Instantly both boys perked up.
"What's that?!" Seto growled, tired of all the catastrophes.
"Someone's in trouble again!" Rex burst out.
In the next moment Mai came running up, panic-stricken. "It grabbed me!" she exclaimed in utter horror. "This bony hand just reached out and grabbed me!"
Rex stared at her, wide-eyed. "How'd you get away?!" he wanted to know.
Mai held up a can of hair spray.
Seto looked at it. "If what grabbed you was a mortal man instead of a spectre, he's probably still trying to recover from the shock of having hair spray shot at him. Take us to where you were grappling with him," he requested.
Mai nodded firmly and led them down the hall to where a cloaked figure was sprawled on the floor, looking stunned.
Mai narrowed his eyes and stood over him, arms akimbo. "Alright. We've had enough of your antics!" Quickly she leaned down and yanked the hood back, revealing an angry-looking man.
"Hey!" Rex cried. "This is the guy I saw just a few minutes ago!"
Immediately Seto reached over and pulled the phony spectre to his feet. "I suggest you tell us what you've been up to," he growled. "You could've killed Ishizu tonight." He spoke in the dangerous, low tone that let anyone he was angry with know not to mess with him.
Mr. Ivy glared. "I didn't try to kill her!"
"Oh no, nothin' like that," Joey said sarcastically, approaching the scene. "Throwin' her down the stairs and causin' her to hit her head wouldn't kill her at all!"
"I didn't do that!" Mr. Ivy pulled himself free from Seto's grip, causing a bony skeleton hand to drop out of his cloak.
Mai glared and then picked it up. "Then why don't you tell us exactly what you *have* been doing?" she said fiercely.
****
Ishizu smiled and held her younger brother close, happy to be back with him and Rishid. "I spoke with one of the spirits," she said gravely. "It was Carol, Kasumi's sister. She did not commit suicide, as everyone has assumed."
"You mean she . . . she was murdered?" Mokuba said softly.
"Yes." Ishizu nodded solemnly.
Marik's eyes narrowed. He knew how close he'd come to losing his sister and he hugged her tightly, looking up into her eyes. "I will catch the person responsible," he vowed. "I've nearly lost both you and Rishid today and I will not stand for this any longer!"
Mokuba looked at his best friend worriedly. "But Marik, you don't know what you might be up against!"
"Then I will find out," Marik retorted. "They will rue the day they ever decided to trifle with me!"
****
Mr. Ivy glared at the teenagers furiously, twisting the skeleton hand around in his own. "Hey, all I wanted to do was give everyone a big scare!" he grumbled.
"So you dressed up in this crazy Ringwraith costume and started terrorizing everyone?!" Joey glared.
"I think it was deeper than that," Seto grunted. "There's something here that you don't want anyone to find out about, isn't there." He looked pointedly at Mr. Ivy.
"At this broken-down dump? Not a chance!" Mr. Ivy turned to go. "I . . . I . . . wanted to catch the real culprits behind what happened to Ishizu and the others!"
"Oh sure . . . we believe that," Joey said, crossing his arms.
"It's true," Mr. Ivy continued to lie. "But I'm tired of talking to you brats. I have things to do!" Without warning he knocked the flashlight Seto was holding to the ground, sending them plunging into darkness again. By the time Seto retrieved the light and clicked it back on, Mr. Ivy had vanished.
****
Ishizu sat up in bed, continuing to smile as her exhausted brother slept in her arms. It had been years since Marik had drifted off hugging his sister. There were many times now when he acted as sweet and innocent as he had ten years before, and Ishizu always enjoyed it when he did. "Dear brother," she whispered.
Marik shifted in his sleep, mumbling something about how he couldn't lose Ishizu and Rishid. Moaning, he snuggled closer and clung to his sister, who looked at him in concern and stroked his hair.
"Do not fear, Marik," she said gently. "You haven't lost us."
Marik smiled faintly and then went still again, sleeping peacefully now.
Rishid looked a bit concerned as he watched his brother sleep. "He must be exhausted," the man commented.
Ishizu nodded slowly. "What are you thinking, Rishid?" she asked.
"I hate to say such things," Rishid replied, "but are we certain his sleep is completely natural?"
Ishizu looked down at her brother, also growing anxious. "Marik?" she whispered. He couldn't have been drugged in some way . . . could he have?
Marik continued to embrace Ishizu almost frantically, mumbling something in Egyptian.
