Chapter 7:
Tno: Now I have a few things to say before we begin. Firstly this chapter is dedicated to Sophia for she was feeling rather under the weather when we began to write this chappie. Secondly, we have some wonderful reviews to answer my lovely kookaburras. And I am mortified by how long it took me, I am truly sorry and I know no excuse is good enough but I shall say them anyway, (first off I'm trying to pass my MEQ exams so I can graduate this year, and I also suffered a very long and painful writer's block). And now Clarence, take it away. (Don't forget Holly). Oh yes and Holly (and for others who may not understand the reason why Sid called Ray 'Kon' in the last chapter) 'Kon' is Ray's last name.
Clarence: sup peeps? So thanks for the reviews and yes Brittany, here's the chapter, it's done! Now you won't have to kill kinkajou with a bookmark. Anyway have fun reading.
Chapter 7:
"What the HELL, GET OUT THIS GUY'S GONNA KILL US!"
The four teens looked at each other and ran down the stares to see a figure in a black hood covering his face standing in the doorway. He was laden with sharp, lethal objects of torture. Ari ran down the stairs in bewildered silence, as Max and Kai joined them from the living room. That was when the hooded figure began to laugh. It wasn't really a comforting laugh, more the bone chilling I'm-off-my-rocker type laugh.
"Tyson, Tyson." He chuckled slapping the terrified boy in the back heartily. "You always were a fool."
"I know that voice." Enni grinned, as the figure pulled his hood back and smirked allowing his spiky red hair to dance around his head, free of the heavy hood. A bandanna kept the fiery strands out of his rebellious gray eyes.
"JOHNNY?" The three girls almost screamed in disbelief. Gwen began to run down the hall but Ari had beaten her to it, jumping at him and hugging him tightly.
"Oh my god we missed you guys. Are the others coming? How are they? How are you? Wow so much has happened." Ari said in one long breath stopping to catch it.
"That's my girl." Johnny shook his head grinning then he was almost flattened by the other two girls who practically steamrolled him into the wood floor.
"JOHNNY!" Gwen cried, her arms attached around his neck.
"O.K. ladies please, there's enough Johnny to go around." He smirked and the girls raised their eyebrows.
"Still as overly cocky as ever." Sid sighed.
"Don't you know it." Enni said coming over and greeting Johnny in a slightly more calm way.
The other boys looked a little taken a back, though they were getting used to the surprises. Kai had been looking tense and pretty much twice as pissed off as usual. And when Johnny caught sight of him he mirrored Kai's anger. Their tempers were exactly alike although Johnny tended to be much more of an egomaniac since well he was a rich kid who practically lived in a castle. Kai on the other hand was brought up in a rich family but his grandfather was an asshole and he was lucky to have escaped when he did. Although he might not have escaped so completely.
Ari decided this would be a good time to step in so she swiftly took Johnny's arm grinning and signaling for the other two to help her.
"Anyway Johnny, we have so much catching up to do." She said as Sid joined her and they took him into the living room.
"What the hell is that bastard doing here?" Kai flared loudly, hearing a satisfying growl from the other room.
"Hey Kai, why don't you go upstairs and I'll bring you something to help cool you down." Gwen gave Enni and Ray meaningful looks. She had heard about the way Kai and Johnny really couldn't stand one another, they would prefer to pretend that the other didn't exist. She sighed taking a can of beer from the fridge. She didn't really approve of underage drinking but she was the last one to try and tell Kai of all people what to do. Once upstairs he accepted the beer and drank it quickly tossing the can into the garbage.
"Thanks." he said looking at the floor. He hated the way he acted, especially around the girls, but getting close wasn't really his thing. He was better at being the shadow in the corner rather than the happy-go-lucky type like Tyson and Max, or the player like Ray. He sighed and sat down on his bed. "Sorry, the guy just pisses me off." He grunted to the timid girl in the doorway. "I don't mean to be such a heartless ass, I'm not really like that I just…" Gwen cut him off shaking her head.
