Hey guys, here's chapter 15 of The Misadventures of Vee. Our little basilisk has one more friendship she needs to repair… and this one might be the hardest of the three.


A Few Months Ago…

She wrote back!

Vee contained her tears of joy the best she could as she cradled the letter from Camilla. It was to be expected, she told herself, the human clearly loved her daughter whom Vee was impersonating and would respond to any letter she sent. Still, the fact that Camilla had responded at all filled Vee with a sense of being accepted she had never felt before. For a brief moment, Vee closed her eyes and allowed herself to believe that she really was Luz and that it was to her that Camilla had written.

"You okay, Luz?" Lance asked, making her jump. The letter popped from her grip and she flailed for a few seconds before catching it.

"Y-Yeah! I'm great," Vee said.

"Then hurry up and read your letter," Dani urged, tapping her foot by the cabin door. "We're going to be late for the Budgeting for Public Transportation class."

"Totally, I can't wait to learn about how underground buses work," Lance agreed eagerly.

Dani blinked at him. "You mean… trains?"

"Trains, yeah, those."

There was a glint of suspicion in the girl's raised brow. She turned to ask Vee if she thought Lance talked weird too only to catch the other girl trying to gnaw open the envelope like a dog with a bone.

"Ah, I'm the only sane person here, I see," Dani concluded and led the group out of the cabin. Vee followed, unable to solve the human puzzle known only as an envelope. When she was sure no one was looking, she morphed her dull human teeth into a set of razor-sharp chupacabra fangs and eviscerated the cursed thing. With triumph, she freed Camilla's letter and held it high.

Then a gust of wind tore it from her fingers.

"No!" Vee cried and chased the paper across the camp grounds. Her sights stayed locked on the page, causing her to blindly barrel over several other teens. She apologized half-heartedly, more worried about the letter. So focused was Vee on her target that she didn't notice that she had left the camp far behind and had entered the thick woods the counselors had warned never to wander alone. She shouted at Camilla's letter, begging it to return to her, but further and further it was carried by the wind, twisting and turning around tree trunks and boughs, always out of reach of Vee. Finally, the devilish wind decided it had had enough fun.

The letter skewered through a branch far overhead and at last stopped. Catching her breath, Vee climbed the tree. Her basilisk skin clung to the wood so easily it looked as though she was crawling across a floor than up a wall. She retrieved the letter in seconds.

"Not bad," commended a new scratchy voice.

"Huh?" Vee craned her head around in time to spot a human girl wearing a backpack flip down from above and land on the thick arm of another tree nearby.

"I've never seen somebody climb a tree that fast before," the girl went on, tightrope-walking along the branch. "Are you even human?"

Vee turned pale and shouted, "I'M HUMAN!"

Her near scream reverberated into the heavens, leaving the girl speechless. It also made Vee realize just how deep into the unknown she had strolled. Searching around, Vee saw no signs of civilization, she'd made so many turns that she couldn't even remember which direction she'd come from.

"Huh, wait, where's the camp? Dani? Lance? Hello?" There was no answer. Vee broke down and tears prickled as her perfect new life crumbled. "Oh no… I'm lost…"

"Hey."

Vee looked up and found the scratchy-voiced girl now hung upside-down from a branch above her.

"Don't panic. If you really want to get back to that boring camp, I know the way."

"You… you do?" Vee sniffled, wiping her eyes.

"Sure, I'm Beth, what's your name?" She offered her hand.

Vee took it, feeling safe in her firm grip. "V—Luz."

"Well, Luz, just follow me." Beth straightened her legs, dropping headfirst from her branch, swung off Vee's branch, launched herself into the air, cartwheeled, and landed on her feet with dramatic flair all in one flawless motion.

"Whoa…" Vee whispered in awe. She tried to imitate the impressive arm-swing-landing combo, but only managed to awkwardly plop on her butt. "Ow."

"You get points for trying," Beth chuckled and drew out a strange glass circle with a needle at its center.

"What's that thing?" Vee asked.

"My compass." When Vee only stared blankly, she continued, "It's a navigation tool that always points north. An essential for a survivalist like me. This way." Using the compass as her guide, Beth strode confidently in a direction that looked identical to the rest. Vee followed closely. As they traveled, Vee noticed signs of human activity: used cups and empty bottles and scraps of paper and such. Every time she spotted one her heart leapt, convinced they were getting closer to camp, but Beth always frowned, shook her head, and gathered the trash in her arms.

"So, what were you doing all the way out here, Luz?" Beth asked. "I thought the woods were off-limits."

"I was chasing after a letter from my…" Vee cleared throat, still uncertain if she was allowed to use the word, "...mom."

"Aw, you're sweet," Beth cooed, "but also very dumb. You could've died out here if I didn't find you. The wilderness is a beautiful but unforgiving world. Do you know how many people disappear in forests a year? Only one out of three get out. Two kids are gone forever now because I found you."

Vee gulped. She had no clue how much danger she'd been in.

They rounded a bend and came to a small clearing. What was in that clearing made Vee's jaw drop. The largest tree Vee had ever beheld towered into the sky. Trunk thicker than Lance's bus, the roots rippled like mountain ranges next to a bubbling stream. At the center of that stream spun a water wheel made from various pieces of junk much like the kind Beth had gathered on their walk here. On the shores of the stream was a one-person lean-to that housed a sleeping bag and table. Every inch was decorated with potted plants and flowers.

"Where did—Did you make all this?" Vee asked in disbelief.

"Y'up," Beth replied. "Needed a green way to charge my phone out here." She plugged her said phone into a wire that connected to the water wheel. It beeped. "To get back to camp just follow the trail I marked." Beth pointed to a tree near the clearing's edge that had a large X carved into its trunk. More X's could be seen leading deeper into the woods.

Excited to return to her friends, Vee started for trail… only to slow to a stop. She looked back at Beth who was separating all the garbage she'd collected into different piles. "Hold on, you're not coming?" Vee asked.

