~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Marth sat uneasily in front of his computer at work. Now was the time to get into that bank account. He grabbed a small slip of paper with eight numbers on it. Then he faced the computer screen. It read:
Name: Rosa Banks
Amount saved: $4,000,000.00
Security number:________
The number was right in Marth's hand. Praying silently, he typed in the numerals into the space. He clicked on the "ok" button, and the screen went black for a few seconds. Sweat poured down Marth's face until "Access Granted; processing" flashed onto the monitor screen.
Marth closed his eyes and tried to hold in a scream of victory. He'd done it. Little did Marth know that Link was standing there watching him.
'I've got to do something about this,' Link thought to himself, even though he could have yelled it and it wouldn't have made a difference.
Link turned on his heel and ran out of the office. He flew down the stairs, in and out of employees, and raced through the door. Breathing heavily, he crossed the corner that led to Peach's psychic shop.
He was surprised to see it filled with people. Normally, Peach had four or five customers waiting (and that was on a good day), but now it was completely packed. Link went through the door and made his way towards the room where Peach would be gazing into her crystal ball.
"Hey, hold it, little man," said a large black guy, putting an arm in front of Link that made him stop immediately. "You gotta wait your turn! There ain't no cuttin in line!"
Link was flabbergasted. "Y-you can see--"
"Course I can see you," the man snorted. "Everyone in here can see you. We're all ghosts too. And word has it that Peach Oda Mae can contact ghosts, and so we all came down here as soon as possible."
"But I've got to get through! It's an emergency!" Link insisted.
"Um. . .the bathroom's over there. . ."
"NOT THAT KIND OF EMERGENCY!!!" Link bellowed.
"Link, is that you?" came Peach's voice from behind her closed door. "Come in here, I want to have a word with you!"
Link walked inside the room, and found it almost as crowded as the one he'd just left. Peach was sitting in the center, glaring around the area, as if looking for him.
"Peach?"
"YOU started all this, Link!" Peach accused. "Where are you!?"
"I'm standing behind you."
"Ooh!" Peach humphed. "Now, thanks to you, I can talk to every dead person there is! It's driving me nuts!"
"Hey, can we get back to me, please?" asked the man Peach had been tending to, named Earl.
"No!" Peach answered. "Link, you'd better--"
"Peach, I need your help."
"Oh no, not again! I thought I just helped you! I do NOT want to get involved with this murder case!!"
"If you help me, there may not be a murder!"
There was a little old lady sitting in front of Peach, blinking. Her hair had been dyed red, and she was very confused about the whole affair. Peach kept on interrupting their conversation by shouting out to people she couldn't see. The old lady's name was Victoria, and she was Earl's husband.
Earl became impatient. He suddenly threw himself on top of Peach. Actually "into" might be a better choice of words. Victoria watched in amazement as Peach's body began to inflate; her eyes turned from blue to brown, her hair shortened and her skin was a tinged brown color. She had almost transformed into Earl.
"Hmm. . .I see it didn't work," Earl commented. He stared at Victoria. "Hot dang, woman! What you done to your hair?"
"Like it?" Vicky asked.
"LIKE it?! You've gone and messed it all up!"
"Well! May I say that you look absolutely ridiculous with that blonde hair!" Victoria stood up. "I'm leaving!"
"Hey baby, don't go!" Earl cried. "I only just started talkin' to you!"
"Yeah, and it wasn't long before you started insulting me again!" In a huff, she walked out the door.
"Wait, come back!"
Earl's essence started to form next to the door, and Peach started to slowly look like herself again.
"GET OUT!!" she yelled. "ALL OF YOU, GET OUT!!! Except for you, Link."
Link watched all the other ghosts quickly leave the room. Peach sighed, clutching her stomach, and bent over the desk. "Fat people never work. . .they use my body, you see. That way, whoever they're trying to contact can actually see them. But then I always get so tired once they leave my body. But it doesn't work with fat people!!"
"Okay, okay, just calm down, Peach," Link said. "I know I've been telling you this before, but it's really important that you help me this time. Now your own life is on the line. I'm serious."
"Just what exactly makes you think you can come back her and just--MY life?! What you talkin' about, Link!?"
"Marth and Roy know you know too much," Link said. "And if you do exactly what I tell you to, I'll be able to save yours and Zelda's lives."
