Chapter the Eleventh

"Look at the stars", a soft and feminine voice had said from beside me.

My eyes were closed as we both lie outside on the grass surrounded by the moonlight that shines above us. I could also feel her on my arms, could feel the warmth coming from her body, I also rather like the feeling of holding her hand and her head on my shoulder.

"Hmmm," I mumbled to 'her', eyes still closed, sleep almost upon me.

"Look how they shine for you," she whispered again in my ear.

I could feel the shiver running down my spine as her breath tickled my ear. I slowly opened my eyes and suddenly I could see the stars up above us.

I looked at her, wanting to see the face lying behind those sweet voice but her face seems so blurry until the moment I focus on her eyes… Until then, I've never been so sure that I could drown in the vast blueness of 'her' familiar eyes.

...

"Can we at least take a break? We've been practicing for hours," someone with a deep voice exclaimed.

"Yeah, I agree with Bongo. My fingers have gone all stiff now from pounding the keys too hard," another masculine voice had said.

"Marceline, how about we take a break?" A girl was now talking.

I looked at them looking at me. "What? Ah, yeah sure. Sure. Let's take a break."

We've been in Guy's house in the past 3 hours, playing songs we already played as a band whether in concerts and shows or just us playing as friends, killing time.

"You 'kay there, pal?" Bongo looked at me with concern in his eyes. I still haven't moved from my spot.

"Yeah, I'm alright. There just seems to be a music stuck in my head for the past few days but I couldn't quite get it right and until now I still haven't know what it is."

"What kind of music?" Guy asked.

"It's kind of mellow but upbeat and I don't know, I think it's considered as, uhm, a lullaby," I stared at them. "What?"

"Hmm. Do you want to check it out?" Keila asked me, showing us her electric guitar.

"And that seems not you, you're perfectly good with all kinds of music" Guy said, pointing his finger to me, smiling. "But come on, let's check it out." He started walking towards the platform again.

I put my hands in front of me. "No need, I think it already has a lyrics and rhythm and all that, I'm just trying to remember where did I heard it and if I could play it."

"Okay, okay. So, uhm, what about the break we've been discussing? Come on, I'm pretty hungry and exhausted now," Bongo said.

Guy and Keila laughed.

"Come on, big guy. Let's get you food in the drive-through," Guy elbowed Bongo on their way to the door.

"Come on, Marce," Keila invited me too. I followed them.

I was about to close the garage door when suddenly the words of the song that was bothering me for days flooded my head, haunting me with its lyrics and tune.

Ah, of course, that is my song! I already composed millions of songs but that one will still haunt me up to this day, I thought. I shouldn't have tried to remember it, I sighed. But now that I remember it, that song would be playing in my head for years and years until the moment I could play it my guitar or sing it in her sleep.

"Wait! Guys," I called out to them after a moment. "I just remembered the song." They were already in Bongo's minivan, waiting for me.

"Let's hear it when we get back. Come on!" That was Guy. "Bongo's already starving." He laughed, teasing Bongo again.

I jogged towards them. "No, just go without me. I'll check the music first. Order what I always order, okay?"

"What the-" Before Keila could scold me or probably curse me, Bongo interrupted her.

"Fine, fine. Just let us hear it when we get back."

"No way, it's really, really, uhm, not a good song," I don't want them to hear that song coming out of my mouth, ever.

"So, you do remember it?" Guy asked.

"It's," I tried to think who the composer of the song really is. "Kind of - my song…"

They looked at me. "You forget your songs?" Guy said, teasing me with a smirk.

"Shut up, doofus. When you're centuries old, a lot of songs will pile up in your head" Along with sad songs that you want to forget already, I thought.

"Okay, bye. Take care," I said, wanting them to get out already so I could play and check the song out if I still knew it. How masochistic that was.

I was about to go inside when I heard that the car stopped in the middle of the road. Keila, with her head outside of the window, called out to me. "Marceline, wait!"

"What?!" I screamed in case they couldn't hear my voice.

