The Case of the Manila Envelope--Chapter 10
by HA
"I'll give you this, Blake," Molly said seconds before placing a piece of catfish into her mouth.
"What?" Blake said as helped himself to more clam and pasta.
Molly swallowed. "You know good food." As the chewed up seafood slid down her throat, she thought, *I can't believe I let him do that to me! The next time he tries to contradict me, I'm playing my trump card.*
"Well, you did pick this place," Blake acknowledged. "How long have you been coming here?"
Molly stared down at her plate and dragged another piece of catfish back and forth. "Oh, ever since I came to Redington, my parents and I usually come here when Daddy's having a business dinner in town with someone."
"I see," Blake said, and he sighed. "It must be nice spending time with your entire family."
"Not really," Molly said, looking up from her plate. "They're always talking about business and bridge." Her gaze returned to her plate. "It's always been like that since I was little."
"Tell me about it," Blake said. "Whenever we eat out, Mom's always going on about a recent archelogical find, and Dad's always trying to avoid questions about his latest case."
"Do you feel left out?" Molly asked before she could stop herself.
"Not really," Blake said. "For one thing, I'm the one usually bugging Dad about his cases, and Mom has some interesting ideas about any digs she knows about." He stabbed a stray clam and held it up to his eyes. "I wish I could have those days back. You know, have them cut down on their out-of-country travel plans and just stay at home at the same time."
"At least your parents care about you," Molly muttered.
Blake heard her clearly, and for a while, neither of them spoke. Around them, the rest of the diners continued their meals and conversations.
"Let me in there!"
Blake blinked. "Hey, that sounds like..."
"Sir, you can't come in yet! We're full!" they heard the maitre d yell.
Molly looked up and groaned. "It is him," she said, annoyed at the sight.
Blake, Molly, and the rest of the diners watched as Stink tried to get into the dining area. Normally, it would've been an easy task, but it proved to be difficult for the lovestruck lad with three men holding him back.
"Let me go! I've got to get in there!" Stink yelled as he struggled in the men's tight grip.
"Sir, we cannot have any more guests in the dining area," the maitre d pleaded. "Now, sit down or I'll have you thrown out or even have the police charge you with being a public nuisance."
Along with the rest of the diners, Blake and Molly watched as Alicia entered. "Oh my," she said with a smile to the maitre d. "August, how long has it been?"
"Ah, Miss Gianelli," the maitre d said, smiling. "How good of you to come here again."
Alicia quickly paced herself with Stink and his captors. "Excuse my friend here. I told him how wonderful the food was here, and I guess he really wanted to come here."
The maitre d looked at Stink, who had managed to calm himself a little. "I think your friend here is a little overzealous when it comes to food," he whispered to Alicia.
"Well, he doesn't have all his eggs in one basket, if you get my drift," she whispered back.
"I do, indeed," the maitre d said.
"Tell you what," Alicia said as she scratched her chin. "I'll convince my friend here to wait for an opening, and you don't have to press charges against him for disrupting dinner."
"I leave the situation to you, Miss Gianelli." The maitre d snapped his fingers, and the three men let go of their captive. "Nothing to see here, folks. Just enjoy your meal." With those words, the diners returned to their eating and conversations.
"Thanks," Stink said as Alicia marched up to him and the men returned to their duties.
Frowning, Alicia grabbed him by the arm. "Come on, loverboy," she said sternly as she dragged him to the waiting area. "Just sit down and shut up."
Stink frowned back at her, but said nothing. Instead, he looked longingly at Molly, who was doing her best to keep her eyes on her plate. Once he and Alicia sat down, the diners resumed what they were doing.
"I can't believe him," Molly said, glancing at Stink while stabbing at some catfish. "What did I do to deserve this?"
"Do you really want to go into that?" Blake said, smiling.
Molly did her best to ignore the remark and took a sip of water. "I mean, what's wrong with him? Why does he have to be so persistent?"
"Can you blame him?" Blake said. "You are rather beautiful."
Molly felt her cheeks heat up, and it took all of her willpower to keep her entire face from reddening. "Well...he's so annoying!"
"So he's not your type," Blake said. "Say, what is your type?"
Shocked at her date's audacity, Molly stared at him. Eventually, she regained her composure. "As far as the boys at Sussex Academy are concerned, no one there is my type."
"Too good for them, huh?" Blake said.
"Exactly," Molly said frankly.
"You know, something's been bothering me," Blake admitted. "You just said no one at school's in your class, right?"
