11
Be brave, Catty said to herself.
Catty slowly turned thinking, Serena's met the Atrox before, it can't be that bad. Be BRAVE! B
Catty stared into nothingness, and saw a black shadow form in front of her, curling around her. Catty knew in an instant that she was looking at the Atrox.
Catty, it said in a haunting voice inside her head. Join the dark side. You will have great power.
She frantically shook her head. "I am a force of good!"
Look at yourself! See all the things I offer you? It whispered in her head.
Catty reminded herself that its promises were empty. Against her will she was forced to look into something that looked like a mirror.
What Catty saw amazed her. Part of her knew it wasn't true, but another pulled her to the mirror. Catty saw her paintings hung up in a museum, with people crowding to see them. This was Catty's dream. Could the Atrox really give this to her?
I can. The Atrox told her. Just join the dark side.
Before Catty could respond, she felt someone pull on her hand.
She looked gratefully at Tianna. Had she almost gone to the Dark side?
"Are you OK? We have The Whisper right here. We trapped it in the vase." Tianna asked.
"Did you see the Atrox?" Vanessa whispered. She was clutching her hand.
Catty seemed to regain her senses. She was still standing in her kitchen. "Yeah," she whispered. "I almost went to the Dark side." Catty saw the looks of horror on her friends' faces.
"You did?" Jimena asked.
Catty nodded. "I'm glad you guys' pulled me out."
"You were in a trance," Added Serena. "We were afraid we were too late. But we got The Whisper." Serena held up a vase with a sort of shadow inside.
"Good." Catty felt relived. At least one thing had gone right.
"But now, the question is, what do we do with it? I mean, we can't just leave it in the vase." Vanessa said. "It could break out."
Catty glanced at Chris. He should be able to figure out something.
"Well," he started slowly. "I don't think we should do anything with it right now. "If it can't get to the Atrox, then it might slow down his plan. As for it escaping, I don't think it can. But to be on the safe side we should put the vase under Catty's grandfather clock."
They looked at him curiously.
Chris gave them the look right back. "People associated with the Atrox hate timepieces. It reminds them of their eternal bond to the Atrox. I thought you knew that."
"We do." Tianna said. "But why put it in the grandfather clock?"
"Because," Chris explained. "If there's something worse than looking at a timepiece is being inside one. The constant ticking should get him annoyed. But The Whisper, when trapped inside glass, can't get out."
They seemed to understand. Except for one thing. "We don't have a grandfather clock." Catty said. She thought Chris knew that.
"I do," Serena piped up. "Collin won't look under there; it's in the living room. We never use it."
"Could we go there right now?" asked Catty hopping of a stool at the island.
"Sure. But, Chris, are you sure that The Whisper can't get out? The glass looks like it can explode." Serena looked at the vase skeptically.
"It can't. But if it makes you fell better, when it's in the grandfather clock, the ticking will annoy it to the point where it loses all its 'Oomph.'" Chris explained.
In ten minutes they were sitting around Serena's kitchen table, The Whisper safely inside the grandfather clock.
Catty was thinking. Did Crypten know all this? The Atrox was planning to seduce her so all the daughters' powers would weaken, letting him to turn all the daughters to the Evil side. But meanwhile, Crypten was planning the same thing, only so he could gain more power than the Atrox. Why hadn't he acted sooner? Was he planning something drastic? Did the know Catty knew?
Catty voiced her concerns with the other daughters and Chris.
"Don't worry so much, chica. If he is, then we'll be prepared. Right?" Jimena asked.
"That's right," a voiced sneered behind them.
Catty turned in her chair sharply. Crypten stood in the doorway. "Goddesses." He looked at their outfits. "So you know of my little plan. No matter. I will lure you to the Atrox another way." Without letting anyone say anything, he grabbed Chris and made a run towards the back door.
Catty jumped up and sent all her energy sprawling at him. Her friends also did the same thing. Despite the fact that all their power hit him at the same time, he (with Chris) dissolved into shadow and slid out the door.
Catty slid slowly down onto the floor.
Vanessa came next to her and gave her a hug.
"What are we going to do? If I go after him, it'll just help out his plan, and we certainly don't want that!"
Serena looked around at them. "I have a plan," she whispered.
**~**~**
"No way." Catty said after Serena explained her plan. Serena was going to call Stanton and have him warn him of Crypten's plan. He would then free Chris from him, and bring him back to Catty. Catty didn't like it on bit, even though all her friends thought it was a good idea. Getting rid of Crypten would only leave the path clear for the Atrox to finish out his plan. Catty wasn't willing to risk it.
"But why not?" asked Serena. Catty could tell she only wanted to see Stanton. She said she didn't have feelings for him anymore, but Catty didn't believe her. She didn't trust Stanton. For all they knew he could be in on this plan with the Atrox.
"Do you really want to risk our lives? Our very lives would depend on Stanton." Catty tried to explain.
"But wouldn't it be good if you could get Crypten out of the picture?" Tianna asked.
"Yeah," Catty retorted. "Only one person to have to worry about wanting to turn me over to the dark side." Catty didn't know where her sudden burst of anger came from.
"But." Jimena tried to explain.
"Can you just hear me out for a minute?" Catty asked.
Vanessa sighed, and then nodded for them all.
"If we get rid of Crypten, then The Atrox will probably find some way to lure me back. Chris will be in shock, and probably won't think of something fast. If the Atrox turns me over, then your powers will be weakened. He'll turn you over, too. And why would Stanton help, you may ask? Once we are all evil, Serena, Stanton is free to love you without worrying." Catty explained.
Serena bit her lip. Apparently didn't think of this.
"We won't let that happen." Jimena said firmly.
"Alright, we can do it." Catty said. The words seemed to pop out of her mouth.
