Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!
Chapter 24
Prelude to a Dance
"Ooooh that would be nice, but that wasn't my wish!" -- Amelia
"You are kidding me," Lina insisted. "You got swarmed by fans?"
"Yes...and no," Filia explained. She was reading over the sheets of lyrics to find one that Pearl was missing.
Xelloss was having a migraine moment alone in the sound booth. Drums were not needed currently or maybe ever again, if he had his druthers.
"We might have gotten through the whole museum, if it hadn't been for that painting." Amelia sighed. "But the folks at the restaurant were so nice to us. We were treated like royalty! It made up for everything. Well, almost." The day hadn't been a complete disappointment. Dinner had been lovely. Zelgadiss, heroic. The ride back...crowded.
Zelgadiss sank onto the floor, back pressed up against his amp, pretending to be absorbed in playing his guitar. Amelia's youthful immaturity or innocence made her oblivious to the machinations at work. Zel could detect syndicate in the air everyplace they went. Following them, or leading them into a trap? – He couldn't be sure. He wondered if Xelloss knew more, but was keeping it to himself. Zel would find it hard to forgive his 'big brother' if his concealment of important facts led to harming Amelia, aaaah…or anyone else for that matter.
"Isn't that why you went? To see paintings?" Sylphiel spoke up.
"Not this one. It was a painting of Xelloss. Sans clothes, if you know what I mean. And, no, he didn't pose for it. Looks like someone got his hands on one of those photos. You can't forget those photos..." Filia went on to explain to the Flying Fig friends about Xelloss' campaign to help abused kids. "He was on the phone instantly tracing the painter, his studio, the museum's curator, the man that sold the artist his paint, you know, everybody, trying to figure out how one of his shots got into that guys' hands without his approval. His connections are good, sometimes too good, but anyway…um… Oh, of course, the painting's been pulled from the exhibit pending a huge lawsuit," she assured everybody.
"So...all this happened...but ya got dinner, Amelia?" Gourry asked.
"Yes. It was quite a first date, complete with adventure, games and chaperones," Amelia answered.
"Sorry, hon. You'll just have to wait until you get home to have some special time with lover-boy," Filia wrinkled up her nose and made a face at Zelgadiss. He totally disregarded her comment, learning how not to play into her hands.
"Okay, so let's go through the line up one more time, and this time, Lee, you just give us a steady rhythm on that bohran drum-thing, no Xelloss for now." Even Lina had acquired the good sense to ignore Filia's verbal stabs and to leave Xelloss alone with his pain. It was, however, time for business! "I wanna focus on the vocal harmonies."
Later, Zelgadiss entered the sound room as quietly as possible. The room was darkened, lit only by the glowing console lights. "Xelloss? Time to go. Think you can walk by yourself out to the van?"
Xelloss nodded and slowly sat up, pain lining his face. "You...driving the car back?"
"Yes. I'm taking Amelia for a drive. Alone this time."
Xelloss managed a small smile. "Nice. She'll like that." He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "I-I'm so sorry about today. I shouldn't have come along. When Filia asked, I should have said no. I wasn't going to, a first, but...she..."
"Forget it. I'm trying to. Something else would have happened anyway, and at least we got rid of that painting before more people ogled it. So, that's over. Go home, get some rest. I'll do the database check tonight, all right?"
"Thanks, Zelgadiss. I do need to get into bed before I get nauseous." He staggered to the door, using Zel as a guide.
"Auras?"
"Yes."
Zel winced. He remembered his last bad headache, which was nothing like these monsters of Xelloss' which were complete with visual distortions. Zel had his hearing problems which caused him no end of suffering sometimes. He understood suffering. Zel silently guided his hurting friend down to the car. "Get in back. It's all right, I'll take you home."
He chased after Amelia. "Change of plans. We'll take Xelloss and drop him off at the house first. He's unable to tolerate noise so I think traveling in the van's a bad idea."
