To Heal
Nights sat at the back of his cell, fresh slashes and cuts bleeding down his purple costume. Wizeman had been particularly harsh this time. Nights could remember all of what he said. "Make contact in my prison will you!" Another slash across the back. "Try to reach your friends!" This time a kick in the ribs. "You are mine Nights! Mine!" A few punches across his cheeks, another slash on his side. "I stopped your message, Nights! I stopped you telling her where you were and how to reach you! None of it got through!"
Yes, Nights remembered all of it. He coughed, a fresh stream of blood pouring out of his mouth and onto the ground. His purple eyes opened gently, looking about his cell again. He could hear his own breath coming in ragged gasps, and this caused him to wince even more. He wouldn't survive too many more of these sessions, even with Pirdy's superb skills. "Claris," he thought, "I need you here soon."
-----
Claris looked out at the bleak landscape, the desert stretching before her as though there were no end to it. In the distance, the horizon wavered with the extreme heat. She took a deep breath, the breeze blowing across her like a hair dryer, and she pushed her hair back from her face. "You've got to be kidding me. How far does this thing go?" She turned her head as some more of the machinery clicked and whirled in the distance. The complex machinery that surrounded her and prevented Nightmaren from attacking Nightmare tower was still working after all this time. It was old, Claris knew that much. The large gears, and the ancient technology was obvious. Claris knew, however, that it still worked. She wiped some sweat off of her forehead once more and continued on her journey.
Pirdy continued flying as fast as she could. The desert was coming up swiftly, the dark and bleak landscape becoming light and dark browns. Cacti and tumbleweeds could be seen down below, speeding by quickly. It had been a very long time since she had flown through here, and really, no Nightmaren flew through here if they knew what was good for them. The powerful magnets could pluck you right out of the air and trap you forever. She had seen that happen once, and it was not something she would want to experience. She was scanning the ground below here, looking for this red-haired girl that Nights had beseeched for help. What could some human do? Of course Pirdy had heard all of the legends about the two humans and what they had done, and of course she did not believe a single one of them.
Pirdy concentrated on the ground, searching left and right for this girl that would help. What she did not notice, however, was the piece of machinery off to her right. The powerful magnet hummed to life as its radar detected the flying Nightmaren nearby. Pirdy continued flying close to it, her mind focused elsewhere as she continued to think deeply on both this human and her newfound friendship with the enemy. She did not even notice the ground moving slightly to the right as she moved forward. The magnet had her in it's grip, and it was already too late for the poor healer. The Nightmarens movement slowed from going forward and picked up it's sideways movement. Pirdy blinked and awoke from her daydreaming to find herself slipping to the side. She turned her head and her eyes went wide as she saw the large magnet she was heading towards. She tried to turn, struggling to get herself away from the pull. She started flying, twisting herself until she was in a drill attack, hoping to use it's power to pull herself away. She turned up and down, side and forward, trying every trick she knew and every trick she had heard about. Nothing was working, she was simply not powerful enough. The magnet continued it's pull, finally trapping her. Pirdy struggled for a few more minutes, and then finally stopped. The steady hum told her that the machine would hold her until she ceased to exist. She did the only thing she could do now, she screamed out "HELP ME!!"
-----
Reala watched the moon rise on the horizon. The pale light washed across his face and he reveled in it. It was beautiful, the large disk in the sky. It would be his one day, as well as everything else. "You shouldn't be daydreaming, m'lord. You should be aware of everything around you at all times." The shadow that was Umbrae stepped out and looked at him with those eerie eyes. Reve only smirked as he turned around and looked at her. "Yes, whatever. Did you find what I wanted?"
Umbrae shook her head, "No, I'm afraid not. Only clues to it's location. I need to go to the archives in the Soft Museum to search deeper, but I'll eventually find what I'm looking for."
Reala nodded once more, "Excellent work. Rest for now and go to the Soft Museum when you are ready. We have time now that Nights is imprisoned down below."
Umbrae nodded her head and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. Reala turned back to the moon, taking the glass of wine in his hand and raising it to the large disk. "Here is to you, my precious, and all the secrets that you posses. Secrets that will soon be mine."