"He is having disturbing dreams," Ishizu remarked, gently touching her brother's shoulder. "Marik? Wake up, dear brother."
Marik suddenly gave a pained cry and looked up, his eyes wide open even though he was still asleep. "Ishizu!! Rishid!!" he screamed.
Rishid hastened over and embraced Marik from the other side. "We are here, Master," he said comfortingly.
Marik shuddered and then relaxed slowly with a soft moan. After a moment he blinked and looked up at his brother and sister. "I had a vision," he said quietly. "This isn't over yet . . . and neither of you are out of danger." He hugged them both worriedly.
Ishizu rubbed her hand over his back gently. "It will be alright," she tried to reassure him.
****
Shadi stood up and walked to the panel slowly, his eyes narrowed. Someone is there, he said silently, abruptly pulling the slab of wood away and causing the eavesdropper to fall on the floor.
"What is your business here?" Shadi asked sternly.
A baffled Tristan looked up. "So you *are* here!" he exclaimed, blinking at the Egyptian towering over him.
"How did you find us?" Alyson wanted to know, her maroon eyes wide.
Tristan shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "I just followed this weird tunnel I found in the kitchen." He sat up and looked around. "So there really are people being kept prisoner down here?!" he cried indignantly.
"That is correct," Shadi said with a slow nod.
"Well why don't you get them out of here?!" Tristan demanded.
Shadi looked at him calmly. "When the time is right," was all he said. He had his reasons for not helping them out of the basement yet. For one thing, he was hoping that the grandmother would be able to remember more of her visions. If and when she did, the safest place for her and Alyson would be the basement. Shadi wasn't certain what Lou was up to this time, but he was determined to stop him.
****
Téa paced the floor, her eyes narrowed in worry.
"There has to be something we can do here!" she said to Yugi.
Lorelei descended the stairs, looking grim. "There's going to be a flood," she declared, heading to the window. "The river is about to overflow."
"What?!" Yugi gasped.
Lorelei pulled the curtain back, revealing the harsh, heavy rains that were falling. "There's no way to stop it. The water's gonna be coming this way anytime."
"What can we do to help?" Téa asked.
Lorelei smiled wearily at her. "The animals need to be secured, but Bart and the other ranch hands are taking care of that."
"Is Mr. Ivy there?" Rex wanted to know, suddenly appearing in the doorway.
"I think so," Lorelei replied. "Why?"
Rex then told her of his experiences in the last few moments, to which Lorelei narrowed her eyes in suspicion and disbelief. "Ivy? Working with the cloaked creatures? That's hard for me to believe."
Rex was about to go on to tell her about those locked in the basement when Joey crashed into him without warning.
"Hey!" Rex cried, disgruntled.
Joey ignored him. "Mokuba's missing!" he yelled.
That got everyone's attention.
"Oh no!" Téa exclaimed in alarm.
"I thought he was with Marik!" Yugi gasped.
"He was!" Joey replied. "But he left shortly after Ishizu woke up."
"She's awake?" Yugi interrupted.
"Yeah," Joey nodded absent-mindedly. "Mokuba left to give them some time alone. Marik warned him to be careful and not to go alone, but Mokuba said that Kaiba was just at the end of the hall and that he would be fine. But Kaiba hasn't seen him at all!"
"You mean that *wasn't* him at the end of the hall?!" Téa interjected, trying to make sense of things.
"I guess not," Joey shrugged. "He's going ballistic! And in light of everything that's gone on, I don't blame the guy!"
Upstairs they could hear Seto yelling at someone.
"He sounds angry," Yugi declared. "But is he yelling at Marik?!"
"Yeah," Joey said again. "At least he was. Marik feels really bad about all this. He said he'll go find Mokuba. Rishid didn't want him to go alone, but I think he's already taken off. And now Kaiba's yelling at Rishid while they're looking for Mokuba. Ishizu's trying to get him to calm down and stop bein' rude to her brothers."
"We'll all have to split up and help look!" Yugi cried. "Mokuba could be in terrible danger!"
"And he probably is, too," Téa moaned.
****
Mokuba, meanwhile, was running out into the hall. "Seto!" he called, opening the back door. "What's going on?!" He shielded himself from the pouring rain and squinted, staring ahead. Before long he spotted Seto walking determinedly toward the stable, apparently ignoring anyone around him.
"Seto!" Mokuba screamed in frustration. "Come back!!" He ran out into the downpour just as lightning struck nearby. The boy gave a cry of surprise and leaped aside, his heart pounding. "Something's not right here! That can't be Seto!"
