Chapter 12
My days blurred together while at the mansion, and Luigi and I developed a routine. Every day I'd tend to the gardens, trying my best not to kill any of the plants. I was pleased to see little green sprouts emerge. I had no idea what I was planting, and I was very anxious to see what was growing. Luigi was right that Petey started to grow now that he had more space. Petey wasn't large by any means, but he no longer would be able to fit in the small pot that he arrived in. He happily chomped away at bugs that dared to fly near him. I wished Wally was here to see Petey so ecstatic.
In addition to gardening, Luigi and I practiced quickly getting to our hiding spots. We'd time ourselves and got it to where we were able to hide in less than 10 seconds, no matter where we were in the mansion. Mario and Peach stopped by to bring the rest of my stuff. He also gave Luigi and I traveling packs that included a first aid kit and a bed roll, just in case we had to quickly flee the mansion. Luigi and I packed a map of the Mushroom Kingdom and Hyrule, an extra set of clothing, non-perishable food, a water canteen filled with water, and some other miscellaneous travel needs in the bags. I also stuck a cell phone charger in mine and got in the habit to always keeping my phone either on me or on the charger near me.
Peach reached the Star Spirits and asked them if they had any knowledge about my magic. They did not know much and was only able to deduce that I did not possess White magic. Wally and Zelda also discussed my magic. The stones that King Boo gave us had his essence in them; Zelda made an educated guess that I was able to identify or feel his presence in the stone. I asked what that meant about my magic, and she didn't know. There was only so much that Zelda could decipher without me present. I felt at a loss on how to develop my magic and mentioned King Boo again. Everyone quickly told me that was not a good idea, and suggested I scour the library for books on magic. I had yet to find anything useful.
King Boo made his rounds about every other day, updating us as promised. He really didn't have any news to deliver, and all was quiet at the moment. Even so, I still had a wary feeling, and knew that no news wasn't necessarily good news. He kept asking about helping me with my magic, which I had to decline. Luigi was always present when King Boo arrived and made sure I kept my promise. And as much as I wanted to take King Boo's offer, I couldn't deceive Luigi and Wally.
Wally decided to stay in Hyrule for an extended period of time. Link and Zelda started to feel a magical presence that had them concerned. Wally wanted to work on his magical skills, and Hyrule was a perfect place to do just that. He also said that it was a good place for me to escape to if things fell apart in the Mushroom Kingdom. I told him I didn't understand how there would be better; apparently Link and Zelda would be able to provide more magical protection, but it was too dangerous for me to travel there at the moment.
As much as I loved spending time with Luigi in the mansion, I was restless. The urge to ride my bike on beautiful days was maddening, and I found myself staring gloomily out the window. The weather felt like a nice, brisk autumn, which was similar to winter in Phoenix. Luigi opened a few windows to let in fresh air, but was hesitant to keep them open for too long. Still, I enjoyed the brief gusts of wind that would blow through the room. I knew Luigi was restless, too, since he really couldn't go anywhere, either. We kept reminding each other that it was better to be bored inside than fearing for our lives outside.
About a week of harboring ourselves in the mansion, we decided to release a few of the residential ghosts. Luigi attempted to release Shivers, Melody, Madame Clairvoya from their paintings; however, all the ghosts refused. Luigi was baffled and tried to ask why, but none would answer. We gave up, which disappointed me. I was looking forward to listening to Melody's beautiful music, and possibly asking questions about magic to Madame Clairvoya.
Days turned to weeks, and weeks turned into a month of quietness. It was strange how quickly things went from "monotonous and boring" to "all hell breaking loose."
Ahhh! I suddenly woke up, screaming out loud and grabbing my skull. My head was killing me. Luigi and I were still in bed, and the sun had yet risen. I felt achy, and a sudden chill swept through my body. Luigi had woken up, startled.
"You ok?" He put his hand on my forehead. "Geez, you're burning up. Let me grab some medicine." I cocooned myself in the covers trying to warm myself up. I was already wearing long pants, socks, and a sweatshirt, but I felt I was in an ice box. Luigi returned with a cup of hot tea and medicine. "Here, take this." I downed the medicine, not caring that the drink burned my tongue a little.