"What food did you want again?" Keila asked.

"The usual!"

"Yeah, but we're arguing what food you usually bought."

"Girls, come on. Faster. My tummy's rumbling now," I heard Bongo.

I rolled my eyes. "Red waffles, idiots!" I turned away from them and went inside.

"How about your drink?"

"The usual as is... Red Cherry Soda," I smirked at them before closing the heavy globdamn garage door.

...

"Marceline, when will you take over the business? I've been waiting for years, you know."

I felt my eyes rolling. "Whatevs, Dad."

We were both sitting on the living room of our house in Nightosphere. I know this memory. I remember this.

He sighed. "You know, I've been thinking about my retirement-"

"Augh! Come on, Dad. You're basically invisible and invulnerable so you can be forever the High Lord. And you know all about politics and all the history of Nightos and how to run it."

"Exactly! That's why I'm teaching you all-"

"Tsk. I don't even like politics."

"But you love politics. Remember when ****** and all those things *********************"

I can't seem to hear what my dad was saying… Why was that?

"Marceline Abadeer! You should listen to me!"

That's not what happened at all as I remembered it. I felt my forehead crease. How very unusual of Dad, I kept on thinking.

He stood up from our couch and turned his back to me.

In the blink of an eye, his black suit turned yellow, his jet black hair was now hidden beneath a yellow brimmed hat and the pigment of his skin turned green.

I have the sudden urge to wake up knowing already that I'm dreaming but I couldn't.

He turned to face me and there he was again, smiling those wide smile with a glint of creepiness, "Hello, Marceline."

I stood up from the couch I'm sitting on and suddenly the world shifted.

We were back on the empty street from the early morning, with him on the other side of the road away from me.

I ignored him and kept on walking when suddenly I found myself sitting with him on a fancy table.

"Tea?" The table suddenly was filled with tea sets and cups. We were illuminated by a single light coming from the street light perched above us.

What the glob happened?, I thought. I crossed my arms around my chest, trying to bring back my composure. "Who are you? How did you know me?"

He smiled and I could now see his crooked and rotten teeth now that we're closer and face to face. I subconsciously grimaced.

He clapped his hands very slowly. "Well, well, well. Speaking like a true Abadeer. So direct!" He suddenly stood up from his seat and I couldn't help but put my defenses up in case this mysterious man tries something funny but he surprised me when he curtsied before me.

"I have no name, Oh Black Knight of the Princess."

What the glob? Why is he so weird?, I thought to myself.

He sat down on his seat and prepared himself a cup of tea, adding three, no, five sugar cubes in his tea.

Yikes, that's a lot of sugar, I thought.

"Blood? Red? Coffee?" he offered to me.

I declined him, taking note in myself to decline and not to eat anything he offered, instead I asked him again how he knew me.

"Oh, I know a lot of things." He laughed.

"Well," I stood up from my seat, "I don't know you so I'm going now." Unfortunately, a sudden force made me sit on my chair again. I looked him in the eyes, now irritated.

"You know that's impolite," I said to him.

"Look, I just I want to talk," he said making gestures with his hands. "That's all. Don't worry, I won't do anything funny." He smiled at me.

I sighed, amazed how I could still keep my cool at this point.

"So, how's your travel from Nightos?"

My eyes widen at his question. "You! You're the one behind that?"

He laughed his weird laugh and smiled again. "Ouch. You hurt my feelings," he said, his hand in his chest as if he was actually hurt. "But nope, not exactly. Kind of. Probably. You entertain me very much, you know, both of you actually." He said before sipping his tea.

I stood up from my seat and grabbed him forcefully from his collar, furious from all the traffic he gave me to reach central but not even a second later, he quickly vanished before my eyes turning into a powdery substance I couldn't quite get a hold onto.

I suddenly felt his presence behind me as he touched my shoulders. I immediately turned to face him just as I found out that he was now sitting on the table, casually sipping his tea.