"How right you are, little Mokuba," a wicked voice hissed as bony hands reached out to grab him.
"Wha?! Hey!!" Mokuba struggled helplessly. "Let me go!! Big brother!! Help!!"
Abruptly the assailant groaned and slumped over, his grip on Mokuba loosening. Marik was standing there, his hand raised in a position to grab something. His eyes were narrowed in a dangerous manner, but his expression lightened as he looked at Mokuba.
"Marik!" Mokuba grinned, hugging his friend. "What was that thing and what did you do to it?!"
Marik smiled and winked. "I know a few things about pressure points," he replied. "This 'thing' is nothing more than an actor in a costume." He knelt down and pulled the cloak back to find a stranger there. "Let's get him back inside before he comes to."
Just as the boy reached down to yank the man up, his eyes snapped open and he grabbed Marik's neck.
Mokuba's eyes widened and he began hitting the man to distract him. "Leave Marik alone!" he screamed.
Furious, the man turned, letting go of Marik, and threw Mokuba out into the open field. The boy lay dazed, staring up into the stormy sky.
"He could get struck by lightning!" Marik cried.
"Maybe that's the idea," the man sneered.
Marik's eyes narrowed and he ran forward to help his friend up.
"You have to get out of here, Mokuba!" he declared firmly as the thunder boomed.
Mokuba nodded shakily, looking upset. "Where did that creep go?!" he burst out, seeing that their attacker had vanished.
"Not far," a voice spoke up from behind them. Again the man reached for Mokuba.
"Leave me alone, you big jerk!" Mokuba yelled, kicking him on the shin.
The man cried in pain and then snarled. "Why you little . . ." He raised a crowbar viciously.
Abruptly Marik tackled him from behind, trying to wrench the weapon out of his hand. They grappled for some time, neither one willing to give up. Mokuba stood to the side, unsure of what to do to help.
Without warning a bolt of lightning flashed from the sky and struck both Marik and his opponent. They screamed in agony and crumpled to the ground while Mokuba watched in disbelief and horror. "Marik!!" he shrieked.
After a moment the burly man, who had only been grazed, got up and looked around dazedly. He kicked Marik disdainfully and glowered at Mokuba before shakily disappearing into the cloudy night. The rain had temporarily stopped, but that would still do nothing to stop the oncoming flood.
But, returning to our current problem, Mokuba barely noticed or cared that the man had left. The younger Kaiba was kneeling next to Marik, feeling frantic. The older boy's gold jewelry had channeled the electricity, causing him to be hurt far worse than his attacker had been. Luckily, Marik hadn't sustained any burns, but the experience had been quite a shock to his system.
"Marik!" his young friend screamed. "Marik!! Get up!!!"
He tried for some time to get the Egyptian boy to respond and then finally crawled under his limp arm in despair, all the while pleading for someone to come help.
Marik's eyes slowly flickered open. "Mokuba . . . what happened?" he asked weakly, his voice a bit slurred and confused.
Instantly Mokuba perked up. "Marik!!" He smiled brightly and hugged the injured boy. "You got struck by lightning!" he explained seriously.
Marik winced and tried to get up. Mokuba rushed to assist him and Marik leaned against him, feeling weak.
"Can you make it back to the ranch house?" Mokuba asked worriedly.
"I think so," Marik replied, though he felt like he was about to go under again.
Sensing this, Mokuba knew they'd have to hurry. Somehow he managed to support his friend until they got back to the front door, where Marik promptly collapsed and lay still.
Even though Mokuba had been expecting it, his heart still leaped to his throat. "Marik!!" he sobbed.
Rishid, hearing the commotion, immediately came out from where he had been searching for his brother and for Mokuba. "Master Marik!!" he cried, kneeling down to pick up the boy's almost ragdoll-like body.
"Please, you gotta do something!" Mokuba wailed. "He got struck by lightning!!"
Rishid looked up at Mokuba in astonishment while the boy blurted out the entire story of what had happened. Tenderly he laid Marik's body down on the couch and began examining his adopted brother in immense concern.
Lorelei chose that moment to tear past, her red hair flying out behind her. "What's going on?" she demanded.
"What do you mean?" Mokuba asked, seeing that she wasn't paying much attention to Marik.
"Who was shot?!" Lorelei wanted to know.
"Huh?!" Mokuba blinked. "No one was shot! Marik got struck by lightning, but . . ."
"No, I heard a gun go off!" Lorelei insisted. "Someone's been shot!"
