Hey all! Here's chapter eight! I know I said it would be after the exams
till the next one, but you see, my flight from Hong Kong to New Zealand is
11 hours long, and I've got to do SOMETHING to pass the time. So I thought
I'd use my laptop and type out the chapter so you wouldn't be waiting a
great deal of time until the next one. *Dances* Oh joy! At least I got
that last cliffhanger out of the way.only to leave you with another. (Okay,
that happens with almost ALL my chapters, but at least one is gone.)
Anyway, I predict about 2 chapters after this one and the fic will finally be finished! Which is good news for my two other incomplete fics. Agh! WHY was I stupid enough to work on three at once? Anyway, I'll try and get the next one done ASAP after the exams. Once again, thank you SO much for all the wonderful reviews. The last time I checked, it was 43, and that's the MOST I've ever had for a fanfic before! Thank you, thank you THANK YOU!
~ Keysha
Jak and Daxter: Legend of the Lost White City
Chapter Eight: The Limit
Keira clung tightly to the shoulders of the burly guard who carried her. Although the dizzying heights weren't scaring her, she still thought the extra security of holding on would help. Just incase the guard DID accidentally drop her. For some reason, her father had requested to stay behind, mentioning that he was 'too old' to travel by air. Perhaps there was a teleporter gate somewhere in the city that they could turn on and transport him there.
Keira glanced around at the small group as they raced back towards the city. Aside the six guards and the one carrying her, there was another guard, much larger than her own, carrying Jak. He was once again enjoying the experience, and the guard seemed to understand this, every now and again swooping higher or performing a quick 'loop-the-loop' as they raced back to the lost city. Keira rolled her eyes. Trust Jak!
The scene in front of her was far different than the one on her side. The lead guard, a huge, muscular man, flew swiftly, gently carrying the weak Xema in his arms. She seemed to be coming in and out of consciousness, her head resting on the guard's shoulder. Daxter was with her, of course, talking to her and brushing her swaying fringe out of her eyes. Keira had never seen such a worried look on the ottsel's face before. His feelings towards Xema had defiantly brought out a different side to him, and Keira was still wondering if in deed, his attitude towards her was more than one of his mere 'puppy-love' phases.
A swift turn right, and the sun caught Keira full in the face. It was SO bright! And no wonder, it was SETTING! The group only had a few hours at the moment before the day was over. Keira's heart started to race, they just HAD to reach the city before the sun had fully set. If not, it and its people could truly be lost forever. Keira stole another quick glance at Xema. Her eyes were almost fully open now. Hopefully she would be able to gain enough strength and fly herself soon. If not, it would be up to the guards to return her to the city before the sands of time ran out.
***
Grain by grain, the top half of the glass dome emptied. Karma sat on a pile of soft, velvety cushions, resting her arms and head on the table that the hourglass rested on. She smiled wickedly as the upper dome emptied slowly.
Draco paced the table beside her, muttering under his breath. Maybe if he had spent more TIME with Xema, she wouldn't have become so desperate to escape from their home. He HAD thought that she was in love from the events of their last discussion. Perhaps this idea had scared her. Or perhaps the thought of the prophecy had frightened her. But how could that be? Xema knew nothing about the prophecy? Didn't she?
"Karma?" Draco spun around and looked at his eldest child. Barely lifting her gaze from the hourglass, she muttered a small 'yeah'
"Did you ever tell Xema about the prophecy?"
Not removing her gaze from the falling grains, Karma shook her head. "Why no father. Something like that would possibly SCARE our little Xema."
Draco sighed, and flopped down beside Karma, rubbing his temples. "I don't understand it." He mumbled. "She seemed perfectly fine, and then all of a sudden: 'POOF!' she was gone!"
Karma made a light little laughing sound, and sat behind her father, massaging his aging muscles. "Father, she's just very ADVENTUROUS for her age. She probably can't stand being cooped up in the city. Besides, she's so much like MOTHER was. She was such a free spirit!"
Draco nodded. "Yes, she is a lot like your mother." His tightened his lips. "She never liked being cooped up here either. Perhaps it was her mother's free-spirit that gave Xema the gift to pass the dome that traps the rest of us." Draco chuckled slightly. "Of all our rotten luck!" He muttered. His gaze lifted slightly, and fell upon the hourglass. "What's that?" He asked.