"Don't worry about it. Believe me Sid and I have Ari and well Johnny can kind of tend to get that way too." She paused noting Kai's look of displeasure at the name. "I guess that's why he's one of the only guys she can get along with aside from Enni." Gwen shrugged. Kai looked away.
"They deserve each other." He smirked.
"HAHAHA!" Gwen laughed suddenly as Kai's eyebrow rose wondering weather or not she was still sane. "Those two, a couple. Not in this life time." Gwen chuckled. "Nah, that's what Johnny wants but I'm not sure Ari feels the same." Gwen continued to laugh a little. "They would make an interesting pair though." She agreed, smiling. "Anyhow, they're probably waiting downstairs. Come if you want." She shrugged and left.
"…So then Gwen went mental on those Balkov goons, we kidnapped the Blade Breakers, brought them here…" Ari continued to explain.
"And now Boris knows where we are, and boss 'Voltaire' probably knows too now, so…you can pretty much guess from there." Sid finished. Johnny nodded solemnly looking from one face to the next. Kai had still not come down.
"Should I…?" Gwen began to ask.
"No I'll go this time." Ari said. "The guy needs a kick up the ass if you ask me. I might be able to knock out the poll he's got stuck up there." She fumed heading for the stares. Gwen just shook her head as Johnny watched Ari leave.
"Is there anything going on between her and that pile of shi-." He began.
"It would be a miracle if something was going on between Ari and anyone." Sid shook her head.
"Oh and you're one to talk." Enni crossed his arms sarcastically.
Ari barged into Kai's room a couple of seconds later, fuming. She stood in the doorway in her usual stance. Hands in her pockets and feet apart in an authoritative manner though few people who knew her took it seriously.
"What the hell is your problem?" She said in an I'm-trying-very-hard-to-be-calm voice.
"I take it the idea of knocking eludes you." Kai retorted not even batting an eyelid.
"Look you seem to have a real problem with everyone around here. And to be honest it's pissing us ALL off."
"Shouldn't you be making-out with Johnny somewhere?" He retorted again.
"Been there, done that." She replied boredly. And Kai sat up interested. Realizing what she'd just said she immediately wished she hadn't "Aw crap." She cursed.
"Well, well, well. Now I have something on you too." He grinned. "Manipulating you girls is disturbingly easy." He sighed standing up and mirroring Ari's stance.
"You can't tell anyone Kai, unless you would like me to kill you the next time I loose it." She said dangerously. "Besides, that's been over for a long time now."
"You couldn't kill me, I'm too hot." He laughed meaning it quite literally since his element is fire.
"You and Johnny are too much alike." Ari snarled. "Don't be so arrogant. I wouldn't hesitate to kill you Hiwatari."
"Then maybe you should do a little reading on your element sweetheart." Kai said, "Fire cancels air." He turned to the window. "And never compare me to Johnny again or I'm going to have to start making a habit of hitting girls."
"Well if Johnny were in your position he would be doing the same damn thing." Ari retorted. "So if you don't want to be compared to him, stop acting like him." She finished and left, knowing she'd touched a nerve.
Gwen had been looking worriedly at the stairs and waiting for either of the two thickheaded teens to start screaming or for Taranis to start growling.
"He better not lay a finger on her." Johnny said looking in the same direction. He smiled when Ari walked in and sat abruptly on the floor.
"You didn't get far did you?" Ray smiled cockily at her. "He's a strong-willed bastard." The amber-eyed boy shook his head but stopped when the Russian came into the room and went to sit on the couch next to Sid.
"What the hell did you do to crack his thick scull?" Tyson said and regretted it when he heard a warning sound come from deep inside Kai's chest.
"I have a thicker scull I guess." She answered, as the doorbell rang again. Enni had only enough time to open the door when a shriek erupted in the room from all three girls once again, only louder this time.
"OLIVER, ROBBIE." The girls said as they ran at the two boys who had just come through the door.