"Will a mushroom help? Those things did wonders when I would accidently fall off my bike."
Luigi gave a small chuckle. "Sorry, dear. Mushrooms are great for scrapes and bruises, but it looks like you're starting to catch a cold. Doesn't really do much for that." He gave me a thermometer to monitor my temperature and grabbed more blankets. "Want me to light the fireplace? That might help warm the room up some more." I nodded, groaning as I felt another wave of achy pain radiate through my body. "Let me check your temperature…shit, it's 102! I'll get some water but what you really need is to get some rest." He kissed my forehead, and I closed my eyes. I drifted off in an uneasy sleep.
The entire day I fought a high fever, cold chills, and pain. Luigi made sure I drank plenty of water, took medicine, and overall kept an eye to make sure my health didn't get worse. My temperature never got below 100, and that worried both of us. Sometime during the day, he brought up soup which I struggled to keep down; the waves of pain made my stomach upset. By night, my fever had risen to 104, and Luigi debated on taking me to the hospital.
"Just call Mario and have him bring Doc." I didn't think I would be able to travel to Toad Town; I couldn't even get out of bed.
Luigi went to the other room while I tossed and turned in bed. I wasn't paying any attention to time, and when Luigi came back, Mario and Doc were with him. Doc started checking me out, while Mario and Luigi hovered in the back, whispering about current events. I tried to listen, but I only heard bits and pieces.
"Waluigi's house…everything trashed…Peach moved…hideout…"
I tried to sit up, but Doc gently kept me down. "You need to save your strength." Doc turned around and fiddled in his bag. He handed a small vile to Luigi and gave him instructions. He came back to me and asked for me to hold out my arm. "I need to give you a shot. It will hurt, but it will help break the fever." He gently held my arm and poked me with a rather large, scary looking needle.
I screamed at the top of my lungs. I don't think I have ever screamed so violently in my life. I felt a hot surge course through my veins, almost like liquid fire. Luigi and Mario were instantly at my side, and I barely saw their frightened faces through my blurry vision. Doc finished with the shot and gave the needle to Luigi. "I'm sorry, Jelina. Luigi, keep track of how often the flare ups occur…I think this is beyond my services." My head felt heavy, and I pass out.
When I woke up, my body was sore, but not as achy as before. My fever had dipped to 99, which was a relief. I noticed it was shortly after dawn. Luigi was asleep in a chair next to me, and I sat up.
"Luigi?" He continued to snore, and I figured he was exhausted after taking care of me. Mario must have gone home with Doc. I pulled back the covers to get out of bed, and noticed my skin looked odd. I was covered in little red patches, and some of the spots had little black lines in them. I was confused, but thought it was something in the medication. I needed food, water, and to pee. I hated to wake Luigi up, but I didn't want to be by myself in case I got weak. I gently shook him, and he finally opened his eyes.
"Jelina? Thank goodness you are ok!" He suddenly wrapped me in a hug, and I was confused.
"What happened? I remember a fever, and a killer headache, but that's all."
"We gave you the maxim tomato serum, and the way you reacted was…well, it scared the hell out of me. It's like your body was fighting it. You became delirious, started talking about seeing shapes and colors, and hearing people talking to you…" I remembered how painful the medicine was, but no memory of anything else. I told Luigi it felt like I was on fire.
"Any idea what any of this means?"
"No clue…Doc gave me more of the serum for if it continues, but we really don't know what happened to you." I really didn't know how to react to that news, but I was glad that I was feeling better.
"Was I hallucinating when I heard that Wally's place was broken into?" Luigi looked saddened and grabbed my hand to lead me to the kitchen.
"Waluigi's house was completely torn apart. Everything was destroyed."
"Are his pictures ok? He had a few he really cared about near the front door."
"I'll have Mario check. It looked like they were looking for something, or maybe you, but the place was turned upside down. We haven't told him yet…" We reached the kitchen and Luigi pulled out some leftover soup. I felt sad that Wally's place was ransacked.