"A present from a friend." Karma said without skipping a beat. "They made it for me to record how long it takes the guards to return Xema to the city." She smiled evilly. "And if you don't mind me saying father, they're becoming pretty slack at their job." She indicated to the minute amount of sand in the higher dome. "I think it's about time you hire some YOUNGER guards to look after her. I happen to know a strong young lad who'd be PERFECT for the job!"
Draco sighed and shook his head. "I trust my men Karma. I just want to know WHAT is taking so long?" He stole a look at the almost empty hourglass. "Xema, WHERE are you?" He whispered.
***
"I'm okay, just let me down."
The guard reluctantly set Xema down on her feet, ready to catch her should she fall. But the princess stood up, looking as healthy as the day she had left the city. That is if you ignored the heavy bandage wrapped around her arm.
"Do you think you can fly the rest of the way?" He asked her hopefully. She smiled and nodded.
"Yeah. I'll be fine." Xema insisted, glancing around the clearing. They were taking a quick break, and the guards were willingly resting their aching limbs and taking great mouthfuls of water from a nearby stream. Meanwhile, Jak, who was standing beside Xema, gave her a light pat on the back, and a warm smile, happy that she had fully recovered. Daxter's expressions of relief were far greater than Jak's. He had his arms fully wrapped around Xema's neck, and his tail was curled lightly around her un- cut arm as her nuzzled his cheek against hers. Keira laughed as she caught sight of this.
"If I didn't know any better Daxter, I'd say you were HAPPY that Xema was okay."
"SHUT UP!" Daxter growled. "Happy is NOT the word I would use. It would be more like Pleased, ecstatic, happy-beyond-all-measures!"
Xema smiled and stroked Daxter's furry back kindly. As the four enjoyed the tender moment, the lead guard approached the group. "It's time to move on." He indicated to the sky, now streamed with light as the sun continued to move on. It would obviously not wait for them.
Xema turned to the guard. "If you don't mind, I'd like to go on ahead. I haven't been flying, so I'll have more energy." The guard opened his mouth to protest, but Xema raised a hand to silence him. "I'm not going anywhere asides the city. I understand the importance of getting home before the sunsets. I'm not self-centered you know, Now that I know how important it is that I remain in the city boundaries, I'm willing to stay if it will prevent everyone else from suffering." Xema swallowed hard. She had never spoken like that before, and she felt that she had acted to 'mature' for herself.
The guard smiled at her. "My princess, you sound so much like your mother." Xema blushed.
"Don't say that. I feel so OLD!" She gushed.
"Really? You don't look it!" Daxter piped up from his cradled position in her arms. Xema grinned down at him.
"Thanks. So, are you coming with me?" The ottsel grinned and nodded.
"Charging Yakaow couldn't tear me away from you!" He piped up, turning towards Jak and Keira as Xema lifted off from the ground. "We'll see you two at the city!" He called, waving at his two friends as they flapped above the tree canopy and away from the group.
Keira and Jak stood side-by-side, waving goodbye from the departing duo. As soon as they were gone from sight, Keira turned to Jak.
"He's completely head over heels for her isn't he?" She asked grinning. Jak laughed loudly and nodded his head. He was indeed very happy. Not only did his best friend have someone that he liked, but now the little weasel wouldn't be after his girlfriend anymore.
***
Xema had never flown so fast in all her life. Clinging hold of Daxter, she zoomed above the clouds, heading towards her home. Daxter looked up at her rather nervously. Coughing lightly, he tried to ignore her determined expression as he spoke up.
"Xema, I only have one problem at the moment. Didn't your sister say that she's KILL you if you went back to the city?"
Their flight skidded to a halt. Both Xema and Daxter felt like they had huge lumps imbedded in their throats. The two of them just hovered in mid air for a minute or two, trying to decide what to do next. Xema felt like hitting herself. She should have stayed with the guards. They could have protected her. Then again, there was that corrupt guard who had tried to kill her. She had no idea of any of the others were trustworthy. What would happen to Keira and Jak if they decided to do them in? Unaware of what to do, Xema felt Daxter place a paw on her shoulder.
"Don't worry." He coxed her. "I'll be there to protect you." He hunched his shoulders and glanced down sheepishly. "Not that I could do much being this short anyway." He sighed under his breath. Xema smiled and stroked the back of his head.
