Weather…It's never gonna work out."
I quickly walk through the halls, looking for a safe spot. No, not the janitor's closet. It's too cramped…
"...this room just got WAY tense." I hear the twisted voice of Mitra's second friend, Amanda "Flips" Sneeds as my eyes dart through the hallway.
There! The girls' bathroom! I reach for the handle when…
"THEY'RE LYING TO YOU."
"AH!"
Okay, that makes me jump. Oh crap, did anyone see?!
I whip my head around. Phew! No one. Come on, Lis, be cool next time!
I dart inside and take the stall to the wall. The room is too pink for me to bear, but I force myself to endure. I then dial Cory's number.
Come on, come on…pick up or I'm gonna-!
"This better be important."
"Yes! Yes it is!" I plead. "I found who has the phone!"
"What?! Who?!"
"One of my students, Mitra Salar! I think I could sense its evil or something!"
"How long has she had it?!"
"I-I don't know! But she said her cat turned pink and she was hearing voices in her head!"
"She's already begun using the filters?!"
"Filters?"
"Dylan was able to get into contact with Mark. Had him examine the Cyberspace tech used to make the phone. Whatever affects the filter has on the picture that's taken happens in real life! Tickled Pink, So Sick, Twisted, the list goes on!"
Hold on…Pink? Sick? Twist?!
"Some boys got sick in the computer lab and her brother twisted his arm!" I connect it. "What others are there?!"
"Dylan said that Mark told him that the Twinning Filter is the most dangerous. It can clone whatever the picture takes, and the one not holding the phone when the picture is deleted is the one that gets erased from existence!"
"So…if the clone deletes it, then…"
A flushing noise interrupts me. Another young girl exits a stall and goes to wash her hands. There's an awkward silence until she leaves.
"Are you seriously calling from the BATHROOM?!" Cory yells at me like Dad.
"I-It was the only private place I could find!" I hissed.
"Y-You gotta warn Mitra and destroy that phone! If Slappy or the Creeps get their hands on it-!"
"Yeah, I got it!"
I hang up and rush out of there. I then remember that Creeps can take on human forms. They could have SPIES in this school, and they could be ANYONE!
I screech to a halt in front of the computer lab, only to peek through the window and see that it's empty!
Dammit, she's gone!
And then the bell rings. Double dammit…
First I find out she's got the phone, and now I've wasted my free break hour!
I groan and head back to my classroom. That's IT. This month can't POSSIBLY get any worse…
…
Yep. I jinxed it. This month CAN get worse.
Why? I just woke up one minute before my alarm went off. Hey, you have your demons to battle, and I have mine.
I can't believe I still have to go to school. And now even EARLIER! Why did I think that this was such a good job…?
After breakfast, a shower, and brushing my teeth, I kill time with Larry by watching the news. I've reserved video games for AFTER a long day of work. No risk, no reward. I plop onto the couch and turn on the TV with the remote.
"The reports from the ground in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and San Diego, California are being confirmed." The newswoman blabs. "A new infection has popped up amongst people of all age groups."
My eyes widen and I lean in. Larry goes still as well.
"Infection?" He gulps. "W-What kind of infection?"
"Ssh!" I shush the good boy.
"-people are used to experiencing 'that time of the year' dry skin." Another newsman continues. "Hard, flaky skin around the hands. But doctors are noting a new purplish tinge around the eyes."
Purplish tinge? That sounds familiar.
I jump when I feel my ass vibrate. I pull my phone from the back pocket (can't believe I sat on it again), and see another text from Cory. Uh oh. All Caps. This can't be good.
EMERGENCY. PLEASE RESPOND. DID YOU SEE THE NEWS?!
Yes! I text back. Instantly, he responds.
Mitra must've played that Creep app game a while back! Those cities are getting creepified!
Any idea how we stop this? I ask.
Destroy the phone. Duh. You're great at breaking things.
Oh. True.
You've got 24 hours to brick it. Now go!
"Well, guess I'm taking off early." I sigh, kissing Larry's forehead. "Bye bye, buddy. I'll see you after work."
