Celeste Mallard sat boredly in her chair at her desk while listening to the
professor lecture about third world countries. She was fighting to keep
her eyes open, the sudden snap of her head as she began to fall forward
onto the desk being the only thing keeping her awake until the voice boomed
over the school's P.A. system.
"Celeste Mallard, please report to the principal's office immediately. Celeste Mallard to the principal's office..."
Her head jerked up with her eyes wide as she grabbed her books and shoved them into her backpack, grateful for any excuse to get out of the lecture of doom she was enduring. But as she walked down the hall, the thought came to her. What had she done that the principal would want to see her for? She couldn't remember doing anything wrong that could get her into trouble.
She entered the office and headed straight for the principal's door, hesitating for a moment before knocking and opening the door. Principal Farnsworth looked up from scribbling on a small piece of paper on her desk and sent a smile in Celeste's direction.
"Oh, hello Celeste! Come on in...I was just signing you a pass out of class for the rest of the day," Principal Farnsworth announced as she signed her signature on the pass.
"Uhh...what? Is my father here?" Celeste asked, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement.
"Well, of sorts...I got a call from Social Services this morning and there are a couple others coming to pick you up for the afternoon," she replied, standing and moving over to Celeste and handing her the pass, "Your parents are coming..."
Now completely confused, Celeste tilted her head and stared right at the principal, "My 'parentS'? Don't you mean my 'parenT', in the singular form? I just have my father, unless he's suddenly gotten married without telling me..."
Principal Farnsworth let out a light laugh, "No, that hasn't happened to my knowledge. But...you ARE adopted, are you not?"
This striking a nerve, Celeste stiffened slightly and tried not to let her eyes narrow along with her teeth clenching. The reminder of being adopted always was a sensitive subject for her, considering she had been abandoned as an infant in the Negaverse St. Canard Orphanage, and was practically kept as a prisoner until that afternoon she escaped. It wasn't until then that she came across Negaduck, who first began to look upon the runaway eight year old as just another tiny terror brat that the city would be better off without.
But as time had gone by, along with the promises to send her back to the orphanage, the criminal began to grow fond of the child who had hitch-hiked a ride in his motorcycle, and had begun residing in his hideout while conceding to doing whatever he wished; whether it was keeping the ill- groomed house a mess or ironing his cape. Not only did the kid confide to complete obedience, but there was something that seemed to click between her and the public enemy. They were, in fact, a lot alike. And Negaduck saw criminal mastermind potential in his new adoptive daughter. But that was nearly seven years ago, and since then, the two had been through a lot of hard times, including being seperated for five years due to the collapse of the Negaverse portal. Since then, the two were practically inseperable.
Taking a second to calm herself down and attempting not to explode, Celeste reluctantly answered the question, "Yes Ma'am...and your point is...?"
"They're here for you, Celeste..." Principal Farnsworth responded in a sincere tone, "Your biological parents are coming."
Celeste's natural cinnamon colored plumage instantly turned a pale white as she stammered, "N...no way..."
Principal Farnsworth nodded once and opened her bill to say more, but was cut off as the door to her office suddenly swung open, revealing two very sophisticated adults. The man wore a blue, finely pressed Italian suit complete with cold cufflinks and a priceless Rolex hung around his wrist. His features were that of a professional, his feathers were white as snow, causing the goatee and mustache on his face to stand out. His eyes were a dark hazel, the similar shade as Celeste's.
The woman standing beside him wore a maroon colored dress suit, and her hands her adorned with rings of various colors and sizes. Her hair and plumage were the same brown as Celeste's, her eyes had green patches over them, and sparkled a bright blue along with the gold earrings dangling at the side of her head. These were Laszlo and Darcy Tealwing, the biological parents of the awe-struck child standing before them.
"Celeste, darling!" Darcy exclaimed in her refined tone of voice, outstretching her arms. The action caused Celeste to flinch back and conceal herself behind the principal, shaking nervously while staring wide- eyed.
