Chapter VI: Cerridwen, Cerridwen, For Lack of a Better Title
"Okay. . ." Dib said exasperatedly, "One more time, what do you know about Zim?"
"Nothing. Except that he. . . he's. . .well-"
"He's hypnotizing you!" exclaimed Dib, hardly stifling his anger. Now that horrible alien monster was going after his friends!? He rambled on, "That's exactly what Zim's doing! Manipulating and toying with your MIND!"
"Dib. . . ." said Tyia, calmly (or as calm as she ever got). She laid a hand on his shoulder and told him to let Aries see if he could wheedle some information out of her sister.
Aries stared at Tyia. Him? How was HE suppose to be able to. . . .Oh wait. . .He was a good 'listening person.'
"Okay, Cerridwen, just tell us. How did you meet Zim?" Aries treaded carefully in his questioning.
"I can't tell you. He made me promise that I wouldn't reveal any secrets. Especially to you," she said, and nodded at Dib.
Dib smacked his forehead and muttered. "Of course. . ."
"Look, you can't be. . .helped. . .unless you tell us what he wants from you," ventured Aries. He once again taking up the role of questioner.
"I. . . .No. I can't tell you." Cerridwen held her ground. But her mind screamed at her. 'No, you idiot! Why did you say that!? They can help! He was trying to trick you into helping him destroy everything!!'
But she never let on.
"I'm sorry, guys, but I really can't tell you---"
"Oh, that's IT!"
Finally losing it, Dib sprung from his chair. He grabbed Cerridwen's small shoulders and looked straight into her eerie gray eyes. "Zim is evil! That's all he'll ever be, no matter WHAT he's told you! Listen to me! What does he want from you!? Tell me, Cerridwen, NOW!"
All the depression and loneliness that was insider the frail girl vanished. Instead it was replaced with an unusual anger and hatred for everyone---everything--- in general. She reached down, sunk her long fingernails into Dib's shoulders, and shoved him away from her.
With a yelp of pain, the PI-in-training stumbled backwards and onto Tyia. After removing himself from the, ahem, acquired position, Dib stared at Cerridwen, completely and utterly perplexed.
Cerridwen in turn stood there, panting. Suddenly this uncontainable rage had emerged from her as soon as Dib had taken a step forward. She didn't know what was happening to her. Had no idea. But whatever it was. . . .she liked it.
"Aries! Grab her!" she heard Tyia scream. Soon, a pair of hands was holding her wrists, keeping her from doing anything. She fought back. Flailing her arms and legs, Cerridwen tried in vain to get Aries to release her.
But then, just as soon as her anger came, it went. Vanished from her body, leaving limp and exhausted emotions in its place. Cerridwen blinked tiredly and looked up and past her friends.
"Alright. . . .I'll tell you all I know. . ."
And then she began the story.
~*~
The panting Irken, his wig askew, rushed down the streets of the city. He frantically searched for a place to hide from what was chasing him.
"Zim! I've got you NOW!" a voice shouted from behind him.
The extra terrestrial's contact protected eyes scanned the crowded streets. His desperate gaze led him to a large red building with towering ivory pillars out front. The entrance read: The Mishler Theater.
"Where are you, ZIM!?"
His time was up. Zim had no choice but to dart inside the building just as that vile DIB-human rounded the corner. He had to snicker at the confused look on the pitiful human's face. That 'hopelessly lost' look, as the conniving Invader liked to put it.
Zim turned around, figuring he'd just wander around until Dib left. He then faced the stage. On it stood a girl by herself. Her dark brown hair was slightly waved but mostly curly and she had the strangest eyes the Irken had ever seen. There was no one else in sight, so Zim wondered what on Irk she was doing out in the center of that stage. Then she opened her mouth, and sang. And that's when Zim fell in love.
With her voice.
Not that filthy disgusting huuuuman! Her voice. There's a difference.
The wheels in his head began to turn as yet another brilliant scheme brewed. Zim smiled sinisterly when the girl was finished with her song. So. . .the child liked. . . what was it called? 'The Phantom of the Opera?' And according to legend, Zim had learned, the old theater was haunted. All right. That would be perfect.
He had to meet her. He needed her for his brilliant, sinister, indestructible, completely foolproof, and undoubtedly amazing plan.
A plan SO amazing that not even the foolish little Dib-monkey could stop.
~*~
". . . .and that's what he told me. Though he didn't use your name, Dib. He just said that he had heard me when he was in the theater one day."
"Of course. Zim may be a moron, but he's not THAT stupid. He knew, err, knows we're friends." Dib sighed.
"Then he began to give me lessons in singing. It was always wonderful. But then his dog. . ."
"D-dog?"
"Yes. I think it's a kind of robot though. Zim called it 'Gir.' Anyway," she continued, "It told me that he was trying to take over the world using ME. I knew then that he wasn't a ghost, or an angle, or even a voice of the results of my going insane. He was just. . .Zim!"
"An alien bent on world destruction," said Dib bitterly.
"Yes. . .And I knew I had to escape."
There was a pause. Everyone in the room shifted uneasily and stared at their feet.
"What now. . .?" Tyia asked, in a small voice very unlike her own.
Dib looked from Tyia to Aries and then, lastly, to Cerridwen. His gold-ish eyes met her silver ones for the second time that night.