"Can I please tell him? I think he'd react best if I broke the news to him."
"I think that'd be a good idea."
"And…has Peach gone into hiding?"
"Yes. Mario noticed some people trailing her the other day, before Waluigi's home was destroyed. She went into hiding and was safe, but after the break in, we decided she needed to leave for a while. Be extra cautious. She'll be staying with Rosalina on the Comet Observatory. She's safe, and we can still easily contact her. We were going to transport you there with her, but with your recent bouts of illness…we thought it wouldn't be a good idea." I was relieved Peach was ok.
"I'm afraid to ask, but any other news?"
"Well…" Luigi handed me a bowl and heaved a big sigh. "Pauline saw some strange creatures at the carnival last night with Bowser's groupies. She's going to check with Waluigi to see if they are from Hyrule." He gave me a serious look. "Jelina, I've got a bad feeling about all of this…"
"Me, too." I sighed and took a sip of my soup.
"Let's just make sure we are prepared for anything. I'll make sure everything is packed in case we need to quickly leave." I frowned, worried that my health would impact any traveling.
"I hope it doesn't come to that. Before I forget, or pass out, will you make sure to pack my journal in my bag? I've been taking notes, and if we have to flee, I'd like to have it handy." Luigi nodded and gave a small smile.
"Already did. I also packed some medicine for your fevers, and an extra blanket. I couldn't put too much in the bags or it'd be too heavy, but I put as much as I could."
"Thanks, hun." We ate our soup in silence, trying to enjoy a small moment of peace. After we were done, Luigi insisted I laid back down to get as much rest as I could. I took some ibuprofen and fell asleep.
"Jelina, wake up." Luigi shook me awake and I immediately felt immense pain. "You need some of the serum, you're burning up again." I rolled over, feeling the cold chill in my body. "I'm sorry, I know this will hurt." He kissed my cheek as he took my arm, and I feel the familiar burn course through my body. I screamed, and I felt something wet touch my cheek. The burning was immense, and I felt my stomach churn in protest. "I'm here, Jelina. Shhhh…it'll be ok." I barely registered Luigi's comforting voice over the sounds of my screams. Eventually, the burning faded, and I passed out.
When I woke up, Luigi was sitting next to me with his head in his hands. How long was I out this time? I looked outside and saw that it was dusk. "Luigi?" Luigi's head snapped up, and he gave me a hesitant look.
"Jelina, are you finally awake?" His eyes were red, and heavy, dark bags hung under his eyes. He looked like shit.
"…yes? How long was I asleep?" Luigi shook his head.
"Almost an entire day. You were delusional all night, yelling at something to get away and started swiping at the air. You didn't even realize I was here until I grabbed your hand. You told me I was warm, and I radiated a beautiful, deep blue, and you could hear, and feel, the love in me…" I was beyond confused at this point. "You held onto me until whatever it was that you were fighting went away, and then you passed out." I started to get up, and Luigi grabbed my shoulder.
"I want to go to the library. I need to do something, and all I can do is look for books."
"Maybe…maybe it's best if you lay down for a while. You are still feverish."
"Well, if I'm in bed, then let me call Wally."
"I already called him and told him everything that happened. Everything. After telling him over and over that you were ok, he calmed down enough to ask about his place. Mario was able to recover his pictures, which was all he cared about since we relocated all the bombs. Zelda is going to do some research on these delusions you are having. And those creatures hanging out with Bowser at the carnival? Link said they were definitely from Hyrule." I laid my head back on my pillow, tears spilling out of my eyes. "We will figure this out. We are also thinking…it may be a good idea to get you to Hyrule sooner than later. We just don't know how to get you there-"
*Bang-Bang-Bang*
"Who could that be?" Luigi got up to answer the door. "I'll be right back." I looked around the room, and a bright light caught my eye. King Boo's stone was practically singing, and I instantly knew he was at the door. Not caring how I felt, I grabbed the stone and went downstairs. In the doorway stood King Boo in his human form; he knew I hated talking to him as a ghost, and for some reason, respectfully transformed every time I was at the door.