"I'm glad you're with me Daxter." She insisted, pulling him in closer. "Sometimes smaller company is better than the bigger one." She kissed him lightly on the cheek, and the warm feeling it brought to Daxter instantly improved his courage. Not by much, but it was defiantly an improvement.
"Well, let's go kick your sister's scrawny royal butt!" He cheered as Xema flew on.
***
With aching muscles, Xema gently landed within the city boundaries. And just in time too. Xema felt the last warming rays of the sun stroke her back as they melted beyond the horizon. She breathed a sigh of relief as she looked around the city. Nothing had been affected, however, the crystal-like dome still encased the city. Xema sighed heavily as she remembered the other half of the prophecy.
"Of COURSE." She muttered. As if that challenge to race home hadn't been bad enough. Now she still had the OTHER part of the prophecy as a burden on her shoulders. This time, however, it was a very sentimental one. Daxter looked up at her curiously. He had jumped down from her arms to give her a rest, and now looked up at her from his diminutive height.
"What's up?" He asked. Xema looked down at him, and opened her mouth as if she were about to answer. But then she quickly closed her jaw and shook her head slightly.
"Don't worry." She insisted, taking a few steps forward. "Come on, let's get back to the palace tower." Daxter watched her curiously as she walked away.
"We're walking? What happened to FLYING?" He raced along on all fours to catch up. Xema looked down and put a finger to her lips.
"We can't go drawing my sister's attention towards me." Xema insisted as they walked along the deserted, shimmering White Street. "Besides, I'm too exhausted to fly any more." Daxter nodded in understanding.
"Hey, why is it so deserted down here?" He asked nervously. Xema smiled.
"Hey, if you had wings, do you think YOU'D ever walk?" She pointed above towards the tall tree canopy and cloud formations. "They're all up there. We don't usually walk about that much when we travel, it's a lot faster flying."
"Oh." Daxter felt rather stupid. Xema laughed and picked him up.
"Come on, I'll carry you. If we walk at your pace, it will take ALL NIGHT to get home!"
Daxter pouted. "Hey! YOU try walking at a decent speed when your legs are this long!" He indicated to his tiny little ottsel legs, to which Xema started laughing and began tickling the bottom of his feet, sending Daxter into a tickle-torment as she walked down the street.
***
Draco stared amongst the city rooftops. Nothing had changed. Was it supposed to? If Xema wasn't back, wasn't something supposed to happen to seal the city's doom? Karma was also glancing about, although unlike her father, she was enjoying this moment. While Draco believed he was staring upon a doomed city, Karma felt she was looking upon a kingdom that would soon be hers.
"Sir, has Xema returned to the tower yet?"
The two of them spun around. The search party that was supposed to be seeking out Xema was standing behind them, accompanied by the wingless children from the seaside village.
"What did you SAY?" Karma almost spat. The head guard walked up to them and bowed.
"Sir, Xema returned to the city before us. She was ahead, but we caught sight of her entering the cities boundaries before the sunset. The city is still safe."
Draco breathed a sigh of relief, while beside him; Karma could barely contain her rage. This did not go unnoticed to Keira and Jak.
"Not YET it's not!" Keira insisted, pointing an accusing finger at Karma. "SHE threatened to kill Xema if she came back to the city. Your daughter is the reason all of this started!"
There was a deathly silence as everyone around took in Keira's words. Karma growled angrily and grabbed Keira by the wrist.
"How DARE you accuse me of something so atrocious! I would NEVER attack my little sister like that!" Karma turned towards Draco. "Father? Are you going to stand by and let them INSULT me like this?" Draco glared at Keira and Jak. It was true, how could they even say something like this to them? How could he trust these strangers whom he barely knew. Catching sight of Draco's glare, Jak stepped forward.
"It's true!" He insisted. Keira nodded her head rapidly. "Xema told us!" Keira tried to explain. But Draco cut them off with a bloody roar of anger.
"SILENCE! You come back here, unwelcome into the city, and INSIST that my own DAUGHTER is responsible for all of these problems? And on top of that, you accuse her of threatening to KILL her own SISTER!" He turned his head away in disgust. "I thought I could trust you, but obviously you have no respect for my city, its people or even my own family.
He turned to the lead guard.
"Take them away. Do what you must, just make sure I never see them again!"