"I'm listening."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day, Peach headed towards the bank with Link (they would've gone last night, but Peach had been too tired because of Earl). "What was that name again?" she asked worriedly.
"Rosa Parks," Link whispered. "Remember that: you are now Rosa Parks."
"Right, right. . .but what if I mess up?!"
"Don't worry. Just do exactly as I tell you, and you'll be just fine."
"Well what if you just walk off and leave me and I'm left to be like a total idiot?!"
"PEACH!! Trust me, okay? I'm trying to save your hide as well as Zelda's!"
"....................fine."
The bank, which was very large, had two spiraling staircases that went in two opposite directions. "Which one?" Peach whispered, trying not to draw too much attention to herself.
"The left one."
They mounted the staircase, and Link continued to give her instructions. "Stop at the desk that says Mary Brown. Tell her you'd like to empty your account. And make it good, okay?"
"No sweat."
Peach stopped at the desk that had a plaque with "Mary Brown" written on it.
"Excuse me ma'am," Peach said. "But are you Mary Brown?"
The woman behind the desk gave Peach a weird look. "Yes, madam, I am. May I help you?"
"Yes, I'd like to empty my account," Peach answered, sitting down in the chair.
"Name?"
"Rosa Parks."
"May I see some I.D., Ms. Parks?"
"Yes, hold a minute. . ." Peach searched in her purse, then pulled out her false identification. It showed her photograph, and right alongisde it was the name Rosa Parks.
"All right then," Mrs. Brown muttered, typing something into her computer. "And what's the number for the account?"
Peach grinned forcefully.
"It's 98340578," Link said.
"9834..."
"0578!!" Link whispered loudly.
"0578,"
Mrs. Brown's eyes widened as the account flashed onto the screen. "You want to withdraw four million dollars?"
"FOUR MILLION DOLLARS?!" Peach cried, again getting another strange look from Mrs. Brown. She felt Link nudge her. She straightened, and resumed her forced smiling. "Yes."
"And w-would you like that in. . .cash or check?"
"Er. . ."
"Check," Link said.
"A check, please."
"All right. . ." Mrs. Brown got out the paper and handed it to Peach. "Sign her please." She handed her a pen.
Peach absentmindedly started writing, "Peach O--"
"NO!" Link said. "You're name is Rosa Parks, remember?!"
"Oops!" Peach whispered. "Ummm. . ."
"Is something the matter?" Mrs. Brown asked.
"Erm. . .LOOK OVER THERE!" Peach shouted, pointing to the opposite side of the bank.
As Mrs. Brown (and several other bank employees) twisted around to see what Peach was pointing at, she tore up the check. "Whoops! Would you look at that? I accidentally ripped the check. Could have another one, please?"
Looking at her sarcastically, Mrs. Brown gave Peach another check, which she signed as Rosa Parks.
"Thank you, Ms. Parks," Mrs. Brown said in a monotone. "Do come again."
"Oh thank YOU," Peach said, grinning. She stood up and headed towards the staircase.
Both Link and Peach had failed to realize that Zelda had been only a few desks away from them. She stared at Peach as she left. Quickly, she took her money and crossed the room towards Mrs. Brown's desk.
"Excuse me, but. . .erm, how much money did Mrs. Mae just withdraw?"
Mary Brown stared at her. "Who?"
"Mrs. Mae. Peach Oda Mae. . .the woman that just left?"
"What're you talking about? That was Mrs. Rosa Parks. Please go away, young woman and cause trouble elsewhere. I'm trying to work."
Zelda numbly walked down the stairs. Rosa Parks? That policeman had been right. Peach was nothing but a no-good petty criminal. She had used false identification to practically rob another person.
Outside the bank, Peach kissed the check in her hand. "Woo-hoo! Four million dollars! I've never even seen this much money before! Ooh, J.C. Penny, here I come!!"
"Oh no you don't," Link said. "I'm not letting you keep that money."
"And why not? I DID do your dirty work, didn't I?"
"It was helping yourself, too!"
"Well what d'you want me to do? Give it to a convent or something??"
Link looked sideways, noticing two nuns next to a sign that read "Help Preserve Our Convent and Stop World Hunger." One held a box to collect money, into which the occasional pedestrian would drop a few coins.
