-sigh- The things I do for people to don't review (hint hint! SEE Edgar, I
TOLD you you didn't review this chapter. Psssh.). In between playing
Sapphire (and unsuccessfully attempting to get to Ever Grande City. .
.anyone have hints?), riding horses, sitting in my car, and doing nothing
over spring break, I have been writing. Oh yeah baby.
Here's a nice loooooong chapter for you people who don't review -hiss-. Ah well, I have nothing else to say since no one reviewed. . .so just read. . .
~Chapter Nine~
Princess jumped about a foot in the air and started neighing in fear. I pulled the reins and patted her neck to calm her down, but in reality, she was acting just as I felt.
Danielle suddenly came running up to me. "Hey, have you seen Shane yet?"
I took a deep breath to calm myself down and shook my head. "He's not hear yet." Danielle gritted her teeth.
"Um, Mrs. Mavens?" I asked. "Didn't you hear. . .a. . .a scream?"
"No, why?"
"Oh. . .never mind," I whispered. Was that scream just my imagination? Was it my nervousness taking over or something?
Just then, Mom and Dad walked up to the stable. Mom's eyes were wide, and her face was white with shock. Her whole body seemed to be shaking. Dad wasn't in such good shape either.
"Mom! Dad!" I cried. Mom spotted me and my parents walked over to me. Mom seemed even more pale close up.
"What happened?" I asked.
"The. . . the. . ." Mom whispered. She stared at me for a few moments, and opened her mouth to say more, but Dad put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Mom looked away from me and stared at the ground for a few moments before putting on a fake smile. "So, are you excited honey?"
I could tell I wasn't supposed to ask about whatever had happened, so I painted on my own smile.
"Yeah, I'm excited," I smiled. "But Shane disappeared again and Mrs. Mavens has been looking for him, so I don't know when I'm supposed to go. . ."
"You're second!"
I spun around and saw Danielle standing behind me, her hand gripping Shane's arm. Shane was holding the reins to Mars, staring at the ground.
I laughed. "I see you found Shane."
"Yes, and can you believe it? He was coming out of some forest near here." Danielle was talking as if Shane wasn't standing right next to her. "He looked like he had seen a million Gengars about to use Shadow Ball on him." She turned to Shane and finally let go of his arm. "What the heck were you doing in a forest anyway?"
Shane finally looked up. He glared at his mother for a few seconds before taking Mars and walking away.
Danielle raised her eyebrows. "Well, what a very interesting thing to do in the forest."
"Danielle. . ." Mom suddenly said. She was speaking quite low and was staring at the ground like Shane had been. "Do you. . .know where Shane came of? What part of the forest?"
Danielle shrugged. "It had trees. . ."
I laughed, but it was a pitiful attempt. Mom seemed to be crying again so Dad whispered they were going to find a place to watch. I nodded silently.
"CONTEST NUMBER ONE IS SHANE MAVENS," a speaker suddenly blared. I raised my eyebrows. So Shane was first. He must have known that, or why else would he walk off?
"SHANE MAVENS, FROM JHOTO, IS ENTERING THE ARENA RIDING HIS PONYTA MARS FLAMETHROWER!" The crowd clapped politely. I wanted to watch Shane, but Danielle told me to hurry up and mount, since I was going next. I did so and walked Princess to where we were supposed to wait-and where I got a perfect view of Shane.
"Go Shane!" I whispered. He was waiting for a bell to signal he could begin. It seemed like forever but suddenly-ding!
"AND THERE GOES SHANE!" the announcer blared. He WAS going pretty fast. The second the bell chimed, he dug his heels into Mars. The Ponyta snorted and took off at a fast canter, jumping everything a little high.
"Shane, cool it," Danielle muttered.
Shane DID need to slow down a bit. Mars was going crazy, jumping the fences a foot higher than he needed to.
Shane led Mars around a corner, preparing to jump one of the three-foot fences. But Mars took off too late, skidded on the ground, and he couldn't stop since he was going so fast. Mars's hoofs caught onto the top rail of the fence, and he tumbled down-with Shane on top of him.
"SHANE!" I screamed.
The audience, who had been cheering quietly, suddenly starting crying in horror. Mars was on his side-the poles had collapsed onto him-and Shane was squashed under Mars. His arm was sticking out and was bent at an impossible angle.
Danielle ran out onto the field, along with someone who looked like a nurse. The nurse somehow took the saddle off, which made Danielle able to gently pull Shane away from Mars.