-----
Claris continued walking through the desert, trying to stay in the shadows from the machinery. None of the magnets were affecting her, as a matter of fact, not a single one of them was turning on as she walked by. This was a huge source of relief for her, as well as a source of concern. She had believed that the magnets turned on for any living creature that passed by, she had seen the poor bones of Nightopians that had flown too close.
"HELP ME!!", came the shout. Claris stopped, tilting her head to one side as she listened once more. "HELP ME, PLEASE!!" Claris turned left and then right, trying to find the voice. "HELP ME!!" She found it and started walking at first, then as the screams got nearer and more desperate, she ran faster and faster. Her breathing got thicker and thicker as she tried to find the source of the voice.
"Hey! You! Down there! Help me!" Claris looked up and spotted the golden clothed Nightmaren, stuck to a magnet like a fly in a spider web. "Stop gawking at me and get me down from here."
Claris was stunned, it was another Nightmaren! The floppies, the ideya on her chest, even the unusual boots. It was another Nightmaren! She continued looking at her even while she screamed down. Finally Claris spoke. "Who are you?"
"My name is Pirdy. I'm a medical Nightmaren from Nightmare Tower. I'm out here looking for you, I guess. Now get me down!"
"Looking for me? Why are you looking for me?"
"You're friends with Nights, right? The human from the other side. You're name is..um..um..Clarion or something. No, wait, Claris. Yeah, Claris!"
Claris gasped, nodding her head slowly. This Nightmaren knew her, and knew her name.
"Great! Now get me down from here! Come on, this hurts."
------
Elliot didn't hear the teacher. Later that afternoon his heart wasn't in the game. He ate halfheartedly at the dinner table, and then spent the rest of the night out back on the porch. His parents were a little worried, he was usually pretty active at night. He was either playing video games or out back practicing, or out with his friends. Tonight, however, he was unusually pensive and quiet. He heard the phone ring and he heard his mom answer it. A few moments later she came outside, smiling a little. "Hey Ell, it's Claris' mom. She wants to talk to you." For the first time that day, Elliot had a smile on his face as he went into the house.
-----
Claris laughed as she listened to Pirdy gripe about the magnet. She looked around for the control box as she listened to the healer curse and scream about her predicament. Some of them were pretty funny, some were completely outrageous, and some were outright naughty. Finally Claris looked up and said, "Where is Nights, by the way?"
Pirdy looked down and said, "He's in Nightmaren Tower. Wizeman is torturing him to death. I am supposed to take you inside and help you get him out."
Claris found a metal box and opened it, speaking to Pirdy as she looked at the wires and buttons inside. "And just how do you plan to do that?" She pressed a button inside the box and a few moments later heard an "oof" and a cloud of dust appeared around her feet. She winced as she realized what happened and she turned slowly around. Pirdy laid flat on the ground, her costume covered in sand and dust. Claris came running over and kneeled down beside the Nightmaren. "Are you all right? Pirdy?"
The Nightmaren groaned as she looked up, her face covered from top to bottom with sand. She glared at Claris and gave her a look that spoke volumes on how she felt right there at that moment. The girl helped the Nightmaren stand up and dusted her off, apologizing all the while.
"Look, Claris, there's a way to get you inside the tower. I have this Nightmaren costume inside my pack. Put it on, and the floppies. We'll spirit you in as one of us and I'll take you right downstairs. Just carry the pack and don't say a word and we'll be all right."
Claris went behind one of the towers and changed clothes, putting on the Nightmaren outfit. It was light, almost silk-like, but it was stronger than anything she ever felt before. The floppy headdress almost molded to her head without feeling binding or tight against her. It was completely comfortable, although a little immodest. It fit tightly to her body and tended to show her off a little too much. Claris was almost embarrassed, she wouldn't wear this in public on her planet. Stepping out from behind the screen, she looked at Pirdy, who turned to examine her with a little worry in her eyes. "Hmm..a little loose."