"Y'know Peach," Link said, pushing her towards them. "That's not a bad idea."
"What d'you--" It was then that Peach noticed the two nuns. "Oh no! No way!! I am not about to give four million dollars to a couple of nuns!!"
"Why not?" Link asked. "It's the most worthy cause there is. DO IT."
"But Link!" Peach whined. "It's four million dollars! Do you know how much money that is? IT'S A LOT!!"
"Peach, stop being so selfish! You're lucky to have gotten through all this with your life!"
"Well if it hadn't been for YOU, I never would've been in danger!"
"If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't be holding that four million dollars!"
Peach opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Her shoulders drooped. "Do I have to?"
"Yes." Link pushed her closer. "Just do it, Peach."
Putting on a very strained smile, Peach held out her arm and waved the check slowly at the nuns. "Here," she said through clenched teeth.
Smiling, one of the nuns made to take the check, but Peach slowly moved her arm out of the way.
"Give it to her!" Link ordered.
"I will," Peach said. "Just give me a few more seconds with my money."
The nun grabbed onto the check, but Peach refused to let go.
"Give it to her!" Link repeated.
"I WILL!" Peach said through clenched teeth. Link grabbed her arm, and she quickly let go of the check.
"C'mon, let's go."
"Gladly," Peach sulked, walking away. "Man, I can't believe I just gave four million dollars to a herd of nuns!"
"There were only two of them."
Link turned around and watched one of the nuns read the amount of money that had just been donated. She fainted into the arms of her colleague.
"Man, if I could see you, I'd beat you up," Peach grunted, preparing to cross the busy street. The light turned red, and she began to walk.
Staying behind, Link grinned. "You're a great person, Peach."
Fuming, Peach turned around. She looked about the air, trying vainly to find Link. She picked a random spot, and stuck her tongue out at it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Hello?" Roy asked drowsily into his phone.
"Did you find out where this Peach person lives?" came Marth's response.
"Wha? Oh, yeah. . .why?"
"Will you be ready for another murder by tomorrow night?"
"Sure will."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
well, that's the next chapter. hope it was okay!!
Marth sat uneasily in front of his computer at work. Now was the time to get into that bank account. He grabbed a small slip of paper with eight numbers on it. Then he faced the computer screen. It read:
Name: Rosa Banks
Amount saved: $4,000,000.00
Security number:________
The number was right in Marth's hand. Praying silently, he typed in the numerals into the space. He clicked on the "ok" button, and the screen went black for a few seconds. Sweat poured down Marth's face until "Access Granted; processing" flashed onto the monitor screen.
Marth closed his eyes and tried to hold in a scream of victory. He'd done it. Little did Marth know that Link was standing there watching him.
'I've got to do something about this,' Link thought to himself, even though he could have yelled it and it wouldn't have made a difference.
Link turned on his heel and ran out of the office. He flew down the stairs, in and out of employees, and raced through the door. Breathing heavily, he crossed the corner that led to Peach's psychic shop.
He was surprised to see it filled with people. Normally, Peach had four or five customers waiting (and that was on a good day), but now it was completely packed. Link went through the door and made his way towards the room where Peach would be gazing into her crystal ball.
"Hey, hold it, little man," said a large black guy, putting an arm in front of Link that made him stop immediately. "You gotta wait your turn! There ain't no cuttin in line!"
Link was flabbergasted. "Y-you can see--"
"Course I can see you," the man snorted. "Everyone in here can see you. We're all ghosts too. And word has it that Peach Oda Mae can contact ghosts, and so we all came down here as soon as possible."
"But I've got to get through! It's an emergency!" Link insisted.
"Um. . .the bathroom's over there. . ."
"NOT THAT KIND OF EMERGENCY!!!" Link bellowed.
"Link, is that you?" came Peach's voice from behind her closed door. "Come in here, I want to have a word with you!"
Link walked inside the room, and found it almost as crowded as the one he'd just left. Peach was sitting in the center, glaring around the area, as if looking for him.
"Peach?"
"YOU started all this, Link!" Peach accused. "Where are you!?"
"I'm standing behind you."
"Ooh!" Peach humphed. "Now, thanks to you, I can talk to every dead person there is! It's driving me nuts!"