I shut off his voice as he lay down. I then rush to my car. Hopefully I can get there before Mitra can…
…
Well…so far, not so good. So far, Mitra's been acting like a complete JERK today, which she has NEVER been (aside from my one and only babysitting gig, which is why I'm not cut out to be a mom). That's almost kind of odd…
The lunch bell rings, ending yet another slow hour. As the class leaves, I see my chance.
"Mitra?" I call. "Can I see your phone for a second?"
"Oh. Lemme check…"
Mitra only dug through her pockets, only to pull them out as empty!
"Oops. Sorry. Guess I left it at home."
It takes all my mental effort to not scream and curse. Cory's gonna kill me…
Mitra leaves and I fall back into my chair with a defeated sigh.
"Rrrrrrgh! Stupid…!"
What kind of teen leaves their phone at home?! This is becoming more and more difficult by the second!
No, I can't just wait around. I need to find that phone, NOW! But…it could also jeopardize my job! If I leave the school premises, I could get FIRED!
Maybe she left it in her locker? I know the number, S13, but not the combination! ARRRRGH! Come on, Lisa, your bro's counting on you!
But no matter how hard I try, it's hard to focus. Why am I getting so stressed?!
Suddenly, I sense something. A dark energy source. And on my own phone, I get a notification that I haven't seen for ten years…
ALERT. MONSTER THREAT DETECTED. IDENTITIES CONFIRMED. SLAPPY, CURLY, AND FOUR CREEPS. LOCATION: HOLLOWVILLE HIGH.
I only smile. Thanks, E.M.M.I. I need to relieve some stress.
I open a drawer in my desk and pull something out of a secret compartment: My purple Arcane Amulet. I pocket it away and dash out of the room. I feel like I'm in my prime again.
I follow E.M.M.I.'s tracker through the school until I reach the cafetorium stage. This is bringing back memories already. To add to the action, it's beginning to rain outside.
I hug the wall beside a door to the stage. And I hear voices. Hello, what do we have here?
"Dear me, ladies, what's the drama?" A familiar voice says as I peek through. "Any hot goss?"
"What the h-"
Mitra's too. Hello, old friend. It's been a while…
"Now, Mitra, we finally meet face-to-face, mano a mano." Slappy continues. "You look different when you're awake!"
He then steps into a spotlight that turns on.
"Darling, I've been watching you for days. You're not very clever."
"Are you with theater tech?" Kyra asks, crouching and leaning in. "That's one hell of a make-up job."
Woah. Language, buddy. Slappy seems to think the same, biting down on her fingers for punishment!
"Ow! Little jerk!"
She yanks them back as I see another figure, holding a scythe prop and wearing pink robes, walk up from behind Slappy.
"Mitra, you've known all along what I want…the phone!" Oh great, he's monologuing. "That phone can spread a virus to enslave the entire world, one download at a time…and it will all be mine!"
That's when he notices the Grim Reaper wannabe behind him. He angrily kicks the scythe out of his grip, and the robes fall to reveal Curly.
"We don't have time to play dress-up!" He scolds his favorite minion. "Get out of those clothes! You know kids are walking germ bags."
Ouch. I wash my hands every time I hit the can.
"Hey!" Another voice calls from the catwalks. Four boys, bullies I bet, climb down the ladder.
"See, here's the thing, you ugly talking piece of timber." The boy in the green shirt says. "The phone's ours. It already brought us here, thanks to her and our app. Now it's time to show the world how creepy we really are."
Creepy? Uh oh…
"Oh yeah?" Slappy asks. "Who the heck are you?"
The boy only grins evilly before pulling a finger back, then peeling at the back of his neck, the nape, and soon peels away at his own skin off like he's pulling down a zipper. At the sight, I see Mitra, Kyra, and Weather stare in horror.
The Creep reveals his true face as green scales grow all over his body, as the other three follow suit.
"Just a Creep." He answers. "Humans are the past, Creeps are the future. Don't know if our seed-filled cookies will turn you into one, little man, but I'm game to try in the name of world domination."