"That's correct," Molly answered.
"And it's no secret to me that this is all part of your twisted scheme to get to Shirley."
"How true," Molly said, not even trying to supress the grin forming on her face.
"Then why are we on this date?" Blake asked. "After all, you could've made what you stole from me public."
Molly opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Her focus quickly shifted to her plate, and the catfish there became more interesting.
"You know, you could've made me do whatever you want, yet you decided on this date," Blake continued. Rubbing his chin, he added, "Just out of curiosity, are you lonely?"
"What?" Molly almost jumped out of her seat, and the grip around her fork tightened. With her teeth clenched, she glared at him, her fork at the ready.
"I didn't mean to be rude," Blake said sincerely. "It's just that I've noticed you're alone most of the time."
Molly's eyes narrowed at him. "What do you mean by that? Everyone at school's always trying to be with me or seen with me."
"Yeah, but you don't seem to enjoy it that much," Blake said. "Sure, you like being the center of attention, but I've always noticed something about you." His hands gestured as he searched for the right words. "You always seem to separate yourself from everyone else, even in a crowd."
Molly let her fork drop to her plate. "You've been hanging around Holmes too much for your own good."
"Maybe you're right," Blake said with a small smile crossing his face.
"I'm amazed at you," Molly admitted. "I'm in possession of something that could ruin you, yet you're acting like everything's normal."
"Well, worrying won't help me," Blake responded. "My parents taught me that worrying about something won't change it."
"I see," Molly said. "Your parents seem...interesting."
"Yeah," Blake said. "When they were around, they always spent time with me." He poked a clam. "Guess I should be grateful for that, huh?" he said before puting it in his mouth.
"I guess." Molly bowed her head. "I wish my parents would do that," she added, causing Blake to blink at this admission as he chewed his food. "I mean, it wouldn't kill them to make some time with me, right? After all, I'm just their only child, right?"
While this dialogue had been taking place, Molly had been stabbing at the catfish on her plate with her fork every other word, and with each stab, she brought it down with more force. Finally, she left her fork standing in it and folded her arms across her chest, ignoring the stares from her date and the people around her.
Stink and Alicia saw everything from the waiting area. "She looks pretty upset," Alicia said.
"It's gotta be him," Stink said, glaring at Blake. "I've gotta..."
He had started to rise out of his seat, but something pulled him down hard. "Siddown," Alicia grumbled, keeping her hand on his shoulder.
Realizing the spectacle she was causing, Molly stopped herself and took a deep breath. Once it was clear nothinmg else would happen, the diners resumed eating, although some of them began questioning her sanity.
"Are you okay?" Blake asked.
Her breathing coming out rapidly, Molly glared at her date. "This is all your fault, you know," she said, her hands flexing into fists below the table.
"Who, me?" Blake said innocently. "I think you need to talk to someone about this."
Molly let out a disdainful "hmph." "If you're talking about seeing a psychaitrist, I've already done that."
"You mean the person you saw about..."
"It's been taken care of," Molly said. "Problem solved."
"Are you sure?" Blake said. "Then why did I see you shaking like a leaf when I met up with you at the dorm?"
"It was cold," Molly said quickly.
Blake shrugged. "Also, you requested the waiter to turn up the lights when we ordered."
"I like seeing my food in a good light," Molly said.
"Finally, there's the makeup you put on underneath your eyes to cover the shadows there," Blake said. "In fact, you've been doing that a lot."
Molly frowned. "You've definitely been hanging out with Holmes too much."
Blake leaned closer towards Molly. "Look, just denying it won't help. What you went through..."
"...is nothing, absolutely nothing," Molly said. "I'm fine, okay? I'm over it."
"If you say so," Blake said, and he changed to another topic. "What was the most embarassing thing that ever happened to you?"
Molly stared at Blake. "What?"
"Come on!" Blake whispered, wearing a big grin.
Molly's eyes narrowed. "I know your game."
"What game?" Blake said.
"You're looking for dirt on me for your little detective girlfriend," Molly said, and she eyed her fork. "If you think you can blackmail me, then you're..."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Blake said, waving his hands in the air. "I'm just curious about you, that's all."
Molly looked at her fork. "Explain."
"Well..." Blake's fingers drummed on the table. "To be honest, I just want to know you a little better. I have no intention of blackmailing you."
Molly took her eyes off her fork. "I don't believe you."