"Do you mind if I use a Pokeball?" the nurse asked, holding up one of the red and white devices.
"No, Mars is trained to be used to them," Danielle answered, but it seemed like it was automatic. She was whispering to Shane and holding up his bent arm.
The nurse tossed a Pokeball to Mars and I gasped as the Ponyta was captured into a beam of red light and sucked into the ball.
I couldn't believe it. How had Mars-a huge Ponyta-fit into that Pokeball? Sure we learned about Pokeballs in school, but I had never seen one work until now. It was amazing.
The nurse looked at Shane and winced. "That arms is definitely broken," she sighed. "We don't treat humans unless it's an emergency, because the nearest hospital is about thirty miles away. But we can treat him-that looks really bad."
"Oh, thank you," Danielle said. "Shane, honey? Can you stand up?"
"You'll have to carry him," the nurse said. "That was a bad fall, and he may have twisted his knee or some other part of his leg."
Danielle sighed. "I can't carry him all the way to the Pokemon Center!" she exclaimed. "He's too heavy."
"We can't wait for a stretcher," the nurse argued. "Maybe. . ."
"Wait!" I found myself exclaiming. Danielle and the nurse looked over at me. I rode over towards them, dismounted, and slipped the saddle off of Princess's back. "Princess can carry him there," I offered.
"No, Diana!" Danielle cried. "You're supposed to go right after we get Shane out of here, and if you don't have a Ponyta, you can't ride!"
I shrugged. "I don't care. There will be other competitions."
"Well. . .if you're sure." Danielle looked at me carefully.
I stared at Shane's mangled arm, and saw that his knee was a little bent out of shape also. "I'm sure," I said.
The nurse ran off to tell the judges I wouldn't be competing as Danielle and I hoisted Shane on Princess. Once he was up, he opened his eyes and looked at me. I smiled a sad smile.
"You're awake."
"You should really compete," Shane said slowly. He sounded as if he had had the wind knocked out of him. "Don't worry about me."
I really should have, I thought. I mean, this was Shane I was giving up my chance to be the champion junior jumper for. I should push him off of my Ponyta, saddle her up, and jump like I've never jumped before.
But I couldn't. For some reason, my body automatically did what my brain didn't think of yet, and I couldn't just let Shane be lugged to the Pokemon Center by his mom.
I shook my head. "I have to help you," I said. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even have a Ponyta at all. This is the least I can do."
Danielle pulled Princess's reins, and I stayed by Shane's side to make sure he didn't fall off or anything. The announcer was cackling something, but I didn't pay any attention to him.
Shane stared at me most of the way to the Pokemon Center, not even noticed his arm and leg were all twisted. I couldn't tell if he was trying to say anything, so I stared at the ground most of the time, making sure Princess's temper didn't get to her.
When we reach the Pokemon Center, I opened the doors so Danielle could lead Princess inside. The nurse immediately called for two pink blob-like Pokemon-Chanseys, I realized. They took Mars's Pokeball and took it to another room. I hoped Mars would be okay.
After the Chanseys waddled away, the nurse took the reins and led Princess into another room. I saw her gently put Shane on a bed, and then stared at Princess, wondering what she was supposed to do.
"Oh, I'll get her," I said. I grabbed the reins and smiled. "Thanks nurse- nurse. . ."
"Joy," Nurse Joy filled in. She looked at Shane and sighed. "This is the first time in years I've done work on a human."
"Really?"
"Yes. Usually when trainers come in, all burnt to a crisp or cut by Razor Leaf, they don't care. They just want their Pokemon healed. They usually buy some healing powder for themselves. But I've never seen broken bones as bad as this-Pokemon or human."
I nearly burst into tears for some reason. Shane had stopped staring at me when he suddenly realized how much pain he was in and was trying not to scream, it seemed.
"Can you heal him?" I asked.
"Oh yeah, even if it means dragging the doctor thirty miles away here," Nurse Joy laughed. "I promise he'll be fine."
I smiled. "Come on, Princess," I said, tugging on the reins. I realized her saddle was still in the arena. I wondered what had happened to it-I hoped someone had picked it up and put it back in the stable.
Danielle was in the lobby. "Nurse Joy will do whatever it takes to heal Shane," I told her. She nodded in reply and silently stood up. I think she was crying.
We walked out of the Pokemon Center, and started walking back to the arena when Danielle suddenly looked up. "Want a leg up?" she asked. "You can ride bareback to the stable."
