(Issue 5, WITCH discusses on Museum Incident)
"So we'll meet at 6:30 in the evening. Agreed?" Uriah declares as he stands on the pedestal of the colonnaded arches. The next day, heavy rain pours down on Heatherfield as the news of the museum incident spread quickly.
"I'm in Uriah!" says Laurent as he leans on the pedestal.
"Yup!" Kurt also agrees.
'Looks like Eric will get his hands full this evening.' Nigel thinks. Yesterday evening as they patrol around Heatherfield, Nigel reports to Eric on the museum incident and the revelation about Martin. They investigated on the matter but they could not find any monstrous lizard around. They decided to continue the following day.
"Nigel? Earth to Nigel?"
The school bell rings as Nigel, as he sits by the pedestal, wakes up from his pondering and thinking looks up to Uriah. 'Time to act innocent and like I-don't-know-anything kind of act'
"You alright man?" Uriah asks. "I asked if everybody agrees?"
"Of course, Uriah" Nigel replies as he stands up and walk to their destined classrooms. "One thing I don't understand though, why do we have to go there after it's closed?"
"Just for fun Nigel!" Uriah exclaims. "I want to find out if there are really is a monster, like the news are saying."
"They are just rumors. We'll get caught." Nigel explains. 'Looks like I can investigate the incident more than what I had in mind, thanks to these friends of mine.'
"So? Nothing exciting ever happens in this town anyway." Uriah says.
'Heh! That's what you think.' Nigel chuckles to himself.
"Too true!" Kurt says as he chews his favorite chocolate bar.
"You get it? I need action" Uriah places his arm around on Nigel. "That's why I want to load on this museum trip."
(Issue 5, WITCH is trapped in the painting)
Later that night, Uriah's gang meets up. They try to open the doors, especially the entry, but are heavily locked. They search around the museum to find at least an opening. Finally luck was on their side when they walk deep along a blind alley, where the large compartments of trash bins are located.
"Look! Someone has open left the window open!" Laurent points to the open window behind the museum walls.
"No wonder stuff gets usually stolen from here!" Kurt exclaims.
"It's not a problem. Follow me." Uriah says as they jump into the window
For the next few minutes, they wander into the dark hallways of the museum. The sound is but an echo of silence; its hallways are total pitch black because of the lack of windows and openings to the outside.
'Flames! No sign of anything significant!' Nigel hesitates 'I couldn't feel anything either! Could it be that it has already escaped?'
Suddenly, a flash of light opens! They were shocked to see it was Kurt who opened his flashlight.
"Turn out the flashlight!" Laurent says. "We might be discovered!"
"We have to walk here as a quietly as a lynx." Uriah says as he searches.
"Lynx! Sounds good—Ooppss!" Kurt says when a large and cluster of metals tumbles and bangs to the ground and creates noises of vibration against the silence. It was Kurt who carelessly knocks over an empty armor suit.
'Great! Could this investigation get any worse?' Nigel sighs to himself as he too checks the area. No one has picked up the disturbance yet.
"Kurt what are you doing?!" Uriah says as surveys around the area and helps him up back his feet.
"Don't blame me. I can't see anything. It's very dark in here." Kurt says as he tries to get up.
Nigel sighs. 'This isn't going to work. This investigation could lead us to nothing else' He then turns to Uriah. "The noise probably turned the alarms on. Let's leave!—"
Suddenly, he feels the sensation tingling him as the large shadow silhouette in front of him begins to take shape. 'Is it the beast?'
"Leave if you want! But cowards have no place in the gang anymore." Uriah explains as he walks forward while sternly looking at Nigel. "We came to hunt for monsters, Nigel. I'm not leaving before I see one at least-" Uriah stop as he bumps into the figure from the shadows.
"Looking for something boys?" the silhouette asks.
As the shadows walk into the dimmed light the silhouettes begin to take on the color and Nigel, in surprise, does not expect the familiar beings on front of him. 'Vathek?! And—is that the large Lizard man they were talking about? It's Phobos' men!' Nigel, though calm in the outside panics in the inside. 'Flames! If I could only fight them if Uriah's aren't here to begin with!'
"AAAHHHH!" the so-called brave Uriah yells in fright and got what he deserved
'Better create a small blast to distract them!' Nigel quickly begins to chant and whispers. "Ignition First Technique—" He cuts off when Uriah pulls him to run.
"Let's go out of here! Quickly!" Laurent says as they dash away.
"Ignition First-"He chants as he turns back to see Kurt with a sword he took from the fallen armor. He points it at the blue galhot Vathek. 'Flames! He's in my way!'
"S-Stay away!" Kurt stutters as his hand tries to grip on the sword.
Vathek slams the sword away and sticks to one of the paintings nearby. "You're pretty amusing boy! But your little toothpick doesn't impress me!" Vathek yells.
Nigel yanks Kurt's red hoodie. "Run, Kurt! Run!" As they both start to run across the museum to the entry 'Flames! All I have to do is just run! As long they don't follow us then I won't attack!'
As they approach the entrance, Kurt, who is the most frightened of all, "AAAhhh! Monsters are eating us!" yells as he unthinkingly dashes towards the entry way.
"Where are you going? Come back Kurt!" Nigel yells at him. 'What is he doing now?!' and he follows him.
"Let me out! I want out!" Kurt clenches his fist as he slams continuously on the tempered glass of the main doors, but it won't break in. He takes the fire extinguisher and throws it on the glass! "I want home!"