"Look." Blake reached out and touched Molly's hand. While he talked, he failed to notice her looking away. "I give you my word that anything you tell me on this date will stay between us."
Her cheeks burning a little, Molly pulled her hand away. "You will actually tell Holmes nothing?"
Blake placed his hand on his heart and raised his other one. "I swear that I won't tell anything you reveal to me tonight."
Molly frowned. "I've learned never to take the word of anyone."
"I see." Blake eyed Molly's glass of water. "What about if I tell you some of my secrets?"
Molly's ears perked up. "Intriguing, but what if I decide to use it to my advantage?"
"Which brings me to the oath we need to take." Blake's eyes fell onto her glass. "Excuse me for a moment, but could you spit in your glass?" he requested.
"What?" Molly asked wide-eyed.
"Just do it," Blake said nicely.
Molly frowned at him, but she noticed that Blake was watching her closely with a smile on his face. For a moment, she found his smile rather cute, but she shook the feeling off. Putting her fear aside, she put her mouth as close as she could to her glass, covered what she was doing with her hand, and seconds later, Blake heard a brief spitting sound.
"Never thought you had it in you, Molly," Blake said, holding out his hand.
Molly didn't look into his eyes as she handed over the glass. Quickly, Blake spit into the glass. "Now, just repeat what I say," he said. "I solemnly swear..."
"I solemnly swear..." Molly repeated.
"...that all secrets told between us..."
"...that all secrets told between us..."
"...will stay between us no matter what."
"...will stay between us no matter what."
Blake grinned. "There, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" Much to his date's disgust, he drank half of the water.
"Your turn," he said, handing the glass to her before she could protest.
Molly just stared at the mixture of water and human saliva. "Um..."
"If you don't finish the glass, it means I get to reveal any secrets you tell me," Blake explained.
Molly raised an eyebrow. "This is rather childish, you know."
"Maybe," Blake said, "but if you don't tell, I don't tell. Besides, if you're afraid..."
A second after the word "afraid" left Blake's lips, Molly picked up the glass and downed all of its contents. AFter wincing, she swallowed all of the liquid.
"See, that wasn't so hard," Blake said. "Now we're bound by the oath we swore."
Molly slowly purged the thought that she had just swallowed water with saliva in it. "Where did you get that idea?"
"Oh, a friend of mine and I used to do that a lot when I was still living in California," Blake revealed. "A lot better than pricking your finger and making a blood oath, in my opinion."
"I see," Molly said, trying not to gag.
Blake rubbed his chin. "Okay, now where were we?" He snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, our most embarassing moments." He gestured towards Molly and smiled good-naturedly. "Ladies first."
* * * * *
Standing still, Shirley searched the darkness for her friends. Unsuccessfully, her blue eyes scanned for life, but despite her apparent loneliness, she stayed calm. "Bo?" she yelled as loud as she could. "Rika? Sara?"
Then, a light shone down before her, and Shirley saw something. A dark podium stood before her, and seeing nothing suspicious, she stepped forward. Once there, she noticed three small boxes on top of it. She was about to reach for one when the light revealed something in the distance to her left.
"Bo!" Shirley exclaimed, and sure enough, there he was, along with Rika and Sara. All three were on a balcony above the ground.
"Shirley!" Bo yelled, waving at his friend from above. "Any idea what's going on?"
Shirley was about to offer her ideas on the situation, but the rest of the room revealed itself, and she found herself staring at what appeared to be a type of gridded sports arena. She noticed that another podium was located on the other side.
"Welcome to the Battling Arena."
Shirley looked ahead and saw Tomie standing at the podium on the other side. "What is all this?" she asked.
"This is where we'll be playing our game," Tomie explained.
"And what would that game be?" Shirley inquired.
"One of my favorites," Tomie said, a smile crossing her face. "Monster Battler."
Bo's jaw almost fell to the floor. "Monster Battler? You mean the card game?"
"Oh no," Sara said.
"Oh yes," Tomie said, the grin on her face widening.
"That's not fair," Bo said, turning to Rika. "Shirley knows absolutely nothing about Monster Battler."
"I believe that's the point," Rika said solemnly. "However, Shirley doesn't look too worried."
Bo looked down at his friend and immediately saw the look on her face. He couldn't see any sign of worry or panic, and that was typical of her. *But she's about to play a game with a girl who's been turning people into statues! If she loses...*
"Go ahead and pick a box," Tomie told her opponent.