"You're right," she agreed, then slipped into the front seat and closed the door with the barest of clicks. One look at the prone kid stretched out in the back seat and she knew Zelgadiss was a caring soul acting out of the goodness of his heart. She swelled with pride for him. She valued their friendship above all things, and had come to trust and abide by his decisions, even if it meant sharing her Zelgadiss-time with others. She wasn't driven by selfishness or greed, as was her friend Lina.
Val took over when they got back to the house. "Go on. Take yer drive. I'll see that Xelly-boy gets a quiet place to stay."
Zel nodded his thanks, knowing that demonstrating any more gratitude than that would not be manly to show at the time. He tilted his head toward Amelia, "Ready?"
"You bet!" Her face lit up with the eagerness she felt. "Take me for a drive!"
Zel smiled and pulled into the lane. It was nice that she was unafraid to show her unbounded enthusiasm for his company. Inexplicable, but nice. "According to the map, there's a road up to the heights this way."
Amelia sat back and closed her eyes. "Hmmm, anyplace sounds wonderful to me."
"This is the best view so far," Amelia noted sometime later. They had parked the car and gotten out for a better look at the panorama. "Too bad it's all clouded over. No stars for us to count."
"The problem is actually with the city lights... They're too bright here, spoiling the night sky. Even if it was clear, we wouldn't be able to see much anyway. Quiet, though." He leaned his elbows back on the blanket spread over the damp grass. All of Atlas City was spread out at their feet.
"You must appreciate the quiet more than anything, huh?" she stretched out at his side.
"I value it, certainly. Those screaming girls today!"
"That hurt my ears," Amelia said. She reached over and touched the edge of one of his ears. "I can't imagine how you must have felt. You took out the earplugs?"
When the tickly sensation from her harmless stroke stopped, he cleared his throat to answer. "Yes, after the practice. Actually, without the drums, the rest of the instruments can turn down their amps and the noise doesn't bother me."
Amelia looked away, staring into the night. By mutual agreement, they would not bring up Xelloss, school, or discuss the day's events. Zel wondered what it was she saw in him and why she wasn't repulsed by his scars. Was he still her 'cause' to draw out of his shell? She certainly had her pick of better looking, more considerate and personable guys at school, so why hamper her possibilities by sticking with him? Did she consider it her duty, like Xelloss' determination to help Subaru? Had he only invited her out this date due to a feeling of obligation, or was he growing attached to her as well? He couldn't fathom it, or her. And Xelloss thought he was confused…?
She could feel Zel's eyes on her. "So...?"
"So...?" he echoed. Oddly, he noticed that his usual anxiety resulting from being alone with Amelia had vanished.
"So...it was a different kind of birthday today."
"It wasn't really your birthday. You won't be sixteen for...another few days." He had answered in an easy manner and even dropped the preciseness.
"Does that mean I don't get my wish then?"
Zel turned onto his side facing her. "Not necessarily. It depends on what you wished for." That comment was edged with a touch of smugness. Ha, he could be cool and aloof.
"Guess," she said slyly.
Ah... well, he sure stepped into that trap as surely as any caught-off-guard young man would have. Think quick, think quick..."A puppy," he suggested.
"Ooooh that would be nice, but that wasn't my wish!" She smiled widely and scooted closer. "Try again. You get three guesses."
"Three?" There was a slight crack in his voice his time. His suspicions were roused. He detected the sharp mind of a clever lawyer at play here. "And then what, if I don't guess right?"
"I...ah..." she thought a second then poked him on the nose. "That's a secret!"
"Of course." He allowed a smile. He had a card or two to play yet. "All right, ah...a...car."
"Silly! I can't even drive yet! Think harder."
"How about...a necklace?" This time he dropped the humorous tone and avoided her direct gaze.
"A-a necklace?"
"Yes," Zel twisted his jacket around and found the pocket. His hand removed a tiny bundle, and set it on the blanket between them. "I was going to wait until your birthday and give it to you then, but...here...go on..." he urged her.
"Okay." Amelia peeled back the folded notebook paper. The crisp paper crinkled open to reveal a slinky gold chain threaded through a pendant. "Oh, Zelgadiss! It's beautiful." Her voice caught in her throat as she fingered the artifact ornamented with mysterious symbols.
"It was my mother's."