Then the sirens above the door begins to wail loudly and red lights come out from it. "The alarms!" Nigel exclaims. 'Great!'
"You idiot! It was your fault, Kurt!" Uriah yells at Kurt.
"Quickly, to the back window!" Laurent points to where the opening is located. "Let's leave before the police get here!"
They dash once again to the back window until one of the guards behind them sees them. "Hey! You there stop this instant!" he point his gun at them.
"I don't think so! Come on guys!" Uriah yells.
They finally reach the window opening, as Kurt and Laurent leaps to the outside, yet the guard still follows. "Stop!"
"Let's surrender Uriah! The guard has a gun!" Nigel says. 'I would want to end this night!' Suddenly, he feels a strong sensation once more like he had from Martin; it was a strong aura from Uriah.
"Stay here if you want." Uriah says and grabs Nigel's shirt. "But if you tell anyone that I was here. I'll beat you. Got it!"
"O-okay." This time the sensation becomes stronger than ever as Nigel feels a strong pressure. 'What is this pressure?!'
Uriah then leaves Nigel and jumps through the window, yet he hears sirens from the outside. "Alright boys, your escape ends here." Nigel hears from the outside.
'Oh Flames…'
As soon as they were caught, they were sent to the police department and were investigated and interrogated for the charges committed. Uriah and his gang explained that they saw the monsters, and as the usual scenario, the police did not believe their fictional claims. The police points out on a particular painting, which was destroyed and vandalized with the sword, thus may lead to a very serious case of liability. They tried to explain before them yet called the judge to arbitrate the case. The police called their parents and in response, the boys' supportive parents came to their side, except Nigel's.
In the small room where the parents and the suspects gather, the judge, with the formal outfit and black short hair enters the room. "Evening!" she greets formally. She places her suitcase on the table and shoves out the papers on her hands.
"Good evening Miss Cook!" Uriah's mother greets back.
'C-Cook?!' Nigel thinks in surprise. 'The judge is a Cook?'
"Here is the lawyer-" Uriah's father presents the lawyer beside them.
"Our Uriah is innocent! His friends have somehow pulled him in this whole mess!" Uriah's mother demands.
"Let me do the talking miss." says the lawyer.
"No." Miss Cook rebuffs. "I'm talking now. Their little trick could have become expensive, but I won't ruin their lives. They're still young I have a daughter their age, who goes to the same school."
"Oh damn flames!' Nigel shoves his hair backwards. 'I knew it! This night is worse than I thought!'
"So they won't go to jail?" says Laurent's mother.
"No. the painting was a copy." Miss Cook reads. "I already talked to the museum's owner. He is ready to cancel the charge yet, this doesn't mean that the boys are going to get away so easily though."
The parents signed over the agreement on the community service that the boys will serve as another alternative punishment. The boys are finally relieved from the conflict together with their parents they head home.
"You!" Uriah's mother walks angrily at Nigel, who waits by the bench waiting for his parents, slaps him on the face. "How could have you done this to our innocent son, Uriah!"
"It wasn't me, Miss Dunn." Nigel says as he rubs his reddened cheek. "To be frank, it was Uriah who started it."
"How dare you! And you call me liar!" She prepares to slap him again, but Uriah stops her as he goes in between them.
"Stop!" He replies as he pushes her "It wasn't his fault! It was mine! So never do that to my friend again!" he yells at his mother.
Her mother in shock, looks at Nigel sternly for more than three seconds and walks away without a single word to reply. Uriah embarrassingly turns around to Nigel. "Sorry about that man."
"Yeah." Nigel rubs his cheek on his gloomy face.
"S-See you in school then." Uriah says in guilt as he walks toward his parents to the exit.
A half a minute has passed as Nigel waits for his mother by the benches of the hallways. "Excuse me, Mr. Lair." Nigel forwards to Office Tom Lair, one of the high-ranked police officers who took care of the case; also probably the father of Irma Lair, the confirmed water guardian. "Did you contact my mother? Even my older brother?"
"Sorry son." He replies. "I tried contacting your parents, but I just couldn't reach them."
"Mr. Ashcroft." Judge Cook calls Nigel as she leaves the room earlier and approaches Nigel. "Does the name Daniel Ashcroft sound familiar to you?"
"He's my brother." Nigel replies and gulps.
"No wonder," She recalls. "I handled his case a few years ago when he used the parking meters as target practice for his arrow shooting capabilities. Do you remember that?"
Nigel nods slightly as he remembers when he was the audience of the courtroom. When he's brother is called upon to show his innocence on the witnesses' stand to the strong woman on the center of the Judge's bench.
"The Ashcrofts: an addicted mother, an irresponsible father and an ill-disciplined older brother," She roasts. "It seems to me you will be next to follow their footsteps." She sternly warns him as she leaves him like a boss.
Nigel slumps back to the bench. Because of what he heard grits his teeth and clenches his fist in anger, as he becomes teary-eyed with his head down. Because of his long hair, he was able to cover his face yet shoulders trembles, so no one could notice. 'I'll show you Miss Cook!'
"Son?" as Nigel feels his shoulder touched by a comforting hand. "Forget what the judge says, I think you're better than that. I've talked to your mother and she told me that you can go home now." says Officer Lair. Nigel nods slightly and stands up and walks to the exit. "Do you want a ride son?"
Nigel turns back to him and with a slight smile. "No need Mr. Lair. Thank you."
