Witch Hunt – Chapter Two
Saturday, October Fifteenth. The Woods.
Serenity and Fillet rode furiously, trying to think of the route Joey took. Serenity panted as she rode the horse faster then she ever had in her life. She repeatedly said, "Don't worry, Joey. I'll save you. I know I can." Unfortunately, she came to a stop when she had to choose between the two paths: a dark path, and a lit-up path. She squinted her eyes and noticed wheel tracks in the darker path, so she decided to take it.
"Don't worry, Joey, I'm coming to rescue you!"
Saturday, October Fifteenth. The Mansion. (Joey's Cell.)
"Whoa, where am I?" Joey pondered out loud, lying on the ground. His head pounded, he had many scrapes on his body, and his clothes were soaked. Not to mention he was freezing. He looked at his surroundings, "What the HELL!? Why am I in a cage!?"
"Oh, I see you woke up. Jeez, he didn't have to throw you in there like that..." A brown haired maid replied, sitting on the ground, watching Joey.
"What're ya talking about? Who're ya!?" He asked, completely confused.
"I'm Téa Gardner. I come here for an hour as a maid. Actually, I kind of have to. Master Kaiba would probably kill me if I didn't..." She stated, gulping after the last comment, "Who are you?"
"I'm Joseph Wheelah. And I believe I was on to my invention convention until...Well...I really don't know what happened. Now I'm here. I wonder how my sista's doin..."
"Your sister?"
"Yeah, Serenity. She has orange-ish hair and honey eyes and is a little shorter then you..."
"..."
"You don't get out much, do ya?"
"Oh, I do. I'm the town maid. I kind of have to."
"Then you should know ma' sista, she works at the flowa shop."
"Oh, that girl Duke Devlin likes. I heard he proposed to her tonight..."
"He did WHAT!?!?!?! That hog!!"
Téa swallowed, rubbing the back of her head as Joey went off in anger. She tried to calm him down, but nothing seemed to work. "Jeez, he must really love his sister." She thought. She looked at the clock, 11:10pm.
"I better get going. I was supposed to leave at eleven. Good thing Master Kaiba didn't catch me. Oh well. Good luck, Joey." Téa waved, leaving the castle.
Saturday, October Fifteenth. The Mansion Entrance. 11:45pm
Serenity and Fillet stopped when they reached a mansion. More of a castle. With railings all around, it looked very dark and gloomy. A few miles back Serenity saw a very large plantation with people working on it, unfortunately slaves. Gargoyles and statues circled the property, as well as dead flowers. Dead Flowers = Unhappy Serenity.
Serenity tied Fillet to the railing. "Don't worry, Fillet, I'll be back quite soon. I'm getting Big Brother then getting out. He'll be so proud of me..." She whispered to the horse, pushing the door of the gate open. It creaked, which caused chills to run down Serenity's back.
"Hello?" Serenity called, walking through the hallways. It was creepy; the only light was from the candles on the walls, the wall paper was pealing, and there were portraits of dragons and people with the last name "KAIBA" inscribed underneath. She walked into the first room, which was obviously one of the entrances of a wing of a castle. Three stair cases were ahead of her, but she decided to go by the fire place for some warmth for it was oddly cold.
"Hello? Is anyone in here?" She called once again, sitting by the edge of the fireplace. She hated feeling and being alone, and she was both of these. "I guess not... But if my brother's not here..."
"Hey! Who are you!? What are you doing here!?" A voice called out, half angry, half worried. Serenity jumped and bit her lip.
"I-I am S-Serenity W-W-Wheel-er. M-My brother I b-believe is h-here. I-I'm sorry for intruding." She replied, peering in the darkness to see the form approaching her.
"You shouldn't be here..." The voice replied softly from a young boy. Serenity sighed in relief, that it was just a younger boy.
"I really am sorry. But the door was open. And I'm positive my brother is here."
"Oh...him." The black-haired boy replied, sighing.
"Where is he?" She asked.
They both heard the sound of a creak. A creaking door. And it was surely not the wind. A figure came out, stepping slowly according to the sound of the footsteps. "What are you doing here?" It asked in a deep, raspy, voice.
"Seto, she came for her brother. Should I go let him out?"
"Let him out?" Serenity questioned, quite confused. How was she supposed to know that she just entered the castle of a psycho, anthropic guy?
"Ha. Are you kidding me? Mokuba, Escort the girl out, immediately." He responded, going to check on the "puppy in the pound".