Tears formed in her eyes. "Oh, I can't accept this. You have so few things to remember her by."
"You forget. I never knew her. This doesn't make me think of her. Amelia..." his voice deepened, the tone grew more serious. "You know what this is, don't you?"
"S-syndicate!" She sat up abruptly as she realized just what the decorations were and opened her mouth to object.
"Yes. Now before you jump down my throat and start preaching the White Shrine justice doctrine, let me say this," he paused to let his words sink in and for her to settle down. "I can't always be around to ...protect you from the..."
"Bad guys?"
"Yes, the bad guys. Xelloss told me that the bearer of one of these is awarded some level of protection from a syndicate attack. It's not magical or anything. It's just a symbol of power that means a very high level member of the inner circle entrusts you with their...ah...signature. Hurt you, and the guy is indirectly attacking someone who could destroy him or her and their entire family. At least, that is what Xelloss told me."
"Miss Lina has one, something like it on a necklace. I saw it once."
"That's correct. Xelloss gave his mother's ring to her."
"Lina's wearing Zelas' syndicate ring!"
Zel nodded. "I didn't think it was a smart thing to do at the time, but after he explained what I just said to you, about its value as a protective device, well...I agreed with his decision. The ring or the pendant, it amounts to the same thing. Filia wears her family's heirloom, but I don't know how that works as protection against the syndicate. It might act as a warning."
"What about Miss Sylphiel? Doesn't she need a special security thing too?"
"We are working on that, or I should say Xelloss is. He's tracing this father's identifying heirlooms. In the meantime, wear this always, but keep it covered up. You don't want to draw attention to it..." His attention was diverted, however, while she hooked the chain around her neck and let the heavy pendant fall. It bounced once before nestling into the cleft between her breasts, visible from her low cut blouse.
"How's that?" she asked-- frankly or coyly, he couldn't tell which.
Maybe he had overestimated her naïveté. He felt the heat rise to his face and looked away. He looked down at his hands, the cast away paper, anything, anywhere else but at Amelia! "Maybe if you button up your jacket," he mumbled.
"Thank you, Zelgadiss. That was a very thoughtful present. I love it, but..."
"But?" He shot her a worried look. She wasn't going to refuse it, was she?
"But...it wasn't what I wished for, you know, with my dessert at dinner tonight," she smiled, eyes closed while recalling the event.
Zel sighed. That. Her enthusiasm for keeping traditions, like blowing out birthday candles, would have been led to another embarrassing incident, had there been any other patrons in the restaurant. Without actual candles on her cake slice– and the gods all know that Xelloss would have had the chef stick one on, had he not been otherwise occupied on his cell phone– Amelia ran around the room blowing out the votive candles on each of the vacant tables. Being a bit of a klutzy teenager still, she managed to knock over one of the glass containers and set the tablecloth on fire. Filia's quick-thinking saved the table from destruction. While Zelgadiss looked on in part stupefaction, part horrified amusement, Filia upended a vase of flowers, smothering the flames immediately. When the entertainment was over, Amelia was left with a singed jacket sleeve and Filia with a few water marks spotting her dress.
"Sorry," Amelia had said returning to her place at their table.
Xelloss had closed his cell phone, and looking over Filia's stained dress, had said wittily (or one might think, witlessly), "Learn to drink yet?"
Thereby setting off Filia's subsequent tirade.
Ah, yes...it was a dessert to remember...
"Zelgadiss?"
"Ah...your wish?" His wit surfacing so as to pick up the thread of conversation again.
"Uh huh. You had three guesses and you didn't answer correctly."
"Oh... well...I'm not very intuitive."
She raised an eyebrow. She knew better. Zelgadiss was about as shrewd and perceptive as anyone she could think of. He was just being guarded, as usual, she decided. "Zel-ga-diss..." She shimmied closer. "Then you'll have to take the consequences. Now think! No, don't think, just..."
Of course, she was expecting a kiss, Zel concluded. He leaned in and gave her a quick peck.