Oooo, he's got competition. Looks like I'm just in time for the big showdown…
"Am I dead?" Mitra asks, fear in her voice and her body shaking. "That is the only explanation for what I'm seeing."
"Those who raid together, die together?" Kyra asks. Oh yeah. They and Flips play this Travelers of the Frost video game.
"And you know what they say:" The Creep Leader says, a hand reaching for Slappy's head. "Everything is digital these da-"
He's interrupted with a swift kick to she shin from Slappy.
"Curly, get 'em!" He yells. "They can't have the phone!"
WOAH! Monster fight! Slappy tackles the leader as Curly covers two more with his robes he was wearing earlier. As the leader tries fighting Slappy off, I duck out of view as the girls bolt out of there through the door. Kyra shushes them as they close it.
"I'll distract the other Mitra, and you two grab Flips." Weather says as the girls race off. Wait, what? Other Mitra?
Oh no…the Twinning filter! She used it!
I turn back to see the fight unfold. No WAY am I missing this!
As the monsters continue fighting, the noise in the outside cafeteria drowning them out, I sneak my way into the catwalks after heading through the door. I'm not even spotted.
Slappy and Curly may be outnumbered two to four, but they're far more powerful. It takes only a few minutes, but they managed to beat those creeps. The dummy's eyes glow green again, thus bending the weakened lizard people to his will yet once again.
"There's only room for one ruler of the world, and that's me." Slappy declared. "Know your place like the rest of you morons. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find my phone."
"Isn't there an app for that?"
"What?!"
He turns and looks upwards to see me cooly standing in the catwalks above. Pretty cool taunt, if I do say so myself.
"Lisa?!" He goes wide-eyed with shock. "Is that you?!"
"Yep. I've been up here FOREVER, it's about time you saw me!"
I then do an acrobatic leap off and land a perfect 10, and I relish in the cool landing a few seconds before…
"Oh, my back…!" I groan before getting up again. I think I threw it out or something! "Stupid body…"
"Ah, that's right. It's been a while since we last met." Slappy cackles. "Now you're basically a grandma trying to be a creature teacher. I'll miss you being a kid. You were much easier to scare."
"Sorry, no gray hairs. I checked." I replied. "Soon to be 30, still going strong…"
"So you must've been snooping again. But if you think you can stop me from getting that phone, you're sorely mistaken…"
"She's seeing double right now, so she's a bit occupied." I smirk. "You'll find that I've gotten some new tricks. Like this."
I whip out my amulet, then say the magic words.
"By the supernatural, the power is mine to command!"
There's a purple flash of light, and the amulet works her magic. The armor slams onto my body until I'm fully armed and dangerous. I draw my twin swords and ready myself.
"Pretty cool, right?"
"Wait a second…I just got pummeled by a guy with a look just like that!" Slappy realized. "That must've been your brother, wasn't it? Well, once I make YOU my slave, he's next!"
"Well then, congratulations. This fight just got personal…"
With a chirp, Slappy kicks the four mind-controlled Creeps on me! I begin racing towards them, unleashing a flurry of sword strikes on the stage. But I'm easily disarmed, so I fall back to kung fu and karate.
Creep One charges, and he gets a kick to the face. I cartwheel away from a lunging Creep Two, then slam an elbow down on the back of his head as he staggers from missing me. I dodge a few claw swipes from Creep Three before a few punches and a sweeping of the legs knocks him down. Poor Creep Four only falls with a single punch in the nose.
But another manages to grab and spin me around by the head, to stun me, but I duck a punch that hits another Creep in the snout. I kick the creep away when another Creep grabs and throws me onto the catwalk, where he follows with a massive leap!
I take a punch, but handspring back up and dodge a lunge while leaping between catwalks, trying not to wreck the set for the upcoming play. I land on one more catwalk and draw my twin swords. The lead Creep only follows and lands with a roar.
"I have swords, dude. You've got lizard hands!" I state. "That hardly seems fair."
With a hiss, the Creep only takes out two prop swords that he had grabbed back down on the stage.