Claris climbed onto Pirdy's back and after a moment of adjustment, Pirdy grunted and lifted off the ground. After another moment of readjustment, they flew off towards Nightmare Tower. Pirdy spoke above the wind which streaked across they're faces. "Can I ask you something, Claris?"
"Sure, ask away.", she replied.
"When..I mean..well..when you and Nights were fighting Wizeman, were you ever scared?"
"Sure, lots of times. There was nothing worse, however, when Nights would disappear and I would be on my own. There was a constant ringing sound, some kind of alarm guardian that would chase me everywhere until Nights came back. It was almost eerie in it's pursuit. It always knew where I was, no matter what. It chased me and hounded me. The only place I was safe was an Ideya temple."
"Sounds terrible. Is it chasing you now?"
Claris peeked up again. The alarm guardian should indeed be chasing her down. There was nothing around her as far as she could see. She remembered the spotlight, and that eerie ringing would always show up right after Nights would have to leave. It wasn't there now, though. Was she so far into her coma that the alarm guardian didn't even know she was there now? What was going on? "No, it isn't chasing me. It must be something to do with the way that I got here."
"What do you mean, got here? You're a dreamer, aren't you?"
"It's a little more than that. I'm actually in a coma back on my world. Sort of an intense sleep. I don't know. Nights could probably explain it."
At the very sound of that name, the desert started turning from it's bright and shiny day, to the permanent darkness that was the Nightmare zone. The moon shown with a bright intensity tonight, like a giant eye that was here to observe the events of the next few hours. Claris stared at it's intensity, it was ominous and alive. She continued to stare at it as Pirdy started towards the ground. "We're going to have to walk from here. If you don't fly in, everyone will become suspicious." She landed with a gentle thud on the ground and gently set Claris down behind her. "Go on over to those bushes and pick those leaves. Stuff as many as you can into this backpack."
"Why am I doing that, and what are these leaves?"
"I'm making an excuse for us to walk in instead of flying, and those leaves..well..they're nothing more than regular leaves. Nobody else will know that though."
Claris was already getting to like Pirdy.
-----
The park was quiet as Elliot walked through with his bike. He needed a little peace and quiet away from his family and friends. Everyone was concerned and everyone tried their very best to cheer him up or help him. He needed to get away from all of that. The park offered some much needed tranquility.
"Hey, if it isn't my dreamer friend.", said a deep and rich voice. Elliot turned and saw a familiar face. It was the paramedic that had taken Claris to the hospital, and also the one who had admitted meeting Nights before. Was this his purple friends way of bringing them together, or was it sheer coincidence.
"I think I remember your name. Elliot, isn't it?"
"Hi, I was just on my way to the hospital. Yes, it is. I'm sorry, I didn't get your name sir." Elliot brought his bike over and sat down on the bench where the paramedic was.
"My name is Geoff, and it's nice to see you again. How are you doing? I heard your friend was in a coma. I'm sorry."
Elliot only nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Everyone wants me to start bawling and crying all over the place, but I don't feel like it. My friends and family have this expectation of what I'm supposed to be doing. I don't know."
"That's all right, everyone has their own way of handling these things. I know one thing, however, and that is if you believe hard enough and strong enough, everything works out well in the end. I've seen it happen to many times to be told anything else." He took a bite of a sandwich that he had and looked over at Elliot. The boy had his head hanging low, his eyes on the brink of letting loose a fountain of tears. "This boy needs some help, whether he knows it or not.", thought Geoff. He reached down into his lunch box and took out the other half of his sandwich, handing it over to Elliot. The boy looked at it for a moment and then took it wordlessly, taking a bite. Geoff smiled and said, "Tuna salad, made it myself. I hope you like it."
"It's very good.", said Elliot around a cheek full of food. "How did you meet Nights?"
"Wow, right to the point. I like that. I met Nights, I don't know, when I was about 14, I guess. I was having really bad nightmares and he found me and helped me out. The nightmares went away and I wasn't afraid anymore. Ever since then, I've been able to fulfill my dreams. I'm a paramedic, I help people out. I've got a great life. I'm very happy."