"Okay," I answered. Danielle helped me on Princess and I slowly walked, tugging on the reins now and then.
"Oh, and I picked up your saddle. I think it's off to the side-you can probably get it after everyone has competed."
"Thanks."
We were silent for a few more strides until Danielle spoke up again. "You know, Diana, that was a very good thing you did"
"Huh?"
"Giving up your place in the competition so we could get Shane to the Pokemon Center," Danielle said, as if it was obvious. "That was the most noble thing I've ever seen anyone do."
I shrugged. I wanted to explain my feelings so bad, but for some reason, the words wouldn't come out. I just said, "Well, I wanted to make sure he was okay. That was a pretty bad fall."
Danielle wince. "Yes, I know. He KNEW he wasn't supposed to go that fast, especially since Mars is small for a Ponyta. We should've switched him to Red Spot for the competition," she sighed.
We had reached the arena by then, and to my surprise, they were already giving out ribbons. The other person from Jhoto had won second place, which made me a little happier. Danielle led Princess to a stall and I quickly snuck in and grabbed my saddle.
In the stable, Mom and Dad were standing by Princess's stall. "Diana!" Mom screeched when she saw me, startling Princess. "What happened?"
"Shane broke his arm and probably twisted his knee in the fall," I said. I grabbed Princess's brushes and went into her stall to start brushing her.
"Yes, Danielle told us, but why'd you give up your spot to help Shane?" Dad asked.
I stopped grooming Princess and stared at the floor. "I. . .I don't know," I whispered. I looked up and resumed my brushing. "I just felt like I had to."
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mom and Dad look at each other and raise their eyebrows. I didn't really care though. I just couldn't explain why I had to help Shane. It was crazy.
"Diana," I heard Danielle call. I looked up and saw her walking towards us. "Diana," she said again. "Shane broke his arm, twisted his knee, AND broke his ankle," Danielle said. She looked like she was about to burst out into tears. "It's really bad. He'll be able to get a wheelchair, but Nurse Joy has to work on him for another day," she added. "Do you mind if we stay here with Princess so you can go home? I'd ask you to stay, but I really don't know how long Nurse Joy is going to be and you might miss school. . ." she babbled.
I shrugged. "I don't mind. We can go home."
"You sure?" Mom asked.
I patted Princess and nodded. "Yeah. I'll just have to learn to survive without Princess for a couple of days."
Danielle chuckled, but Mom, for some reason, wasn't amused.
~*~*~
The ride home seemed to take longer than from. I just stared out the window the whole time. I couldn't stop picturing Shane on Mars, collapsing in the bars of the fence.
"At least his injuries aren't that bad," I told myself. "So he's going to be in a wheelchair for two months. He's going to be okay."
I sighed and watched the scenery pass by, digging my hands into my pockets. I frowned and felt something. I grabbed it and opened my hand.
It was the key Mom had given me. I smiled a little, looking at the little snake-like creature decorating the slightly worn gold.
"Hey Mom," I said softly. "I found the key."
Mom spun around in her seat. "Where was it?"
"In my pocket. . ." I said slowly, and frowned. It didn't make any sense. It wasn't in my pocket when I was changing my clothes in the Pokemon Center. So how had it gotten there?
I shrugged to myself and looked out the window again.
Finally, finally we arrived home. I climbed out of the car, feeling depressed since I wouldn't see Princess for awhile. Mom got out of the car, looking at our house oddly.
"What?" I asked.
"I told Mom to just leave the porch light on, but the light's on to the kitchen, living room, and den," she said, and shrugged. "Oh well, Maybe her memory's getting the best of her."
Dad opened the door for us-'ladies first' was one of his mottos-and waited until we got inside before turning off the porch light. I went into the living room and kitchen, and turned off the lights in there. Mom went into the den. I looked out of the corner of my eye and expect the light to flicker off, but nothing happened. I frowned.
"Mom?" I asked.
"April?" Dad asked, suddenly appearing from outside. He looked at me before walking downstairs from the kitchen into the den, where we saw Mom standing in the doorway, white with horror and shock.
"Mom, what-" I started, but she interrupted me with short gasps.
"She's. . .she's. . ."
I finally looked out in the den and gasped. Grandma was lying in the middle of the floor.
Dead.
My mouth was still hanging when I heard Mom's whisper: "He's. . .he's back."
It was Dad's turn to go as pale as Mom. "You mean. . .?"