Yelling objections the whole time, the guards took a strong hold of Jak and Keira and began to drag them away. Through the sea of guards, Jak caught sight of Karma peeking at them. She smiled wickedly and waved goodbye to him as he reddened with anger. Karma sighed. That was two problems out of the way. Now she just had to get rid of her little sister and that annoying little rodent.
THEN all her problems would be over.
Anyway, I predict about 2 chapters after this one and the fic will finally be finished! Which is good news for my two other incomplete fics. Agh! WHY was I stupid enough to work on three at once? Anyway, I'll try and get the next one done ASAP after the exams. Once again, thank you SO much for all the wonderful reviews. The last time I checked, it was 43, and that's the MOST I've ever had for a fanfic before! Thank you, thank you THANK YOU!
~ Keysha
Jak and Daxter: Legend of the Lost White City
Chapter Eight: The Limit
Keira clung tightly to the shoulders of the burly guard who carried her. Although the dizzying heights weren't scaring her, she still thought the extra security of holding on would help. Just incase the guard DID accidentally drop her. For some reason, her father had requested to stay behind, mentioning that he was 'too old' to travel by air. Perhaps there was a teleporter gate somewhere in the city that they could turn on and transport him there.
Keira glanced around at the small group as they raced back towards the city. Aside the six guards and the one carrying her, there was another guard, much larger than her own, carrying Jak. He was once again enjoying the experience, and the guard seemed to understand this, every now and again swooping higher or performing a quick 'loop-the-loop' as they raced back to the lost city. Keira rolled her eyes. Trust Jak!
The scene in front of her was far different than the one on her side. The lead guard, a huge, muscular man, flew swiftly, gently carrying the weak Xema in his arms. She seemed to be coming in and out of consciousness, her head resting on the guard's shoulder. Daxter was with her, of course, talking to her and brushing her swaying fringe out of her eyes. Keira had never seen such a worried look on the ottsel's face before. His feelings towards Xema had defiantly brought out a different side to him, and Keira was still wondering if in deed, his attitude towards her was more than one of his mere 'puppy-love' phases.
A swift turn right, and the sun caught Keira full in the face. It was SO bright! And no wonder, it was SETTING! The group only had a few hours at the moment before the day was over. Keira's heart started to race, they just HAD to reach the city before the sun had fully set. If not, it and its people could truly be lost forever. Keira stole another quick glance at Xema. Her eyes were almost fully open now. Hopefully she would be able to gain enough strength and fly herself soon. If not, it would be up to the guards to return her to the city before the sands of time ran out.
***
Grain by grain, the top half of the glass dome emptied. Karma sat on a pile of soft, velvety cushions, resting her arms and head on the table that the hourglass rested on. She smiled wickedly as the upper dome emptied slowly.
Draco paced the table beside her, muttering under his breath. Maybe if he had spent more TIME with Xema, she wouldn't have become so desperate to escape from their home. He HAD thought that she was in love from the events of their last discussion. Perhaps this idea had scared her. Or perhaps the thought of the prophecy had frightened her. But how could that be? Xema knew nothing about the prophecy? Didn't she?
"Karma?" Draco spun around and looked at his eldest child. Barely lifting her gaze from the hourglass, she muttered a small 'yeah'
"Did you ever tell Xema about the prophecy?"
Not removing her gaze from the falling grains, Karma shook her head. "Why no father. Something like that would possibly SCARE our little Xema."
Draco sighed, and flopped down beside Karma, rubbing his temples. "I don't understand it." He mumbled. "She seemed perfectly fine, and then all of a sudden: 'POOF!' she was gone!"
Karma made a light little laughing sound, and sat behind her father, massaging his aging muscles. "Father, she's just very ADVENTUROUS for her age. She probably can't stand being cooped up in the city. Besides, she's so much like MOTHER was. She was such a free spirit!"
Draco nodded. "Yes, she is a lot like your mother." His tightened his lips. "She never liked being cooped up here either. Perhaps it was her mother's free-spirit that gave Xema the gift to pass the dome that traps the rest of us." Draco chuckled slightly. "Of all our rotten luck!" He muttered. His gaze lifted slightly, and fell upon the hourglass. "What's that?" He asked.
"A present from a friend." Karma said without skipping a beat. "They made it for me to record how long it takes the guards to return Xema to the city." She smiled evilly. "And if you don't mind me saying father, they're becoming pretty slack at their job." She indicated to the minute amount of sand in the higher dome. "I think it's about time you hire some YOUNGER guards to look after her. I happen to know a strong young lad who'd be PERFECT for the job!"