"Sweetheart!" Laszlo chimed in cheerily, his voice also holding the extravagant demeanor.
"Puddin'-face!" Darcy added as she ran up to Celeste in her high-heeled shoes, the principal stepping aside as she wrapped her arms enthusiastically around Celeste's shoulders, "It's so good to finally see you again!"
Laszlo stepped up behind him, holding a suave aire to his composure, "Indeed. Its been too long since we've been separated from our own flesh and blood!"
Celeste seemed to cringe the second she was unwillingly pulled into the embrace. These were the two people who were supposed to LOVE and protect her! Her own family! But they threw that all away when they gave her up, and was not about to give in, not even in the slightest. With a grudge, she pulled herself from Darcy's embrace and turned to Principal Farnsworth, staring right at her as if she had a cobra around her neck. "Call my father!"
"Now now, Celeste!" Principal Farnsworth insisted, "they're not going to run off with you! they're just here for a visit, and would like to spend the afternoon with you. Nothing more, nothing less. It's already been discussed with Social Services, and it is completely appropriate."
"That's right, Darling!" Darcy added with a bright smile, "We just want an afternoon of quality time to actually get to know you. Maybe have lunch at a fancy restaurant, do a little shopping..."
Now nearly on the verge of tears, Celeste squeezed her eyes shut to keep the droplets of water from squeezing out, "I don't WANT to spend the afternoon with them! I'll go back to class! I'll even spend the rest of the day in GYM! Anything but this! Please!"
"Come now, Celeste..." Principal Farnsworth dais in a low, concerned tone as she placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't you think you should give them a chance, considering they took the effort to track you down just so they can see you again?"
Celeste jerked her shoulder away harshly, her eyes glistening with tears that were now quickly streaming down her face, "You mean considering that they tossed me in a rainy gutter when I was TWO?? No thanks! I'm fifteen, you can't make me go with them!"
Laszlo let out a sharp laugh as he glanced at the principal winningly, "Children have such vivid imaginations, wouldn't you agree?"
The principal stared at the couple suspiciously now, and was about to interject, but was interrupted as Darcy suddenly stepped towards Celeste again, with an almost sorrowful and regretful expression on her face.
"Oh please Celeste...We know we can never make up for the mistake we made in the past, but we'd at least like to see how the daughter we never got to know has turned out. We don't ask you to forgive us, but..." she trailed off with a sigh and heaved her shoulders in defeat.
An icy glare quickly appeared on Celeste's face as she stared her mother down. These two people, her blood, were supposed to cherish her. But after what they had done to her as an infant, it was difficult for her to trust or believe in people. If it wasn't for Negaduck, she'd still be miserable in the orphanage, on the verge of slipping into a permanent depression and never coming out of it again. She sniffled and wiped the end of her bill on the sleeve of her black sweater, "Bull...I'm outta here..!"
With that said, she instantly darted out of the office, leaving the three adults watching after her. Principal Farnsworth shook her head sadly and turned back to Darcy and Laszlo, "You'll have to excuse her. She's been through such a hard time, this must all be a great shock for her."
Celeste sprinted down the hallway, still frantically wiping the tears from her eyes with her already drenched sleeve. She didn't stop until she came to a janitor's closet, took a quick glance around, then opened the door. Silently, she slipped inside and flipped on the small lightbulb hanging overhead as she closed the door. Her hand slipped into her pocket and fumbled for her cell phone, desperately trying to get a firm grip on it with her still shaking hand. Once that was accomplished, she didn't hesitate to call the only person who could save her from the breakdown she was trying to fight off...her REAL father.
***********
Meanwhile, at the St. Canard Second National Bank, Negaduck was standing firmly in front of the vault with several bags of cash at his feet. In his hand, he held a rather large handgun, aiming it at the crowd of cowering citizens and bank employees standing before him. The well-known evil and joyous glint was visible in his dark eyes through the black mask as he grinned wickedly.