"Wait! Come back! Do you know where my brother is!?!?" Serenity yelled, chasing after him into the darkness.
"Hey! Lemme outta here, ya big jerk!" Joey yelled, banging on the bars.
"Chh. Like that will ever happen, fleabag." Kaiba replied cruelly.
"Hey! Let my brother out! Right now!" Serenity yelled, standing by the cage, seeing her miserable brother.
"How about, 'no', little girl." He replied, shoving her to the ground.
"Please let him get out... He might get sick!" Serenity begged, grabbing the sleeve of his coat. Seto snorted and made a face, trying to make Serenity let go of his coat.
"No. Why should I? He was the one who chose to invade my property..." Seto asked, shoving her back on the ground. She slid, causing Joey to gasp.
"Hey! Stop treatin my sista like that ya big jerk!" Joey yelled, banging on the bars. He then coughed, being sick.
"I'm not being the jerk. I just need my...payment...for you invading my property."
"W-well, t-take me instead." Serenity stated, slowly getting up incase he shoved her down again.
"What!?" Mokuba, Seto, and Joey all said in unison.
"L-let my brother go and t-take me instead." She repeated, lowering her head.
"No! Serenity!" Joey called, as Seto dragged him out of the cage, "You can't do this, sis!"
"Goodbye, big brother." She replied with a sniffle, but actually surprised Kaiba let Joey free.
The Kaiba Mansion Entrance, October 16, 1:05AM.
Kaiba threw Joey through the gate, slamming and locking it shut.
"If you ever come back, I will see that you and your stupid little sister will never see each other again." Kaiba warned, making Joey wipe his eyes as he and Fillet rode home.
"Hmph, what a stupid girl his sister is, indeed. Sacrificing herself for her even more stupid brother." Kaiba thought out loud, not realizing Mokuba was behind him.
"Seto, you would've done the same thing for me, right?" Mokuba asked, much doubt in his voice.
"Of course, Mokuba. You're the only one I care about. You're my brother..." He replied, leaning against the railing.
"I would do the same, big bro. I just wish you would say that to more people...And not just because they're related to you." Mokuba stated as they walked back in the castle to find Serenity.
Cell in the Kaiba Mansion, October Sixteenth, 1:21AM.
"Get out." Kaiba ordered, seeing Serenity sitting down against the wall of the cage, shivering.
"Huh?" She asked, her jaw dropping as Mokuba grabbed her wrist and led her out of the cage.
"It's improper to treat a lady like you would a dog." He stated, walking into the darkness.
Mokuba grabbed a candle of the wall and led her up many staircases, rooms, and hallways. They finally reached a room with a white door with a handle made of white ivory. He turned the knob, revealing quite a sight. It was a bedroom fit for a Princess! Wooden floors with lavender, dark purple, and cream colored rugs and a bed with silk and a canopy with matching colors. The light shown through dimly through the mosaic window that was also lavender. There was also a cream colored dresser with the creases painted purple and ivory door knobs matching the entrance, the bathroom that was attached to this gorgeous room, and a closet within the bathroom. Inside the dresser was various rare and expensive dresses and in the closet were supplies any girl would want such as hair and body cleansers, fine imported make-up, towels, soap, lotions, brushes, and many, many other accessories that were usually seen by rich females only which made a smile want to come across Serenity's lips, and would've came if she wasn't forced to leave here by her own will.
"Wow, it's beautiful. Thank you so much, errr, umm..."
"Mokuba Kaiba."
"Oh, thank you."
Serenity heard the door close and then sat on her new bed, looking at the reflections of the candles in the mosaic windows. She missed him already, but she was going to stay positive. At least she had a beautiful room and now lived in a castle now, right? And who knows what kind of food they're going to serve here from all over the world! She opened the closet; it had many beautiful dresses with matching shoes underneath them. She tried one of them on; it was light pink with golden sequins all over the bottom half. The top had a low neckline, but retained from being too "easy" by having puffy, feminine, sleeves. She put on the heels, learning to walk in such shoes. She looked at herself in the mirror, "Can this really be me?" She opened a jewelry box, something she had never seen before, and put a necklace with a pink jewel in the center around her neck.
She walked into the bathroom, admiring the beauty. There was a large tub and a toilet inside the house, which was amazing. She heard a knock on her door.
"H-hello?" She asked, scared if it was Seto and what he would say if he saw her in the dress.
"Are you decent?" The voice asked, and it was indeed Seto Kaiba. Serenity gulped.