"To that big fat yawn? No, thank you. I got everything I need here and I'm good not knowing the difference between a traditional and a roth IRA."

"By yourself?"

"Yeah." Beth shrugged like it was no big deal. But to Vee it was the biggest deal in the world. She knew what it was to be truly alone, to have no one she could rely on. It was an emptiness she wouldn't wish on her worst enemies.

"Hey, Beth, how about I, uh… come by and hang out some time?" Vee offered.

Beth paused her sorting. She gazed over her shoulder at Vee with an unreadable face. "...Really?"

"Yeah, I can bring you some food from the camp kitchen as thanks for rescuing me. And you can show me how you built all this cool stuff, maybe even teach me how to make some of my own. Is that okay?"

Beth hummed in thought, considering the idea. She didn't exactly look eager. "I don't know… They use washable forks and knives or plastic?"

"Plaaastiiiiiiic?" Vee didn't comprehend this word or even the question. Whatever Beth was asking, she took it very seriously and waited for Vee's answer with a hard squint. Vee began to sweat and answered honestly. "Uh… I, um, they're made of… metal?"

That seemed to appease the girl. She nodded. "Then sure, why not, I won't stop you."

"Great! I'll see you tonight, Beth!" Vee called as she dashed onto the trail.

"T-Tonight?" Beth stammered as what she'd just agreed to hit her. "So soon? But-but—"

But Vee was already too far away to hear, halfway back to camp, eager to read her latest message from Camilla. She couldn't wait to write to her again and tell her about her newest friend.


Now…

A portal that was on the front of a building, closed up by Zaya, the boggle sighing in relief.

"Ok, done. That's the last of the portals," Zaya said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Hey Zaya," Vee quickly shouted as she zoomed past her in her human form. The basilisk jumped off a bench, doing a front flip over two trash cans before landing and continuing the run.

"Wow, that girl can run..." Zaya said with a surprised yet impressed look.

While she was running, Vee was talking to Dani on the phone.

"Vee, slow down a bit. Parkour can be super dangerous," Dani said over the phone, her voice sounding full of concern.

"Sorry, Dani, ever since I did that reached those extremely high speeds as a pegasus, I've had a need. A need for speed," Vee told her.

"Did you just make a Top Gun reference?" Dani asked.

Ever since she did rainbow-colored sonic boom—a "Sonic Rainboom" Dani dubbed it, Vee had started running and doing parkour more often. She had come to enjoy the rush of adrenaline and the wind in her hair. She almost felt like she was in that video game she played about that blue hedgehog.

Vee turned into a nearby alley. Tapping into the electricity in her body, she launched herself high into air, landing on the roof of a building. She ran across the roof and did a long jump from the edge. She landed on the roof of the building across from the previous one. She moved nimbly across several rooftops, doing flips and rebounds. This was kind of fun.

"This is amazing. I could probably give Beth a run for her money!" Vee said while soaring through the air before land on the roof of another building.

"Where are you going anyway?" Dani asked on the other end.

"Beth's house," Vee replied, "I want to show her how good I've gotten at this. I figured if we're able to bond over this then we can start fixing our friendship," she told her.

"That might not be a good idea, Vee. You got lucky with Vince and Lance, but I wouldn't push my luck with Beth. Out of everyone, she took the reveal the worst. You should probably give her some space," Dani suggested.

"Well, I've been lucky so far, it couldn't hurt to try," Vee replied with a shrug, "Plus, my winning streak and the adrenaline rush that I'm feeling right now has got me pumped, baby!" she said enthusiastically with her arms thrusted, "Trust me, I can do this," she said with a surprising confidence in her voice.

Vee eyed the building across from her. Beth's house. The basilisk did another electric-powered leap, landing just outside of the nature lover's house. She said goodbye to her girlfriend and put her phone in her pocket. She was about to knock on the door, only for it to open anyway. She saw two adult who Vee assumed were Beth's parents, along with a girl that resembled a slightly older version of Beth, albeit with longer hair, no glasses, and a slightly slenderer figure. Vee remembered seeing this girl around school and that she was a senior. She was Beth's older sister, Autumn.

"Ready for your recital, Autumn?" Beth's mother asked the young woman.

"Yeah!" Autumn replied, violin in hand.

The three walked past Vee as they made their way to the car.

"Um, excuse me?" Vee spoke up, stopping the three, "Is Beth home?" she asked.

"Uhh..." Beth's parents looked at each other. They pondered it over. Did they seriously not know where their own daughter was?

Autumn sighed in annoyance at her parents' ignorance.

"Bethany is backyard," Autumn told Vee in a friendly tone with a smile to boot.

"Thanks," Vee replied, heading for the backyard through fence while at the same time chuckling at the full version of the nature lover's name.

When she reached the backyard, she saw Beth and seemed to be working on a rather impressive fort made of wooden planks. Vee was about to call out to her, only to see a little boy standing in front of her. He seemed to be around 7 or 8. Beth must have had a little brother as well. That must mean Beth was the middle child.

"Um... hi?" Vee greeted the child.

"Are you Lesbian? That's a weird name," the little boy said.

"Tim!" Beth called out to her brother, her face red with embarrassment as she rushed over to her little brother, "This is... Vee..." Beth begrudgingly said the basilisk's name, "She IS a lesbian. That means she thinks girls are pretty," she explained to her little brother.

There was a brief pause.

"Ack! Girls..." Tim cringed, and then walked off. He was clearly still at the stage where boys think girls are gross.

Beth, not even bothering to look at Vee, walked over to a garden and tended to it. Vee rubbed her arm nervously. It was now or never.

"Beth, I'm sorry for lying to you all these months. I wasn't trying to trick you or anything..." Vee told her.

However, she got nothing.

"I understand if you're scared of me now..." Vee said.

Again, nothing.

"You probably have a ton of questions you want to ask me. You're probably wondering what a basilisk even is and what we can do..." Vee said, trying to prompt the nature lover.