That wasn't so bad, he thought. But she hadn't moved. What? More? He slid closer for better leverage, and tried again. As their lips touched, Amelia wrapped her arms around his neck and fell backwards, pulling him along. Whoa... His quick-as-lightening reflexes saved him from crushing her into the less-than-soft ground. Now he was stretched out partway across her, his one elbow taking most of his weight.
He was about to say something. What? He did not know what, but something stupid probably, when, mercifully, Amelia decided to take the lead again and pull him back into another kiss. This time they were more successful.
Zel felt his mind fogging over as he became more and more consumed with their...activity. Not one to be free for long from anxiety when experiencing a pleasurable moment, Zel fashioned an uncomfortable thought. He imagined Mayor Phil standing over them, glaring. This was exactly the kind of behavior the man had warned them about, or warned Amelia about. Him, bad Zel. Phil figured he was a typical, hormone-driven teenage boy, er...man, lusting after his darling daughter. Phil would kill him, if he were here, which he wasn't.
That's right, Phil was not there. Zel cleared his mind of that image, and found that it wasn't difficult at all. No, that wasn't so hard to do.
When had his resolve to avoid closeness, to evade contact within his personal space, vaporized? How had he let Miss Amelia get past his guard? In the dark, all cats looked alike, even mutant elf cats, he supposed.
He still felt awkward. How did the others do it? Val draped his arm over a girl's shoulder and made it seem so natural. Xelloss and his practiced grace could pull off anything, it seemed. Amelia had no problem with hugging... and all. He was stiff and tense, but Amelia seemed relaxed.
He thought about coming up for air, when he heard a soft tap, tip...tap. He parted his lips from hers. "Amelia..." he said in a tone that sounded more meaningful than he'd intended.
Meanwhile, Val had part-carried, part-dragged Xelloss into the den, kicked Zel and Subaru's things to the side of the room, and dropped Xelloss onto the pull-out bed. "Whaddaya need?"
"My…bag. Oh… And…some water…"
"Okay," Val stomped out of the room and into the next. Xelloss could hear him rifling through the pile of bags looking for his distinctive one with the Zildjian cymbal company logo inscribed on the side.
Next thing he knew, Val was back at his side. "Filia said you could have this. One of her fancy-ass bottled waters. She says it's pure. I told her you ain't, but she just said 'give it to 'im!' "
Xelloss smiled weakly. "Thanks." He threw an arm over his eyes and lay flaccidly across the sofa bed.
"You gonna be okay?"
Xelloss nodded. "After I take some pills. You can go…thanks."
Val shrugged, and then left Xelloss to his misery. It don't love company, that he knew.
Xelloss could barely make out the muffled sounds of Lina, Val, and Bobby over the others playing video games in the front room. Barely audible and far off. His head was pounding after all the activity. Rummaging through his bag, he found his migraine medication by its rattle. He drained the last of the bottled water, washing the pills down in a couple of gulps. Fifteen, twenty minutes, then peace would come to his addled brain. He only had to endure a few more minutes this way…
He patted down his sides and located his cell phone. Time enough for a call.
"Hello, Mr. Ul Copt, Xelloss here. No. No problems at all. In fact, the recordings are going well. I called to thank you for the AtMet tickets. Yes, she invited me to join them. Yes, I did, we all did. It was a very…interesting show. Lots of fat naked women… In the paintings! Well, there was a little commotion as we were leaving. Fans mobbed us and we had to make a sneaky getaway. Not on the evening news? Maybe it didn't make it. The press was there all right so something will be in the papers, I bet. Exciting, yes. Ah, I had one more thing. I was wondering who it was that gave you those tickets? In the mail, you say? Probably her art teacher? No. Filia didn't know. Ah…that's okay, I ah…just wanted to know who your connection was for such great tickets in case I wanted to go sometime. That's okay…Yeah, so anyway, thanks again and good night. Huh? Oh, okay, I'll tell her…sure…bye."
A set-up. It had been a set-up.