"Luigi, Jelina," he bowed at us in greeting, "I am sorry to disturb you both, but I have some urgent news."
"What is it?" Luigi quickly grabbed a chair for me to sit in, as I was very unsteady on my feet.
"Last night, creatures that I have never seen before have made their way into the entry part of my woods. They cry in the night, halting everything in their tracks. Their have seized my servants…the creatures are able to grasp boos and extinguish them instantly. I am afraid it is no longer safe for my servants and I to remain in the woods. We are departing immediately to a safe location, deep within the woods, or on another plane." Luigi and I gave each other grave looks. This was bad. Very bad.
"Is there anything else you can tell us about the creatures?"
"Do not look at the creatures directly in their eyes and shield your ears from their deafening cries. They move slowly and disappear when sunlight emerges on the horizon. They seem to follow sound, rather than sight. You may be able to hide from them, but I am not certain. I wish I could tell you more." I looked at King Boo, and for once, saw fear in his magenta eyes. "Jelina, may I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"You look grave. Have you been feeling ill as of late?" Luigi and I gave him a surprised look.
"Yes…as a matter of fact, I've been getting horrible fevers and blacking out."
"And when she blacks out…she…she gets delusional…" I was surprised Luigi chimed in with my symptoms.
"I suspected as much."
Luigi looked confused. "How?"
King Boo gave a sigh. "I have been feeling an unnatural source trying to tap into my magic. At first, I did not think much of it, but lately it has been growing stronger. I fear someone is trying to capture Jelina's magic."
"That would explain why I act like I'm fighting something off…"
"Yes. That would be logical to assume."
Luigi looked torn. "What…what can we do to help prevent these attacks?"
King Boo frowned. "I do not know how to dispel this being. Its presence is very powerful. However, I can create a charm, one that will provide temporarily protection. The symptoms that you are experiencing will lessen, and your magic will be safe. It should buy you enough time to relocate."
"What is the cost? I know nothing you do comes for free." King Boo looked forlorn.
"I only wish to have my territory back. Something wants this realm for their own, and Jelina, I have a suspicion your magic is imperative to its takeover." Luigi looked skeptical and wasn't sure if he wanted to make a deal with King Boo. But if he didn't, I would never make it out of the house. My symptoms were growing worse with each attack.
"You help us, I'll make sure your woods are given back to you as they are now. Nothing more, nothing less," I offered. King Boo sighed.
"That is all I request. I feel dire times are upon us." Reluctantly, Luigi agreed to have King Boo help us. "First, may I have my summoning stone back?" I handed him the smooth white stone, and it immediately melded into his body.
"Was that stone a part of you? I noticed it was cool to the touch, and when you arrived, it practically sang to me."
"Yes…you must have felt my presence in the stone. Makes me even more curious as to what your magical abilities are. But that is for another time. Jelina, do you have a ring that you wear? I need to enchant it." I shook my head. I looked at Luigi.
"Have anything around the mansion I could use?" Luigi blushed a little and told us he'd be right back. I was confused about his behavior but didn't question anything. King Boo looked deeply troubled.
"King Boo…is there anything else I should know?"
"Jelina, please be cautious. This is beyond Bowser simply wanting to capture you for his pleasure or to pressure Princess Peach for desirable land. This is something far, far more sinister. This is the work of true evil." I shivered, knowing that he was right. Luigi returned, and his face was beet red.
"Um…ok…I have a ring..." Luigi looked at King Boo, and a knowing look came across King Boo's face.
"Jelina, my dear, this might make you dizzy in your fragile state. Can you please close your eyes?" I gave a curious look, but obliged. I felt the ring loosely slip on my pinkie, followed by King Boo chanting some strange phrase. I felt a warmth envelope my body, and just as quickly as it came, it was gone. The ring was off my finger, and King Boo told me to open my eyes. Luigi was pocketing the ring and looked extremely embarrassed.
"I recommend waiting until you are on your travels, right before nightfall. Just place the ring on your finger, and the spell will automatically initiate."