Shirley reached for the boxes, and the one on her left flew into her hand. Before she could say anything, all three boxes vanished in a cloud of smoke. Once she could see, Shirley noticed a deck of cards in her hand.
"Well, there you go," Tomie said, and she showed Shirley her own deck. "Now, look at your playing podium."
Shirley did so, and noticed that it had a similar grid to the larger one on the playing field. Two rows of five spaces were located in the center; the top one was labeled "Monster Zone" and the bottom "Magic/Trap Zone." To the left of the two rows were spaces labeled "Field Magic Zone" and "Fusion Deck" and to the right were spaces labeled "Deck" and "Graveyard." She quickly followed Tomie's example and put her deck onto the Deck space after shuffling it.
A light appeared on each side of the podium, and each materialized shortly into a picture. Bo saw Shirley's face on his right and Tomie's on his left. Below each face was a number amount of 8000 written in large white characters.
"Life Points set," Tomie said, noting the pictures and the numbers. "Now, let's Battle."
Shirley copied Tomie's actions and drew five cards from her deck. She looked over her hand and studied her cards.
"You may go first," Tomie said. "Draw a card."
Shirley nodded and reached for her deck. As her fingertips touched the first card, Bo yelled, "Shirley, don't go first!"
"Too late," Tomie said as Shirley drew her card. "Oh, and no outside help, or she'll automatically lose, and you all know what happens when someone loses to me."
Shirley looked at her card and placed it in her hand. "All right," she said, "I'll Summon the Armored Angel Miniguard." She placed a card in the middle slot of the Monster Zone, and a light appeared in the corresponding spot on her grid.
"Hey, what the...?" Bo exclaimed as the light became more defined.
When the light had faded away, a small creature with angel wings and yellow eyes appeared. It was dressed in silver armor and held a tiny sword and a shield in its hands.
Armored Angel Miniguard
Level: 4
Element: Light
Type: Angel
ATK: 1500
DEF: 1200
Despite seeing a nonexistent creature in 3-D before her, Shirley showed no sign of surprise on her face. On the other hand, Bo was trying to comprehend what was going on.
"The card came to life?" Bo said, wide-eyed.
"That will end my turn," Shirley said, glancing at her hand.
"Hmmm...my turn." Tomie drew a card, looked at it, and then grinned. "Well, in response to your move, I Summon the Werewolf Warrior!" she declared as she placed the card on her podium.
A large lupine creature appeared across from the Armored Angel Miniguard. Sporting a long gray mane, yellow eyes, and big, sharp white teeth along with spiked bracelets and kneepads, the Monster definitely fit its name. Once it was fully formed on the Field, it let out a loud howl.
Werewolf Warrior
Level: 4
Element: Dark
Type: Beast Warrior
ATK: 1800
DEF: 1200
"Now, Werewolf Warrior, destroy that Angel Miniguard!" Tomie commanded, pointing at Shirley's Monster.
Roaring, the Werewolf Warrior charged at the Miniguard and slashed at it with its sharp claws. The target shuddered, and everyone watched as it quickly shattered into pieces. Once the Miniguard was gone, the Werewolf Warrior let out another loud howl.
"Oh boy," Bo remarked as he watched Shirley's Life Points go down to 7700. "I can't believe she made a mistake like that. My cousins say that you should never start off with a weak Monster in Attack mode, especially since you can't Attack if you're starting the Battle."
"At least she wasn't attacked directly," Sara pointed out.
Tomie snickered. "Well, Shirley, it's your move."
Staring at where her Miniguard once stood, Shirley drew a card and placed it in her hand. After scanning it, she picked a card and laid it in the Monster Zone in facedown horizontal position. A facedown card appeared in the corresponding spot on the Field. "That will end my turn," she said.
Tomie looked at the Field. "That's it?" Smirking, she drew her card. "Well, I'll double my attack force by Summoning the Zombie Soldier!"
Bo, Rika, and Sara watched as a zombie clad in a military helmet and a torn soldier's uniform appeared on the Field alongside the Werewolf Warrior. Drool dripped from its open, toothy mouth as it slouched before Shirley's Set Monster. It gripped a rifle in its long, rotted claws.
Zombie Soldier
Level: 3
Element: Dark
Type: Zombie
ATK: 1600
DEF: 0
Tomie pointed at the Set Monster. "Werewolf Warrior, attack!"
The Werewolf Warrior howled skyward and rushed at the facedown card. It leaped into the air and with two swipes of its claws, it slashed the card into pieces.