Mom nodded. "He wants revenge."
~*~*~
Muhahaha. Darn me and my cliffhangers. Oh well, the more you review the sooner you shall see what happens! ^_^
Here's a nice loooooong chapter for you people who don't review -hiss-. Ah well, I have nothing else to say since no one reviewed. . .so just read. . .
~Chapter Nine~
Princess jumped about a foot in the air and started neighing in fear. I pulled the reins and patted her neck to calm her down, but in reality, she was acting just as I felt.
Danielle suddenly came running up to me. "Hey, have you seen Shane yet?"
I took a deep breath to calm myself down and shook my head. "He's not hear yet." Danielle gritted her teeth.
"Um, Mrs. Mavens?" I asked. "Didn't you hear. . .a. . .a scream?"
"No, why?"
"Oh. . .never mind," I whispered. Was that scream just my imagination? Was it my nervousness taking over or something?
Just then, Mom and Dad walked up to the stable. Mom's eyes were wide, and her face was white with shock. Her whole body seemed to be shaking. Dad wasn't in such good shape either.
"Mom! Dad!" I cried. Mom spotted me and my parents walked over to me. Mom seemed even more pale close up.
"What happened?" I asked.
"The. . . the. . ." Mom whispered. She stared at me for a few moments, and opened her mouth to say more, but Dad put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Mom looked away from me and stared at the ground for a few moments before putting on a fake smile. "So, are you excited honey?"
I could tell I wasn't supposed to ask about whatever had happened, so I painted on my own smile.
"Yeah, I'm excited," I smiled. "But Shane disappeared again and Mrs. Mavens has been looking for him, so I don't know when I'm supposed to go. . ."
"You're second!"
I spun around and saw Danielle standing behind me, her hand gripping Shane's arm. Shane was holding the reins to Mars, staring at the ground.
I laughed. "I see you found Shane."
"Yes, and can you believe it? He was coming out of some forest near here." Danielle was talking as if Shane wasn't standing right next to her. "He looked like he had seen a million Gengars about to use Shadow Ball on him." She turned to Shane and finally let go of his arm. "What the heck were you doing in a forest anyway?"
Shane finally looked up. He glared at his mother for a few seconds before taking Mars and walking away.
Danielle raised her eyebrows. "Well, what a very interesting thing to do in the forest."
"Danielle. . ." Mom suddenly said. She was speaking quite low and was staring at the ground like Shane had been. "Do you. . .know where Shane came of? What part of the forest?"
Danielle shrugged. "It had trees. . ."
I laughed, but it was a pitiful attempt. Mom seemed to be crying again so Dad whispered they were going to find a place to watch. I nodded silently.
"CONTEST NUMBER ONE IS SHANE MAVENS," a speaker suddenly blared. I raised my eyebrows. So Shane was first. He must have known that, or why else would he walk off?
"SHANE MAVENS, FROM JHOTO, IS ENTERING THE ARENA RIDING HIS PONYTA MARS FLAMETHROWER!" The crowd clapped politely. I wanted to watch Shane, but Danielle told me to hurry up and mount, since I was going next. I did so and walked Princess to where we were supposed to wait-and where I got a perfect view of Shane.
"Go Shane!" I whispered. He was waiting for a bell to signal he could begin. It seemed like forever but suddenly-ding!
"AND THERE GOES SHANE!" the announcer blared. He WAS going pretty fast. The second the bell chimed, he dug his heels into Mars. The Ponyta snorted and took off at a fast canter, jumping everything a little high.
"Shane, cool it," Danielle muttered.
Shane DID need to slow down a bit. Mars was going crazy, jumping the fences a foot higher than he needed to.
Shane led Mars around a corner, preparing to jump one of the three-foot fences. But Mars took off too late, skidded on the ground, and he couldn't stop since he was going so fast. Mars's hoofs caught onto the top rail of the fence, and he tumbled down-with Shane on top of him.
"SHANE!" I screamed.
The audience, who had been cheering quietly, suddenly starting crying in horror. Mars was on his side-the poles had collapsed onto him-and Shane was squashed under Mars. His arm was sticking out and was bent at an impossible angle.
Danielle ran out onto the field, along with someone who looked like a nurse. The nurse somehow took the saddle off, which made Danielle able to gently pull Shane away from Mars.
"Do you mind if I use a Pokeball?" the nurse asked, holding up one of the red and white devices.