Be brave, Catty said to herself.
Catty slowly turned thinking, Serena's met the Atrox before, it can't be that bad. Be BRAVE! B
Catty stared into nothingness, and saw a black shadow form in front of her, curling around her. Catty knew in an instant that she was looking at the Atrox.
Catty, it said in a haunting voice inside her head. Join the dark side. You will have great power.
She frantically shook her head. "I am a force of good!"
Look at yourself! See all the things I offer you? It whispered in her head.
Catty reminded herself that its promises were empty. Against her will she was forced to look into something that looked like a mirror.
What Catty saw amazed her. Part of her knew it wasn't true, but another pulled her to the mirror. Catty saw her paintings hung up in a museum, with people crowding to see them. This was Catty's dream. Could the Atrox really give this to her?
I can. The Atrox told her. Just join the dark side.
Before Catty could respond, she felt someone pull on her hand.
She looked gratefully at Tianna. Had she almost gone to the Dark side?
"Are you OK? We have The Whisper right here. We trapped it in the vase." Tianna asked.
"Did you see the Atrox?" Vanessa whispered. She was clutching her hand.
Catty seemed to regain her senses. She was still standing in her kitchen. "Yeah," she whispered. "I almost went to the Dark side." Catty saw the looks of horror on her friends' faces.
"You did?" Jimena asked.
Catty nodded. "I'm glad you guys' pulled me out."
"You were in a trance," Added Serena. "We were afraid we were too late. But we got The Whisper." Serena held up a vase with a sort of shadow inside.
"Good." Catty felt relived. At least one thing had gone right.
"But now, the question is, what do we do with it? I mean, we can't just leave it in the vase." Vanessa said. "It could break out."
Catty glanced at Chris. He should be able to figure out something.
"Well," he started slowly. "I don't think we should do anything with it right now. "If it can't get to the Atrox, then it might slow down his plan. As for it escaping, I don't think it can. But to be on the safe side we should put the vase under Catty's grandfather clock."
They looked at him curiously.
Chris gave them the look right back. "People associated with the Atrox hate timepieces. It reminds them of their eternal bond to the Atrox. I thought you knew that."
"We do." Tianna said. "But why put it in the grandfather clock?"
"Because," Chris explained. "If there's something worse than looking at a timepiece is being inside one. The constant ticking should get him annoyed. But The Whisper, when trapped inside glass, can't get out."
They seemed to understand. Except for one thing. "We don't have a grandfather clock." Catty said. She thought Chris knew that.
"I do," Serena piped up. "Collin won't look under there; it's in the living room. We never use it."
"Could we go there right now?" asked Catty hopping of a stool at the island.
"Sure. But, Chris, are you sure that The Whisper can't get out? The glass looks like it can explode." Serena looked at the vase skeptically.
"It can't. But if it makes you fell better, when it's in the grandfather clock, the ticking will annoy it to the point where it loses all its 'Oomph.'" Chris explained.
In ten minutes they were sitting around Serena's kitchen table, The Whisper safely inside the grandfather clock.
Catty was thinking. Did Crypten know all this? The Atrox was planning to seduce her so all the daughters' powers would weaken, letting him to turn all the daughters to the Evil side. But meanwhile, Crypten was planning the same thing, only so he could gain more power than the Atrox. Why hadn't he acted sooner? Was he planning something drastic? Did the know Catty knew?
Catty voiced her concerns with the other daughters and Chris.
"Don't worry so much, chica. If he is, then we'll be prepared. Right?" Jimena asked.
"That's right," a voiced sneered behind them.
Catty turned in her chair sharply. Crypten stood in the doorway. "Goddesses." He looked at their outfits. "So you know of my little plan. No matter. I will lure you to the Atrox another way." Without letting anyone say anything, he grabbed Chris and made a run towards the back door.
Catty jumped up and sent all her energy sprawling at him. Her friends also did the same thing. Despite the fact that all their power hit him at the same time, he (with Chris) dissolved into shadow and slid out the door.
Catty slid slowly down onto the floor.
Vanessa came next to her and gave her a hug.
"What are we going to do? If I go after him, it'll just help out his plan, and we certainly don't want that!"
Serena looked around at them. "I have a plan," she whispered.
**~**~**
"No way." Catty said after Serena explained her plan. Serena was going to call Stanton and have him warn him of Crypten's plan. He would then free Chris from him, and bring him back to Catty. Catty didn't like it on bit, even though all her friends thought it was a good idea. Getting rid of Crypten would only leave the path clear for the Atrox to finish out his plan. Catty wasn't willing to risk it.
"But why not?" asked Serena. Catty could tell she only wanted to see Stanton. She said she didn't have feelings for him anymore, but Catty didn't believe her. She didn't trust Stanton. For all they knew he could be in on this plan with the Atrox.
"Do you really want to risk our lives? Our very lives would depend on Stanton." Catty tried to explain.
"But wouldn't it be good if you could get Crypten out of the picture?" Tianna asked.
"Yeah," Catty retorted. "Only one person to have to worry about wanting to turn me over to the dark side." Catty didn't know where her sudden burst of anger came from.
"But." Jimena tried to explain.
"Can you just hear me out for a minute?" Catty asked.
Vanessa sighed, and then nodded for them all.
"If we get rid of Crypten, then The Atrox will probably find some way to lure me back. Chris will be in shock, and probably won't think of something fast. If the Atrox turns me over, then your powers will be weakened. He'll turn you over, too. And why would Stanton help, you may ask? Once we are all evil, Serena, Stanton is free to love you without worrying." Catty explained.
Serena bit her lip. Apparently didn't think of this.
"We won't let that happen." Jimena said firmly.
"Alright, we can do it." Catty said. The words seemed to pop out of her mouth.