END OF CHAPTER 10
by HA
"I'll give you this, Blake," Molly said seconds before placing a piece of catfish into her mouth.
"What?" Blake said as helped himself to more clam and pasta.
Molly swallowed. "You know good food." As the chewed up seafood slid down her throat, she thought, *I can't believe I let him do that to me! The next time he tries to contradict me, I'm playing my trump card.*
"Well, you did pick this place," Blake acknowledged. "How long have you been coming here?"
Molly stared down at her plate and dragged another piece of catfish back and forth. "Oh, ever since I came to Redington, my parents and I usually come here when Daddy's having a business dinner in town with someone."
"I see," Blake said, and he sighed. "It must be nice spending time with your entire family."
"Not really," Molly said, looking up from her plate. "They're always talking about business and bridge." Her gaze returned to her plate. "It's always been like that since I was little."
"Tell me about it," Blake said. "Whenever we eat out, Mom's always going on about a recent archelogical find, and Dad's always trying to avoid questions about his latest case."
"Do you feel left out?" Molly asked before she could stop herself.
"Not really," Blake said. "For one thing, I'm the one usually bugging Dad about his cases, and Mom has some interesting ideas about any digs she knows about." He stabbed a stray clam and held it up to his eyes. "I wish I could have those days back. You know, have them cut down on their out-of-country travel plans and just stay at home at the same time."
"At least your parents care about you," Molly muttered.
Blake heard her clearly, and for a while, neither of them spoke. Around them, the rest of the diners continued their meals and conversations.
"Let me in there!"
Blake blinked. "Hey, that sounds like..."
"Sir, you can't come in yet! We're full!" they heard the maitre d yell.
Molly looked up and groaned. "It is him," she said, annoyed at the sight.
Blake, Molly, and the rest of the diners watched as Stink tried to get into the dining area. Normally, it would've been an easy task, but it proved to be difficult for the lovestruck lad with three men holding him back.
"Let me go! I've got to get in there!" Stink yelled as he struggled in the men's tight grip.
"Sir, we cannot have any more guests in the dining area," the maitre d pleaded. "Now, sit down or I'll have you thrown out or even have the police charge you with being a public nuisance."
Along with the rest of the diners, Blake and Molly watched as Alicia entered. "Oh my," she said with a smile to the maitre d. "August, how long has it been?"
"Ah, Miss Gianelli," the maitre d said, smiling. "How good of you to come here again."
Alicia quickly paced herself with Stink and his captors. "Excuse my friend here. I told him how wonderful the food was here, and I guess he really wanted to come here."
The maitre d looked at Stink, who had managed to calm himself a little. "I think your friend here is a little overzealous when it comes to food," he whispered to Alicia.
"Well, he doesn't have all his eggs in one basket, if you get my drift," she whispered back.
"I do, indeed," the maitre d said.
"Tell you what," Alicia said as she scratched her chin. "I'll convince my friend here to wait for an opening, and you don't have to press charges against him for disrupting dinner."
"I leave the situation to you, Miss Gianelli." The maitre d snapped his fingers, and the three men let go of their captive. "Nothing to see here, folks. Just enjoy your meal." With those words, the diners returned to their eating and conversations.
"Thanks," Stink said as Alicia marched up to him and the men returned to their duties.
Frowning, Alicia grabbed him by the arm. "Come on, loverboy," she said sternly as she dragged him to the waiting area. "Just sit down and shut up."
Stink frowned back at her, but said nothing. Instead, he looked longingly at Molly, who was doing her best to keep her eyes on her plate. Once he and Alicia sat down, the diners resumed what they were doing.
"I can't believe him," Molly said, glancing at Stink while stabbing at some catfish. "What did I do to deserve this?"
"Do you really want to go into that?" Blake said, smiling.
Molly did her best to ignore the remark and took a sip of water. "I mean, what's wrong with him? Why does he have to be so persistent?"
"Can you blame him?" Blake said. "You are rather beautiful."
Molly felt her cheeks heat up, and it took all of her willpower to keep her entire face from reddening. "Well...he's so annoying!"
"So he's not your type," Blake said. "Say, what is your type?"
Shocked at her date's audacity, Molly stared at him. Eventually, she regained her composure. "As far as the boys at Sussex Academy are concerned, no one there is my type."
"Too good for them, huh?" Blake said.
"Exactly," Molly said frankly.
"You know, something's been bothering me," Blake admitted. "You just said no one at school's in your class, right?"