"You don't see him anymore, do you?", he asked, looking up from his food.
"No, I don't. And when your dreams come true, you won't either. That's how it works.", Geoff said with a solemn voice. "You've been one of the lucky ones, Elliot, you've actually met him. There are so many others out there that will never know that joy."
"I actually haven't seen him in a long time. Since I made the team, actually. We risked our lives together in trying to defeat Wizeman, and now..now I don't hear him."
"I know, I know. It's like a part of you has gone away. Like you've just lost a very good friend. There's a remedy for that, however." He reached down into his lunch bag.
"How?", asked Elliot, watching as Geoff riffled through something. The only response was a laugh as he brought out two oranges.
"Easy, you make new good friends. And life goes on." He handed one of the oranges to Elliot and said, "Eat up and I'll take you to the hospital."
"You will? Why?"
"Because that's what friends do.", Geoff smiled and peeled his orange.
-----
At the same moment, two friends walked towards the darkness that was Nightmare Tower. Claris hauled a very packed backpack filled with the leaves of several bushes. She looked down at her hand, only to find it shaking in fear. She clenched it into a fist, and then grabbed the strap of her pack, raising her head as she followed Pirdy. The other Nightmaren seemed pretty confident, she walked with her head held high and had almost a spring in her step.
"STOP! Who goes there?"
"Pirdy, First Healer to Wizeman and Aeria, Fifth Level Medic. We're returning with some herbs we picked nearby. I also have my assistant Sirila, Assitant Healer to Pirdy, First Level Medic."
"Come forward and be identified."
Pirdy waved Claris forward, taking the backpack as she did so. The gruff looking Nightmaren guard came out of his hiding place and walked up, his halberd lowered. Pirdy handed over the pack and said, "These are the herbs." The guard looked at them and nodded his head, handing the pack back to Pirdy. "Why didn't you fly in?"
"The herbs are very fragile, and flying damages the leaves that I need for the poultice. That means we have to walk." Pirdy said all this with such a confidence that Claris almost forgot they were nothing more than regular bush leaves.
"Very well, pass." The guard went back into the shadows, his form lost once more in the darkness. Pirdy took Claris' hand and they walked through, continuing towards the tower.
-----
Elliot rode with Geoff in the ambulance, watching the world pass him by. The hospital came into view and Elliot straightened up, taking another deep breath. "This is going to be interesting."
Geoff looked over, raising an eyebrow. "Oh really?"
An evil grin came across his face as he nodded, "Oh yes. You might want to come on up. It's going to be a lot of fun."
The ambulance pulled up into it's parking space and Elliot and Geoff hopped out. Daren, Alex, and all of his friends from the team were waiting nearby. They saw Elliot and stood up, him. "Hey Elliot! We're all here."
Elliot waved and walked over, "Hey everyone, this is Geoff. Geoff, this is the gang." They all walked over and introduced themselves. Alex said, "Hey Elliot, we need to get upstairs."
"You're right, come on everyone. It's time." Everyone walked inside, chatting happily and getting to know their new friend.
-----
Claris and Pirdy walked down the steps towards the cell where Nights was being held. Getting inside had been very easy, but Claris knew better. She knew that getting out was going to be very difficult. She was hoping that Pirdy had it figured out, but was afraid to say anything. They walked down a long curved staircase, their footsteps echoing in the hallway. Claris took this time to examine the tower itself. It seemed as though darkness itself had been caught and turned into stone. Everything was black save for the areas where a torch light intruded its way in. There were a few windows that did nothing more than look out at the night sky outside. She shivered involuntarily and hugged her arms tightly about herself.
"What's wrong?", came Pirdy's question. She turned, raising an eyebrow at the girl. "Why are you shivering, is there something wrong?"
"This place is creepy, Pirdy? I mean, look around you. There's no light, no color, no happiness anywhere."
"You're in the Tower of Nightmares. What were you expecting? Sunshine and bunny rabbits?"