"How many times have I told you not to call me Robbie?" Robert said.
"Oh come on, let the girls have their fun." Oliver said clearly enjoying the attention. (Which should over ride the thought that he is gay, and most people who see pictures of him do in fact either think he's gay or that he is a very boyish girl (his spirit is a unicorn o.k.) but we love him).
"Alright!" Gwen said. "So what made you guys come down to Canada?" The three newcomers looked at one another and glanced at Enni.
"Enni?" Sid looked a little uncertain that she had interpreted this correctly.
"We need to learn to fight." Enni explained. "Or at least you three girls do, I think that Kai and Ray know a lot about man to man combat but you girls don't know much. Though that was a nice shot Ari pulled on the Blakov soldier back in Japan." He acknowledged.
"Thanks, it was all luck though." She grinned. They heard a cough and Max stood up gesturing towards Ray who had just realized he had never mentioned the idea of him becoming a martial arts teacher.
"Well Ray is a black belt in Karate, Judo, Tai-kwon-doe…and he'll be glad to teach everyone here." Max said.
"I will?" Ray asked not so sure anymore, the memory of the young boy from the village haunted is mind still from time to time.
"Sure." Sid smiled brightly looking over at the black hared youth on the carpet. "It might be fun after all."
"Mwahahahahahahaha. I'm finally going to learn to kick some ass." Ari grinned triumphantly, her formerly cloudy mood was lifted as though by magic.
"Hold on I never said I would…"
"O.K. so Ray will tech the martial arts in the mornings we break for lunch, and then Robert and Johnny will have the afternoons." Enni nodded marking something on a paper.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kai asked.
"It means we're going to be learning a lot of self defense." Oliver retorted not unkindly.
"And I know who's going to be my punching bag." Johnny hissed under his breath glancing darkly at the gorgeous Russian.
"Wow this is starting to sound like Hogwarts for killers and rapists." Ari said bluntly.
"Excuse me?" Robert looked shocked. "How-."
"-If you so much as think the word uncouth I think I'm going to lose it." Tyson said suddenly.
Gwen had been quiet the whole time thinking about the idea of fighting. Hadn't hiding worked? Couldn't they just avoid getting caught?
"I don't want to kill anymore Enni." She whispered, though she wasn't heard above everyone else who were discussing seriously about the plan Enni had though up. Her eyes began to well but she forced the tears back. She wouldn't cry, No, no, no. But she had never been very good at holding back her sadness.
"Gwen what's wrong?" Sid and Ari both noticed almost immediately, almost like they could smell the tears.
"I don't want to kill anymore Enni." She said in a quavering voice. He walked over and sat down hugging her.
"I know. You might not have too." He said though there was a heavy dosage of doubt behind his words. If someone came after her obviously she would have to defend herself to some extent. No one had been truly exited about the idea in the first place. The majority were more scared than anything. Robert, Oliver and Johnny stood in the doorway, waiting for all the emotion to subside. They were used to fighting, hell their launchers had been in the shape of weapons for crying out loud. Robert seemed to have a stiff almost snobbish disposition that radiated from him seeing as he was a prince and all, Where as Oliver just seemed to be a very well dressed French boy with an artistic flare in his eyes. And as for Johnny well you wouldn't be able to tell he was rich unless you knew him. No matter how they dressed or behaved though, it was clear to the rest of the boys that the girls loved them like family. Sort of how they treated Enni who had once been a part of the high-class group.
Enni sat with the three girls as they thought over everything that had been happening to them in the last few years. Gwen had stopped crying but the room stayed silent. She thought back to when she'd first met Enni and the others.
She had been living at a youth shelter with Ari and Sid, all three of them runaways. She had used the shelter computer to have a long distance big brother little sister relation with Robert though she'd never actually met him before.
She would sit at that computer for hours and just talk to him and his friends though she couldn't place faces to the names. Eventually Ari and Sid butted in and invited the four boys to come down and live at the shelter with them for a little while. Robert hadn't been to keen on the shelter thing but since the other three had been all for the idea he had ended up coming along.
