Chapter 10

Tyrone sobbed quietly while in the shower. He was very embarrassed. He had a seizure in front of Destiny! A new friend! Geez, why did this have to happen, he thought. Tyrone turned off the faucet and wrapped himself in a towel. He put on a new pair of pants and a new green Oregon Ducks shirt. He was about to walk out when he heard Matt speaking to Destiny.

"You should have heard him. His Spanish was terrible!" said Matt aloud.

Destiny chuckled from the other side and Tyrone blushed even more. He then sat on his bottom behind the door. He couldn't bear to listen any longer until Matt spoke again. Tyrone blushed.

"How is Tyrone different to you?" she asked.

"Tyrone. He's so special! He worked his butt off after his Mom and Dad died, and he manages to pay the bills all by himself. He's also watched over me ever since I came into his life. When I first met him, there was something that told me that he was nice. Very nice. And I don't know. I just felt like I could trust him." said Matt.

"And how do you see me?" asked Destiny.

"Well for a white girl, you are also kind of different. You want to save kids from a shadow. That makes you a super girl." said Matt.

"You're funny. And cute." said Destiny.

"You really think so nena?" asked Matt.

"Nena? What is that?" asked Destiny.

"It means baby in Spanish. It's slang." said Matt in an endearing tone of voice.

"Oh you cheeky little goblin." said Destiny, chuckling.

Tyrone stood up and wanted to open the door until he heard Matt speak some more.

"I'm sorry for saying white people this and white people that Destiny. I think I hurt your feelings." said Matt.

"No! Not at all! You don't hurt my feelings." said Destiny.

Tyrone opened the door and tried to act casual, but he felt very weak and tired.

"Tyrone! How do you feel hermanito?" asked Matt.

"Numb." replied Tyrone.

"Of course you are! You need to sleep!" said Matt.

"You should take your pills." said Destiny, handing Tyrone his medicine.

"Destiny, could you leave me and Matt alone for a few minutes?" asked Tyrone.

"Sure. I'll be in the bathroom washing up. It's almost morning anyway." said Destiny.

As Destiny went to the bathroom, Tyrone sat on the bed and looked at Matt. His gaze was very weak, but he was impressed to see Matt walk up to him and hand him a blanket.

"You were awesome shrimp." said Tyrone.

"Thanks Ty. But I'm glad you're okay." said Matt.

Tyrone stood up slightly and spoke. "What happened during my seizure?"

"Nothing. I helped you out and Destiny was there. We both managed to get your body safe from getting hurt." said Matt.

"I see." said Tyrone.

"Hey, chin up. You're going to be okay. We'll go to the mall, get our weapons, then go to Mt. Hood. And when the job is done, we can go back to binge watching Smiling Friends!" said Matt.

Tyrone chuckled. It was his favorite show to watch as well. "Okay. That sounds great." he said.

The following morning, Bubbles turned back into a giant hermit crab outside and the three of them got on his shell.

"Okay, it's going to take a while to get to Portland. We might have to make a few pit stops along the way." said Tyrone.

"Just one question. How the heck are we going to take a giant hermit crab in the middle of the city? Plus, people are going to notice the crab!" said Matt.

Bubbles make clicking sounds and of course no one understood what he meant.

"Is Bubbles trying to say something to us?" asked Destiny.

"Scary." said Matt.

"I wonder if… Bubbles? Can you draw on the ground with your claw?" asked Tyrone.

Bubbles seemed to have understood and began to use his claw to draw on the ground, precisely as Tyrone mentioned. He drew a series of squiggly lines and it was then that Matt understood.

"Ya entiendo! I understand! Bubbles knows some routes to take! Plus, he made some dots, meaning those will be places where he will need to rest. I think." said Matt.

Bubbles made clicking sounds again, but this time in tone that was different. Almost as if he was agreeing with Matt.

"I don't buy it." said Destiny.

"Who knows. Why don't we give it a try?" asked Tyrone.

Bubbles then sped along the road and quickly ran behind the motel and went straight into a hiking trail that was deep into a forest.

"Great! We are going into the unknown. To face danger." said Tyrone sarcastically.

"This might be fun!" cried Destiny.

Bubbles ran very fast and everyone on board his shell was either cheering or perhaps screaming of joy or fear. It was a mixture of both. Tyrone was the one shouting with excitement as Bubbles was running. All his troubles seemed to have melted away. In Matt's case, he was having a blast. He joined in on Tyrone's cheering while Destiny tried not to look. The minute she opened her eyes however, that was when she saw it.

Yes. It. The thing that was taking children. The mystery person.

"You guys! Look!" cried Destiny.

Tyrone and Matt turned and they gasped when they saw the hooded figure come up to them, floating in the air like a shadow. Bubbles stopped in his tracks and braced himself with his claws, defending his riders.

Destiny was the first to get off and stand before the shadow, who landed on its feet.

"Who are you, and why are you taking children!?" she said aloud.

Tyrone and Matt followed her and they stood by her side. To her surprise, Matt grabbed something from his pocket. It was a small bag of salt and so did Tyrone.

"If you're from Rood Bridge Park and you're from the Dark Impulse, we know your weakness. It's salt." said Tyrone.

The mystery person then spoke. "Please boy. The salt you are holding in your hands is nothing but common kitchen salt. You insult me."

"Woah! You're a lady!?" cried Matt.

It was true. The mystery person's voice was indeed a woman's voice. It was very deep, yet feminine all the same. Everyone was surprised, but they stood their ground.

"Answer our question. Why are you kidnapping?" asked Destiny.

"To answer that my dear, you must ask yourself this question. How long will it be until humanity expires? I'm doing the Earth a good service." said the woman.

"You mean… you're not telling me that…." Destiny didn't even want to dare finish the sentence as a chilling realization came to her.

Matt however spoke aloud. "You're killing kids! You're a sicko!" cried Matt.

Tyrone couldn't help but smile at Matt's comment, but Matt was wrong there. Tyrone quickly spoke.

"She's not killing them. She's probably putting them someplace far from here." said Tyrone.

"I hope." whispered Destiny.

"The handsome one speaks the truth. I do hide the children. I do not kill. Not yet. Not until I have completed my goal." said the woman.

"We will stop you!" declared Matt.

"An impossible task, little one. An impossible task." the mystery woman then moved her hands slowly into the air and began to hum.

Destiny knew what this was going to be. "Matt! Cover your ears!" she cried.

"What? Why?" asked Matt.

Destiny was baffled and so was Tyrone. "Was this the song that you heard before?" he asked.

Destiny nodded.

The mystery woman stopped and took a step back. "This has never happened before! A boy not falling in love with my soothing voice!" she said aloud.

Matt smiled. "It could be because I listen to Mariachi music every now and then, Senora." said Matt, making fun of her.

"Or it could be that you don't have rhythm." said Tyrone.

"Would you two knock it off?" asked Destiny, urging the boys to quiet down.

"I don't understand why my power is not working on you. But I will get to the bottom of this. Until we meet again." the mystery woman then vanished into thin air, leaving nothing but fragments of darkness.