Nothing.

"Look at what I can do!" Vee said, performing a cartwheel, followed by three backward handsprings, using her electric powers on the last one to launch herself into the air, doing a backward tuck-and-roll through the air. She rebounded off the wall of the house near the roof, doing a corkscrew as she transformed into a cheetah before landing with a skid back into her original spot.

Still nothing.

Vee changed back into her human form, a defeated look upon her face. Unlike Lance and Vince, there was clearly a huge gap torn between her and Beth. Not really a gap, more like a canyon considering the cold shoulder she was getting. Dani was right, this was a bad idea. Vee sniffled away the tears that started to form in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Beth. I'm really sorry. I... I promise I'll leave you alone now..." Vee said, turning to leave. That's when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Taking it out, she saw it was a video chat from Dani, "Dani?" she answered the call, seeing her girlfriend on screen who appeared to be stressed about something.

"Vee! Get down to Tatiana's Bakery, quickly!" Dani told her.

"Why? What's up?" Vee asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Harry has disappeared!" Dani told her, making Vee gasp in shock.

"Alright, I'm coming," Vee said with a nod.

"I'll be there too, Dani," Beth chimed in, quickly poking her head over Vee's shoulder, which shocked the basilisk even more.

"Wait, you're really coming?" Vee asked, cocking an eyebrow in confusion.

Still not responding to Vee, Beth headed for the fence's gate. She stopped and for a second, and Vee thought she was finally going to speak to her… Then Beth held out her hand and called, "Come on, Tim." The little boy scampered over and grasped her hand.

"Oh, you're bringing your little brother too?" Vee asked.

Beth resumed walking.

"Are we going to get some cake?" Tim asked innocently.

"No, I'm going to go help my friends... and Mom and Dad would kill me if I left you here by yourself, so you're coming with me," Beth told her brother, "But we can probably get some cake while we're there. Just don't tell Mom and Dad" she added, making the boy smile.

The fact that Beth was still going to help the MCH made Vee smile as well. Perhaps there was a tiny glimmer of hope after all.


Tatiana's Bakery…

The bell above the door rang as Beth and Tim entered, followed shortly after by a timid Vee.

"Beth! You're here, she's actually here," Dani babbled at the sight of the girl before asking Vee incredulously, "Does this mean it worked? Did she forgive you?"

"Um… not exactly," Vee replied sullenly. "Either Beth has had my existence ripped from her perception of the world by a Mind Flayer or she's ignoring me."

"She's ignoring you," Tim informed her.

"Āiyō. (Ouch.)" Dani took her girlfriend's hand and gave it a pitying squeeze. "Well, she cared enough to help. That's something, right?" She lowered her voice and whispered, "Yěxǔ wǒmen yīnggāi shì shì wǒ de xiǎngfǎ (Maybe we should try my idea)."

"Gěi tā kōngjiān? (Give her space?)" Vee sighed in defeat. "Wǒ cāi jiùshì zhèyàng. (Yeah, I guess so.)"

They both watched as Beth joined Lance and Vincent at the corner booth where they'd originally met Harry. On the table was the sasquatch's laptop, a pot of cold coffee, and a half-eaten cronut but no Harry. At the bakery counter, Tatiana was in tears.

"Deep breaths, Miss," Vincent soothed, notepad in hand. "Tell us what happened."

"I thought he was being silly," Tatiana sobbed, wiping her face. "Harry arrived just as I opened and ordered his favorite, like always. When I brought him his order, he suddenly leaned close and got so serious I thought he was going to ask me on a date, but instead he slipped me this." She held up a business card labeled 'Magical Creature Hunters.'

To Dani's annoyance, it had her personal cell on it. "I thought we told Harry to stop making these!" she grumbled.

Tatiana continued. "Harry told me to call you if something happened to him. He whispered it to me as though he was afraid someone was listening. An hour later he went to the bathroom and never came out. When I checked on him, the bathroom was empty."

"Intriguing," Vincent noted.

"Ominous," Lance added.

"Can I have cake?" Tim asked.

"Tim, what's the magic word?" Beth lightly chided.

"Oh! Uh, can I have cake, please?"

Tatiana, barely keeping herself together, got Tim a slice of chocolate cake.

"Alright, let's investigate that bathroom," Dani said, then plugged her sensitive nose with a shudder. "Gross."

The MCH filed to the back of the bakery. Vee, trying to give Beth her space, brought up the rear of the group and kept her distance. The bathroom had a single toilet and was barely large enough to fit a sasquatch as big as Harry.

Lance lifted the toilet lid. "Clear," he announced.

"No window or emergency exits for him to have used," Vincent observed.

"No sign of a struggle," Beth added. "Are we sure he even came in here?"

"He did," Dani gagged, turning green. "Trust me, Harry was here. È, wén qǐlái xiàng yītiáo guǒzhe shādīngyú zhī de shī gǒu. (Ugh, it smells like a wet dog rolled in sardine juice.)"

The bathroom was so small that Vee couldn't enter. Actually, she could physically fit but there would be no way she could give Beth space if she tried, so she remained out in the hall, both literally and emotionally left out. Casting one last apologetic glance at Beth, Vee returned to Harry's booth, took a seat, and lay her face on the table. Next to her, Tim chewed with his mouth open.

"My sister is angry at you," Tim informed her between forkfuls of cake.

"I noticed," Vee grumbled.

"Why?"

Vee sighed and leaned back against the booth's cushioned leather. Why indeed? "Because I hid from her who I really was, because I lied to her face since the moment we met, literally the first words out of my mouth to her, 'I'm human,' was a lie!" She flushed at what she just said and slapped a hand over her mouth. She looked at Tim, expecting shock and terror. Instead, the boy only kept chewing his cake and listening to her. "I'm, um, not human, by the way," she said carefully.

"That's okay. I don't like vegetables," Tim replied softly like he was sharing a secret.