As soon as they met though Sid and Enni recognized each other, both coming from an Italian background. Ari surprisingly got on really well with the four right away, (which is rare), and Gwen easily settled into life with them around. They stayed for about a year until…stuff happened.
Everyone eventually went their separate ways, the three boys returned to their hotel, (Robert wasn't about to go through the experience of living with those four again, and Ari didn't trust having Johnny around).
"So, you and Johnny have a history I hear." Ray said venturing bravely into Ari's room. Surprisingly she didn't attack him. Instead she just sat by the open window looking out almost lazily at the River. She shrugged.
"No not really. We went out a few times as a couple but it only lasted about two weeks." She answered easily.
"So his love is unrequited." He sort sighed-laughed flopping onto her bead and staring at her ceiling. "Hey were those stars up there before?" Ray pointed at the glow in the dark stickers, barely visible in the daylight, scattered across the ceiling.
"No, my dad gave them too me a long time ago. I just felt like putting them up in this house for some reason." She shrugged again absently as though she wasn't really paying attention.
"O.K. now this is getting scary, since when do you let anyone, never mind me, invade your personal space? And since when have you just answered questions without biting my head of for that matter?"
"I don't know, when I put the stars up I just felt sort of tired but I couldn't sleep. I just don't care right now I guess." Ari was definitely not acting like herself.
"That's it." He said standing up. "Come on, we're going to see your buddies."
"Why now, they'll still be here tomorrow." Ari sighed, not even flinching when he put his hand on her arm.
"There's something going on and I think it has something to do with your spirit thing. Maybe some kind of after effect to your outburst or something." She turned to look at him for the first time since he'd come to see her and he took a step back. Here pupils had been reduced to a size so small, they were nearly non-existent and a black circle had appeared around her irises. He looked out the window at the sun, almost completely sunk below the horizon. WHAT, the sun was setting. He looked back into the room at the ceiling, at the stars that had begun to glow softly. The stars! He had to get her out. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door.
"Ray, what are you doing?" She whispered. Ray didn't answer, he nearly had to drag her down two flights of stairs and realized at the bottom of the second one that she was unconscious.
"Ray what the hell's going on?" Kai asked coming down the hall.
"Oh good you're here." Ray answered picking up Ari and placing her in Kai's arms. "Look after her I'll be right back." He said and ran off.
"Hey Ray hang on a sec…" For once in his life Kai had been cut off and now he was stuck holding on to a psycho who hated him and had the power to unleash the biggest canine known to man on him as soon as she woke up. He tried to turn around without waking her but to no avail. She began to stir and opened he eyes looking up at him tiredly.
"What's going on?" She said sounding a little drugged. Kai was suspicious. Why wasn't she trying to brutally massacre him?
"I don't know." He answered a little unsure.
"My head hurts." She exclaimed suddenly changing the subject out of nowhere. She made a painful noise almost like a dog crying and collapsed on his chest.
"O.K. I want about twenty million tones of whatever drug Ray gave you cuz it's definitely working." Kai said to himself. He looked around and figured the closest place to go (where there would be no danger of her getting raped by Tyson) would be his room. Unfortunately she woke up again just as he was trying to put her down.
"What the-no go away." She said groggily not making any clear sense. "Leave Taranis alone you bastard. Enni stop him…Enni…ENNI!" Ari started crying and screaming seeming almost delirious. "Don't let Voltaire hurt me again."
Meanwhile Enni and Gwen had been sitting in her room while she rummaged around throwing all her possessions all over the place.
"Gwen what are you looking for?" Enni said, finally getting annoyed when a shoe hit his head.
"That necklace I got from my mom." She answered crawling under the bed. "AHA!" she exclaimed as a triumphant hand appeared over her mattress, a black string with a pendant hanging from it clutched in her fist. She got up and tied the string around her neck, letting the pendant fall just above the collar of her shirt. It was the image a mermaid, made of pewter and holding a sort of huge bead that made it look like she was playing with a large bubble.