"I will be in one moment." She replied flicking her heels to the corner and trying to get the dress over her head in a panic.
"Fine." He replied, sounding annoyed. He folded his arms and leaned against the hallway. "What was she doing in there anyway? Taking a bath already?" He asked himself, and then shook away his perverted images. "Maybe she was, but it is getting late. Peh! This is the last time I generously invite her to eat dinner."
"Okay, I am ready." Serenity said, opening the door. Seto stared at her in the clothes she was wearing from before she came to the castle. He turned around, as if he didn't want to look her.
The Ishtar Home. October, Sixteenth. 6:21AM.
"Um, Sister, about this golden rod..." Marik started, not sounding very confident.
"Yes, Marik?" Ishizu replied in her calm yet caring tone, spooning oatmeal into her mouth.
"Is it necessary that I have it? It seems, well, I don't know, strange to me." He replied, setting his spoon in his bowl.
"Of course it is, Brother. Shadi says they are gifts from God. That only the truly pure may possess. Why would it be strange?" She asked, dropping the spoon into the bowl, making a large "clang" sound.
"Oh, I don't know. But I could've sworn I saw it glow last night. Maybe it was an act of God..." Marik replied.
"...Or maybe it was an act of your imagination, Brother." Ishizu laughed, patting her not-so-much-younger younger brother on the head, and then began washing her bowl.
"Maybe..." Marik sighed, swishing his spoon around the bowl.
The Hawkins' Family Room. October, Sixteenth. 6:21AM.
"GRANDPA!?" Rebecca Hawkins shouted, arms thrown in the air. "Grandpa!? Where are you!?"
"I'm right here, Rebecca." Arthur Hawkins replied, running into the house. "What's wrong, honey?"
"There are these new paper squares with pictures on them! They are used to play a game! Duel Monsters..." She replied, banging her fist on the table.
"Mmmhmm...." Arthur replied, sorting through his money box.
"Well, all the kids at school have them! And I want some as well!" She stated, walking towards him. "Please?" She asked, smiling sweetly. The same smile she used to get absolutely anything she wanted.
"Of course, Rebecca." Arthur replied, handing her some money. Rebecca coughed, and then was handed more. She smiled, and then happily skipped to Solomon Muto's store.
Saturday, October Fifteenth. The Woods.
Serenity and Fillet rode furiously, trying to think of the route Joey took. Serenity panted as she rode the horse faster then she ever had in her life. She repeatedly said, "Don't worry, Joey. I'll save you. I know I can." Unfortunately, she came to a stop when she had to choose between the two paths: a dark path, and a lit-up path. She squinted her eyes and noticed wheel tracks in the darker path, so she decided to take it.
"Don't worry, Joey, I'm coming to rescue you!"
Saturday, October Fifteenth. The Mansion. (Joey's Cell.)
"Whoa, where am I?" Joey pondered out loud, lying on the ground. His head pounded, he had many scrapes on his body, and his clothes were soaked. Not to mention he was freezing. He looked at his surroundings, "What the HELL!? Why am I in a cage!?"
"Oh, I see you woke up. Jeez, he didn't have to throw you in there like that..." A brown haired maid replied, sitting on the ground, watching Joey.
"What're ya talking about? Who're ya!?" He asked, completely confused.
"I'm Téa Gardner. I come here for an hour as a maid. Actually, I kind of have to. Master Kaiba would probably kill me if I didn't..." She stated, gulping after the last comment, "Who are you?"
"I'm Joseph Wheelah. And I believe I was on to my invention convention until...Well...I really don't know what happened. Now I'm here. I wonder how my sista's doin..."
"Your sister?"
"Yeah, Serenity. She has orange-ish hair and honey eyes and is a little shorter then you..."
"..."
"You don't get out much, do ya?"
"Oh, I do. I'm the town maid. I kind of have to."
"Then you should know ma' sista, she works at the flowa shop."
"Oh, that girl Duke Devlin likes. I heard he proposed to her tonight..."
"He did WHAT!?!?!?! That hog!!"
Téa swallowed, rubbing the back of her head as Joey went off in anger. She tried to calm him down, but nothing seemed to work. "Jeez, he must really love his sister." She thought. She looked at the clock, 11:10pm.
"I better get going. I was supposed to leave at eleven. Good thing Master Kaiba didn't catch me. Oh well. Good luck, Joey." Téa waved, leaving the castle.