"That's correct," Molly answered.
"And it's no secret to me that this is all part of your twisted scheme to get to Shirley."
"How true," Molly said, not even trying to supress the grin forming on her face.
"Then why are we on this date?" Blake asked. "After all, you could've made what you stole from me public."
Molly opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Her focus quickly shifted to her plate, and the catfish there became more interesting.
"You know, you could've made me do whatever you want, yet you decided on this date," Blake continued. Rubbing his chin, he added, "Just out of curiosity, are you lonely?"
"What?" Molly almost jumped out of her seat, and the grip around her fork tightened. With her teeth clenched, she glared at him, her fork at the ready.
"I didn't mean to be rude," Blake said sincerely. "It's just that I've noticed you're alone most of the time."
Molly's eyes narrowed at him. "What do you mean by that? Everyone at school's always trying to be with me or seen with me."
"Yeah, but you don't seem to enjoy it that much," Blake said. "Sure, you like being the center of attention, but I've always noticed something about you." His hands gestured as he searched for the right words. "You always seem to separate yourself from everyone else, even in a crowd."
Molly let her fork drop to her plate. "You've been hanging around Holmes too much for your own good."
"Maybe you're right," Blake said with a small smile crossing his face.
"I'm amazed at you," Molly admitted. "I'm in possession of something that could ruin you, yet you're acting like everything's normal."
"Well, worrying won't help me," Blake responded. "My parents taught me that worrying about something won't change it."
"I see," Molly said. "Your parents seem...interesting."
"Yeah," Blake said. "When they were around, they always spent time with me." He poked a clam. "Guess I should be grateful for that, huh?" he said before puting it in his mouth.
"I guess." Molly bowed her head. "I wish my parents would do that," she added, causing Blake to blink at this admission as he chewed his food. "I mean, it wouldn't kill them to make some time with me, right? After all, I'm just their only child, right?"
While this dialogue had been taking place, Molly had been stabbing at the catfish on her plate with her fork every other word, and with each stab, she brought it down with more force. Finally, she left her fork standing in it and folded her arms across her chest, ignoring the stares from her date and the people around her.
Stink and Alicia saw everything from the waiting area. "She looks pretty upset," Alicia said.
"It's gotta be him," Stink said, glaring at Blake. "I've gotta..."
He had started to rise out of his seat, but something pulled him down hard. "Siddown," Alicia grumbled, keeping her hand on his shoulder.
Realizing the spectacle she was causing, Molly stopped herself and took a deep breath. Once it was clear nothinmg else would happen, the diners resumed eating, although some of them began questioning her sanity.
"Are you okay?" Blake asked.
Her breathing coming out rapidly, Molly glared at her date. "This is all your fault, you know," she said, her hands flexing into fists below the table.
"Who, me?" Blake said innocently. "I think you need to talk to someone about this."
Molly let out a disdainful "hmph." "If you're talking about seeing a psychaitrist, I've already done that."
"You mean the person you saw about..."
"It's been taken care of," Molly said. "Problem solved."
"Are you sure?" Blake said. "Then why did I see you shaking like a leaf when I met up with you at the dorm?"
"It was cold," Molly said quickly.
Blake shrugged. "Also, you requested the waiter to turn up the lights when we ordered."
"I like seeing my food in a good light," Molly said.
"Finally, there's the makeup you put on underneath your eyes to cover the shadows there," Blake said. "In fact, you've been doing that a lot."
Molly frowned. "You've definitely been hanging out with Holmes too much."
Blake leaned closer towards Molly. "Look, just denying it won't help. What you went through..."
"...is nothing, absolutely nothing," Molly said. "I'm fine, okay? I'm over it."
"If you say so," Blake said, and he changed to another topic. "What was the most embarassing thing that ever happened to you?"
Molly stared at Blake. "What?"
"Come on!" Blake whispered, wearing a big grin.
Molly's eyes narrowed. "I know your game."
"What game?" Blake said.
"You're looking for dirt on me for your little detective girlfriend," Molly said, and she eyed her fork. "If you think you can blackmail me, then you're..."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Blake said, waving his hands in the air. "I'm just curious about you, that's all."
Molly looked at her fork. "Explain."
"Well..." Blake's fingers drummed on the table. "To be honest, I just want to know you a little better. I have no intention of blackmailing you."
Molly took her eyes off her fork. "I don't believe you."