"Do I need to keep it on at all times?"
"I would highly recommend it. If you are traveling, you will be out in the open, and very susceptible to outside forces. Be warned, the spell will only last five days." King Boo bowed deeply and reached for my hand. I tentatively held it out, afraid of getting slobbered on again. He merely kissed it, and I took back my hand. I felt a chill radiate through my body, the same chill I felt when I held King Boo's summoning stone. "I have given you some of my essence as protection, but I only have enough magic to spare for tonight. I must make haste. I recommend leaving for your travels at the dawn's first light, when the creatures return to the earth. I wish you the best of luck during your dangerous journey." King Boo disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Luigi and I with a sense of dread at the door.
"We'd better get everything ready. I'm going to call Mario and Waluigi…can you please take some medicine and check our bags to make sure everything is ready to leave first thing in the morning?" I nodded and requested that I get to talk to Wally; he'd go nuts if he didn't hear my voice.
"Fair enough. I'll be in the kitchen. We need to eat and get to bed pretty soon."
I felt a little dizzy but trusted King Boo's protection would prevent any debilitating magical attacks tonight. I was grateful for his assistance and made a mental note to give him something nice as a thank you in the future. He must have been desperate to help us willingly with no payback. I found the bags and checked to make sure we had plenty of food, water, and all our other travel essentials. I threw in my iPod with some headphones…maybe it would help drown out the sounds of the frightening creatures. I'll have to ask Luigi about bringing wax or ear plugs. Our bags were ready to go, and I put them by the front door. I found Luigi in the kitchen, talking to Mario on the phone.
"No, you need to stay here! Protect the Mushroom Kingdom. They need you here more than ever." I walked beside him and put my arm around his waist. He put his arm around me, looking frustrated. "No, I am not staying back on this one." He looked at me and mouthed Mario wants to go. I held out my hand and indicated that I wanted to talk to Mario. "Hey, bro, Jelina wants to talk to you. Hold on."
I took the phone, trying to think of how to best tell him to stay put. "Hey, Mario."
"Jelina, I'm glad you are well!"
"As well as I can be at the moment. Look, I know you want to come, but you can't."
Mario didn't like being told to stay behind. "Jelina, Luigi and I have been on a lot of quests, and I know you love him and all, but it might be a better idea if-
"No. I need Luigi with me. This is not up for debate." Mario was quiet on the other end. "I just have a feeling about this. If I have another fit…I need him to help me out of it. If you come with us, you'll leave the Mushroom Kingdom vulnerable. I'll be damned if Luigi stays behind."
Mario sighed. "I know you're right. I just feel…helpless not being on the trail. It's usually me on the adventure."
"I know. I don't think things are going to stay quiet here, and they're going to need all the help they can get. You're their hero, even if that means you are just there to keep an eye out and ease their worries."
"Alright. Please…please look out for Luigi."
"Always." I handed the phone back to Luigi, and he resumed talking to Mario. He mouthed Thank You to me, and after a few minutes, hung up the phone.
"I swear, my brother can be so stubborn. Thanks for convincing him to stay."
"He's not used to sitting back. Just like you're not used to taking the lead." Luigi groaned. "I hate this as much as you do. I'm starting to miss our quiet, boring days, where my biggest frustration was not riding my bike. Speaking of bikes, are we taking them to Hyrule?"
"I don't know…it would help with travel time, but I'm not sure how the terrain is. We'll ask Waluigi what he thinks."
"Oh, before I forget, do we have any wax or ear plugs? For the freaky screaming monsters?" Luigi grabbed some soft wax, and I took it to put it in our bag. I put my cell phone on a charger and picked up the house phone to call Wally. It rang a few times, and when Wally answered, he sounded frantic.
"What is going on over there? Is Jelina safe? Damn it, I hate that-"
"Wally! It's me!"
"Jels, it's so good to hear your voice…I've been worried sick over here! What is going on?" I caught Wally up on everything, so happy to hear my friend's voice again. I missed Wally, and while I was scared shitless for what was to come, I was looking forward to seeing him again. I felt breathless after explaining everything and gave a giant sigh when finished.