Draco sighed and shook his head. "I trust my men Karma. I just want to know WHAT is taking so long?" He stole a look at the almost empty hourglass. "Xema, WHERE are you?" He whispered.
***
"I'm okay, just let me down."
The guard reluctantly set Xema down on her feet, ready to catch her should she fall. But the princess stood up, looking as healthy as the day she had left the city. That is if you ignored the heavy bandage wrapped around her arm.
"Do you think you can fly the rest of the way?" He asked her hopefully. She smiled and nodded.
"Yeah. I'll be fine." Xema insisted, glancing around the clearing. They were taking a quick break, and the guards were willingly resting their aching limbs and taking great mouthfuls of water from a nearby stream. Meanwhile, Jak, who was standing beside Xema, gave her a light pat on the back, and a warm smile, happy that she had fully recovered. Daxter's expressions of relief were far greater than Jak's. He had his arms fully wrapped around Xema's neck, and his tail was curled lightly around her un- cut arm as her nuzzled his cheek against hers. Keira laughed as she caught sight of this.
"If I didn't know any better Daxter, I'd say you were HAPPY that Xema was okay."
"SHUT UP!" Daxter growled. "Happy is NOT the word I would use. It would be more like Pleased, ecstatic, happy-beyond-all-measures!"
Xema smiled and stroked Daxter's furry back kindly. As the four enjoyed the tender moment, the lead guard approached the group. "It's time to move on." He indicated to the sky, now streamed with light as the sun continued to move on. It would obviously not wait for them.
Xema turned to the guard. "If you don't mind, I'd like to go on ahead. I haven't been flying, so I'll have more energy." The guard opened his mouth to protest, but Xema raised a hand to silence him. "I'm not going anywhere asides the city. I understand the importance of getting home before the sunsets. I'm not self-centered you know, Now that I know how important it is that I remain in the city boundaries, I'm willing to stay if it will prevent everyone else from suffering." Xema swallowed hard. She had never spoken like that before, and she felt that she had acted to 'mature' for herself.
The guard smiled at her. "My princess, you sound so much like your mother." Xema blushed.
"Don't say that. I feel so OLD!" She gushed.
"Really? You don't look it!" Daxter piped up from his cradled position in her arms. Xema grinned down at him.
"Thanks. So, are you coming with me?" The ottsel grinned and nodded.
"Charging Yakaow couldn't tear me away from you!" He piped up, turning towards Jak and Keira as Xema lifted off from the ground. "We'll see you two at the city!" He called, waving at his two friends as they flapped above the tree canopy and away from the group.
Keira and Jak stood side-by-side, waving goodbye from the departing duo. As soon as they were gone from sight, Keira turned to Jak.
"He's completely head over heels for her isn't he?" She asked grinning. Jak laughed loudly and nodded his head. He was indeed very happy. Not only did his best friend have someone that he liked, but now the little weasel wouldn't be after his girlfriend anymore.
***
Xema had never flown so fast in all her life. Clinging hold of Daxter, she zoomed above the clouds, heading towards her home. Daxter looked up at her rather nervously. Coughing lightly, he tried to ignore her determined expression as he spoke up.
"Xema, I only have one problem at the moment. Didn't your sister say that she's KILL you if you went back to the city?"
Their flight skidded to a halt. Both Xema and Daxter felt like they had huge lumps imbedded in their throats. The two of them just hovered in mid air for a minute or two, trying to decide what to do next. Xema felt like hitting herself. She should have stayed with the guards. They could have protected her. Then again, there was that corrupt guard who had tried to kill her. She had no idea of any of the others were trustworthy. What would happen to Keira and Jak if they decided to do them in? Unaware of what to do, Xema felt Daxter place a paw on her shoulder.
"Don't worry." He coxed her. "I'll be there to protect you." He hunched his shoulders and glanced down sheepishly. "Not that I could do much being this short anyway." He sighed under his breath. Xema smiled and stroked the back of his head.
"I'm glad you're with me Daxter." She insisted, pulling him in closer. "Sometimes smaller company is better than the bigger one." She kissed him lightly on the cheek, and the warm feeling it brought to Daxter instantly improved his courage. Not by much, but it was defiantly an improvement.