"Look." Blake reached out and touched Molly's hand. While he talked, he failed to notice her looking away. "I give you my word that anything you tell me on this date will stay between us."
Her cheeks burning a little, Molly pulled her hand away. "You will actually tell Holmes nothing?"
Blake placed his hand on his heart and raised his other one. "I swear that I won't tell anything you reveal to me tonight."
Molly frowned. "I've learned never to take the word of anyone."
"I see." Blake eyed Molly's glass of water. "What about if I tell you some of my secrets?"
Molly's ears perked up. "Intriguing, but what if I decide to use it to my advantage?"
"Which brings me to the oath we need to take." Blake's eyes fell onto her glass. "Excuse me for a moment, but could you spit in your glass?" he requested.
"What?" Molly asked wide-eyed.
"Just do it," Blake said nicely.
Molly frowned at him, but she noticed that Blake was watching her closely with a smile on his face. For a moment, she found his smile rather cute, but she shook the feeling off. Putting her fear aside, she put her mouth as close as she could to her glass, covered what she was doing with her hand, and seconds later, Blake heard a brief spitting sound.
"Never thought you had it in you, Molly," Blake said, holding out his hand.
Molly didn't look into his eyes as she handed over the glass. Quickly, Blake spit into the glass. "Now, just repeat what I say," he said. "I solemnly swear..."
"I solemnly swear..." Molly repeated.
"...that all secrets told between us..."
"...that all secrets told between us..."
"...will stay between us no matter what."
"...will stay between us no matter what."
Blake grinned. "There, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" Much to his date's disgust, he drank half of the water.
"Your turn," he said, handing the glass to her before she could protest.
Molly just stared at the mixture of water and human saliva. "Um..."
"If you don't finish the glass, it means I get to reveal any secrets you tell me," Blake explained.
Molly raised an eyebrow. "This is rather childish, you know."
"Maybe," Blake said, "but if you don't tell, I don't tell. Besides, if you're afraid..."
A second after the word "afraid" left Blake's lips, Molly picked up the glass and downed all of its contents. AFter wincing, she swallowed all of the liquid.
"See, that wasn't so hard," Blake said. "Now we're bound by the oath we swore."
Molly slowly purged the thought that she had just swallowed water with saliva in it. "Where did you get that idea?"
"Oh, a friend of mine and I used to do that a lot when I was still living in California," Blake revealed. "A lot better than pricking your finger and making a blood oath, in my opinion."
"I see," Molly said, trying not to gag.
Blake rubbed his chin. "Okay, now where were we?" He snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, our most embarassing moments." He gestured towards Molly and smiled good-naturedly. "Ladies first."
* * * * *
Standing still, Shirley searched the darkness for her friends. Unsuccessfully, her blue eyes scanned for life, but despite her apparent loneliness, she stayed calm. "Bo?" she yelled as loud as she could. "Rika? Sara?"
Then, a light shone down before her, and Shirley saw something. A dark podium stood before her, and seeing nothing suspicious, she stepped forward. Once there, she noticed three small boxes on top of it. She was about to reach for one when the light revealed something in the distance to her left.
"Bo!" Shirley exclaimed, and sure enough, there he was, along with Rika and Sara. All three were on a balcony above the ground.
"Shirley!" Bo yelled, waving at his friend from above. "Any idea what's going on?"
Shirley was about to offer her ideas on the situation, but the rest of the room revealed itself, and she found herself staring at what appeared to be a type of gridded sports arena. She noticed that another podium was located on the other side.
"Welcome to the Battling Arena."
Shirley looked ahead and saw Tomie standing at the podium on the other side. "What is all this?" she asked.
"This is where we'll be playing our game," Tomie explained.
"And what would that game be?" Shirley inquired.
"One of my favorites," Tomie said, a smile crossing her face. "Monster Battler."
Bo's jaw almost fell to the floor. "Monster Battler? You mean the card game?"
"Oh no," Sara said.
"Oh yes," Tomie said, the grin on her face widening.
"That's not fair," Bo said, turning to Rika. "Shirley knows absolutely nothing about Monster Battler."
"I believe that's the point," Rika said solemnly. "However, Shirley doesn't look too worried."
Bo looked down at his friend and immediately saw the look on her face. He couldn't see any sign of worry or panic, and that was typical of her. *But she's about to play a game with a girl who's been turning people into statues! If she loses...*
"Go ahead and pick a box," Tomie told her opponent.