"How good are you with maps, toots?"
"Not very…"
"Ok, when we are done talking, let me talk to Luigi. I'll give him the best route on how to get here. And don't hate me when I tell you this, but…I don't think you should ride your bike. You'll be hiking for part of the trip, and your bike isn't geared for mountains. I'm sorry, Jellybean. I really am. But when all this is over, you will be back to riding off in the sunset. We'll make sure of that." I knew Wally was trying to make me feel better, and I appreciated his attempt.
"Any idea what those freaky screaming monsters are? I'm sure they have a name besides freaky screaming monsters."
"Redeads. Be very cautious around them…Luigi may be able to blast them with his electricity, but just hide under your blankets and be very quiet. And make sure to stick that wax in your ears. Their screams may cause you to scream, and that would lead them right to you." I was scared and shuddered.
"Is there anything else I should know? Any other creatures to be aware of?"
"Not really. Hyrule has been relatively quiet. When in doubt, have Luigi zap them with his lightning. That's probably your best bet, since neither of you are prepared for hand to hand combat. I'll catch him up, you have enough on your mind as it is to relay all of this."
"Thanks, Wally."
"I hate to say goodbye, but…"
"I know."
"Let me talk to Luigi, and I'll say goodbye afterwards."
I handed the phone to Luigi, and he started walking towards our travel packs. I saw he made us some sandwiches, so I scarfed one down while he outlined our route on the map and made notes. I tried to think if there was anything else we needed to do before taking off tomorrow. I worried about Petey, but for the past week, he had been doing well on his own. I grabbed a sandwich and motioned to Luigi that I was going to the greenhouse, and not to hang up the phone until I got to say goodbye to Wally. He gave me the thumbs up, and I ran to the other end of the mansion.
I saw Petey fast asleep in his little dirt home. I hated leaving him behind, but there was no way I could care for a plant on my trip. "Petey?" I didn't want to startle him awake, or I might lose a finger or two. "Petey, I brought you a snack." Petey lifted his head and purred at the sight of the sandwich. "I have to go away for a while…but if you get hungry, you can eat anything in here that you want. Except the tulips. Those make your belly hurt." Petey ate the sandwich and nuzzled my hand. I gave him a pat, and he screeched. "I'm sorry, I have to go…" I started to leave, but he screeched again, burping out a small bag. I peeked in the bag and saw a small bicycle charm. I felt my eyes tear up. "Is this for me…from Wally?" Petey nuzzled my hand, and I kissed the top of his head. "Thank you, Petey. I'll see you soon." Petey went back to sleep, and I ran back to the kitchen.
Luigi was still talking to Wally, so I waited at the table until they were finished. Finally, Luigi handed me the phone and went back to the counter to grab himself a sandwich.
"Wally, Petey…he…well, thanks for the charm."
"That was meant for your birthday. But, maybe you can use it as your good luck charm. That can be your bike since you can't actually ride your real one…Hope you like it."
"I love it. Thank you."
"You're welcome. It's going to be a rough journey, and if you only have five days to travel, you two will get little sleep or rest…especially if redeads are out and about. I'm sure if you'll be too terrified to sleep. And I wouldn't blame you one bit. Try to unwind tonight. You may not have another night like this for a while."
"I will. And we will keep you updated as much as we can." I heard him sniff on the other end.
"I love you too, toots. You'd better make it here safe."
"I will, and I love you too. See you soon." I hung up the phone, trying my hardest not to start balling. Luigi, who had finished his sandwich, came up to me and wrapped me in a big hug. I fervently kissed him, and he picked me up, taking me to bed.
"Luigi, I'm…"
"I know, I'm scared, too…We have a long day tomorrow. We will worry about tomorrow when it comes. I want to remember tonight as a good night, now that I have you back from whatever was hurting you." And with that, we enjoyed our last night together in the mansion. We were safe for one night, and I wanted to take full advantage of it. We focused on our love for one another and not the long and difficult road to Hyrule, or the impending sense of doom that lurked over us. It was all we could do.