A moment passed where Vee wasn't entirely sure if Tim believed her or was so young that he thought that they were playing a game. Either way, it was a relief to tell the truth to somebody and not be judged. "You're alright, Tim," she said. "Can I have a bite of your cake?"

"NO!" Tim clutched his treat and hopped away. The jerky escape catapulted something out from between the seat cushions and that something skittered in front of Vee. It was a thumbdrive with the letters MCH written across it in thick ink. A shiver ran down Vee's spine. Harry had told Tatiana to call the MCH, this must be for them!

Scooting Harry's laptop to her, she plugged in the drive. Only one unlabeled folder. Inside were dozens of photos.

"Guys!" she called.

The MCH joined Vee and were gobsmacked by what they found. Many of the pictures were from security footage, a little fuzzy and at high angles. Others were selfies of people around Gravesfield. They all had the same thing in common. Somewhere in each and every one of them was one of the various magical creatures that had recently made the town their home. There was Liv shrieking a child out of the way of an out-of-control fruit cart. Another showed Miss Canis shopping in the pet aisle at the Food Mart. There were many headshots of Ash mid-trolling, gaming headphones on his head and a controller in his claws. Those last ones were clearly taken from the camera in the monitor Ash was playing on, which disturbingly meant the computer had been hacked.

"Whoa! Not cool!" Lance suddenly cried. He pulled out his phone. "I'm telling Ash to cover that camera up."

"What is all this?" Dani asked. "Why has Harry been stalking the other magical creatures?"

"I don't think that's what he was doing. Look." Vee scrolled to the next set of images which were security footage and selfies like the rest, however they were of Harry.

"What? I don't get it."

"Harry must've been looking for something else," Vincent theorized and took the laptop. He lined up several pics of Harry side by side and searched them carefully until… "There!" He pointed to a figure peeking around the corner of a dollar store in one image. That figure was in the rest of the Harry photos, always partially hidden, blurry, and focused on… "Harry wasn't stalking the magical creatures, someone was stalking them."

Now that the figure had been pointed out, he or she was impossible to miss. The figure was in the photos they'd already looked through as well, silhouetted or back to the camera, their identity obscured by a deep black hoodie, a grim reaper in jeans. Even the cleanest image that Vincent blew up to fill the screen wasn't enough to see their face.

"Hey, I know that person," Tatiana said, pointing at the figure. "They always window shop but never come in to buy anything."

"Harry must've noticed them too," Dani said. "But why? What does he or she want?"

"Uh, guys," Lance interrupted. He pointed shakily at his phone. "Ash is gone."

"Gone?"

"I just had Jaune check on him and he's not in the game room. He never leaves. Never!"

CRASH!

Just outside, two cars were now crimped together, smoke pouring from the hoods.

"There hasn't been a car accident in Gravesfield since Liv showed up," Beth said worriedly.

"Hello? Miss Canis? Please pick up," Lance hyperventilated into his phone. "I know you said this number was only for emergencies but this is an emergency!" But there was no answer.

Dread grew like a fungus over the teens. The pattern and its meaning were obvious but none dared to speak it aloud as though putting the horrible truth into words would make it reality.

"Is someone kidnapping them?" Tim asked.

And there it was.

A whirlwind of overlapping voices filled the bakery as the MCH launched into several panicked conversations at once. Not even Dani could get the room under control. Vee heard none of it. Her world was the laptop and the prickling of fear that had wormed its way into her mind. With trembling hands, she began to scroll down. There was no way, she told herself. She passed Zaya closing a portal in a pizzeria and Tracey at cheerleading practice. She'd been so careful, had never let her guard down, never. Hadn't she?

Not recently.

The next set of pics opened and Vee felt the Earth fall out from under her.

There was Vee.

On a date with Dani. Coming out of the movie theater. Running mandados with mom. Multiple snapshots of her life and hiding in each of them was the dark figure. Vee wasn't sure what happened next, she might've fainted, she might've blacked out. Whatever happened, the next thing Vee knew she was on the floor. Dani was holding her, stroking her head and speaking gently.

"Do you hear me, Vee?" Dani said. "No one is going to get you. We'll protect you." The rest of the MCH stood over her with concern, even Beth managed to acknowledge her. Behind them, Vee's photos were still on the laptop.

It hadn't been a nightmare. What a shame.

"Can you stand?" Dani asked. "Come on, let's get you home, you'll be safe there."

"No!" Vee snapped and pushed herself to her feet. "Zaya! I passed her this morning. She could be next. We have to save her."

"Dude, are you for real?" Lance protested. "There's somebody after you. Somebody who snatched a banshee, a hym, a sasquatch, and a werewolf! It's too dangerous for you to be out in the open."

Dangerous? Absolutely. Vee's entire body quaked with fear, she hadn't been this afraid since the Emperor's Coven was on her tail. And yet mixed with the fear, just as powerful, was righteous fury. The emotional cocktail made her heart gallop. Gravesfield was her home. She had a family, friends, a girlfriend, and no one was going to take that from her or the other magical creatures. Vee would not run, not this time, not when she finally had something worth fighting for.

"I'm not hiding anymore," Vee said, unable to stop the quivering in her words but meant every one. Clenching her entire body, she headed out, "Follow me."

The MCH were too stunned to move. Tim broke the silence.

"She's cool." The boy returned his plate to Tatiana and trotted after Vee. The rest followed.


Vee ran down the block, she had led the others to the spot where she sped past Zaya earlier.

"Vee, I really think we should take you home. It's not safe for you out here right now," Dani insisted in an almost pleading tone as they searched for signs of the boggle, some concern behind it as well.

"No, Dani," Vee replied, "Normally I'd agree with you on something like this, but I can't run away and hide when my friends are in danger. Especially if they're creatures from my world and are being imprisoned like I was... twice," she told her girlfriend with a boldness that she would occasionally display in situations like this. It probably would've reminded someone of Luz in a way.