Absolutely certain that Grauscherra was involved, Xelloss could see how the syndicate was going to be able to connect the Slayers to their past activities. Filia's interview with the principal must have informed him about their recording date in Atlas City, and he must have had those tickets for the art show and once he'd stolen that photo of Xelloss and gotten a painter… It seemed like a lot of trouble to go through, but… Xelloss frowned. He had used a few connections to get that painting pulled, locate the painter, the lawyers…ah…probably too much. He had really blown it. The entire thing had been a clever ploy to make him reveal his syndicate training, and, he was afraid, he had over reacted, done too much, and blown his 'just a school boy' image.
He should tell the others, but not now. He fell back onto the bed thinking that he ought to go to his own room and climb up into his own loft bed…Zelgadiss and Subaru would expect this one soon… But he was so…tired, so…comfortable, warm, and drowsy…
"Amelia!"
Her eyes opened expectantly. A drop of rain slid down a wiry length of his bang and dropped, spat, onto her forehead, causing her to blink.
Tip, tip, tip...pitter, patter...
"It's raining?"
"Yes." Zelgadiss jumped up.
Amelia followed suit and scrambled to her feet. Together they shook off the blanket and snuggled under, using it like a rain shield, and then made a run for the car.
"Ha ha!" she laughed once they were nestled back inside their car. "We made it! Good thing we weren't parked any further away."
"Yes." Good thing we didn't get soaked, he thought to himself. Zel's imagination took over and for a second he envisioned Amelia's low cut blouse turning transparent in the rain...
"Yes!" he said energetically the second time.
Amelia wondered at that. Zelgadiss was usually more reserved. "So...what now?" she asked.
"We go home," Zel said determinedly.
"We don't have to..."
"Yes we do, Amelia. This has been nice, but...look how late it's getting. Tomorrow's going to be a bear of a day."
"You don't like being with me?"
"Oh, I do...but...I don't..." he sighed and started the car. "...trust me. Now, help me watch out for deer. We don't need an accident to top off this day."
"Okay," she agreed cheerily. "It sure has been a fun day, hasn't it?"
Fun? Oh, why argue? "Sure," he smiled and patted her on the knee. "It was planned just for your pleasure, princess."
She smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Zelgadiss."
He chuckled softly. This time he just knew that she wasn't going to let him pretend that the evening hadn't happened. Of course, he had been known to be wrong about her before.
Zelgadiss and Amelia ran into the house laughing and ripping off soggy jackets and damp shoes at the door.
"I'm going to go change," he told her and left to the den.
There, he discovered Xelloss asleep, an open container of migraine pills, and an empty water bottle resting on the floor by his dangling hand. Zel picked up the pill bottle, screwed on the lid, tossed it into the gaping bag and zipped it shut. With a sigh, he set the water bottle on the table.
"You always do take my bed, you know." But Xelloss didn't hear him. He picked up his own bag of clothes and left the den.
A few minutes later, in the room full of gamers, he located Subaru to warn him, "You'll be sharing with Xelloss tonight. He's conked out already in the den."
Subaru's turn came up—he pressed 'A' and a dice block appeared over the little green head of the sprite representing him, and Zel's eyes flickered to the corner where his stats were displayed. Four stars, 150 coins. His eyes darted to the other corners. One star, 40 coins…2 stars, seven coins, no stars, 86 coins…
Subaru was winning, obviously.
"You corrupted him," Zel sighed.
"He's a fast learner," Lee congratulated him. "He doesn't miss a thing, and when he focuses…"
"It's scary how good he is!" Luke shivered.
"I have a bit of a headache, myself," Subaru said, quietly. "Must be from staring at the screen for so long. I think I'll go to bed, too," and with that, he went to the start menu, turned his character into a computer, and left.
"But you were doing so well!" Pearl gasped. "You were winning, and you worked so hard!"
The others were in similar states of shock.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Luke cried. "We're gonna get beaten by a computer!"
Zelgadiss watched Subaru, less mystified than the others, but still concerned. Why couldn't he let himself win? What was keeping him back, keeping him isolated?
Well, what sort of question was that?
Zel shivered.
"I can't wait to get home and show daddy our CD!" Amelia said to Lina at her side.
"Yeah, it's something to be proud of," Lina agreed. She drew a deep breath and leaned her back on the seat of the van. "Tell me we don't have school in the morning."