Saturday, October Fifteenth. The Mansion Entrance. 11:45pm
Serenity and Fillet stopped when they reached a mansion. More of a castle. With railings all around, it looked very dark and gloomy. A few miles back Serenity saw a very large plantation with people working on it, unfortunately slaves. Gargoyles and statues circled the property, as well as dead flowers. Dead Flowers = Unhappy Serenity.
Serenity tied Fillet to the railing. "Don't worry, Fillet, I'll be back quite soon. I'm getting Big Brother then getting out. He'll be so proud of me..." She whispered to the horse, pushing the door of the gate open. It creaked, which caused chills to run down Serenity's back.
"Hello?" Serenity called, walking through the hallways. It was creepy; the only light was from the candles on the walls, the wall paper was pealing, and there were portraits of dragons and people with the last name "KAIBA" inscribed underneath. She walked into the first room, which was obviously one of the entrances of a wing of a castle. Three stair cases were ahead of her, but she decided to go by the fire place for some warmth for it was oddly cold.
"Hello? Is anyone in here?" She called once again, sitting by the edge of the fireplace. She hated feeling and being alone, and she was both of these. "I guess not... But if my brother's not here..."
"Hey! Who are you!? What are you doing here!?" A voice called out, half angry, half worried. Serenity jumped and bit her lip.
"I-I am S-Serenity W-W-Wheel-er. M-My brother I b-believe is h-here. I-I'm sorry for intruding." She replied, peering in the darkness to see the form approaching her.
"You shouldn't be here..." The voice replied softly from a young boy. Serenity sighed in relief, that it was just a younger boy.
"I really am sorry. But the door was open. And I'm positive my brother is here."
"Oh...him." The black-haired boy replied, sighing.
"Where is he?" She asked.
They both heard the sound of a creak. A creaking door. And it was surely not the wind. A figure came out, stepping slowly according to the sound of the footsteps. "What are you doing here?" It asked in a deep, raspy, voice.
"Seto, she came for her brother. Should I go let him out?"
"Let him out?" Serenity questioned, quite confused. How was she supposed to know that she just entered the castle of a psycho, anthropic guy?
"Ha. Are you kidding me? Mokuba, Escort the girl out, immediately." He responded, going to check on the "puppy in the pound".
"Wait! Come back! Do you know where my brother is!?!?" Serenity yelled, chasing after him into the darkness.
"Hey! Lemme outta here, ya big jerk!" Joey yelled, banging on the bars.
"Chh. Like that will ever happen, fleabag." Kaiba replied cruelly.
"Hey! Let my brother out! Right now!" Serenity yelled, standing by the cage, seeing her miserable brother.
"How about, 'no', little girl." He replied, shoving her to the ground.
"Please let him get out... He might get sick!" Serenity begged, grabbing the sleeve of his coat. Seto snorted and made a face, trying to make Serenity let go of his coat.
"No. Why should I? He was the one who chose to invade my property..." Seto asked, shoving her back on the ground. She slid, causing Joey to gasp.
"Hey! Stop treatin my sista like that ya big jerk!" Joey yelled, banging on the bars. He then coughed, being sick.
"I'm not being the jerk. I just need my...payment...for you invading my property."
"W-well, t-take me instead." Serenity stated, slowly getting up incase he shoved her down again.
"What!?" Mokuba, Seto, and Joey all said in unison.
"L-let my brother go and t-take me instead." She repeated, lowering her head.
"No! Serenity!" Joey called, as Seto dragged him out of the cage, "You can't do this, sis!"
"Goodbye, big brother." She replied with a sniffle, but actually surprised Kaiba let Joey free.
The Kaiba Mansion Entrance, October 16, 1:05AM.
Kaiba threw Joey through the gate, slamming and locking it shut.
"If you ever come back, I will see that you and your stupid little sister will never see each other again." Kaiba warned, making Joey wipe his eyes as he and Fillet rode home.
"Hmph, what a stupid girl his sister is, indeed. Sacrificing herself for her even more stupid brother." Kaiba thought out loud, not realizing Mokuba was behind him.
"Seto, you would've done the same thing for me, right?" Mokuba asked, much doubt in his voice.
"Of course, Mokuba. You're the only one I care about. You're my brother..." He replied, leaning against the railing.
"I would do the same, big bro. I just wish you would say that to more people...And not just because they're related to you." Mokuba stated as they walked back in the castle to find Serenity.
Cell in the Kaiba Mansion, October Sixteenth, 1:21AM.