"Props don't count…"
To prove it, I slice the blades to bits (at least there's replacements!), then kick the Creep away. I see Slappy and Curly try to make a run for it, so I cast a barrier spell to trap them on stage. Ha! You ain't getting away, splinter maker!
I leap off the catwalk and throw out some chakrams to cut the Creep and make him fall to the ground with a terrific CRASH! The other Creeps go down easily without their leader.
"Okay, fine then." Curly says, readying the prop scythe. "If we ain't going anywhere, I'll just REAP you instead! Hahahahahahaha!"
Woah. A few letters rearranged and that would SO not be appropriate!
Curly rushes in and swings his styche, but I catch it with one hand by the blade and crush it.
"Seems like you weren't listening to me." I say. "And for that, you're getting an F. For Fools!"
I kick Curly back and toss out more chakrams. They go right in his ribs, but the skeleton doesn't feel any pain. He just takes off some rib bones and throws them at me, and I easily flip to dodge. But he DOES manage to hit me with a few pumpkin props, which also break.
"Agh! No breaking school property! Time to teach you a lesson!"
Ha! I should come up with more puns like these more often!
Curly manages to grab something that's not a prop this time from his back. A high-tech tuning fork-like staff that fires lightning! He must've gotten that from one of Slappy's mad scientist minions!
I deflect some bolts with my blades, one of them knocking the device away. Curly only takes off his left arm and uses it as a weapon of his own! Talk about being ARMED and dangerous!
I leap over a nearby table and kick him across the jaw to spin him, but he swats me with the backhand of the arm he holds and I'm knocked against the wall, and a skeletal foot pins me down.
"Now…care to lower that barrier now, Grandma?" Slappy giggles.
"Sorry, but your buddy here's not the only one with a bone to pick here!" I say, before kicking the head off Curly, making the body stumble around aimlessly as it tries to get the head.
I then go for Slappy next. We clash magic against magic, but the dummy quickly overpowers me and I'm sent flying out through the door, slamming against the hallway wall! Slappy only laughs as he follows, with Curly putting his head back on.
"Hahahahahaha! You haven't been a Monster Hunter for over a decade!" He taunts and insults me. "You're old, sloppy, and you've gone soft! You were no match for me before. And you're no match for me now!"
I only get back up, the crack in my helmet showing my left eye only repairing itself.
"Says the guy who's lived for centuries."
"You're only human. But I'm made of wood! I'll never age!"
"One day, you're gonna be BURIED in the past…"
I continue to battle Slappy and Curly, all while trying to avoid being seen, heard, and cause damage along the way. But the dummy doesn't make it easy! Sigh…I am SO fired…
I throw open a locker to block another magical blade stab, and I continue fighting with all my might. But the dummy only throws me around like a doll, making quite the mess as I realize where he's fighting his way to: The Gym! The phone HAS to be there!
Finally, with a yell, Slappy unleashes a blast of green magic that knocks me back with tremendous force! I burst through the double doors to the gymnasium, but I flip and recover in mid-air before skidding back, my claw leaving marks on the gym floor.
I look around the place. Mitra, Kyra, Flips, and Weather are all here. Along with Mehrdad! And a clone of Mitra! The real Mitra seems to be the one wearing the beanie, and when I see the clone yank an arm away from another figure, my eyes go wide from who that is.
That…it's someone I never thought I'd see again…
Sybil Wicked!
But…she's a hologram now! How'd she get from a living wax figure to THIS?!
Woah…wait, hold on…yeah, maybe she WAS an A.I. the whole time in this life! Man, alternate timelines are gonna make my brain hurt…
"That was rude." Slappy states. "You didn't have to leave because we started fighting. And how nice of you to bring the phone to me!"
The phone? Hey! It's being held by Weather's drone! I try to stand up and rush towards it, but my bones and joints are beginning to ache. Dammit! I should've gotten some more cardio work in!
"NO!" Clone Mitra rushes right at the real one, with Sybil, Curly, and Slappy not too far behind.
"Weather, hold it steady!" Mitra says, rushing to the phone. "And…drop!"