"We don't have school in the morning!" her other inmates chanted amid giggles and hoots.
"Buncha comedians..." she groused.
"Well, I had a .+.+.. wonderful ..+.+. time," Amelia assured her.
"Gee, Zel," Filia shot back his way. "Who'da thought a drive around looking at city lights would have qualified under the 'wonderful time' category, but you're the man."
Huh? That's not what they did? He made eye contact with Amelia. 'Let it rest,' she signaled silently. 'Oh? All right,' he acquiesced wordlessly. He sighed and feigned boredom, although he was totally bewildered. He was shaking his head when he noticed Gourry's big hand on his shoulder which implied 'Been there, dude.'
"Thanks for the lift. I'll call you later," Xelloss said. He hopped out of the van and lugged his bag up the steps to Candy's residence.
"Who's that waiting outside with Candy?" Amelia asked Zelgadiss as he shut the door.
"John the doorman." Zel settled into his seat. "Just a guy that lives there with no life and a gossipy nature. Xelloss told me he gets a break on his rent in return for keeping an eye on the door at night. He's a psych. major at the university."
From the van window, there was enough light shining from the street lights for them to see Xelloss greet Candy with a hug and kiss, and John with a hug.
"Oooh, John's got it bad for Xelloss," Val snickered from the back.
"You think so? That must be awfully hard on him," Amelia sighed.
"Who? John or Xelloss?" Sylphiel giggled.
"John. It's so sad..." Amelia replied. "Candy's pretty, don't you think?"
Filia strained to look, and then noted, "Candy, if that's what she wants to be called these days, has improved, that's for sure. He can do better, though." She sat back and looked bored.
"She accepts him as he is," Zel said in her defense. He thought she was very pretty, and nice, and intelligent, and fun to talk to.
"But does she know anything about him?" Filia snapped. "He comes with more baggage than what you see him carrying."
Zel shook his head. "Really, Filia, it's none of our business. They have only been seeing one another a few weeks, a bit too soon to begin introducing her to all the skeletons in his closet."
"But not too soon to be sleeping together?" Filia pressed.
"I know what you're implying, but she has a roommate who shares her room. I repeat...keep your nose out of it. It doesn't concern you, or me, or any of us. They're both adults with very little free downtime to share." Zel folded his arms over his chest and hunkered down in his seat.
"Filia, are you jealous or something? Well, that's how you sound," whispered Sylphiel who was seated next to her.
Val stared out the window in silent agreement.
Gourry wondered at Xelloss' behavior. He did not get that guy, at all. One minute Xelloss was competing with him in a battle for Lina, the next he's going out with Filia and has got a new girlfriend! Not that he was about to complain. Gourry was thrilled to have Xelloss' attention busy elsewhere. Having an open playing field was more his style. He had an idea of a place to take Lina, and decided he'd ask her tonight after unloading the van…when they had a free moment, which Zel would surely give him if he asked.
Ten minutes later, Val helped load Sylphiel, Filia, and Subaru's bags into his Suburban parked in front of his house. "Yeah, I'll drop the two of 'em off at the Shrine on our way out to the settlement. Anythin' ta get outta unloadin' the van."
Not that there was much for Gourry and Zel to unload, just a couple of guitars, cymbals, and all the girls' bags. Lina was staying over with Amelia for that night. Luna was still out at the settlement and would get a ride back with Val the next morning on his and Filia's way to school. She didn't want Lina to stay at their house alone, as per the agreement following the last summer's travesties. None of the Slayers should be alone or without their cell phones. Deal.
"Look up there," Gourry said while at the same time pointing out his window as the van climbed the hill to the mayor's mansion. "Lights or somethin'. Mebbe an accident."
Zel perked up. "EM vehicles. Yeah, I hear them. Pull over and stop here."
"What's going on?" Lina shouted.
"Zel's gonna run up ahead and check in case, ya know... there's trouble." Gourry blocked the sliding van door.
Lina kicked him aside. "If there's trouble, we oughta be there to back 'im up. Come on!"