"Get out." Kaiba ordered, seeing Serenity sitting down against the wall of the cage, shivering.
"Huh?" She asked, her jaw dropping as Mokuba grabbed her wrist and led her out of the cage.
"It's improper to treat a lady like you would a dog." He stated, walking into the darkness.
Mokuba grabbed a candle of the wall and led her up many staircases, rooms, and hallways. They finally reached a room with a white door with a handle made of white ivory. He turned the knob, revealing quite a sight. It was a bedroom fit for a Princess! Wooden floors with lavender, dark purple, and cream colored rugs and a bed with silk and a canopy with matching colors. The light shown through dimly through the mosaic window that was also lavender. There was also a cream colored dresser with the creases painted purple and ivory door knobs matching the entrance, the bathroom that was attached to this gorgeous room, and a closet within the bathroom. Inside the dresser was various rare and expensive dresses and in the closet were supplies any girl would want such as hair and body cleansers, fine imported make-up, towels, soap, lotions, brushes, and many, many other accessories that were usually seen by rich females only which made a smile want to come across Serenity's lips, and would've came if she wasn't forced to leave here by her own will.
"Wow, it's beautiful. Thank you so much, errr, umm..."
"Mokuba Kaiba."
"Oh, thank you."
Serenity heard the door close and then sat on her new bed, looking at the reflections of the candles in the mosaic windows. She missed him already, but she was going to stay positive. At least she had a beautiful room and now lived in a castle now, right? And who knows what kind of food they're going to serve here from all over the world! She opened the closet; it had many beautiful dresses with matching shoes underneath them. She tried one of them on; it was light pink with golden sequins all over the bottom half. The top had a low neckline, but retained from being too "easy" by having puffy, feminine, sleeves. She put on the heels, learning to walk in such shoes. She looked at herself in the mirror, "Can this really be me?" She opened a jewelry box, something she had never seen before, and put a necklace with a pink jewel in the center around her neck.
She walked into the bathroom, admiring the beauty. There was a large tub and a toilet inside the house, which was amazing. She heard a knock on her door.
"H-hello?" She asked, scared if it was Seto and what he would say if he saw her in the dress.
"Are you decent?" The voice asked, and it was indeed Seto Kaiba. Serenity gulped.
"I will be in one moment." She replied flicking her heels to the corner and trying to get the dress over her head in a panic.
"Fine." He replied, sounding annoyed. He folded his arms and leaned against the hallway. "What was she doing in there anyway? Taking a bath already?" He asked himself, and then shook away his perverted images. "Maybe she was, but it is getting late. Peh! This is the last time I generously invite her to eat dinner."
"Okay, I am ready." Serenity said, opening the door. Seto stared at her in the clothes she was wearing from before she came to the castle. He turned around, as if he didn't want to look her.
The Ishtar Home. October, Sixteenth. 6:21AM.
"Um, Sister, about this golden rod..." Marik started, not sounding very confident.
"Yes, Marik?" Ishizu replied in her calm yet caring tone, spooning oatmeal into her mouth.
"Is it necessary that I have it? It seems, well, I don't know, strange to me." He replied, setting his spoon in his bowl.
"Of course it is, Brother. Shadi says they are gifts from God. That only the truly pure may possess. Why would it be strange?" She asked, dropping the spoon into the bowl, making a large "clang" sound.
"Oh, I don't know. But I could've sworn I saw it glow last night. Maybe it was an act of God..." Marik replied.
"...Or maybe it was an act of your imagination, Brother." Ishizu laughed, patting her not-so-much-younger younger brother on the head, and then began washing her bowl.
"Maybe..." Marik sighed, swishing his spoon around the bowl.
The Hawkins' Family Room. October, Sixteenth. 6:21AM.
"GRANDPA!?" Rebecca Hawkins shouted, arms thrown in the air. "Grandpa!? Where are you!?"
"I'm right here, Rebecca." Arthur Hawkins replied, running into the house. "What's wrong, honey?"
"There are these new paper squares with pictures on them! They are used to play a game! Duel Monsters..." She replied, banging her fist on the table.
"Mmmhmm...." Arthur replied, sorting through his money box.
"Well, all the kids at school have them! And I want some as well!" She stated, walking towards him. "Please?" She asked, smiling sweetly. The same smile she used to get absolutely anything she wanted.
"Of course, Rebecca." Arthur replied, handing her some money. Rebecca coughed, and then was handed more. She smiled, and then happily skipped to Solomon Muto's store.