"So what's so special about that necklace?" Enni said, genuinely interested as always when talking to one of his girls (especially Gwen).
"It's just the only present that my mom gave me that I managed to bring along with me when I ran off on my little 'adventure'." She grinned. "Besides I find that it really represents Ceridwen and I." She grinned and then got a weird look on her face, she turned around to face Enni the light of the sunset catching the clear marble on the necklace. She took a sort of step forward looking almost menacing but in a strange sort of way. Enni watched her a little longer, wordlessly but his instinct was telling him that something wasn't right.
That was when Ray ran into the room and he looked at Gwen a little scared. She had spun around with almost supper human speed and looked like she was going to kill him. That definitely wasn't Gwen's nature. She was actually refreshingly passive. (Ari's not passive Ari is completely out of it).
"What happened to you?" Ray asked.
"None of you business. GET OUT!" She cried and lunged at him, forcing him to dodge out of her way a back into a corner of the room. Enni was standing now and walking slowly over to Gwen, sort of like a trained animal handler trying to calm a wild animal with very sharp fangs.
"Gwen relax." He said in an I'm-trying-very-hard-to-be-calm-but-you're-scaring-the-shit-out-of-me voice. She looked at him and growled angrily.
"Back off Enni." She almost hissed. She sounded scarier than Ari when she was pissed.
"How did this start?" Ray said rolling out of another punch. He watched with growing foreboding as her fist put a dent in the wall.
"I don't know she just put on that necklace that her mom gave her." That was when they herd Ari scream Enni's name. She sounded absolutely terrified.
"I think we should get out of here so we can talk Enni suggested throwing himself on the floor as Gwen went to attack him.
"Yeah and maybe we should bar the door." Ray added and he launched himself out the door. Enni just made it out after him. The two boys struggled against the suddenly formidable Gwen closing the door and pulling a chair in front of it that Ray had pulled from his room. O.K. I'm going to go get Kai now, I just hope he and Ari haven't killed each other yet. He saluted Enni and ran off for the second time. There a sweet lavender sent on the air he thought as he stood up. As he did so he heard a bone-chilling meow from behind him. He turned around and then next thing he knew, he was on his back, while Sid sat on his chest grinning comically, two sharp fangs protruding just a little over her lower lip.
"Sid wants to play." She purred.
Tno: Mwahahahahahahaha, let me guess you have no idea what's going on, you are confused and you are pissed at e for making you wait so long for such a lovely cliffy. I love cliffies. Oh yes and Clarence I really hope you don't mind the changes but I found that thinking back over it, the first idea was really, just a little too racy for so early in the story and also that I didn't want Gwen to be a whore (you-know-who's fault or not). So anyway, if you really don't appreciate the changes just tell me and I'm sure we can twist things to suit us both in the next chappie.
Now I know you all must be pretty upset about this little cliffy but fear not my friends, school is finally over (except for another French exam, the math, the prom, and the grad) So by June 22 I should be free again to write on week nights and weekends (unfortunately I work on weekdays full time). Anyhoo, so you must understand why I didn't get this chapter to you sooner, and if any of you ppl out there are writers, you know the dreadful black oblivion of writer's block and how infuriating it can be. Also I do try to have a life like most of you. (I love la Ronde, The Monster, The Vampire, The Boomerang…aaah joy to my very soul, o h yes and I have a contract that says Clarence will be going on the Monster with me this summer and I will be sure to give you updates on that you can be sure of it. Mwahaha). Anyhoo, I think I have said enough, on to the parting word of my dear, dear Clarence. Take in away oh Pale Faced Loon. Adieu my lovely Wallabies.
Clarence: well hope you liked it, and kinkajou is now telling what's going on as she has kept me somewhat in the dark about this. Anyway see y'all next chapter.