Amelia scrambled out as well and tagged behind Gourry with Lina in the lead and Zelgadiss already sucked up by the darkness. It was nearly midnight, dark, and none of them were familiar with the twisting road, except Gourry, but he wasn't in the lead. Lina rounded the bend and ran down Zelgadiss who had been in quiet conversation with Mrs. Andrews, the mayor's cook.
"Damnit, Lina! Go back and keep quiet!" Zel grumbled.
Remarkably, Lina backed off without pounding him into submission.
"Oh, children! Turn back now and take Miss Amelia to the hospital before the press catches up with you!" a highly agitated Mrs. Andrews warned them.
"You heard her. Let's go. I'll explain in the van," Zelgadiss said sternly. Even Lina could read his body language, which screamed 'Crisis! '
Zelgadiss marched them all back into the van and spoke to Gourry in a low voice. Gourry's brow furrowed, but he accepted the directions without a word and started the engine. Next, Zel sought out Amelia and sat by her side. "Phil… your father, has had a heart attack, she thinks. We're going directly to the hospital now."
He clutched the stricken girl's hand. "He's a strong, healthy man, Amelia. He'll get the best of care there. He'll pull through fine. Believe that."
"W-when you say that, Zelgadiss, I do. I-I do! I have faith...in Justice! He will be fine. Seyruun needs him!" Amelia's strength failed, though. She was just a girl whose father's life was on the line. Her voice broke and tears erupted, "I...I need him..."
Zelgadiss, to his credit, held her all the way to the hospital without flinching once.
"He's not there!" Lina repeated to the blank faces. "Not anywhere!"
Gourry nodded. "They woulda told Lina, ya know. She didn't let'em get off easy."
"I imagine not," Zel muttered. He had remained, voluntarily, behind with Amelia, allowing Lina free reign to exercise her well known charm on the reticent staff to extract the information they needed. Gourry tagged along to make sure Lina didn't hurt anyone. "Where do think he might have been taken?"
"Or gone," Lina drawled out.
"Lina!" Gourry gasped, dismayed by what he considered to be over the top insensitivity from Lina. It was a bit too early to discuss the man's demise, from his point of view.
"Not 'dead' gone, yogurt brains!" Lina spat. "Gone some place."
"Or taken someplace?" Zel said thoughtfully.
"Ya think he had a heart attack and someone kidnapped him?" Gourry asked.
Amelia climbed out of the van, "What's the matter?" She looked haggard, tired and worried.
Zel turned away, cell phone glued to his ear. "Father. We're back, but... fine... I'll listen. Right. Hold on…"
Zel broke away from the phone and turned to Amelia, "Amelia, just a second. I have news, but you'll have to stop talking at me."
"Father, I'm back. Yes? Yes...At the hospital. We'll be there in ten minutes. All right, eleven, if we stop for lights." He closed up the phone and met Amelia's eyes. "We are to go to Rezo's. He wasn't...he wouldn't speak freely thinking his lines may be tapped, but he had information."
"Then lets go," Lina said. "Amelia, we'll find your father. That'sa promise, 'kay?"
"Yes, Miss Lina." Amelia bravely tried to sound hopeful, although her eyes were filled with concern.
The van screeched to a halt in front of the professor's house. All four kids clamored out of the van and up the steps to Zel's childhood home. Beast's howl greeted them through the closed door. He sniffled and snuffled his nose through the gap as Mrs. Shearer cracked open the door, then pushed it wide as he bounded past her to greet his boy with a slathering kiss.
"Hi, Beast," Zel said with a tender pat and push. "Let us get in, will you?"
"Amelia? Amelia! Is that you?" called a familiar voice.
"Daddy? Daddy!" she squealed in delight, running into the big man's arms and burying her face in his broad chest. "Zelgadiss said you'd be all right. We just knew you were!"
Lina looked the man over appraisingly. "You are, aren't ya?"
"He doesn't look like he's had a heart attack, and I should know. I visited my grandmother in the hospital last year...ya know, before she moved into my room and we built the addition and all? And she looked...um...like a fish...ya know, all wall-eyed and clammy...uh...guess that's more like a clam, ha ha, but I don't think she looked like a clam at all, 'cause clams got that hard shell and...oof!"