"Well, let's go kick your sister's scrawny royal butt!" He cheered as Xema flew on.
***
With aching muscles, Xema gently landed within the city boundaries. And just in time too. Xema felt the last warming rays of the sun stroke her back as they melted beyond the horizon. She breathed a sigh of relief as she looked around the city. Nothing had been affected, however, the crystal-like dome still encased the city. Xema sighed heavily as she remembered the other half of the prophecy.
"Of COURSE." She muttered. As if that challenge to race home hadn't been bad enough. Now she still had the OTHER part of the prophecy as a burden on her shoulders. This time, however, it was a very sentimental one. Daxter looked up at her curiously. He had jumped down from her arms to give her a rest, and now looked up at her from his diminutive height.
"What's up?" He asked. Xema looked down at him, and opened her mouth as if she were about to answer. But then she quickly closed her jaw and shook her head slightly.
"Don't worry." She insisted, taking a few steps forward. "Come on, let's get back to the palace tower." Daxter watched her curiously as she walked away.
"We're walking? What happened to FLYING?" He raced along on all fours to catch up. Xema looked down and put a finger to her lips.
"We can't go drawing my sister's attention towards me." Xema insisted as they walked along the deserted, shimmering White Street. "Besides, I'm too exhausted to fly any more." Daxter nodded in understanding.
"Hey, why is it so deserted down here?" He asked nervously. Xema smiled.
"Hey, if you had wings, do you think YOU'D ever walk?" She pointed above towards the tall tree canopy and cloud formations. "They're all up there. We don't usually walk about that much when we travel, it's a lot faster flying."
"Oh." Daxter felt rather stupid. Xema laughed and picked him up.
"Come on, I'll carry you. If we walk at your pace, it will take ALL NIGHT to get home!"
Daxter pouted. "Hey! YOU try walking at a decent speed when your legs are this long!" He indicated to his tiny little ottsel legs, to which Xema started laughing and began tickling the bottom of his feet, sending Daxter into a tickle-torment as she walked down the street.
***
Draco stared amongst the city rooftops. Nothing had changed. Was it supposed to? If Xema wasn't back, wasn't something supposed to happen to seal the city's doom? Karma was also glancing about, although unlike her father, she was enjoying this moment. While Draco believed he was staring upon a doomed city, Karma felt she was looking upon a kingdom that would soon be hers.
"Sir, has Xema returned to the tower yet?"
The two of them spun around. The search party that was supposed to be seeking out Xema was standing behind them, accompanied by the wingless children from the seaside village.
"What did you SAY?" Karma almost spat. The head guard walked up to them and bowed.
"Sir, Xema returned to the city before us. She was ahead, but we caught sight of her entering the cities boundaries before the sunset. The city is still safe."
Draco breathed a sigh of relief, while beside him; Karma could barely contain her rage. This did not go unnoticed to Keira and Jak.
"Not YET it's not!" Keira insisted, pointing an accusing finger at Karma. "SHE threatened to kill Xema if she came back to the city. Your daughter is the reason all of this started!"
There was a deathly silence as everyone around took in Keira's words. Karma growled angrily and grabbed Keira by the wrist.
"How DARE you accuse me of something so atrocious! I would NEVER attack my little sister like that!" Karma turned towards Draco. "Father? Are you going to stand by and let them INSULT me like this?" Draco glared at Keira and Jak. It was true, how could they even say something like this to them? How could he trust these strangers whom he barely knew. Catching sight of Draco's glare, Jak stepped forward.
"It's true!" He insisted. Keira nodded her head rapidly. "Xema told us!" Keira tried to explain. But Draco cut them off with a bloody roar of anger.
"SILENCE! You come back here, unwelcome into the city, and INSIST that my own DAUGHTER is responsible for all of these problems? And on top of that, you accuse her of threatening to KILL her own SISTER!" He turned his head away in disgust. "I thought I could trust you, but obviously you have no respect for my city, its people or even my own family.
He turned to the lead guard.
"Take them away. Do what you must, just make sure I never see them again!"
Yelling objections the whole time, the guards took a strong hold of Jak and Keira and began to drag them away. Through the sea of guards, Jak caught sight of Karma peeking at them. She smiled wickedly and waved goodbye to him as he reddened with anger. Karma sighed. That was two problems out of the way. Now she just had to get rid of her little sister and that annoying little rodent.
THEN all her problems would be over.