"We stop him. We have to."
"Okay. . ." Dib said exasperatedly, "One more time, what do you know about Zim?"
"Nothing. Except that he. . . he's. . .well-"
"He's hypnotizing you!" exclaimed Dib, hardly stifling his anger. Now that horrible alien monster was going after his friends!? He rambled on, "That's exactly what Zim's doing! Manipulating and toying with your MIND!"
"Dib. . . ." said Tyia, calmly (or as calm as she ever got). She laid a hand on his shoulder and told him to let Aries see if he could wheedle some information out of her sister.
Aries stared at Tyia. Him? How was HE suppose to be able to. . . .Oh wait. . .He was a good 'listening person.'
"Okay, Cerridwen, just tell us. How did you meet Zim?" Aries treaded carefully in his questioning.
"I can't tell you. He made me promise that I wouldn't reveal any secrets. Especially to you," she said, and nodded at Dib.
Dib smacked his forehead and muttered. "Of course. . ."
"Look, you can't be. . .helped. . .unless you tell us what he wants from you," ventured Aries. He once again taking up the role of questioner.
"I. . . .No. I can't tell you." Cerridwen held her ground. But her mind screamed at her. 'No, you idiot! Why did you say that!? They can help! He was trying to trick you into helping him destroy everything!!'
But she never let on.
"I'm sorry, guys, but I really can't tell you---"
"Oh, that's IT!"
Finally losing it, Dib sprung from his chair. He grabbed Cerridwen's small shoulders and looked straight into her eerie gray eyes. "Zim is evil! That's all he'll ever be, no matter WHAT he's told you! Listen to me! What does he want from you!? Tell me, Cerridwen, NOW!"
All the depression and loneliness that was insider the frail girl vanished. Instead it was replaced with an unusual anger and hatred for everyone---everything--- in general. She reached down, sunk her long fingernails into Dib's shoulders, and shoved him away from her.
With a yelp of pain, the PI-in-training stumbled backwards and onto Tyia. After removing himself from the, ahem, acquired position, Dib stared at Cerridwen, completely and utterly perplexed.
Cerridwen in turn stood there, panting. Suddenly this uncontainable rage had emerged from her as soon as Dib had taken a step forward. She didn't know what was happening to her. Had no idea. But whatever it was. . . .she liked it.
"Aries! Grab her!" she heard Tyia scream. Soon, a pair of hands was holding her wrists, keeping her from doing anything. She fought back. Flailing her arms and legs, Cerridwen tried in vain to get Aries to release her.
But then, just as soon as her anger came, it went. Vanished from her body, leaving limp and exhausted emotions in its place. Cerridwen blinked tiredly and looked up and past her friends.
"Alright. . . .I'll tell you all I know. . ."
And then she began the story.
~*~
The panting Irken, his wig askew, rushed down the streets of the city. He frantically searched for a place to hide from what was chasing him.
"Zim! I've got you NOW!" a voice shouted from behind him.
The extra terrestrial's contact protected eyes scanned the crowded streets. His desperate gaze led him to a large red building with towering ivory pillars out front. The entrance read: The Mishler Theater.
"Where are you, ZIM!?"
His time was up. Zim had no choice but to dart inside the building just as that vile DIB-human rounded the corner. He had to snicker at the confused look on the pitiful human's face. That 'hopelessly lost' look, as the conniving Invader liked to put it.
Zim turned around, figuring he'd just wander around until Dib left. He then faced the stage. On it stood a girl by herself. Her dark brown hair was slightly waved but mostly curly and she had the strangest eyes the Irken had ever seen. There was no one else in sight, so Zim wondered what on Irk she was doing out in the center of that stage. Then she opened her mouth, and sang. And that's when Zim fell in love.
With her voice.
Not that filthy disgusting huuuuman! Her voice. There's a difference.
The wheels in his head began to turn as yet another brilliant scheme brewed. Zim smiled sinisterly when the girl was finished with her song. So. . .the child liked. . . what was it called? 'The Phantom of the Opera?' And according to legend, Zim had learned, the old theater was haunted. All right. That would be perfect.
He had to meet her. He needed her for his brilliant, sinister, indestructible, completely foolproof, and undoubtedly amazing plan.
A plan SO amazing that not even the foolish little Dib-monkey could stop.
~*~
". . . .and that's what he told me. Though he didn't use your name, Dib. He just said that he had heard me when he was in the theater one day."
"Of course. Zim may be a moron, but he's not THAT stupid. He knew, err, knows we're friends." Dib sighed.
"Then he began to give me lessons in singing. It was always wonderful. But then his dog. . ."
"D-dog?"
"Yes. I think it's a kind of robot though. Zim called it 'Gir.' Anyway," she continued, "It told me that he was trying to take over the world using ME. I knew then that he wasn't a ghost, or an angle, or even a voice of the results of my going insane. He was just. . .Zim!"
"An alien bent on world destruction," said Dib bitterly.
"Yes. . .And I knew I had to escape."
There was a pause. Everyone in the room shifted uneasily and stared at their feet.
"What now. . .?" Tyia asked, in a small voice very unlike her own.
Dib looked from Tyia to Aries and then, lastly, to Cerridwen. His gold-ish eyes met her silver ones for the second time that night.
"We stop him. We have to."