Lina withdrew her fist from Gourry's unprotected abdomen. "What's the story?" she demanded of Phil.
Phil returned the cool appraisal, and then answered. "I want them, my staff…the press…everyone to think I'm out of the picture, temporarily. Gives me time to plan my next move and it might draw out the evil culprit if he thinks the road to my position is an easy ride. You were correct, Zelgadiss. There's someone out to take over my job."
Zel nodded. "I see. What makes you think so?"
"Ah, well I have to credit that fine Mrs. Andrews with the clever methods this time around. She had been busy preparing my dinner, when something about the sliced bread looked wrong, she said. Moldy even. So she tossed them out in the trash, or was about to when she caught a whiff." He paused to cough.
"A whiff... that a kinda fish?" Gourry asked, puzzling a moment.
If he was going to say something further on the topic of fish, 'whiffs', or clams again, he didn't, or at least he changed his mind after a withering glance from Lina ended his stake in the conversation. Lina sure was touchy tonight, he thought.
"It smelled funny, chemically. At any rate, the wise woman decided to test it by setting the tainted bread on the floor by a spot where a family of mice appears. She told me now that she and that Xelloss character had a run about with the mice there in the past. Well, back to the story... she went back to her cooking and nearly forgot about the bread, when something caught her eye. And there...on the floor...beside the bread..."
"Dead mouse, huh?" Lina surmised.
"Yes, a dead mouse. Strychnine poisoning we figure..."
Zelgadiss was about to interrupt to tell him that it sounded more like another kind of poison, but asked another question instead. "So...what brought you here, to my father's house?"
"I came here because I knew you, Zelgadiss, would come here to get your dog eventually. I felt that cell phone conversations might get intercepted somehow. I don't know how you got past the hospital staff, though. I thought I had them in my pocket, so to speak. They are to turn away the press, everyone with the story that I am in critical condition and can't be seen or interviewed."
"Ah, well, ya don't know Lina very well, Sir. She don't let anybody pull a fast one on her!" Gourry smiled down at the daring redhead.
"That's right!" She slapped him on the back appreciatively. "Though I have to admit, they were good."
Rezo said, "I was lucky your brother, Christopher, called and warned me in time to get back from the university. Mrs. Shearer normally has Sunday evenings out at some family dinner, so lately I've been meeting associates to eat and go out to various campus musical shows." He tapped his cell phone. "Best gift my son ever gave me."
"I didn't give that to you," Zel corrected him.
"That's correct, you didn't, that was Xelloss, my thoughtful son...stepson... doesn't matter."
"So how did you get here?" Lina asked stepping between the father and son.
"Vurumagen drove me home," Rezo answered.
"Ah...I meant you, Phil," Lina clarified.
"Interesting... two men came to the door earlier. Friends of yours, Zelgadiss. A Mr. Zolf and Rodimus. They had a newly signed contract with your band to return, but somehow whoever sent the materials to them neglected to give them the lawyer's name or address. So, they drove into Seyruun and, remembering that my daughter lived in the Mayor's mansion, showed up there."
"Sorry," both Zelgadiss and Amelia said simultaneously.
"No problem, kids. Like I said, or meant to, was that while I was speaking to them, my dear cook was dealing with the dead mouse. It was the smart one...ah...Zolf who came up with the hospital idea. Seems he's had experience sneaking rock stars out of concerts in the past..."
"Sounds like we gonna need his services more than we thought," Lina said to Zel, who nodded agreement.
"Oh? Had some trouble?" Rezo asked.
"Uh...yeah, but that's nothin' we can't handle. What we need is a plan..." Lina said adroitly changing the focus back to the crisis at hand, "...a computer-- right Zel?--and access to your personal records, Phil."
"That means going back to the mansion." Phil fingered his moustache, deep in thought.
With that, Rezo, Phil, and the kids put their heads and talents together. Mrs. Shearer provided refreshments...
From the Authors:
Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the contest results as well as pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.
KS
End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 24.