"Hey, can we get back to me, please?" asked the man Peach had been tending to, named Earl.
"No!" Peach answered. "Link, you'd better--"
"Peach, I need your help."
"Oh no, not again! I thought I just helped you! I do NOT want to get involved with this murder case!!"
"If you help me, there may not be a murder!"
There was a little old lady sitting in front of Peach, blinking. Her hair had been dyed red, and she was very confused about the whole affair. Peach kept on interrupting their conversation by shouting out to people she couldn't see. The old lady's name was Victoria, and she was Earl's husband.
Earl became impatient. He suddenly threw himself on top of Peach. Actually "into" might be a better choice of words. Victoria watched in amazement as Peach's body began to inflate; her eyes turned from blue to brown, her hair shortened and her skin was a tinged brown color. She had almost transformed into Earl.
"Hmm. . .I see it didn't work," Earl commented. He stared at Victoria. "Hot dang, woman! What you done to your hair?"
"Like it?" Vicky asked.
"LIKE it?! You've gone and messed it all up!"
"Well! May I say that you look absolutely ridiculous with that blonde hair!" Victoria stood up. "I'm leaving!"
"Hey baby, don't go!" Earl cried. "I only just started talkin' to you!"
"Yeah, and it wasn't long before you started insulting me again!" In a huff, she walked out the door.
"Wait, come back!"
Earl's essence started to form next to the door, and Peach started to slowly look like herself again.
"GET OUT!!" she yelled. "ALL OF YOU, GET OUT!!! Except for you, Link."
Link watched all the other ghosts quickly leave the room. Peach sighed, clutching her stomach, and bent over the desk. "Fat people never work. . .they use my body, you see. That way, whoever they're trying to contact can actually see them. But then I always get so tired once they leave my body. But it doesn't work with fat people!!"
"Okay, okay, just calm down, Peach," Link said. "I know I've been telling you this before, but it's really important that you help me this time. Now your own life is on the line. I'm serious."
"Just what exactly makes you think you can come back her and just--MY life?! What you talkin' about, Link!?"
"Marth and Roy know you know too much," Link said. "And if you do exactly what I tell you to, I'll be able to save yours and Zelda's lives."
"I'm listening."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day, Peach headed towards the bank with Link (they would've gone last night, but Peach had been too tired because of Earl). "What was that name again?" she asked worriedly.
"Rosa Parks," Link whispered. "Remember that: you are now Rosa Parks."
"Right, right. . .but what if I mess up?!"
"Don't worry. Just do exactly as I tell you, and you'll be just fine."
"Well what if you just walk off and leave me and I'm left to be like a total idiot?!"
"PEACH!! Trust me, okay? I'm trying to save your hide as well as Zelda's!"
"....................fine."
The bank, which was very large, had two spiraling staircases that went in two opposite directions. "Which one?" Peach whispered, trying not to draw too much attention to herself.
"The left one."
They mounted the staircase, and Link continued to give her instructions. "Stop at the desk that says Mary Brown. Tell her you'd like to empty your account. And make it good, okay?"
"No sweat."
Peach stopped at the desk that had a plaque with "Mary Brown" written on it.
"Excuse me ma'am," Peach said. "But are you Mary Brown?"
The woman behind the desk gave Peach a weird look. "Yes, madam, I am. May I help you?"
"Yes, I'd like to empty my account," Peach answered, sitting down in the chair.
"Name?"
"Rosa Parks."
"May I see some I.D., Ms. Parks?"
"Yes, hold a minute. . ." Peach searched in her purse, then pulled out her false identification. It showed her photograph, and right alongisde it was the name Rosa Parks.
"All right then," Mrs. Brown muttered, typing something into her computer. "And what's the number for the account?"
Peach grinned forcefully.
"It's 98340578," Link said.
"9834..."
"0578!!" Link whispered loudly.
"0578,"
Mrs. Brown's eyes widened as the account flashed onto the screen. "You want to withdraw four million dollars?"
"FOUR MILLION DOLLARS?!" Peach cried, again getting another strange look from Mrs. Brown. She felt Link nudge her. She straightened, and resumed her forced smiling. "Yes."
"And w-would you like that in. . .cash or check?"
"Er. . ."
"Check," Link said.
"A check, please."