"I think I'm starting to rub off on her... I have mixed feelings about that," Dani thought to herself.

"What're we looking for again?" Tim asked.

"We're looking for a boggle named Zaya. Boggles are green creatures that can open portals and are really short, around your height," Beth explained.

"You mean like that?" Tim pointed down the alleyway.

The MCH ran to his side and looked in the direction he was pointing. Sure enough, at the end of the alley was Zaya the Boggle. However, they also spotted something that made their blood run cold. Right next to Zaya, talking to her, was the hooded figure. The same hooded figure that was in the photos involving their magical creature friends.

"Stop!" Vee shouted. Using her electric powers, she made a mad dash to the end of the alley. However, the hooded figure had managed to get away before she could even get there. "Zaya, you ok?" Vee asked the boggle.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why? What's going on?" Zaya asked.


Vee's House…

After retrieving Zaya, the MCH retreated back to Vee's house. Her mom wasn't home, but it was alright since she liked and trusted Vee's friends. They were watching the news which had just reported that Tracey and her friend Heather had gone missing. While most of the MCH weren't that concerned since they didn't really know those two that well, Vee had a worried expression. Vee was the only one that knew Tracey's secret and if her friend got captured then she must've been a magical creature as well. If they were gone then that meant Vee and Zaya were the last two magical creatures in Gravesfield.

"So, I was really about to be kidnapped?" Zaya asked.

"Yeah. Magical creatures have been mysteriously disappearing all over town. If it had happened to you then Vee would've been the last one," Dani said while holding her girlfriend close.

"The person I was talking to seemed pretty nice. They wanted to know more about the Demon Realm and my family there," Zaya informed them.

"I've done my best to clean up the clearest image. I can make it clean but I can't seem to make this guy clearer," Vincent told them wit

Harry's laptop in his lap.

"Why not? They do it on cop shows and in movies all the time," Lance pointed out.

"That's TV and movies, Lance. It doesn't work like that in real life," Vincent told him.

"Zaya, you've seen them up close. What did they look like?" Vee asked.

"Well, I didn't get a good look at their face, but I did notice an interesting symbol on their hood," Zaya told them, "It looked like this..." she took a pencil and a piece of paper, drawing the symbol that she saw on the person's hood. The symbol was a circle containing a sputtering flame and horns.

"Interesting. I'll do some research on that," Vincent said while using the laptop.

"Ok, while Vince does research on the symbol, the rest of us will try to keep Zaya safe," Dani spoke, "We'll need to find a way to keep her disguised," she said while rubbing her chin.

"Hey guys, look at me!" Tim said, appearing with a now green-painted face, "I'm a boggle!" he said with a chuckle. It made Zaya chuckle as well.

That's when an idea popped in Vee and Beth's heads.

"I've got it!" Vee and Beth said to each other in excited unison.

When she realized who she was looking at, Beth turned away in a huff. The girl's action made Vee wince and whimper like a puppy. Clearly, fixing her friendship with Beth was going to be harder than she thought.


One bucket of foundation from Dani and Beth's emergency stash and one change of clothes from Tim's backpack later, two near-identical boys stood in the Noceda living room. One had some cake smudged on his chubby cheek and the other had some sharply pointed ears. Vee covered those up with a baseball cap.

"Tada!" Vee sang.

"Not bad," Dani admired.

"It's like I'm seeing double," Lance added.

"Thanks for your help, kids," Zaya said, gleaming with delight. "I haven't had a makeover since I was a young—ah… ah… ACHOOO!" A skin-tone mushroom cloud erupted off the boggle, scattering a good chunk of her human costume.

"That's gonna be a problem," Beth mumbled. She began reapplying more foundation.

"Finally! I have a brother!" Tim cheered and hugged Zaya tight.

"Brother? Ohohoho, careful now," the boggle chuckled warmly.

It was yet another remarkable moment of the human accepting the magical around him with joy and wonder. If Vee had known Earth had humans like Tim, maybe she wouldn't have hidden for so long. Once again, the basilisk found herself gazing forlornly at Beth, wanting to hug her just as hard as Tim. Giving someone you cared about their space was very difficult.

"Oh boy…" Vincent whispered over the laptop. "Guys, I found that symbol." He turned the screen around to reveal a photo on a Tweeter page. They saw the flaming-horned circle Zaya had described embroidered on a black hoodie. Wearing that hoodie, giving the camera double thumbs up and flashing the widest heck-yeah grin, was Jacob Hopkins.

"No way, the coffee shop dude?" Lance scoffed. "He couldn't pull this off."

Vee, though, knew exactly what Jacob Hopkins was capable of. Despite his bumbling and his crackpot conspiracy theories, Jacob was resourceful and crafty. And… Vee thought he had changed. The man had apologized for what he had done to her and in the few times they'd crossed paths since there had been this unspoken trust that he'd keep her secret and become a better person. Had that been a lie? Jacob wasn't Vee's friend, not by a mile, but she'd seen him as a sort of living proof that humans could learn from their mistakes. The truth, that Jacob Hopkins hadn't changed, that he was still after her and the rest of the magical creatures in Gravesfield twisted Vee's guts and burned.

"This is our only lead," Dani said. "We should head down to Drip and see what Jacob has to say for himself."

"We're not going unarmed," Vee said sternly. She stomped up to the second floor, ignoring Dani's questioning of what she meant. Vee wasn't going to take any more chances. It was time for the big guns. "You think you're so smart, Jacob? Let's see how you deal with a genie."

Vee opened her bedroom door and stopped short. The dresser where she'd left Meera's ring was barren.

"WHAT?!" She scrambled over and began to search frantically. She yanked open every drawer and even dropped to the floor to peek under the furniture. The ring was gone. "No, no, no, where did it—"

Something fluttered in the corner of her eye. Whipping around, she found the dark hooded figure mid-climbing out the window. In their hand was the ring.