That pretty much ended that conversation. They finally reached the bottom, the stairs becoming a straight and level floor. They passed several doors with bars set in them that overlooked empty cells. None of them seemed to be in use, save for the very last one at the end of a long and narrow hallway. Pirdy cleared her throat as she said, "Nights, it's Pirdy. I'm coming in."
There was no answer, only the dead silence that only an empty dungeon can bring. Pirdy looked back at Claris with worried face. After a moment, she repeated herself. "Nights, it's Pirdy. I'm coming in, so don't get riled up, all right?" Again, only the silence answered her. Pirdy took the key that was hanging close by and unlocked the heavy wooden door. She silently stepped inside, Claris following close behind.
-----
The wizard was furious. How had Nights done it? How had he made contact with the outside? He sat in his chambers, starring out at the large moon outside. His thoughts betrayed his love of Nights, he was truly proud of his son. The audacity, the nerve of this Nightmaren to continue to fight him through everything, and again his thoughts grew dark once more. How dare his own son fight against him, fight against everything he had built. He had created Nights, he had created all of these Nightmaren, he was their father, and they were his children. He had given Nights too much freewill. Again his thoughts came back to that one mistake, that one little thing that had caused his greatest creation to turn against him. Nights was supposed to be a subjugator, a terror, a true nightmare. Instead he was a hero, a knight, a Nightopians dream come to life.
A deep breath escaped the wizards lips and he stood up. His armies had once more spread out and started to reclaim the territory that was lost in the fight against Nights. Stick Canyon, Soft Museum, Spring Valley, Splash Garden, all of them had fallen one by one. Only two areas had proven difficult. Something on the arctic island known as Frozen Bell had put up a furious fight. Likewise, something deep within Mystic Forest had prevented him access to that area as well. He turned to a Nightmaren standing in the shadows with his head lowered in respect. "Summon Jackal and Gillwing to me, it is of importance that I speak to them." The Nightmaren bowed deeply and ran towards the balcony window and leaped out into the night sky, flying towards the base camp.
-----
Pirdy knelt down besides Nights, placing a hand on his wrist and checking for a pulse. The Nightmarens breathing was labored and coming out in gasps, and new bruises and cuts were all over his body. Claris was kneeling on the other side of him, tears rolling down her cheek as she saw the poor condition of her friend. "N..Nights..can you hear me? It's Claris. I'm here." Her words could barely be heard, almost as if she was afraid it might cause him to slip further into unconsciousness. "Nights, come on, wake up. We need to get out of here."
Pirdy shook her head, sighing. "It's no good, Claris. The wounds were just to great, he needs to rest in order to regain his strength. He's not dead, just unconscious." Claris sniffled and wiped her nose with the palm of her hand as she whispered again, "He's not dead, then we need to get him out of here. How are we going to do that?" Pirdy raised a hand and smiled, "I'll be right back, wait here and take care of the purple guy." She stood and trotted off back into the hallway. Claris looked down at Nights once more and put a hand to his face, smiling as tears continued to roll down her face. "Hey Nights, I'm here. After all that, you're not going to leave me alone in this world, are you? Who's going to protect me from the Shleep? Come on Nights."
Claris' hands started to glow a deep amber. She held them up in front of her face as she watched them glow deeper and deeper red. "What's happening here?"
-----
Wizeman felt it. "Red ideya! Where is it coming from!" He stood, hovering off of the floor. "Nights!" With a swirl of dust, Wizeman rushed towards the stairway.
-----
Claris watched as her hands started to feel warm and tingly. They had grown almost too bright too look at and she didn't know what to do. "Touch me.", came the hoarse whisper. Nights looked up at Claris, his eyes open as he stared straight into the red light. "It's your red ideya, it's reacting naturally to your need to help me. Touch me on my chest."
She reached down and placed both hands on Nights chest. She felt a surge and her breath escaped her lungs. Nights screamed in pain as he felt the hot energy enter his body and start to heal his wounds. Cuts started to heal themselves, barely leaving scars on his body. Bruises began to melt away and the black eyes seemed to fade almost instantly. Nights closed his eyes in pain, his hands clawing the floor. His body tensed once more and then breath again entered his lungs.