The drone releases it and the phone drops to the ground. And by the look of determination on her face, I realize something.
She knows. Mitra knows what it can do!
"I'm not letting you hurt my friends anymore!"
CRISH! The phone is crushed with a single stomp!
"Nooooooooooooo!" Thanks to being created from the phone, Clone Mitra and Sybil both fade away. Meanwhile, I'm still taken aback as to how badass that was.
"Yes!" Flips and Kyra cheer before another voice snaps them back into realizing that this isn't over.
"The phone might be trashed, but I bet I can still use you cretins to help me rule the school!"
Uh oh. Slappy's got a backup plan! And no way can those kids fight or run!
Hold on…those bleachers look…old.
Perfect!
I conjure up a kunai and throw it as hard as I can. It wizzes past the group and strikes the lock of the control panel box for the bleachers, breaking it and opening the panel. Seeing it, Kyra's eyes widened in realization.
"I've got an idea!" Kyra rushes over and opens the panel. "Mehrdad, grab the dummy!"
"10-4!" He rides his skateboard through the gym, and Curly rushes in to stop them. I quickly intercept with my flight speed, delivering a kick to Curly's jaw before landing some hard blows and punches.
It's all up to those kids now. But the dummy's not going down so easily. Because Slappy lunges at Mehrdad and bites him on the left arm!
"OW!" He cries.
"Head for the bleachers!" Kyra says.
"Seriously?!" He asks, trying to shake Slappy off. "Stop BITING me, people!"
"They're open!" Kyra yells. "Hurry!"
Curly nearly grabs her, but I fire an energy beam from my wrist like a grappling hook and toss Curly over my head and towards the ground. He's not going anywhere. He even enters his Banshee form, but my magic easily overpowers him.
By the time her brother shakes Slappy off, Mitra punts him like a soccer ball behind the bleachers! I manage to force Curly out of his Banshee form and knock him to the ground, keeping up the assault to prevent him from interfering!
"Please," Slappy yells, grabbing the metallic supports of the bleachers. "These rickety pieces of junk always have safety measures."
"Not if they were made in the '90s." Kyra replies like a badass before slamming her palm on the close button.
The bleachers begin shrinking into the wall, Slappy straining to hold them back.
"I…will…enslave…you…!" He angrily declares as his face begins to crack. "Not…today…but…URK!"
CRACK!
He goes silent as he gets opened like a nut, the bleachers fully closing. But knowing him, he'll STILL be back. It'll be a while before he comes up with yet ANOTHER plan.
Oh, and one more thing. Without his master's magic, Curly only drops to the ground as a pile of inanimate bones. Well, that's that.
"Are you okay?" Mitra asks Flips.
"Yeah." She replies. "Moving to a new school is tougher than I thought."
Oh yeah. She's one of the new girls. I wait for the group hug to part and the laughter to stop as I only dust my hands for a job well done.
"Nice going, kids." I state. "Not gonna lie, that was pretty cool. Always wanted to fight something in a gym."
"Wait…Miss Waldhorn?!"
Uh oh. How did she…?
Man, Mitra's smart. Guess I need to work on upgrading that voice modulator of mine. I only dematerialize the helmet.
"You're one smart cookie." I replied. "Seriously though, please don't tell anyone. I could lose my job…"
"Well, I did just find out that one of my awesome teachers is even MORE awesome, so…lips are sealed."
"Thanks. And…if something like this happens again, well…you've got my email."
I then notice the time on a nearby clock. Yipe!
"Oh crap, lunch hour is almost over! Gotta get back to class! See ya!"
I take off after dematerializing my armor, trying to look my best and not make it look like I got into a fight. Hopefully no one suspects anything.
Oh, and Mitra? Welcome to the monster world…
…
After school, I head down to grab something at the local diner, after texting Cory that my quest was complete. He was…grateful.
Still, as I get some more soda, it's hard to imagine how much this place changed. In the old timeline, this used to be old, abandoned, and run down. Great hangout spot for monsters.