"All right. . ." Mrs. Brown got out the paper and handed it to Peach. "Sign her please." She handed her a pen.
Peach absentmindedly started writing, "Peach O--"
"NO!" Link said. "You're name is Rosa Parks, remember?!"
"Oops!" Peach whispered. "Ummm. . ."
"Is something the matter?" Mrs. Brown asked.
"Erm. . .LOOK OVER THERE!" Peach shouted, pointing to the opposite side of the bank.
As Mrs. Brown (and several other bank employees) twisted around to see what Peach was pointing at, she tore up the check. "Whoops! Would you look at that? I accidentally ripped the check. Could have another one, please?"
Looking at her sarcastically, Mrs. Brown gave Peach another check, which she signed as Rosa Parks.
"Thank you, Ms. Parks," Mrs. Brown said in a monotone. "Do come again."
"Oh thank YOU," Peach said, grinning. She stood up and headed towards the staircase.
Both Link and Peach had failed to realize that Zelda had been only a few desks away from them. She stared at Peach as she left. Quickly, she took her money and crossed the room towards Mrs. Brown's desk.
"Excuse me, but. . .erm, how much money did Mrs. Mae just withdraw?"
Mary Brown stared at her. "Who?"
"Mrs. Mae. Peach Oda Mae. . .the woman that just left?"
"What're you talking about? That was Mrs. Rosa Parks. Please go away, young woman and cause trouble elsewhere. I'm trying to work."
Zelda numbly walked down the stairs. Rosa Parks? That policeman had been right. Peach was nothing but a no-good petty criminal. She had used false identification to practically rob another person.
Outside the bank, Peach kissed the check in her hand. "Woo-hoo! Four million dollars! I've never even seen this much money before! Ooh, J.C. Penny, here I come!!"
"Oh no you don't," Link said. "I'm not letting you keep that money."
"And why not? I DID do your dirty work, didn't I?"
"It was helping yourself, too!"
"Well what d'you want me to do? Give it to a convent or something??"
Link looked sideways, noticing two nuns next to a sign that read "Help Preserve Our Convent and Stop World Hunger." One held a box to collect money, into which the occasional pedestrian would drop a few coins.
"Y'know Peach," Link said, pushing her towards them. "That's not a bad idea."
"What d'you--" It was then that Peach noticed the two nuns. "Oh no! No way!! I am not about to give four million dollars to a couple of nuns!!"
"Why not?" Link asked. "It's the most worthy cause there is. DO IT."
"But Link!" Peach whined. "It's four million dollars! Do you know how much money that is? IT'S A LOT!!"
"Peach, stop being so selfish! You're lucky to have gotten through all this with your life!"
"Well if it hadn't been for YOU, I never would've been in danger!"
"If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't be holding that four million dollars!"
Peach opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Her shoulders drooped. "Do I have to?"
"Yes." Link pushed her closer. "Just do it, Peach."
Putting on a very strained smile, Peach held out her arm and waved the check slowly at the nuns. "Here," she said through clenched teeth.
Smiling, one of the nuns made to take the check, but Peach slowly moved her arm out of the way.
"Give it to her!" Link ordered.
"I will," Peach said. "Just give me a few more seconds with my money."
The nun grabbed onto the check, but Peach refused to let go.
"Give it to her!" Link repeated.
"I WILL!" Peach said through clenched teeth. Link grabbed her arm, and she quickly let go of the check.
"C'mon, let's go."
"Gladly," Peach sulked, walking away. "Man, I can't believe I just gave four million dollars to a herd of nuns!"
"There were only two of them."
Link turned around and watched one of the nuns read the amount of money that had just been donated. She fainted into the arms of her colleague.
"Man, if I could see you, I'd beat you up," Peach grunted, preparing to cross the busy street. The light turned red, and she began to walk.
Staying behind, Link grinned. "You're a great person, Peach."
Fuming, Peach turned around. She looked about the air, trying vainly to find Link. She picked a random spot, and stuck her tongue out at it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Hello?" Roy asked drowsily into his phone.
"Did you find out where this Peach person lives?" came Marth's response.
"Wha? Oh, yeah. . .why?"
"Will you be ready for another murder by tomorrow night?"
"Sure will."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
well, that's the next chapter. hope it was okay!!