"No, Mars is trained to be used to them," Danielle answered, but it seemed like it was automatic. She was whispering to Shane and holding up his bent arm.
The nurse tossed a Pokeball to Mars and I gasped as the Ponyta was captured into a beam of red light and sucked into the ball.
I couldn't believe it. How had Mars-a huge Ponyta-fit into that Pokeball? Sure we learned about Pokeballs in school, but I had never seen one work until now. It was amazing.
The nurse looked at Shane and winced. "That arms is definitely broken," she sighed. "We don't treat humans unless it's an emergency, because the nearest hospital is about thirty miles away. But we can treat him-that looks really bad."
"Oh, thank you," Danielle said. "Shane, honey? Can you stand up?"
"You'll have to carry him," the nurse said. "That was a bad fall, and he may have twisted his knee or some other part of his leg."
Danielle sighed. "I can't carry him all the way to the Pokemon Center!" she exclaimed. "He's too heavy."
"We can't wait for a stretcher," the nurse argued. "Maybe. . ."
"Wait!" I found myself exclaiming. Danielle and the nurse looked over at me. I rode over towards them, dismounted, and slipped the saddle off of Princess's back. "Princess can carry him there," I offered.
"No, Diana!" Danielle cried. "You're supposed to go right after we get Shane out of here, and if you don't have a Ponyta, you can't ride!"
I shrugged. "I don't care. There will be other competitions."
"Well. . .if you're sure." Danielle looked at me carefully.
I stared at Shane's mangled arm, and saw that his knee was a little bent out of shape also. "I'm sure," I said.
The nurse ran off to tell the judges I wouldn't be competing as Danielle and I hoisted Shane on Princess. Once he was up, he opened his eyes and looked at me. I smiled a sad smile.
"You're awake."
"You should really compete," Shane said slowly. He sounded as if he had had the wind knocked out of him. "Don't worry about me."
I really should have, I thought. I mean, this was Shane I was giving up my chance to be the champion junior jumper for. I should push him off of my Ponyta, saddle her up, and jump like I've never jumped before.
But I couldn't. For some reason, my body automatically did what my brain didn't think of yet, and I couldn't just let Shane be lugged to the Pokemon Center by his mom.
I shook my head. "I have to help you," I said. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even have a Ponyta at all. This is the least I can do."
Danielle pulled Princess's reins, and I stayed by Shane's side to make sure he didn't fall off or anything. The announcer was cackling something, but I didn't pay any attention to him.
Shane stared at me most of the way to the Pokemon Center, not even noticed his arm and leg were all twisted. I couldn't tell if he was trying to say anything, so I stared at the ground most of the time, making sure Princess's temper didn't get to her.
When we reach the Pokemon Center, I opened the doors so Danielle could lead Princess inside. The nurse immediately called for two pink blob-like Pokemon-Chanseys, I realized. They took Mars's Pokeball and took it to another room. I hoped Mars would be okay.
After the Chanseys waddled away, the nurse took the reins and led Princess into another room. I saw her gently put Shane on a bed, and then stared at Princess, wondering what she was supposed to do.
"Oh, I'll get her," I said. I grabbed the reins and smiled. "Thanks nurse- nurse. . ."
"Joy," Nurse Joy filled in. She looked at Shane and sighed. "This is the first time in years I've done work on a human."
"Really?"
"Yes. Usually when trainers come in, all burnt to a crisp or cut by Razor Leaf, they don't care. They just want their Pokemon healed. They usually buy some healing powder for themselves. But I've never seen broken bones as bad as this-Pokemon or human."
I nearly burst into tears for some reason. Shane had stopped staring at me when he suddenly realized how much pain he was in and was trying not to scream, it seemed.
"Can you heal him?" I asked.
"Oh yeah, even if it means dragging the doctor thirty miles away here," Nurse Joy laughed. "I promise he'll be fine."
I smiled. "Come on, Princess," I said, tugging on the reins. I realized her saddle was still in the arena. I wondered what had happened to it-I hoped someone had picked it up and put it back in the stable.
Danielle was in the lobby. "Nurse Joy will do whatever it takes to heal Shane," I told her. She nodded in reply and silently stood up. I think she was crying.
We walked out of the Pokemon Center, and started walking back to the arena when Danielle suddenly looked up. "Want a leg up?" she asked. "You can ride bareback to the stable."
"Okay," I answered. Danielle helped me on Princess and I slowly walked, tugging on the reins now and then.