Claris felt the energy leave her and she felt incredibly tired. She fell back onto her rump, her breath coming heavy to her as she stared in wide-eyed wonder at the Nightmaren in front of her. Nights was completely healed. There were no scratches, no bruises, nothing. He was sitting up and looking at himself, from the tips of his fingers down his legs and to his feet. There was nothing wrong with him anymore.
"H..h..how?", was all she could ask.
"You have more power than I thought." He stood up and walked over to Claris, reaching down to help her stand as well. "You posses the power of red ideya. It's what attracted me to you and Elliot in the first place. The red ideya represents bravery, but yours has taken on something more. You've become more powerful somehow. I don't know how, but you have."
She listened for a moment and then smiled, nodding her head and hugging Nights tightly. "I've missed you my friend."
Nights urked as he was hugged tightly, and then wrapped his arms around Claris and nodded his head, "It has been to long Claris, far too long."
A moment later, Pirdy came in hauling a huge stretcher in her hands. "We'll haul him out on a stretcher and say that he's one of the many soldiers that has been wounded trying to take Mystic Forest." She looked up as she was about to speak again and gasped. Nights stood at his full height, his body healed of all it's wounds and damage. The inner-strength of this Nightmaren was impressive. Pirdy could see the proud Nights standing there with a smile on his face, his hands curled into fists and the muscles under his outfit almost rippling. "What happened? How?"
As Nights was about to explain, he heard a shout of fury coming from up the steps. Someone knew what was going on, and that someone was coming down the steps to take some action. "There's no time to explain right now Pirdy, we've got to get out of here."
Pirdy turned and looked out the door, "The stairway is the only way out. There's no other way."
Nights nodded his head, taking a deep breath. "Then we'll have to fight whoever is coming down. Claris, stand behind me, Pirdy, you're behind her." He ran out of the cell, stopping as he rounded the corner. When he saw nothing, he continued forward, Claris and Pirdy close behind him.
-----
Elliot walked into the hospital room, followed closely by his friends. He opened the door to Claris' room and walked in with a purpose. Claris was still laying in her bed, the monitors all around her keeping track of almost everything about her. Her agent was talking on the telephone, looking out the window. His ponytail flopped about as his head looked left and right. Elliot walked in and leaned over the bed, kissing Claris lightly on her cheek. He whispered, "I'm here.", and then sat down and waited patiently for the agent to finish his phone call.
Gerald finished his call and turned around only to find that snotty brat sitting in a chair close to the bed. "What are you doing here. I ordered you to stay away from this room."
"I've decided that it is you who is no longer welcome in this room. I'm asking you nicely to leave now."
"That's it, you little cretin. Claris is under my care while her mother is away. No get out or I'm calling security." Gerald was fuming, sweat dripping down his forehead as he continued to stare down Elliot.
"I don't think so, you mountain of crap." Elliot stood up, walking around the bed. "You've kept her away from me for long enough. I've been given permission to tell you that you are no longer her agent, and are no longer necessary. Now I'm telling you to leave."
"You..telling me that I'm fired. Who put that moronic idea in your head?"
"I did.", came the rich, feminine voice at the entrance to the room. Her hair was the same red color as Claris', but it was longer, flowing all the way to her waist. Her eyes were a deep green, and there was a fire in them that could set the room ablaze. She was slender and athletic, still beautiful for being an older woman. Still beautiful for being Claris' mother. "Gerald, it intrigues me as to why my daughter is lying in a coma in a hospital room and I was not informed."
"Wha..I thought you were in Europe? I didn't want to disturb you."
"Well, thank goodness that Elliot called me to tell me that Claris was lying in a hospital bed. I flew home immediately when he told me, and spent a small fortune calling the hospital from the airplane to find out how my own daughter was doing."
"She was in no danger," stammered Gerald, "I had everything under control until she insisted on seeing him." He pointed to Elliot, who was standing by the bed with his hand in Claris'. "He was the reason she went into a coma. He did something to her!"