"What's that?!" Seto growled, tired of all the catastrophes.
"Someone's in trouble again!" Rex burst out.
In the next moment Mai came running up, panic-stricken. "It grabbed me!" she exclaimed in utter horror. "This bony hand just reached out and grabbed me!"
Rex stared at her, wide-eyed. "How'd you get away?!" he wanted to know.
Mai held up a can of hair spray.
Seto looked at it. "If what grabbed you was a mortal man instead of a spectre, he's probably still trying to recover from the shock of having hair spray shot at him. Take us to where you were grappling with him," he requested.
Mai nodded firmly and led them down the hall to where a cloaked figure was sprawled on the floor, looking stunned.
Mai narrowed his eyes and stood over him, arms akimbo. "Alright. We've had enough of your antics!" Quickly she leaned down and yanked the hood back, revealing an angry-looking man.
"Hey!" Rex cried. "This is the guy I saw just a few minutes ago!"
Immediately Seto reached over and pulled the phony spectre to his feet. "I suggest you tell us what you've been up to," he growled. "You could've killed Ishizu tonight." He spoke in the dangerous, low tone that let anyone he was angry with know not to mess with him.
Mr. Ivy glared. "I didn't try to kill her!"
"Oh no, nothin' like that," Joey said sarcastically, approaching the scene. "Throwin' her down the stairs and causin' her to hit her head wouldn't kill her at all!"
"I didn't do that!" Mr. Ivy pulled himself free from Seto's grip, causing a bony skeleton hand to drop out of his cloak.
Mai glared and then picked it up. "Then why don't you tell us exactly what you *have* been doing?" she said fiercely.
****
Ishizu smiled and held her younger brother close, happy to be back with him and Rishid. "I spoke with one of the spirits," she said gravely. "It was Carol, Kasumi's sister. She did not commit suicide, as everyone has assumed."
"You mean she . . . she was murdered?" Mokuba said softly.
"Yes." Ishizu nodded solemnly.
Marik's eyes narrowed. He knew how close he'd come to losing his sister and he hugged her tightly, looking up into her eyes. "I will catch the person responsible," he vowed. "I've nearly lost both you and Rishid today and I will not stand for this any longer!"
Mokuba looked at his best friend worriedly. "But Marik, you don't know what you might be up against!"
"Then I will find out," Marik retorted. "They will rue the day they ever decided to trifle with me!"
****
Mr. Ivy glared at the teenagers furiously, twisting the skeleton hand around in his own. "Hey, all I wanted to do was give everyone a big scare!" he grumbled.
"So you dressed up in this crazy Ringwraith costume and started terrorizing everyone?!" Joey glared.
"I think it was deeper than that," Seto grunted. "There's something here that you don't want anyone to find out about, isn't there." He looked pointedly at Mr. Ivy.
"At this broken-down dump? Not a chance!" Mr. Ivy turned to go. "I . . . I . . . wanted to catch the real culprits behind what happened to Ishizu and the others!"
"Oh sure . . . we believe that," Joey said, crossing his arms.
"It's true," Mr. Ivy continued to lie. "But I'm tired of talking to you brats. I have things to do!" Without warning he knocked the flashlight Seto was holding to the ground, sending them plunging into darkness again. By the time Seto retrieved the light and clicked it back on, Mr. Ivy had vanished.
****
Ishizu sat up in bed, continuing to smile as her exhausted brother slept in her arms. It had been years since Marik had drifted off hugging his sister. There were many times now when he acted as sweet and innocent as he had ten years before, and Ishizu always enjoyed it when he did. "Dear brother," she whispered.
Marik shifted in his sleep, mumbling something about how he couldn't lose Ishizu and Rishid. Moaning, he snuggled closer and clung to his sister, who looked at him in concern and stroked his hair.
"Do not fear, Marik," she said gently. "You haven't lost us."
Marik smiled faintly and then went still again, sleeping peacefully now.
Rishid looked a bit concerned as he watched his brother sleep. "He must be exhausted," the man commented.
Ishizu nodded slowly. "What are you thinking, Rishid?" she asked.
"I hate to say such things," Rishid replied, "but are we certain his sleep is completely natural?"
Ishizu looked down at her brother, also growing anxious. "Marik?" she whispered. He couldn't have been drugged in some way . . . could he have?
Marik continued to embrace Ishizu almost frantically, mumbling something in Egyptian.
"He is having disturbing dreams," Ishizu remarked, gently touching her brother's shoulder. "Marik? Wake up, dear brother."