"Oh, and I picked up your saddle. I think it's off to the side-you can probably get it after everyone has competed."
"Thanks."
We were silent for a few more strides until Danielle spoke up again. "You know, Diana, that was a very good thing you did"
"Huh?"
"Giving up your place in the competition so we could get Shane to the Pokemon Center," Danielle said, as if it was obvious. "That was the most noble thing I've ever seen anyone do."
I shrugged. I wanted to explain my feelings so bad, but for some reason, the words wouldn't come out. I just said, "Well, I wanted to make sure he was okay. That was a pretty bad fall."
Danielle wince. "Yes, I know. He KNEW he wasn't supposed to go that fast, especially since Mars is small for a Ponyta. We should've switched him to Red Spot for the competition," she sighed.
We had reached the arena by then, and to my surprise, they were already giving out ribbons. The other person from Jhoto had won second place, which made me a little happier. Danielle led Princess to a stall and I quickly snuck in and grabbed my saddle.
In the stable, Mom and Dad were standing by Princess's stall. "Diana!" Mom screeched when she saw me, startling Princess. "What happened?"
"Shane broke his arm and probably twisted his knee in the fall," I said. I grabbed Princess's brushes and went into her stall to start brushing her.
"Yes, Danielle told us, but why'd you give up your spot to help Shane?" Dad asked.
I stopped grooming Princess and stared at the floor. "I. . .I don't know," I whispered. I looked up and resumed my brushing. "I just felt like I had to."
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mom and Dad look at each other and raise their eyebrows. I didn't really care though. I just couldn't explain why I had to help Shane. It was crazy.
"Diana," I heard Danielle call. I looked up and saw her walking towards us. "Diana," she said again. "Shane broke his arm, twisted his knee, AND broke his ankle," Danielle said. She looked like she was about to burst out into tears. "It's really bad. He'll be able to get a wheelchair, but Nurse Joy has to work on him for another day," she added. "Do you mind if we stay here with Princess so you can go home? I'd ask you to stay, but I really don't know how long Nurse Joy is going to be and you might miss school. . ." she babbled.
I shrugged. "I don't mind. We can go home."
"You sure?" Mom asked.
I patted Princess and nodded. "Yeah. I'll just have to learn to survive without Princess for a couple of days."
Danielle chuckled, but Mom, for some reason, wasn't amused.
~*~*~
The ride home seemed to take longer than from. I just stared out the window the whole time. I couldn't stop picturing Shane on Mars, collapsing in the bars of the fence.
"At least his injuries aren't that bad," I told myself. "So he's going to be in a wheelchair for two months. He's going to be okay."
I sighed and watched the scenery pass by, digging my hands into my pockets. I frowned and felt something. I grabbed it and opened my hand.
It was the key Mom had given me. I smiled a little, looking at the little snake-like creature decorating the slightly worn gold.
"Hey Mom," I said softly. "I found the key."
Mom spun around in her seat. "Where was it?"
"In my pocket. . ." I said slowly, and frowned. It didn't make any sense. It wasn't in my pocket when I was changing my clothes in the Pokemon Center. So how had it gotten there?
I shrugged to myself and looked out the window again.
Finally, finally we arrived home. I climbed out of the car, feeling depressed since I wouldn't see Princess for awhile. Mom got out of the car, looking at our house oddly.
"What?" I asked.
"I told Mom to just leave the porch light on, but the light's on to the kitchen, living room, and den," she said, and shrugged. "Oh well, Maybe her memory's getting the best of her."
Dad opened the door for us-'ladies first' was one of his mottos-and waited until we got inside before turning off the porch light. I went into the living room and kitchen, and turned off the lights in there. Mom went into the den. I looked out of the corner of my eye and expect the light to flicker off, but nothing happened. I frowned.
"Mom?" I asked.
"April?" Dad asked, suddenly appearing from outside. He looked at me before walking downstairs from the kitchen into the den, where we saw Mom standing in the doorway, white with horror and shock.
"Mom, what-" I started, but she interrupted me with short gasps.
"She's. . .she's. . ."
I finally looked out in the den and gasped. Grandma was lying in the middle of the floor.
Dead.
My mouth was still hanging when I heard Mom's whisper: "He's. . .he's back."
It was Dad's turn to go as pale as Mom. "You mean. . .?"
Mom nodded. "He wants revenge."
~*~*~
Muhahaha. Darn me and my cliffhangers. Oh well, the more you review the sooner you shall see what happens! ^_^