"That's right...You BETTER cower! Unless of course you'd like to know what it feels like to be coughing up your intestines!" he threatened, finishing it with a cruel laugh which was cut short by the familiar jingle of his cell phone ringing in his jacket. Negaduck sneered snidely at the citizens as he reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone, "Hold that thought..!" he snickered as he held the phone up to his ear, "Y-ello?"
"Please come get me..." came the hushed and shaky voice of his daughter, the words barely being choked out. Negaduck paused momentarily, nearly dropping the phone as he fumbled to hold it back up to his face.
"Cel?? What are you...Hold on a second..." Negaduck growled as he turned back to the helpless victims, shouting at one in particular who was inconspicuously trying to sneak his way out the back door, "Hey! Did I say you could move yet, pal??" he barked, followed by a gunshot that could be heard over the phone, causing Celeste to flinch slightly until she heard his voice again, "Where are you? Are you at school?"
Celeste's voice began to break again as she struggled to get her words out, "Y-yeah...and...and they're here for me..." she was suddenly cut off by a fit of sobs, her pleads barely understandable through the tears, "You gotta come and get me, Dad! Before they take me away and I'll never see you again!"
Negaduck's eyes went wide. Even though he had no idea of whom she was referring to, he knew well enough from her tone that she was scared. "Whoa whoa whoa! Just calm down! I'll be there in ten minutes!"
"Just...please hurry..." Celeste begged one last time as she hung up her phone, picked up her backpack, then cautiously opened the door a crack to glance in both directions of the hallway for any sign of the two who claimed to be her parents. The echoing chime of the school-bell suddenly blared throughout the hall, followed by a flood of students exiting classrooms. Without a second thought, she jumped into the middle of the crowd to use as cover, gradually sneaking her way to the front door and bursting outside.
Negaduck in the meantime hung up his own phone, a look of pure concern on his face. She hadn't told him what was happening, but he knew he would find out soon enough. Reaching down, he picked up his prizes for robbing the bank, slung the bags of cash over his shoulder, and saluted to the citizens as he strutted towards the exit. "Sionara, suckers!"
"Celeste Mallard, please report to the principal's office immediately. Celeste Mallard to the principal's office..."
Her head jerked up with her eyes wide as she grabbed her books and shoved them into her backpack, grateful for any excuse to get out of the lecture of doom she was enduring. But as she walked down the hall, the thought came to her. What had she done that the principal would want to see her for? She couldn't remember doing anything wrong that could get her into trouble.
She entered the office and headed straight for the principal's door, hesitating for a moment before knocking and opening the door. Principal Farnsworth looked up from scribbling on a small piece of paper on her desk and sent a smile in Celeste's direction.
"Oh, hello Celeste! Come on in...I was just signing you a pass out of class for the rest of the day," Principal Farnsworth announced as she signed her signature on the pass.
"Uhh...what? Is my father here?" Celeste asked, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement.
"Well, of sorts...I got a call from Social Services this morning and there are a couple others coming to pick you up for the afternoon," she replied, standing and moving over to Celeste and handing her the pass, "Your parents are coming..."
Now completely confused, Celeste tilted her head and stared right at the principal, "My 'parentS'? Don't you mean my 'parenT', in the singular form? I just have my father, unless he's suddenly gotten married without telling me..."
Principal Farnsworth let out a light laugh, "No, that hasn't happened to my knowledge. But...you ARE adopted, are you not?"
This striking a nerve, Celeste stiffened slightly and tried not to let her eyes narrow along with her teeth clenching. The reminder of being adopted always was a sensitive subject for her, considering she had been abandoned as an infant in the Negaverse St. Canard Orphanage, and was practically kept as a prisoner until that afternoon she escaped. It wasn't until then that she came across Negaduck, who first began to look upon the runaway eight year old as just another tiny terror brat that the city would be better off without.