The chefs could whip up cockroach snacks, blob meals, and a whole lot of other stuff not meant for human stomachs. Meanwhile, Twist is still searching for who sent that phone to Mitra in the first place.
Hold on…speak of the devil…she, her friends, and her brother are nearby! I don't think they notice me, though. Eh. Like it matters.
"...so that's why I could hear Flips and Kyra's thoughts." She continues. "The photo filters affected whatever was in the photo."
"Dang…" Mehrdad only replied amongst the diner chatter.
"I think I know who cut your hair, Flips." Kyra adds.
"None of us believed for a second your bird wrote that note." Mitra added.
"I'm grateful his hands were only big enough for those child scissors." Flips laughs.
Huh. Slappy tried to threaten them? Still…entering dreams…that's a new one. Did he still overthrow Lord Morphos and become ruler of the Nightmare Realm in this timeline?
"I'm grateful nothing worse happened." Mitra admits to Flips. "When you showed up, I thought Kyra might start ignoring me to hang out with you."
"Mitra, don't you know two best friends are better than one?" Flips only asks.
"Ha! And best friends never let their buds go thirsty. I'll get ya' more tea."
Oh, this has a life lesson too? Sounds like your average Saturday morning cartoon episode.
I watch Mitra as she heads over to the Soda-Kola machine. Hello, what have we here?
"Thanks for being a hero today, Weather." Mitra begins blushing again.
"We worked pretty well together, huh?" She only replies, filling a cup as Mitra does the same.
"Yeah." Mitra stammers. "It…might be, um…fun to, er…work…together…again? Sometime?"
"You know it, buddy!" Weather replies. That earns me a smile, seeing this ship begin to set sail. "What a day…hope you weren't weirded out by my crush on you."
"N-No…not at all. In fact-."
"Anyway, the phone made me do those things. I'm not sure why. Because I'm not really into anyone. I just want to play sports and make rad films."
My face only sinks in disappointment. Stupid pirates firing at the sails and sinking the ship! Sigh…they looked so GOOD together!
Mitra seems a bit shocked herself as Weather only leaves. Ouch. Heartbreak will do that to you. Did she just get rejected?!
"Oh well…" She says with a sigh as she heads back, sitting down with a defeated expression. This is why I don't try getting a boyfriend. That way I can avoid the drama. Plus, my life isn't exactly safe…
"You okay?" Kyra asks.
"Uh, yeah." Mitra replies. "I'll be ok. Just…reliving today's events."
"You're gonna need more pizza to process." Flips only states.
That statement from Mitra makes me think back to MY first monster encounter. Monster Blood and giant sewer rats in the town sewers. Yeah. THAT was terrifying. Just ask the blue figure standing on a nearby rooftop watching us.
But seeing how brave the five of them were today? I might give them an A+...
…
It's been some time since I got back home. Immediately, Mitra emailed me about ANOTHER problem. She found out who sent her that phone. Some guy called Keith.
Sound familiar? Yep. He's the blob guy. He wants Mitra to take care of him like a little brother if she wants her parents to stay alive. So I called in some backup.
"He seems to be under some kind of mind control." Cory says over the phone. "But it's not Slappy's. OR Dracula's. I've never seen anything like it before…"
"Yeah, Slappy's dead. At least, for now." I add.
"He's staying in my basement for the time being. The magic seems to indicate that he's in some kind of dream-like trance. Compelled to do creepy evil stuff since his psyche seems shattered. Maybe if I find a way to wake him up, he'll snap back into sanity. But nothing ordinary has worked so far. I'll keep trying various more methods, and try to get Keith back to his senses. If I need help, expect a call after work."
"At least Mitra and her family are safe." I say. "So…where's Twist?"
"He informed me that he picked up another case a few days ago. All the way in Beaver Creek, Oregon. He's going to check it out."
Oh. Right. Cory gets the home cases, Dylan gets the away cases. Still, Oregon? That's almost an entire country away!
Hold on…
"Do we…do we know anyone over at Beaver Creek?" I state.
"Only a single family." Cory answers. "Let's hope they don't cause such a ruckus to force them to move…"