"Jacob! Give her back!" Vee screamed. Blind fury driving her, Vee threw her arms forward, transforming them into long tentacles that shot across the room. The hooded figure was clearly not expecting that because they let go of the windowsill in shock and plummeted out the window. Vee's tentacles only flailed in the open air. Rushing to the window, Vee caught a glimpse of the hooded figure as they raced down the street. "Wait! Jacob! Stop!"

An arc of lightning burst from her feet and Vee launched out the window. She soared through the sky and landed on the far side of the street. There was a dim awareness that the MCH were pouring out of the house, calling to Vee, asking what was going on, but Vee couldn't spare a second. She bolted after the hooded figure who was already several houses away. The commotion had brought several people to their doors. Their attention along with the occasional jogger prevented Vee from morphing into something magically faster. Still, she was gaining ground.

Suddenly the hooded figure veered left, hopping a picket fence into a front yard. Vee was close behind. She scaled the fence like it was nothing, her basilisk skin cutting the climb time in half, and continued after the hooded figure toward the backyard. Only about a car's length was between them, Vee realized. She mentally prepared herself to tackle Jacob with all her might. The hooded figure reached the backyard and disappeared around the house. Vee followed less than a second later and stopped.

The hooded figure was no longer almost within tackling range, they were now on the clear other side of the backyard, triple the distance they were a second ago, hopping over the fence again. Shaking off this impossibility, Vee resumed the chase with vigor. She jumped the fence and chased the hooded figure back to the street which they both crossed, dodging honking cars. The hooded figure tore open the front door of another house. The action allowed Vee to close the distance again. They both rushed through the various rooms with squealing people and by the time they reached the kitchen Vee had him. Throwing her entire weight, Vee dove at the hooded figure and made contact. She felt them both heading down but then felt a hard unexpected impact. Glass shards rained around Vee and she went spinning. She and the hooded figure hit the grass and tumbled several times. Winded and dizzy, Vee managed to spot the human-sized hole in the glass sliding door near them. They had crashed through it. And more importantly, one of the particularly sharp new points poking out of the bottom of the hole was streaked with red.

Vee wasn't cut so it had to be Jacob. She smiled through the pain. He'd have to slow down now. She could catch him.

The thought was barely formed before the hooded figure began to run away again. No, not run, hobble. They were limping.

Eager to end this, Vee pushed herself to her feet and instantly regretted it. Nausea and soreness overtook her. She felt like she'd been beaten with a ton of bricks. Her human body couldn't take this much punishment. But she couldn't become something that could, not with the people in the house gawking at her.

Swallowing the pain, she pushed herself after Jacob, stumbling every few steps. The next yard was wrapped in hedges that were too high to jump. The hooded figure pushed their way through the foliage and Vee was close behind. She didn't need to catch Jacob anymore, just keep up with him until his leg gave out, then it would be over. Tiny branches dully scraped her skin until she was on the other side. Vee went cold.

Just like before, the hooded figure was impossibly on the clear other side of the yard but this time the limp was gone. In a full sprint, the hooded figure shoved through the hedges.

"No!" Vee cried and tried to move faster, but the effort made her lightheaded and woozy. She wasn't even halfway across the yard before she collapsed from exhaustion.

Somewhere in the distance, she could hear Dani calling her name. The voices of the MCH were getting closer, as long as they followed the trail of destruction, they'd find her soon. But all Vee could say was, "I'm sorry, Meera, I'm so sorry."

"Vee!" Dani called to her girlfriend as she and the others arrived in time to see the basilisk stand back up, "Are you ok?" Dani asked.

"Heh. Yeah, totally," Vee replied reassuringly, though the fact that she was holding her arm said otherwise, "We've gotta got to Drip. Jacob has got some explaining to do," she said.


Drip…

The MCH, along with Zaya and Tim, stepped inside the coffee shop where the residential conspiracist worked. They saw Jacob serving a drink to a customer. However, instead of giving the customer their drink, he seemed to be lecturing them on the difference between a skinwalker and a wendigo. Vee furrowed her eyebrows and approached the man.

"Jacob!" Vee snatched the drink out of Jacob's hand and handed it to the customer, "What the hell is the big idea, kidnapping all the magical creatures in Gravesfield?!" she asked angrily, pointing accusingly at him.

"What? Someone's been kidnapping the magical creatures around town? Why would anyone do that?" Jacob asked with a voice that sounded innocent.

"Oh, hahahaha," Vee laughed bitterly and sarcastically, "Lie all you want, you can't hide the truth from me!"

Vee did a flip over the counter, landing beside Jacob. She crouched and lifted the man's pant leg to reveal... nothing. No cut, no injury that the hooded figure had obtained. Jacob was innocent. Vee stood up, her mouth slightly agape. She was shocked... mainly because she had gotten angry at the wrong person and it had been unfounded.

Vincent stepped forward.

"Jacob, tell us, do you know anything about... this," Vince opened Harry's laptop and showed him the photos of the hoodie with the symbol.

"Oh, that? That's one of my favorite clothing items!" Jacob beamed, dashing to the Employees Only room and then coming back just as quickly, "Pretty cool, eh? I got it from the Demon Gate Secret Society," he said while showing the teens the very same hoodie that the hooded figure had worn.

"The what?" Beth raised an eyebrow.

"The Demon Gate Secret Society," Jacob repeated, "They're the world's most exclusive secret society on the planet. More exclusive than the Illuminati and the Skull and Bones Society put together!" he explained, "I'm not a member, even though I've been trying to get into that society for years. But given that they gave me this cool hoodie, I think membership is pretty close."

"Did you get it because you subscribed to their email newsletter or something? Knowing you, you probably did," Dani asked with folded arms and a raised eyebrow.

"Actually, I got it because I sent them a copy of the Nekonomicon," Jacob replied.