But as time had gone by, along with the promises to send her back to the orphanage, the criminal began to grow fond of the child who had hitch-hiked a ride in his motorcycle, and had begun residing in his hideout while conceding to doing whatever he wished; whether it was keeping the ill- groomed house a mess or ironing his cape. Not only did the kid confide to complete obedience, but there was something that seemed to click between her and the public enemy. They were, in fact, a lot alike. And Negaduck saw criminal mastermind potential in his new adoptive daughter. But that was nearly seven years ago, and since then, the two had been through a lot of hard times, including being seperated for five years due to the collapse of the Negaverse portal. Since then, the two were practically inseperable.
Taking a second to calm herself down and attempting not to explode, Celeste reluctantly answered the question, "Yes Ma'am...and your point is...?"
"They're here for you, Celeste..." Principal Farnsworth responded in a sincere tone, "Your biological parents are coming."
Celeste's natural cinnamon colored plumage instantly turned a pale white as she stammered, "N...no way..."
Principal Farnsworth nodded once and opened her bill to say more, but was cut off as the door to her office suddenly swung open, revealing two very sophisticated adults. The man wore a blue, finely pressed Italian suit complete with cold cufflinks and a priceless Rolex hung around his wrist. His features were that of a professional, his feathers were white as snow, causing the goatee and mustache on his face to stand out. His eyes were a dark hazel, the similar shade as Celeste's.
The woman standing beside him wore a maroon colored dress suit, and her hands her adorned with rings of various colors and sizes. Her hair and plumage were the same brown as Celeste's, her eyes had green patches over them, and sparkled a bright blue along with the gold earrings dangling at the side of her head. These were Laszlo and Darcy Tealwing, the biological parents of the awe-struck child standing before them.
"Celeste, darling!" Darcy exclaimed in her refined tone of voice, outstretching her arms. The action caused Celeste to flinch back and conceal herself behind the principal, shaking nervously while staring wide- eyed.
"Sweetheart!" Laszlo chimed in cheerily, his voice also holding the extravagant demeanor.
"Puddin'-face!" Darcy added as she ran up to Celeste in her high-heeled shoes, the principal stepping aside as she wrapped her arms enthusiastically around Celeste's shoulders, "It's so good to finally see you again!"
Laszlo stepped up behind him, holding a suave aire to his composure, "Indeed. Its been too long since we've been separated from our own flesh and blood!"
Celeste seemed to cringe the second she was unwillingly pulled into the embrace. These were the two people who were supposed to LOVE and protect her! Her own family! But they threw that all away when they gave her up, and was not about to give in, not even in the slightest. With a grudge, she pulled herself from Darcy's embrace and turned to Principal Farnsworth, staring right at her as if she had a cobra around her neck. "Call my father!"
"Now now, Celeste!" Principal Farnsworth insisted, "they're not going to run off with you! they're just here for a visit, and would like to spend the afternoon with you. Nothing more, nothing less. It's already been discussed with Social Services, and it is completely appropriate."
"That's right, Darling!" Darcy added with a bright smile, "We just want an afternoon of quality time to actually get to know you. Maybe have lunch at a fancy restaurant, do a little shopping..."
Now nearly on the verge of tears, Celeste squeezed her eyes shut to keep the droplets of water from squeezing out, "I don't WANT to spend the afternoon with them! I'll go back to class! I'll even spend the rest of the day in GYM! Anything but this! Please!"
"Come now, Celeste..." Principal Farnsworth dais in a low, concerned tone as she placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't you think you should give them a chance, considering they took the effort to track you down just so they can see you again?"
Celeste jerked her shoulder away harshly, her eyes glistening with tears that were now quickly streaming down her face, "You mean considering that they tossed me in a rainy gutter when I was TWO?? No thanks! I'm fifteen, you can't make me go with them!"
Laszlo let out a sharp laugh as he glanced at the principal winningly, "Children have such vivid imaginations, wouldn't you agree?"