Claris' mother only raised an eyebrow as she walked closer to the bed. "Do you take me for an idiot Gerald? I've known Elliot for far longer than I've known you, he would never do anything to hurt her." She walked over to the door once more, the doctor standing there with a chart. He handed it to the woman and smiled, bowing politely to her. "Thank you Dr. Nightingale." She flipped open the chart with a delicate hand and read out loud. "According to my more than very capable doctor, Claris is suffering from severe exhaustion. The severe exhaustion has caused a number of systems to fail. This, in conjunction with her lack of proper nutrition, has caused her body to shut down and try to heal itself." She closed the chart and handed it back to the doctor, a smile on her face that didn't have a hint of happiness behind it. "It looks like you're the cause of all of this, Gerald. You working my poor daughter to the bone and not caring about anything more than your pay."
"That's not true. I had her best interest. I'm sorry that she couldn't keep up with a normal schedule. She should have been a little stronger. Then maybe she could have been a star."
The smile on her face became a frown, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Gerald actually flinched as he beheld that face, the face of a mother whose beloved child had been hurt by something evil. Gerald beheld the face of a mother's wrath. "I left you to care for the most precious thing in the world to me with the assurance from both you and your record company that I had nothing to worry about. I find out not from the record company, not from the ones I've entrusted my daughters health to, but from my daughters boyfriend that she is in a hospital room. Gerald, you're fired, immediately!"
"You have no authority to fire me. She's signed a contract." He almost sneered as he thought himself proudly on top of this situation.
Claris' mom only smiled as she reached into her purse. "Gerald, I hold a Ph'D in business and business law. Do you really think that I didn't read over the contract that my daughter signed." She took out a copy of the contract from her purse and opened it up. "Page 4, paragraph 4, it specifically says that as a parent, if the parent of the first party believes that the contractor is not performing duties in the best interest of the first party, then the parent may terminate the contract with due haste until a judgment from a lawful institution can render a proper finding." She held the contract out to Gerald and said, "I believe this constitutes noncompliance with the contract, and my lawyer will be contacting you, and your record company to file suit. So, once again, you're fired Gerald. Leave." She sat in one of the chairs, crossing her legs and setting her purse to the side, the fire in her eyes burning even brighter now.
"I'm not leaving until my lawyers have a proper look at the contract." He sat down in a chair opposite Claris' mother and smirked, the "what are you going to do about it" smile coming across his face.
"Well," Elliot said, "I thought you might say something like that, that's why I brought along some help." At that moment, four of the largest guys that Gerald had ever seen entered the room. "I'd like you to meet Brett, Carl, Eric, and Tiny. They are part of the offensive line for the State Champion Twin Seeds High School Football Team."
The four young men surrounded Gerald, grim faces greeting his frightened one. Tiny, leaned down and said, "Elliot says you hurt Claris, she's a friend of mine. Now, I believe her mom asked you nicely to leave. Now..if you can't, we'll be happy to help you." He placed a firm hand on Gerald's shoulder and squeezed, causing the agent to wince in pain. "Now, can you leave on your own?"
"Are you threatening me?" He asked, trying to turn around.
"Oh no, I'm not threatening you at all." Tiny leaned in close to Gerald's ear and almost whispered, "I'm telling you, if you don't leave now, I'm going to toss you out that window and let the ground catch your fall."
Gerald didn't believe that this kid was going to toss him anywhere. He believed this to be nothing more than a ruse to scare him into giving up Claris' contract. He shook his head and crossed his arms, "I'm not going anywhere."
That's all Tiny wanted to hear. He stood up and said, "Gentlemen, parachute play 1." With a nod, each player took one leg of the chair and roughly picked Gerald up. The hauled him out the door, the agent hollering all the way. Within a moment they reached the opening marked "Garbage Chute" and set the chair down. They all laughed as they picked Gerald off the chair and dumped him down the chute. They listened as he hollered all the way down and out of sight. There were high five's all around.
Elliot was kneeling beside Claris' mother's chair, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Arcman, I couldn't stop him from hurting her. I tried and I tried and each time he would get in the way."