The eyes of the teens widened in horror. With that book, the Demon Gate Secret Society was able to go around town and kidnap all of their magical friends. That would explain how they were able to break into Vee's house without them noticing and why they stole Meera's ring. You can't take magically take away a genie's home from its master, you have to take it physically.

That would also explain why Vee kept losing the hoodie figure in her chase of them. There were multiple of them. When one would get tired or fall, another would take their place and lead her away. The question that remained was why were the kidnappings happening at all?

"Jacob, you dumbass! Because of you, most of our magical creature friends have been kidnapped!" Dani yelled at the conspiracist.

"Including Miss Canis, who I was going to ask to dinner at some point!" Lance chimed him, making his friends look at him, "Did I just say that out loud?" he asked.

That's when Vee was struck with an idea.

"I've got it," The basilisk spoke, "Jacob, since this is pretty much your fault, you're going to help us," she looked at the man with a glare, making him nod, "You're going to contact the person you got the hoodie from and make another exchange. This time ask to demand to talk to the head society guy to make you an official member."

"Pfft! Yeah right. What could we possibly have that's better than the Nekonomicon?" Jacob asked skeptically with a scoff.

There was a short pause.

"Me," Vee replied.


Gravesfield High School…

Music could be heard. Faint and sad, a violin crooned through the Gravesfield High School gymnasium walls. The school's street billboard announced the event going on inside was the Fall Concerto. Any other day, Vee would've slipped inside and listened to the enchanting human song. Today, though, she stood outside the gym, next to Jacob Hopkins, pretending her wrists were bound behind her back.

"Are you sure about this?" the man asked, glancing nervously around.

"I don't have a choice," Vee replied sternly. "I made the magical creatures believe it was safe here in Gravesfield, I need to help them."

"I was actually talking about whether this is the best plan. Your friend doesn't seem so pumped."

Jacob gestured across the street where the MCH, Tim, and Zaya were hiding in plain sight, acting like it was a casual day, surfing their phones, reading books, cloud gazing, etc, except Dani who endlessly stared at Vee with eyes so wide her pupils were trembling pinpricks of fear. Vee flinched at the anxiety she was causing and tried to wave reassuringly at her girlfriend. "She'll be fine," Vee said.

Dani was not reassured.

More moments of waiting passed with a violin in the background. Eventually, Hopkins sighed. "I'm sorry about the book."

Vee glared at him. "You're sorry? For handing a magical tome to a group of kidnappers?"

"I didn't know they were going to do that, honest. Look, I know in retrospect it was a very, very stupid thing to do but I…" Hopkins glanced away ashamed. "I don't exactly have any friends and I was trying to fit in."

The reason stunned Vee. Not because it was unexpected but because it was so… familiar. Her attention drifted to Beth across the street where she was leading a hopscotch match with Zaya and Tim. Hadn't Vee pretended to be human for the same reasons?

"I wasn't trying to hurt anyone," Hopkins continued. "I just thought that if I gave them what they wanted I wouldn't have to be alone anymore."

An unexpected tear rolled down Vee's cheek which she wiped away quickly. "I get what you mean," she managed to say with the barest of sniffles. "But you shouldn't have to give someone what they want for them to be your friend. You should be enough."

Hopkins smiled wistfully at that, the sort of sad smile that said he wished he was enough.

Vee took a steadying breath. "I forgive you."

Hopkins' smile dropped. "You mean… for the book or the… you know."

"All of it. I forgive you." And she did. Vee couldn't hold onto anger for so long and expect Beth to let go of hers. Vee and Hopkins had done different wrongs but for almost the same reasons. If Vee couldn't forgive him, what hope did she have with Beth? Vee craned her head up at the man and stifled a snort. Jacob Hopkins was making the ugliest, wettest, holding-back-my-tears-because-I'm-a-big-boy face she'd ever seen.

Oddly, the face made her feel good.

Then something changed. They both sensed it and looked around. Nothing looked different yet something from the world had been removed…

The music!

It was gone. The concerto was over. Almost immediately, dozens of people flooded out the gym doors, filling the parking lot in a matter of seconds. Vee lost sight of the MCH through the sea of bodies. How were they supposed to surprise attack them now? Dread iced Vee's veins as she realized why the Demon Gate Society had chosen this location.

As if on cue, three hooded figures stepped out of the flow of people and approached the duo. The one on the left walked with a limp Vee recognized. The shortest led with steepled calloused hands.

"Ah, Candidate Hopkins, or should I say Acolyte Hopkins," the leader greeted in an old grandfatherly voice. "Have you been crying?"

"N-No, Grandmaster!" Hopkins swiftly rubbed his eyes dry. "Just allergies—wait, did you say Acolyte?"

"But of course. I admit we underestimated you at first but you have proven yourself repeatedly now to be more than worthy to join our ranks." The Grandmaster snapped his bony fingers and the one with the limp presented Hopkins with a little plastic membership card. Tension gripped Vee as she saw the awe in Hopkins' face. He looked as if was being handed the crown of Emperor Belos. This hadn't been part of the plan. With everyone else blocked by the crowd and that crowd preventing Vee from transforming, Vee could only rely on Hopkins. But to be able to finally join the Secret Society of his dreams would he give her up?

"By the way," asked the Grandmaster, "how are you able to restrain a basilisk with such a simple rope? An enchantment, I presume?"

Hopkins glanced back and forth between Vee and the card, sweat pouring down his neck. Everything was falling apart.

"Hey! Vee, is that you?" a voice called out. From seemingly nowhere, Autumn popped in front of Vee, violin case in hand. "Did you actually come to my concerto? Aw, you are so sweet. Are Bethany and Timothy here too?" Her parents were behind her moments later with cameras.

"Big smile, Autumn, we need to get more photos to commemorate your solo," her dad said.

"Uhhh, excuse me, we were in the middle of a conversation," the Grandmaster tried to say.

"We are so proud of you, that high C touched my heart," her mom sobbed louder than him. She then shoved her video of the performance in the Grandmaster's hood. "Isn't this the greatest moment of art you've ever seen?"