The principal stared at the couple suspiciously now, and was about to interject, but was interrupted as Darcy suddenly stepped towards Celeste again, with an almost sorrowful and regretful expression on her face.
"Oh please Celeste...We know we can never make up for the mistake we made in the past, but we'd at least like to see how the daughter we never got to know has turned out. We don't ask you to forgive us, but..." she trailed off with a sigh and heaved her shoulders in defeat.
An icy glare quickly appeared on Celeste's face as she stared her mother down. These two people, her blood, were supposed to cherish her. But after what they had done to her as an infant, it was difficult for her to trust or believe in people. If it wasn't for Negaduck, she'd still be miserable in the orphanage, on the verge of slipping into a permanent depression and never coming out of it again. She sniffled and wiped the end of her bill on the sleeve of her black sweater, "Bull...I'm outta here..!"
With that said, she instantly darted out of the office, leaving the three adults watching after her. Principal Farnsworth shook her head sadly and turned back to Darcy and Laszlo, "You'll have to excuse her. She's been through such a hard time, this must all be a great shock for her."
Celeste sprinted down the hallway, still frantically wiping the tears from her eyes with her already drenched sleeve. She didn't stop until she came to a janitor's closet, took a quick glance around, then opened the door. Silently, she slipped inside and flipped on the small lightbulb hanging overhead as she closed the door. Her hand slipped into her pocket and fumbled for her cell phone, desperately trying to get a firm grip on it with her still shaking hand. Once that was accomplished, she didn't hesitate to call the only person who could save her from the breakdown she was trying to fight off...her REAL father.
***********
Meanwhile, at the St. Canard Second National Bank, Negaduck was standing firmly in front of the vault with several bags of cash at his feet. In his hand, he held a rather large handgun, aiming it at the crowd of cowering citizens and bank employees standing before him. The well-known evil and joyous glint was visible in his dark eyes through the black mask as he grinned wickedly.
"That's right...You BETTER cower! Unless of course you'd like to know what it feels like to be coughing up your intestines!" he threatened, finishing it with a cruel laugh which was cut short by the familiar jingle of his cell phone ringing in his jacket. Negaduck sneered snidely at the citizens as he reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone, "Hold that thought..!" he snickered as he held the phone up to his ear, "Y-ello?"
"Please come get me..." came the hushed and shaky voice of his daughter, the words barely being choked out. Negaduck paused momentarily, nearly dropping the phone as he fumbled to hold it back up to his face.
"Cel?? What are you...Hold on a second..." Negaduck growled as he turned back to the helpless victims, shouting at one in particular who was inconspicuously trying to sneak his way out the back door, "Hey! Did I say you could move yet, pal??" he barked, followed by a gunshot that could be heard over the phone, causing Celeste to flinch slightly until she heard his voice again, "Where are you? Are you at school?"
Celeste's voice began to break again as she struggled to get her words out, "Y-yeah...and...and they're here for me..." she was suddenly cut off by a fit of sobs, her pleads barely understandable through the tears, "You gotta come and get me, Dad! Before they take me away and I'll never see you again!"
Negaduck's eyes went wide. Even though he had no idea of whom she was referring to, he knew well enough from her tone that she was scared. "Whoa whoa whoa! Just calm down! I'll be there in ten minutes!"
"Just...please hurry..." Celeste begged one last time as she hung up her phone, picked up her backpack, then cautiously opened the door a crack to glance in both directions of the hallway for any sign of the two who claimed to be her parents. The echoing chime of the school-bell suddenly blared throughout the hall, followed by a flood of students exiting classrooms. Without a second thought, she jumped into the middle of the crowd to use as cover, gradually sneaking her way to the front door and bursting outside.
Negaduck in the meantime hung up his own phone, a look of pure concern on his face. She hadn't told him what was happening, but he knew he would find out soon enough. Reaching down, he picked up his prizes for robbing the bank, slung the bags of cash over his shoulder, and saluted to the citizens as he strutted towards the exit. "Sionara, suckers!"