Wandering
Innocent pre-
Teens
Never
Even
Shared
Seeking friendship
By Ahhelga
Chapter 15- I Whistle A Happy Tune
Important Notice: I shall not be returning for a week (starting Sunday), for I am going to Yosemite National Park. This means no chatting on AIM, no updating for a while, and no internet. Actually, this trip is going to let me be inspired. There's so much to explore out there, and it's a GREAT time to be inspired... I'm sort of in a dry spell right about now... and probably the only thing really exciting in these last chapters were the cliff- hangers, but other wise, it was crap. So, remember, don't yell or be mad or anything if I don't update as soon! Just be glad when I come back I'll bring new and fresh ideas (hopefully)!
Rated for violence, cussing, and kissing scenes...
Disclaimer: I if I owned KND, the episodes would be so much crappier than now... and plus a lot more romance...
The dust cleared.
Wally practically jumped at the person in front of him; no, not "person", "persons". Keiko squealed.
Sitting on chairs, tied, were Hoagie and Nigel. They both looked relieved, yet frightened at the same time. They sat in wooden chairs, bound by rough-looking ropes at the wrists, ankles, and the waist. Of course, the reason why the two boys couldn't talk was because of the gag balls in their mouths.
Keiko quickly untied Hoagie first and took out the gag ball. All around his mouth was an odd combination of drool and blood. Wally stared for a second at her and Hoagie and then glanced at Nigel who gave him an angry look. He quickly walked towards Nigel and did the same as Keiko did. She did seem to know a lot about these things, for she let it fall to the ground and then stomp on it with her left foot. It exploded but a small explosion of air only erupted.
"Uh... T'anks for savin' us, Keiko, Numbuh 4!" Hoagie exclaimed, having trouble with getting used to regular speech.
"No prob, Hoagie!" she said all giggly and such.
Hoagie gave her a weird look but thought it off. Nigel rubbed the back of his neck, moving his jaw all around.
"Oh you shouldn't do that, Numbuh 1!" she exclaimed at the sight of him. "You have to massage it in this way!" She gave a demonstration.
Hoagie complimented and asked her how she knew so much and they went on talking. Wally, at first, was listening to them all giving embraces, sharing secrets, but then their voices drained as he heard the creaky noise again.
He slowly whispered, "They caught us..."
Immediately all the talking amongst the kids stopped and stared at Wally who was looking all around of the small stone room. There came another creak, and another, soon the pace got quicker...
"Run!"
All four ran out the door, Wally in the lead. He stopped abruptly, looking for a way out, other than that hole they fell through. It was almost impossible right now without the gear.
He couldn't think much longer, he was losing it. Damn thinking...he cursed in silently. Why couldn't I be good at that!
Hoagie, after scanning the room, busted out with, "We could use the trunk! I'll get on it, and Nigel will get on my shoulders, then Wally, and lastly, Keiko! She'll pull Wally, and they'll pull Nigel, and so on and so forth! We could use it, guys!"
Keiko quickly ignored the guy thing and climbed onto the trunk. She did an exceptionally high jump, just like Kuki would usually do, considering her long legs. Once she was high enough she just barely got a hold of the ledge of the hole. The wood was weak, so she had to give it a tighter grip. Slowly, she pulled herself up from hanging and panted onto the flat surface.
She called from up above, "Guys, I'll go get a ladder, or something!" Obviously, it wasn't going to work if she tried pulling up Wally--he was too short.
She stood up and ran up the stairs, which was just above the closet. Landing, she ran towards the upstairs closet. It was a bit dusty to get to her parents' walk-in closet, but she made it fine. There, the ladder was laying on the side of the wall. At first, it took time to hold it, but she got there in time. Running down the steps was easier than going up, but as soon as she reached the closet, the silhouette of a man was standing right in front of it.
Rage built up in her. You could see the fire in her eyes. She wanted to pounce on this man. Oh, the nerve. The nerve of whistling. In front of her, especially. She thought it would be so great to have her friends once more. Why couldn't she have just run from the past like her gut told her too?
It was because of her good heart.
Her damn heart made it hard to leave again. She didn't want to leave because of friendship, because of love! She hated this man so much. She loathed him, yet...she didn't know his name.
"I whistle a happy tune, and every single time, the happiness in my tune convinces me that I'm not afraid..." His voice was chilling. Like how it was during the hottest day of the year and he made the room ice cold. It was like when you jump into ice water in 30 degree water. Like you were in the fiery depths of Hell and you were as cold as an ice pop. The kind of voice that made you want to shudder, like a cold winter's day.
Keiko wanted so bad to take off that invisible mask of his and see his identity, see his soul so she could send it to Satin himself. So she could expose of him. She would send him to Alcatraz (maybe even worse), if it still had been open and not closed down, exposed to tourists. He stopped whistling.
"Who am I, you ask?"
She spat at him, dropping the ladder that had been clutched in her arms. Her knuckles cracked. Muscles were tensed up. And her mind was racing.
"Where are they? What have you done?"
The man gave a hearty laugh. You could tell he was enjoying this and whispered something along the lines of "I knew this would happen". She clenched her teeth. He just really pissed her off. Suddenly, a call ended the silence.
"Keiko, are you up there? What's going on?"
She gave a sigh of both relief and anger. He was toying with her. How was she that stupid? She should know! She knew the techniquies. Well, she had her...father as...her father, the expert! The type of fighting, the type of problem solving. Why didn't she listen as much to him?
"Child, I know you are confused... I know you don't know what's going on... But realize this, I do... I shall let your friends go... in exchange: you. I could guide you... I'll be your mentor... Show you your true path... You know what it really is...I know you do... You could be my daughter and I'll be your father... Yes... that'd be nice... to have a family again...I know you would like one too..."
Her head hung. Keiko had held back the tears. This was true... She couldn't deny it. She just had to avoid it. Her angry face looked up; tears filled with anger fell rapidly down her cheeks.
Her voice was stuffy and cracked but she managed to reply. "No, I can't deny that I know... you know... but I will change that!"
"Fine... suit yourself... but I know you'll change your mind, Keiko, and I will take you in!"
With a snap of his fingers, a bunch of smoke came from the ground (this made her cough an awful lot) and he vanished.
She slowly dragged the ladder to the closet and helped them up.
"What took you so long up here, Keiko?" Nigel asked her.
"I, uh, lost my way... I couldn't find anything at first..." she lied.
He nodded solemnly and turned to the others. He sighed before turning to her.
"There's a lot to say... especially about his man and woman, of course." he sighed. "A whole lot to say about them... But first...I have to ask you something..."
She smiled softly to him. "Shoot."
He took a deep breath. "How would you like to be Codename: Kids Next Door Operative Numbuh 3?"
"Whistle a Happy Tune" is not mine. It's Rogers and Hammerstien's from the play The King and I.
That's me
Ahhelga
AKA Pauline