Shirley reached for the boxes, and the one on her left flew into her hand. Before she could say anything, all three boxes vanished in a cloud of smoke. Once she could see, Shirley noticed a deck of cards in her hand.
"Well, there you go," Tomie said, and she showed Shirley her own deck. "Now, look at your playing podium."
Shirley did so, and noticed that it had a similar grid to the larger one on the playing field. Two rows of five spaces were located in the center; the top one was labeled "Monster Zone" and the bottom "Magic/Trap Zone." To the left of the two rows were spaces labeled "Field Magic Zone" and "Fusion Deck" and to the right were spaces labeled "Deck" and "Graveyard." She quickly followed Tomie's example and put her deck onto the Deck space after shuffling it.
A light appeared on each side of the podium, and each materialized shortly into a picture. Bo saw Shirley's face on his right and Tomie's on his left. Below each face was a number amount of 8000 written in large white characters.
"Life Points set," Tomie said, noting the pictures and the numbers. "Now, let's Battle."
Shirley copied Tomie's actions and drew five cards from her deck. She looked over her hand and studied her cards.
"You may go first," Tomie said. "Draw a card."
Shirley nodded and reached for her deck. As her fingertips touched the first card, Bo yelled, "Shirley, don't go first!"
"Too late," Tomie said as Shirley drew her card. "Oh, and no outside help, or she'll automatically lose, and you all know what happens when someone loses to me."
Shirley looked at her card and placed it in her hand. "All right," she said, "I'll Summon the Armored Angel Miniguard." She placed a card in the middle slot of the Monster Zone, and a light appeared in the corresponding spot on her grid.
"Hey, what the...?" Bo exclaimed as the light became more defined.
When the light had faded away, a small creature with angel wings and yellow eyes appeared. It was dressed in silver armor and held a tiny sword and a shield in its hands.
Armored Angel Miniguard
Level: 4
Element: Light
Type: Angel
ATK: 1500
DEF: 1200
Despite seeing a nonexistent creature in 3-D before her, Shirley showed no sign of surprise on her face. On the other hand, Bo was trying to comprehend what was going on.
"The card came to life?" Bo said, wide-eyed.
"That will end my turn," Shirley said, glancing at her hand.
"Hmmm...my turn." Tomie drew a card, looked at it, and then grinned. "Well, in response to your move, I Summon the Werewolf Warrior!" she declared as she placed the card on her podium.
A large lupine creature appeared across from the Armored Angel Miniguard. Sporting a long gray mane, yellow eyes, and big, sharp white teeth along with spiked bracelets and kneepads, the Monster definitely fit its name. Once it was fully formed on the Field, it let out a loud howl.
Werewolf Warrior
Level: 4
Element: Dark
Type: Beast Warrior
ATK: 1800
DEF: 1200
"Now, Werewolf Warrior, destroy that Angel Miniguard!" Tomie commanded, pointing at Shirley's Monster.
Roaring, the Werewolf Warrior charged at the Miniguard and slashed at it with its sharp claws. The target shuddered, and everyone watched as it quickly shattered into pieces. Once the Miniguard was gone, the Werewolf Warrior let out another loud howl.
"Oh boy," Bo remarked as he watched Shirley's Life Points go down to 7700. "I can't believe she made a mistake like that. My cousins say that you should never start off with a weak Monster in Attack mode, especially since you can't Attack if you're starting the Battle."
"At least she wasn't attacked directly," Sara pointed out.
Tomie snickered. "Well, Shirley, it's your move."
Staring at where her Miniguard once stood, Shirley drew a card and placed it in her hand. After scanning it, she picked a card and laid it in the Monster Zone in facedown horizontal position. A facedown card appeared in the corresponding spot on the Field. "That will end my turn," she said.
Tomie looked at the Field. "That's it?" Smirking, she drew her card. "Well, I'll double my attack force by Summoning the Zombie Soldier!"
Bo, Rika, and Sara watched as a zombie clad in a military helmet and a torn soldier's uniform appeared on the Field alongside the Werewolf Warrior. Drool dripped from its open, toothy mouth as it slouched before Shirley's Set Monster. It gripped a rifle in its long, rotted claws.
Zombie Soldier
Level: 3
Element: Dark
Type: Zombie
ATK: 1600
DEF: 0
Tomie pointed at the Set Monster. "Werewolf Warrior, attack!"
The Werewolf Warrior howled skyward and rushed at the facedown card. It leaped into the air and with two swipes of its claws, it slashed the card into pieces.
END OF CHAPTER 10