As her parents idolized, Autumn actually took in the situation around her: the lack of Beth or Tim, the strange hooded people, Vee's hands behind her back. "Wait…" she said, worry growing. "What's going on here?"

It was then that Jacob Hopkins finally made his decision.

"Deal's off!" he shouted and flicked the card back at them. Like a ninja star, the plastic rectangle spun into the hood of the one on the right and they fell with a cry. Tugging Vee's binds off, he practically carried her into the crowd, aiming for the street. "I'm sorry I took so long," he cried.

"It's fine," Vee said. "Let's just get out of here and figure out a different plan that doesn't involve—"

A hooded figure tackled Hopkins from behind. Vee broke away and watched in terror as the two wrestled. "Keep going!" Hopkins ordered. "Run!"

"Help him! Somebody help him!" Vee begged, grabbing the sleeve of the nearest person. That person only sightlessly stared down at her with milky eyes that made Vee jerk back. Everyone in the crowd had the same empty gaze, walking endlessly through the parking lot, never reaching their cars. No wonder the mass of bodies was still so big, this had to be some sort of zombification spell from the Nekonomicon. Nobody here could help her. Vee dashed into the throng of people, getting shoved constantly.

Hoping the spell meant none would remember this, Vee clenched her body and transformed into a phoenix. She flapped into the air only to immediately hear, "There!" and a net came down over her. Vee dropped back into the crowd, barely escaping the trap. Frantically, she became a gnome and scurried low to the ground. However, the mob was so thick she couldn't tell which direction she was going anymore.

"Vee!" she heard Dani shout somewhere in the distance. Facing it, Vee sped as fast as she could, trying her best to move in a straight line.

"Tim!" a far more scared voice cried. Vee stopped in her tracks and turned. There, just a few bodies away, was Beth in tears. "Tim! Can you hear me? Answer me!"

Turning back into her human form, Vee ran to Beth. The moment she touched the girl's shoulder Beth broke into hysterics. "I lost him, Vee! I told him to stay but he followed me in and now I can't find him! I can't find him! I told mom I'd watch him—"

"We'll find him, Beth," Vee promised firmly. Stepping back, she transformed again, this time into a hellhound. With her new powerful brimstone nose she sniffed the air and caught Tim's distinctive macaroni-and-cake scent. "This way."

Vee padded her way through the blind people, Beth's hands gripping her smoky scruff. Everything looked the same, just constantly moving humans, but Vee moved with confidence, guiding Beth through the forest. Forest, what a strange thought. Now that Vee thought about it, yes, this was very much like the forest at Reality Check Camp only their roles were reversed and Vee's nose was the compass. How about that? Vee could only pray to the Titan that this disaster would end as well as that day.

At last, the scent led them back to the gym where Tim and Zaya stood outside the building. They were in the clutches of several hooded figures.

"Let my brother go!" Tim demanded, struggling fruitlessly against the adults.

"Brother? Ugh, this is so confusing," the Grandmaster grumbled. "Just take them both, we'll sort out which one's the boggle later."

"Tim!" Beth shouted, getting the Grandmaster's attention.

"Ah, the basilisk, perfect. I've had a long day and my knee is killing me, so let's wrap this up."

Vee morphed into her human form, ready to shapeshift into whatever it took to save Tim and Zaya. "Let her brother go!" she growled.

"Certainly. Come and get him."

The Grandmaster snapped his fingers and the endlessly wandering crowd stopped. As one they faced Vee and Beth with their unseeing gazes. Abruptly, they all stormed at the two, pushing them like a wave toward the hooded figures! Behind them the gym doors opened but within the doorway was gleaming white light. Into that light the hooded figures casually strolled with Tim and Zaya. The crowd pushed Vee and Beth closer and closer, unable to resist the horde. Vee could feel the light pulling her towards it, like a mini black hole. There was no escape this time. She'd been caught.

"BETHANY!"

The yell came from someone among the drones, forcing their way to the front. Tinny and small, violin music echoed in Vee's head. Autumn leaped onto the shoulders of the person who had Beth's arm. She jammed her phone, which was playing the song she'd just performed, into their ear. Color returned that person's eyes and they released Beth. "Huh? What the—Where am I?" they asked before another zombie took their place. Again and again, Autumn freed more people, somehow the song was dispelling the magic, yet there were far too many for her to handle.

"Damn it! Why didn't I get a speaker for my birthday?!" Autumn demanded. With great effort, she maneuvered herself between Beth and Vee and the mob.

"Autumn, they took Tim," Beth sobbed.

"What? Who—We'll worry about that later," Autumn shouted, heaving against the crowd with all her strength. "I'm gonna get you two out of here first. Then we'll get Timothy." Despite her words, though, Vee knew it was futile. Even with Autumn's help, they couldn't stop the crushing weight of so many people. Looking at Beth, she could tell the girl knew it too.

Then… Beth ran toward the light.

"What're you doing? Get back here, Bethany!?" Autumn screamed.

"I'll bring Tim back, I promise!" Beth shouted back and vanished.

The world went silent as Autumn's phone shattered on the ground. The music cut out. The poor girl looked as though she'd just witnessed the apocalypse.

"Beth!" Vee roared at the top of her lungs and ran, lightning on her heels, straight after her. No sooner had she crossed the doorway that both she and the light disappeared. Immediately, the entire crowd snapped out of the spell and looked around, puzzled. A few moments later Dani squeezed her way through.

"Excuse me! One way! Vee? Beth?" She desperately searched in every direction. She'd fought tooth and nail to get to the front where she'd been sure her friends were being targeted. Yet all she saw was an open gym filled with chairs and music stands.

"Girls?"

To Be Continued…


And that's the end of this chapter. That ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. Yeah, this is gonna be two-parter. This being a two-parter was I Write Big's idea, to which this was co-written with.

If you have ideas for future chapters, say it in a review or feel free to message me.

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