She placed a warm hand on his chin and lifted his head up. "It's all right Elliot, I know you tried." She leaned down and kissed him on his cheek, smiling and placing both hands on his face as she looked at him. "I'm very proud of you, you did very well." She hugged him fiercely, "I can see why my daughter loves you so much. Now, if you don't mind. I'd like some time alone with my daughter." She smiled as she looked at him, wiping a tear from her eye.
Elliot nodded and left the room, silently shutting the door behind him. Claris' mom stood up and went over to the bed, brushing the hair out of her girls face. "I'm sorry for not being here for you baby, I'm sorry. Mommy's here now though, Mommy's here now." Tears stained her face as she leaned down and hugged her daughter tightly.
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Nights, Claris, and Pirdy ran up the stairs as fast as they could, hoping to reach one of the other levels before they were caught. They were not fast enough.
Coming down the steps was a large shadow, with seven hands. Wizeman stared in stunned disbelief at what he saw before him, a healed Nights, back to his full health. "Impossible. Impossible!!" He looked at the others behind Nights. There was Pirdy, one of his finest physicians, and another Nightmaren. Another Nightmaren that he did not recognize. "You. Who are you?"
Claris took off her headdress, her wealth of red hair spilling out. "My name is Claris Arcman."
"A dreamer! It was your red ideya I felt."
"That's right, Wizeman.", sneered Nights. "I'm all better, and ready to take you on." His face curled into a snarl as he remembered all of the things that Wizeman had done to him.
Nights shot off the steps, twisting himself into a drill attack and charging at Wizeman. The wizard leaped to the side, avoiding the attack only by inches. He gasped as he turned and watched Nights twist and land against a wall, only to leap off and charge Wizeman once more. The giant wizard was not expecting that and got the broad end of a fist against his face. Wizeman lost his footing on the step and fell backwards. Claris and Pirdy dashed by the stumbling Wizeman, continuing to run up the steps and out of the way. Nights landed glaring and not even out of breath. The evil one looked up, raising a hand and sending a spinning whirlwind towards Nights. "Die!", he screamed as the tornado sped up the steps and sent up a cloud of dust in front of it. Nights leapt up, floating in midair and speeding up the steps behind Pirdy and Claris. He caught up with them, looking behind and watching as the tornado came closer.
"Pirdy, fly..fly!" Nights shouted above the tornado as he reached down and picked up Claris in his arms. She seemed a little surprised as she was lifted off the ground. Pirdy leapt up and started flying, gaining speed as she went up the stairway. The tornado behind her screamed in fury, causing bits of stone and rock to fly at the retreating hero's. They flew hard, straining themselves to gain more and more speed and outdistance the tornado.
"There's the door!", shouted Nights, pointing towards the brown wooden door at the top of the steps. He twisted himself once more and charged the door with his drill attack. Claris leaned her head into Nights chest, screaming as she became part of the drill. Pirdy slowed down for a moment, allowing Nights to burst through the wood and out into the open. The tornado was nipping at her heels as she sped up once more, following Nights out.
It all became familiar to Nights now. He remembered everything about this evil castle. He flew towards the end of the large hallway, Pirdy right behind him as the tornado burst out of the stairway and through another wall. A furious scream came behind it as Wizeman made his way up. "Pirdy, follow me!" He flew off towards a large, circular, stained glass window set up high into the hallway. He held Claris tight in his arms as he lowered his head and smashed through it out into the cool night air. Pirdy smiled and followed through, twisting herself as she left the castle behind her for good.
The wizard came bursting out of the stairway door, twisting his vile head as he saw Nights and company burst through the window. In a rage he sent one of his giant boulders spiraling towards the window and after Nights. It crashed through the wall, the sound echoing through the large hallway and causing Wizeman to bring his hands to his ears. When the dust settled, and the light came back, it was too quiet. Nights and the other two were gone into the nighttime sky. Wizeman looked out of the hole, shaking his head and laughing at the same time. "I am very proud of you my son, but I'm going to kill you. I'm going to destroy you with my own hands. I'm going to kill you!!" He shouted after Nights, each of his seven hands clenched into fists.