"I found you amusing," he said. "It would just be better if I know what's going on the other side too but I couldn't… Something truly keeps me at bay, something dark." The weird guy seemed to be talking to himself.

I squinted my eyes at him, "Ahh, okay, what are we talking about again?"

The guy seemed to realize what he did. He stood up and suddenly his whole composure seems… different, angry even. The table that he had been sitting on vanished, as well as the tea set and the tea he was sipping.

"Did you know what happened to me?! Go on! Ask me!"

I unconsciously took a step back. Bad move, Marceline. I can now hear my father saying, "Never let your enemy see your diffidence. Always remember that."

But before I could distract the weird guy anymore, he talked again.

"Punishment. I was punished by my brothers and they place me in this world where magic is banned. Did you know that Magic is my whole life?"

I shook my head, trying and thinking of how to get away far from him as much as possible. It looked like he was still in his monologue. I checked my surroundings, thinking of an escape plan. Unfortunately, he craned his head towards me and suddenly he was right in front of me, clutching my shoulders, his nails digging painfully on my skin. I couldn't help but flinched from the pain.

"Marceline, did you know that they picked this place to dump me because of Him."

That caught my attention. I looked at him, "... Who is Him?"

"Him," he answered me with a straight face.

"You're not making any sense, you know?" I tried to tell it in my calmest voice, looking him directly in the eyes.

He slowly let me go in his clutches and turned his back to me before he skipped like he was playing hopscotch. When the distance between us was significant, very slowly, he faced me again. He then smiled his wide creepy smile like he was planning something devious and mischievous.

"I need to go now," he said. "Until we meet again, Vampire Queen," he curtsied, touching the brim of his hat.

"Wait, I still have many questions!" I really don't understand this guy, I thought. But it looks like he knows something. He knows a lot of things.

"Sooner or later we will meet again," He was now tilting his head, trying to focus on something I can't see nor hear. "It's really a pity how it's only you I could follow through. It would be much amusing if only I know what's going on the princess' side too." He laughed. "Anyway," he started walking towards me until he vanished and suddenly the distance between us was closer.

"Goodnight, Black Knight." He snapped his fingers and my vision went black.

Marceline Abadeer slowly opened her eyes. Sleep, obviously, was still heavy on her eyes and as far as she knew it, something awoke her.

Damn that alarm. She thought.

Trying to silent the ringing tone, she grabbed it lazily, almost throwing it off the wall until she realized that the musical tone was not coming from it.

What the-

She realized it was her phone's ringtone and the vibration coming from it was the reason she woke up from her dream…

My dream… What was it again? She felt like it was a long and exhausting dream.

She only sighed and let her head fall back on her pillow, her left arm draping over her eyes.

She could still hear the musical tone of her phone but she ignored it, trying to get back to sleep. She just felt exhausted.

She opened her eyes and the first thing her eyes caught was her painted ceiling.

She looked beside at the ringing phone that was on top of her bedside table. The musical ringtone that was drifting through the air was momentarily gone.

Finally! Now, I could sleep peacefully without any disruptions! She thought.

Feeling comfortable already on her bed, she tried to get back to her sleep. After all, Marceline could feel the sun's penetrating heat through the walls of her house and that just made her drowsier and feeling more tired all of the sudden.

Suddenly, her phone rang again.

Talk about nuisance. She rolled her eyes.

Still feeling groggy, she faced sideways and tried putting back the clock she grabbed earlier back on her bedside table. She also checked who was the one calling her this early morning.

"Calling Keila," her screen was blinking back at her.

Pssh. Just Keila. I could answer that later on. She fall back on her bed and looked at her clock and saw that it was 11:30AM.

Augh. This is just too early. Too early! I better get back to sleep, again.

It didn't take long before Marceline was already falling asleep. The musical ringtone coming from her phone acted as her lullaby. There was only one thing she didn't realize yet. She didn't even take a glance at her phone which was flooded with texts and missed calls from a certain mayor.

A/N:

Wew. I hope this is a good comeback.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you.

Thank you. :)

12/25/16