Okay, I'm going to be honest: I'm a little disappointed. I was excited to see the reviews, but the ones I got don't really mention my OCs, aside from the autistic one (yeah, that's the thing about her). I was proud of the kids I created for the characters, and I wanted to see what people thought about them. I don't mean to be rude or demanding, but I'd be happy even if you just said what you thought about their names. I liked coming up with those. My favorite one is Rosemary.
"No!" Kiran cried.
Ray lay still on the ground, moaning. Kiran crouched next to him.
"Ray? Can you hear me?" He gently touched his brother's dark head.
"How dare you!" Rosemary shrieked at the Horrors. "You actually shot him!"
"Miss, it's not what you think—" one of them began.
"What's wrong with you? Shooting innocent kids?" Rosemary yelled at them.
Suddenly, Ray raised his head. It was coated in a sticky green substance with an awful smell. Everyone backed away, holding their noses. Kiran covered his mask with his hands, but didn't stand up. Ray gagged, looking disgusted. He tried to get the chunks of green goo out of his hair.
"Oh, ew!" Alyssa groaned. Ashley's eyes watered, tears rolling down her face. Steve held her closer to his chest, covering her nose.
"What is that?" Kiran demanded. His monster face actually looked disgusted.
"It's vomit," one of the Horrors said, lowering the plastic gun. "Toad and squirrel vomit, mixed together."
"What?" Rosemary shrieked.
"Oh, sick," Steve groaned, looking almost as grossed out as his daughter.
"That's just sick, dude," Billy agreed, wrinkling his nose.
"Well, that's a relief," said Sari, trying to look on the bright side. "At least it's not a bullet, right?"
"I think I would've preferred for it to be," Ray groaned.
The Horror grinned, showing his jagged yellow teeth. "It's very useful for pesky humans. One dose of this, and they never repeat the offense again."
"I didn't do it even once!" Ray protested.
"Hey—" Kiran started, but the Horrors had already left with their plastic guns.
Suddenly, Steve grinned. "Hey, that's actually kind of cool. Guns filled with puke? I'd love to have one of those."
"Yeah," agreed Rosemary. "It would scare everyone. No one would dare go near you if you were carrying one of those."
"Ray doesn't seem to think so," Kiran noted, staring at his brother with concern. He offered him a hand to help him up.
"I need a shower," Ray groaned. "No, two showers."
"Cry me a river," Kiran snapped. "I'm the one stuck with this hideous mask."
Suddenly, he reached up to his face, tugging again. He gasped in surprise as the mask lifted slightly upwards, revealing a patch of brown skin on his neck. Everyone else backed away apprehensively. Rosemary and Steve watched eagerly. He kept pulling, very slowly. Rosemary wished he would hurry up. Soon the mask had lifted, completely free of his face.
Kiran dropped it to the ground as if it had burned him, which it basically had. He blinked and looked around at everyone as if he had never seen people before. His eyes were wide and dazed, and his curly hair was messy and matted. Then an enormous smile crossed his face, and he yelled in joy before hugging the person closest to him, which was Ray. He didn't even back away in disgust when some of the vomit got over him, though Ray did. He looked more disgusted by Kiran hugging him.
Kiran danced around the room, slapping everyone a high five. Everyone let out sighs of relief, some of them cracking nervous grins. Rosemary's heartbeat slowed down, the fear leaving her body like it was being sucked out by a vacuum. She knew everything would be alright, and they didn't even have to find her mom.
"Great job, dude!" Steve slapped him a high five. "I felt the same way when I got it off."
"But how did it happen?" Sari asked, confused.
Suddenly, the realization swept through Rosemary's mind with a jolt. "I know!" she cried. "I've got it! I remembered how to take it off!"
"A little late, don't you think?" Ray said in a sarcastic tone.
"I just remembered," Rosemary said, ignoring him. "It was... a symbol of love. That's how my mom took it off."
"Oh, yeah!" Steve cried. "Why didn't I remember? Well, it was different for me. But with her mask, she used a present her mom made for her as her symbol of love."
Ray groaned. "That sounds totally cheesy."
"Yeah," smirked Rosemary. "And you performed the symbol of love. When you jumped in front of your brother to save him."
"Huh?" Ray stared at her in confusion.
"Thank you, Ray," said Kiran gratefully. "Not just for not making sure I wasn't covered in vomit."
"I wish you were," quipped Ray, smearing the substance on his hands and trying to cover Kiran with it. He pushed him away.
"That was so sweet of you," said Sari. Ray scowled, not wanting to dwell on it.
"But why did you do it?" asked Kiran, staring at his brother. "You thought the guns contained something really dangerous."
"And they did," quipped Ray, flicking some of the puke in Kiran's direction.
"Why did you jump in front of me?" Kiran demanded.
Ray looked away, embarrassed. "You're my brother. I didn't want you to be stuck like that, and I didn't want them to shoot you."
"Well... thanks," said Kiran.
"Can we save this for later?" Ray groaned. "I really need a shower."
"Oh, yes. Let's get him to a shower," agreed Steve.
"As long as it's not one of the ones that sing," Rosemary quipped.
Ah, brotherly love.