Marik suddenly gave a pained cry and looked up, his eyes wide open even though he was still asleep. "Ishizu!! Rishid!!" he screamed.
Rishid hastened over and embraced Marik from the other side. "We are here, Master," he said comfortingly.
Marik shuddered and then relaxed slowly with a soft moan. After a moment he blinked and looked up at his brother and sister. "I had a vision," he said quietly. "This isn't over yet . . . and neither of you are out of danger." He hugged them both worriedly.
Ishizu rubbed her hand over his back gently. "It will be alright," she tried to reassure him.
****
Shadi stood up and walked to the panel slowly, his eyes narrowed. Someone is there, he said silently, abruptly pulling the slab of wood away and causing the eavesdropper to fall on the floor.
"What is your business here?" Shadi asked sternly.
A baffled Tristan looked up. "So you *are* here!" he exclaimed, blinking at the Egyptian towering over him.
"How did you find us?" Alyson wanted to know, her maroon eyes wide.
Tristan shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "I just followed this weird tunnel I found in the kitchen." He sat up and looked around. "So there really are people being kept prisoner down here?!" he cried indignantly.
"That is correct," Shadi said with a slow nod.
"Well why don't you get them out of here?!" Tristan demanded.
Shadi looked at him calmly. "When the time is right," was all he said. He had his reasons for not helping them out of the basement yet. For one thing, he was hoping that the grandmother would be able to remember more of her visions. If and when she did, the safest place for her and Alyson would be the basement. Shadi wasn't certain what Lou was up to this time, but he was determined to stop him.
****
Téa paced the floor, her eyes narrowed in worry.
"There has to be something we can do here!" she said to Yugi.
Lorelei descended the stairs, looking grim. "There's going to be a flood," she declared, heading to the window. "The river is about to overflow."
"What?!" Yugi gasped.
Lorelei pulled the curtain back, revealing the harsh, heavy rains that were falling. "There's no way to stop it. The water's gonna be coming this way anytime."
"What can we do to help?" Téa asked.
Lorelei smiled wearily at her. "The animals need to be secured, but Bart and the other ranch hands are taking care of that."
"Is Mr. Ivy there?" Rex wanted to know, suddenly appearing in the doorway.
"I think so," Lorelei replied. "Why?"
Rex then told her of his experiences in the last few moments, to which Lorelei narrowed her eyes in suspicion and disbelief. "Ivy? Working with the cloaked creatures? That's hard for me to believe."
Rex was about to go on to tell her about those locked in the basement when Joey crashed into him without warning.
"Hey!" Rex cried, disgruntled.
Joey ignored him. "Mokuba's missing!" he yelled.
That got everyone's attention.
"Oh no!" Téa exclaimed in alarm.
"I thought he was with Marik!" Yugi gasped.
"He was!" Joey replied. "But he left shortly after Ishizu woke up."
"She's awake?" Yugi interrupted.
"Yeah," Joey nodded absent-mindedly. "Mokuba left to give them some time alone. Marik warned him to be careful and not to go alone, but Mokuba said that Kaiba was just at the end of the hall and that he would be fine. But Kaiba hasn't seen him at all!"
"You mean that *wasn't* him at the end of the hall?!" Téa interjected, trying to make sense of things.
"I guess not," Joey shrugged. "He's going ballistic! And in light of everything that's gone on, I don't blame the guy!"
Upstairs they could hear Seto yelling at someone.
"He sounds angry," Yugi declared. "But is he yelling at Marik?!"
"Yeah," Joey said again. "At least he was. Marik feels really bad about all this. He said he'll go find Mokuba. Rishid didn't want him to go alone, but I think he's already taken off. And now Kaiba's yelling at Rishid while they're looking for Mokuba. Ishizu's trying to get him to calm down and stop bein' rude to her brothers."
"We'll all have to split up and help look!" Yugi cried. "Mokuba could be in terrible danger!"
"And he probably is, too," Téa moaned.
****
Mokuba, meanwhile, was running out into the hall. "Seto!" he called, opening the back door. "What's going on?!" He shielded himself from the pouring rain and squinted, staring ahead. Before long he spotted Seto walking determinedly toward the stable, apparently ignoring anyone around him.
"Seto!" Mokuba screamed in frustration. "Come back!!" He ran out into the downpour just as lightning struck nearby. The boy gave a cry of surprise and leaped aside, his heart pounding. "Something's not right here! That can't be Seto!"
