Night Wind
By: Wilona Riva
Disclaimer: Butch Hartman does; I don't.
Doesn't Flora make you think of way too much sugar? I shudder at the thought of meeting a hairdresser like her.
Hair
Why do we not leave, Night Lord? The huntress has left us alone, with no weaponry in sight.
You forget, Dusk, she holds Twilight hostage. We cannot leave this place. She also holds the device which operates the bracelets you two wear; it enables you to walk in the light of the sun.
Forgot about that.
"All done, Mr. Elias," the hairdresser's chirpy voice stated, leading a towel-wrapped boy back to the chair next to Phantom.
"This way, Mr. Fenton," she said, swinging over to him. "Laura will take your sister back in a minute."
She is not cutting my hair!
Danny gave Dusk a look.
We do not have a choice, Dusk. The sooner we can find the sixth and seventh of our brethren, the sooner we can get out of here.
"You're getting a haircut, dipstick?" Ember's breezy voice rang out from the doorway. "Hey lady, can human scissors cut ghost hair?"
"We have a prototype given to us by the Fentons," Flora said cheerily, holding up a pair of glowing green shears. "Want to join our cut'n'clip club today?"
"No thanks," Ember said drily. "Party in the park tonight, dipstick. Midnight. Bring your mini-me's with you."
"Pyre, hurry it up," a male voice hissed, poking his head in the door. "The huntress is coming back."
"Any of the Seeds with her?"
"Just the Onyx," came the whisper. "She's here. Aviana's waiting. Hurry!"
Danny couldn't hear anymore. Flora propelled him into the back room, put a plastic sheet over him, and tilted his head back. Putting some pink goo in her hands, she proceeded to dump ice cold water over his head. "This is a new strawberry mint shampoo," she cooed. "It goes well with..."
Phantom tuned her out.
Twilight frowned, sitting down next to Dusk, who was reading a fashion magazine. What is wrong, Dusk?
Maddie watched the two siblings sign back and forth furiously to each other. She picked up signs for fire, girl, ghost, and the one symbol they frequently used to represent her son. She and Jack had more studying to do. Maybe after the reunion, Vlad might...
"Well, children?" Aviana asked, upon their return.
"The Emerald, Amethyst, and Carnelian Seeds were not in the local school," Breeze reported. "Pyre and I found them in a..."
"...beauty salon," Pyre finished, checking her nails for any chips. "I told the Emerald Seed to meet us here. The Nightwind have found out a way to block the curse."
"How?" Beacon demanded. "We've been researching and experimenting for ages."
"Children," Aviana warned softly.
"Sorry, Aviana," the trio of spirits chorused.
"As you were saying, Pyre," Beacon conceded control of conversation back to the flame-haired girl.
"Right," she said. "I noticed the Onyx and the Amethyst Seeds wore identical bracelets. Somehow the huntress, who holds them captive, has acquired the knowledge to thwart the curse. Can you override the signals, Beacon?"
"Given time," he replied. "Maybe."
"Okay, then," Breeze said, "we'll wait until nightfall, when the Seeds come, then take them home. Once home, then what do we do, Aviana?"
"We let them go," she replied. "The Emerald Seed will call the other Seeds to his aid."
"What about the Carnelian Seed?"
"Leave that to me," Pyre replied, a smile on her lips.
The Night Lord was ticked, Twilight noted. You smell like a strawberry, Night Lord.
"Shut up," Phantom snapped, slouching in his seat. "And I do not smell like a strawberry!"
Maddie giggled. "Okay, how about smoothies or ice cream?" she asked, trying to placate the ghosts.
Dusk perked up. She pointed to a shadowy courtyard with a booth and some tables across the way. She kept touching the back of her neck, still not quite believing her new pixie cut.
Phantom noted the shadows and exchanged glances with Twilight, who nodded. "Fine with us, Mom."