Chapter Six-The Final Piece
"Alexandra…. Alex, awaken." The young girl stirred, and Shadi sighed inwardly in relief. He'd thought the child to be dead.
"Shadi…why did you go away so long?" She tried to sit up, but Shadi gently pushed her to lay down again.
"I am sorry, Alex. I went to bring help. I will have to retrieve them soon, but I had to see to you and your cousin's well being first. " He petted her hair gently, as Alexandra fell back into a state of unconsciousness. "I will soon have you out of here, Child. Then perhaps you will have a real family that will love you." The Egyptian Guardian turned his head towards the door, hearing a racket downstairs. He stood up, and once again cloaking himself from sight, walked downstairs to see what was going on.
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"Welcome, Kassandra." Amelia held the young girl tightly. The smirk on her face was that of pure evil, and Shadi just wanted to kill her. "Is her room ready, Sister?"
"She will share the attic with Alexandra. The garret next door." Agatha replied.
Kassandra whimpered. "No dawk…."
"Oh that upsets you,does it? Well,good!" Amelia turned, and took the girl to her room. "The final piece has arrived, and now we wait for the next dark moon."
Shadi glared after the wretched woman, and decided to follow her, to see what she would do to the new girl. This new child can't be more than four. How can these women be so horrid?! Shadi watched from the doorway, as Amelia lit a candle for the girl, whom she'd placed on a bed similar to Alexandra's.
"Now now…. There's no need for all that crying. This is only temporary. Tomorrow night, we're all going out for a little ride. Auntie's got a big surprise for you." Amelia told the girl, as she walked out of the room, locking the door.
Treacherous Witch! Shadi thought to himself, as he shimmered into view, walking over to Kassandra. He knelt before her bed, rubbing her back soothingly. "Do not worry over it. She won't get a chance to put that plan into action."
The girl looked up at him, trembling. "Hers mean…."
"Yes she is, and she will get what is coming to her." Shadi promised. He smiled gently at her. "You must be strong, Little One. I will be returning with help soon. The girl that is in the room next door is your family. Perhaps you would like to stay with her?"
Kassandra nodded. "Uh huh."
Shad picked her up now, and carried her next door to Alexandra's room. "She sleeps right now, but I assure you, she will awaken."
The young girl nodded, yawning herself. "Sleepies…"
The guardian nodded, and laid Kassandra down next to Alexandra. "She will take care of you until I can return. Just stay quiet, so they will not know you've moved rooms." Shadi told her.
"Tay…" Kassandra whispered softly, as she curled into her cousin's arms.
Alexandra reflexively clung to the child gently, as Shadi disappeared once again to get the rescuers.
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"We do not have much time, I'm afraid. Tomorrow night is the Dark Moon, when the witches will put their spell into motion." Shadi had finished briefing his friends quickly. He was quite impressed with the manner in which they had all been organized. "The most we can do tonight is to set up an elaborate plan of action. Tomorrow, we get them out. "
"We have broken into three groups, Shadi. One for each girl, and one for those terrible women." Marik told his old friend. The Egyptian boy was worried now that a third child had been added. "That might not work now though."
"I do not think we need groups for the girls, but maybe one or two people for each should do nicely." Shadi helped him revise their idea.
"Perhaps. You said this third girl is no more than four? That's terrible!" Rishid put in.
"It is. We cannot allow anymore harm to come to any of them!" Ishizu proclaimed, her eyes narrowing angrily. "I've seen too much violence against innocent beings in my lifetime." She meant, of course, the ill treatment of her two brothers by their father.
"Yes, I know." Shadi nodded sympathetically. "Their nightmare will be over as of tomorrow."
"Good." Ishizu stated, sipping her iced tea.
"I'm worried about something else as well, Shadi. What will happen to these girls once they are free? Are they all orphans?" Serenity asked suddenly.
"Yes. I'm not sure about Arianna, but I am positive little Kassandra and Alexandra have no place to go." The guardian had secretly been thinking about taking Alexandra into his care. He really liked her, and knew she would make a fine apprentice when she was older.
"How awful!"
" Maybe one of us could take them in." Duke spoke up.
"Perhaps." Shadi was very grateful for their thoughtfulness. With people like them in the world, evil would never triumph.
"I'd like to have a little sister." Mai said suddenly, which caused a stir. "What? I've been an only child all my life. What's wrong with wanting a little companionship?"
"Nothin'. " Joey smiled at Mai. "I think that's great, Mai. You wantin' to help out and all."
"Thank you, Joey." She smiled slightly.
"No problem." The Brooklyn boy looked at his sister, Serenity. "Are you sure you're okay with doing this, Sis?"
"Joey, I can't sit still while I know three innocent children could be badly hurt." Serenity told him softly. "Besides, nothing can happen to me with you nearby, right?"
"Right!" Joey put an arm around his sister's shoulders. "Don't worry, Sis. I'm here for ya, just like always."
"I know you are." The Wheeler siblings grinned at each other.
On the other side of the shop, Yami, Rakura, Yugi and Bakura were developing their own plans. The boys were working on the Claudia problem.
"She has no soul already…perhaps we can put it back." Bakura suggested.
"Foolish boy, you can't replace something that's gone for good." Rakura grunted.
"We don't know that it is…." Yugi began.
"Rakura's right." Yami interrupted. "These women do their jobs thoroughly, from what Shadi told us. The soul isn't there."
Yugi and Bakura exchanged looks. "Then we don't have a lot of other options…" The British boy replied.
"Correct." Rakura muttered. "I'm going to bed. Wake me in the morning." The thief disappeared into Bakura's Millennium Ring.
Bakura sighed in exasperation. "I don't understand him sometimes!"
"Does anybody?" Yugi chuckled, thankful that his yami wasn't so difficult.
Yami smiled slightly. "I suspect being good does not always agree with him."
"That could very well be it." Bakura agreed. He yawned, and looked at the time. "Oh my! Look at the time…we'll never want to get up if we don't all get sleep soon."
Shadi nodded, noting Bakura's words. He looked at everyone who was involved. "Tomorrow morning, we will meet here for further planning, then head to the house around noon." He also had to get back, to prepare the girls for what was to come. His plan was to move them all into one room.
"Sounds like a plan." Duke said, standing up. "See you all then." He walked out.
Joey, Tristan and Serenity followed, all going to Tristan's place, which was closest to the game shop. Mai left a minute later, and soon, it was just the Ishtars, Bakura and Yugi. (Yami had gone to bed inside Yugi's Item during the commotion.)
"Well, we should be going as well." Ishizu said now. "We will have a long, trying day tomorrow, and we should get a good night's sleep."
"Nicely put, Sister." Marik looked at Shadi. "We won't let you down, Shadi." He followed his siblings out of the shop at that.
The Egyptian guardian watched the groups depart, then left himself, to see to his part of the plan.