"How right you are, little Mokuba," a wicked voice hissed as bony hands reached out to grab him.
"Wha?! Hey!!" Mokuba struggled helplessly. "Let me go!! Big brother!! Help!!"
Abruptly the assailant groaned and slumped over, his grip on Mokuba loosening. Marik was standing there, his hand raised in a position to grab something. His eyes were narrowed in a dangerous manner, but his expression lightened as he looked at Mokuba.
"Marik!" Mokuba grinned, hugging his friend. "What was that thing and what did you do to it?!"
Marik smiled and winked. "I know a few things about pressure points," he replied. "This 'thing' is nothing more than an actor in a costume." He knelt down and pulled the cloak back to find a stranger there. "Let's get him back inside before he comes to."
Just as the boy reached down to yank the man up, his eyes snapped open and he grabbed Marik's neck.
Mokuba's eyes widened and he began hitting the man to distract him. "Leave Marik alone!" he screamed.
Furious, the man turned, letting go of Marik, and threw Mokuba out into the open field. The boy lay dazed, staring up into the stormy sky.
"He could get struck by lightning!" Marik cried.
"Maybe that's the idea," the man sneered.
Marik's eyes narrowed and he ran forward to help his friend up.
"You have to get out of here, Mokuba!" he declared firmly as the thunder boomed.
Mokuba nodded shakily, looking upset. "Where did that creep go?!" he burst out, seeing that their attacker had vanished.
"Not far," a voice spoke up from behind them. Again the man reached for Mokuba.
"Leave me alone, you big jerk!" Mokuba yelled, kicking him on the shin.
The man cried in pain and then snarled. "Why you little . . ." He raised a crowbar viciously.
Abruptly Marik tackled him from behind, trying to wrench the weapon out of his hand. They grappled for some time, neither one willing to give up. Mokuba stood to the side, unsure of what to do to help.
Without warning a bolt of lightning flashed from the sky and struck both Marik and his opponent. They screamed in agony and crumpled to the ground while Mokuba watched in disbelief and horror. "Marik!!" he shrieked.
After a moment the burly man, who had only been grazed, got up and looked around dazedly. He kicked Marik disdainfully and glowered at Mokuba before shakily disappearing into the cloudy night. The rain had temporarily stopped, but that would still do nothing to stop the oncoming flood.
But, returning to our current problem, Mokuba barely noticed or cared that the man had left. The younger Kaiba was kneeling next to Marik, feeling frantic. The older boy's gold jewelry had channeled the electricity, causing him to be hurt far worse than his attacker had been. Luckily, Marik hadn't sustained any burns, but the experience had been quite a shock to his system.
"Marik!" his young friend screamed. "Marik!! Get up!!!"
He tried for some time to get the Egyptian boy to respond and then finally crawled under his limp arm in despair, all the while pleading for someone to come help.
Marik's eyes slowly flickered open. "Mokuba . . . what happened?" he asked weakly, his voice a bit slurred and confused.
Instantly Mokuba perked up. "Marik!!" He smiled brightly and hugged the injured boy. "You got struck by lightning!" he explained seriously.
Marik winced and tried to get up. Mokuba rushed to assist him and Marik leaned against him, feeling weak.
"Can you make it back to the ranch house?" Mokuba asked worriedly.
"I think so," Marik replied, though he felt like he was about to go under again.
Sensing this, Mokuba knew they'd have to hurry. Somehow he managed to support his friend until they got back to the front door, where Marik promptly collapsed and lay still.
Even though Mokuba had been expecting it, his heart still leaped to his throat. "Marik!!" he sobbed.
Rishid, hearing the commotion, immediately came out from where he had been searching for his brother and for Mokuba. "Master Marik!!" he cried, kneeling down to pick up the boy's almost ragdoll-like body.
"Please, you gotta do something!" Mokuba wailed. "He got struck by lightning!!"
Rishid looked up at Mokuba in astonishment while the boy blurted out the entire story of what had happened. Tenderly he laid Marik's body down on the couch and began examining his adopted brother in immense concern.
Lorelei chose that moment to tear past, her red hair flying out behind her. "What's going on?" she demanded.
"What do you mean?" Mokuba asked, seeing that she wasn't paying much attention to Marik.
"Who was shot?!" Lorelei wanted to know.
"Huh?!" Mokuba blinked. "No one was shot! Marik got struck by lightning, but . . ."
"No, I heard a gun go off!" Lorelei insisted. "Someone's been shot!"