I kind of slowed down after doing five chapters in a row, but my writing roll stands. Two weeks of school left now!
Chapter Eleven: Victims
Mana was brought out of her sleep by the phone on the nightstand ringing. She rubbed her eyes a few times and picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Mana? This is Hime. I'm sorry if I woke you up, but it is seven. I thought it was early enough to tell you of Chasity."
Brandi stirred as Mana answered. "Ah, right. How is she?"
"No better, no worse. You had best come and see for yourselves, all of you," Hime said. "As for her room number…" She read it off, along with directions on the general area of it.
"Got it. We'll be there soon." Mana hung up.
"Who was that?" Brandi asked, sitting up.
"Hime. She wants us to go see Chasity," Mana explained.
"All right. Give me a few minutes to get ready," Brandi requested as she got out of bed.
…
Hope had a much more uncomfortable awakening. She managed to turn her head enough to see that Max was on top of her, essentially crushing her. For a moment, she was confused as to how this happened. Then she remembered that they had decided on sleeping on the fold-out bed from the couch, as they had when Hope had stayed over last time.
"Max… wake… up…" Hope gasped out.
"Huh?" Max blinked, and then realized where he was. "Oh… sorry." He got off Hope, much to her relief.
"It's fine… I just hope that doesn't happen again anytime soon," Hope said, also rising.
"You two looked pretty comfortable," Gaston commented from where he was sitting.
Hope gave him a look of annoyance. "Thanks for that unwanted comment."
"You're welcome." Gaston went to the kitchen with Max following him.
Hope was about to go as well, but Mana entered the living room first. Seeing her, Hope said, "Good morning."
"Same to you," Mana replied. "Where are the other two?"
"In there." Hope nodded to the kitchen.
"I'll go make breakfast then," Mana decided, heading to it.
"Wait… can I ask something?" Hope requested.
Mana turned to her expectantly. "Sure, what is it?"
"How did I save Max yesterday?" Hope asked. "I did not really understand why he was ill or how I reversed it…"
"That I only have a theory for," Mana said. "But I think it was due to how long you and Max have been separated. You gave him part of your soul to keep him alive, and then stayed away from him for seven years. That probably weakened the bond a ton. I guess the kiss strengthened it again, keeping him from dying."
"If it had been one more day before I was allowed into Teknisk Wereld…" Hope trailed off, unable to bring herself to finish the sentence.
"Yeah. Good thing it wasn't! Just stick near by him for now, and it shouldn't happen again." Mana smiled at her brightly before entering the kitchen.
Hope thought over that as she went to the hall Mana had come from. She was wondering if Brandi was still asleep.
On the contrary, when she approached the door to the room, she heard a moan from inside. Concerned about the noise, Hope opened the door and went inside.
Brandi looked up in surprise from her position on the floor. Her arms were stretched forward in a sit and reach position. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh, no… I just heard you and thought…" Hope shook her head sheepishly, and then asked, "Why are you nearly breaking your bones by stretching? That looks painful."
"It's to make sure my muscles don't get stressed again," Brandi explained as she got up and sat on the side of the bed. "When in gymnastics, I was pushing myself too hard. Due to that, I started having accidents. First I fell off the bars, then off the beam, and then stumbled on the floor… it didn't get serious until I fell on my back instead of landing on the vault though. That was when I had to go to a rehab facility. Lilian looked after me to help me move again, and she taught me stretches to keep it from happening again."
"Ouch," Hope winced. "Glad to hear you recovered."
"Yeah." Brandi turned to the bed and drew up the covers. Hope noticed that both ends were down, as though two people had gotten out of the bed.
"Mana slept with you?" she assumed.
Brandi nodded. "I really missed her… very deeply… I couldn't even hear about the card Black Magician Girl, as you saw when Rue played her…" She paused. "Did I tell you that I had moved in with Matt and Lilian?"
"No," Hope answered.
"I did… couldn't take the memories that were here. That, and I wanted to be with Matt." Brandi placed the pillows back in order and turned back to Hope. "Thanks for talking with me. It's nice to know that I'll have you as my future sister-in-law."
"Sister-in-law?" Hope exclaimed. "Did I hear you correctly?"
"Yep, you did." Brandi laughed at Hope's confused expression. "Let me show you something."
"All right…" Hope said, still a bit shocked.
Brandi went to the closet and took out her mother's dress, laying it on the made bed. Then she put her right foot on the covers as well. "I noticed you didn't put your hairclip in yet today. Could I see it?"
"Sure." Hope gave her the hairclip.
"Thanks." Brandi set it on the other side of the dress. "See these? That dress was what Dad gave Mom. Matt gave me this ankle bracelet. And now Max has given you a really expensive hairclip. It's a Driger tradition. The males always get a really expensive gift for the one they want to eventually marry."
"Brandi, are you… up…" Max pushed open the door and trailed off as he saw them. "Oh. Hi. So you were explaining to her about that?"
This was too much for Hope. She blushed deeply as Max looked around uncomfortably. Yet she felt deeply honored by what she had heard, so she managed to smile. "Yeah… she was…"
"Awkward moment much," Brandi commented as she took the dress to hang up again. "Is Mana making breakfast?"
"Yeah. Come out when you're ready." Max left the room, still seeming a bit embarrassed at what had happened.
Hope took back her hairclip. To get her mind off the incident, she said, "I was in such a hurry to get here that I did not have enough time to pack much. I have some clothes, but I'll need to borrow some things, like a brush…"
"That's fine, we've got spares in the restroom. You'll find them in the top drawer to the right," Brandi said.
"Thanks. I'll be out shortly." Hope went to get changed and the like.
Ten minutes later, they were all seated at the kitchen table with waffles, which Mana had so graciously prepared. Thankfully, she had not blown up anything while making them.
"I guess being out of it for seven years made me a better cook… although that doesn't make much sense…" Mana mused as she watched them eat. "Hm. I wonder what eating food is like?"
"That's something we will probably never know," Gaston said with a shrug.
"So we will be going to Teknisk Wereld at nine," Hope recalled between bites. "Is there anything else we will be doing beforehand?"
"Visiting the hospital," Brandi said.
"What? Why?" Gaston asked.
Brandi realized that she had not told them of what had happened. "Oh… Hime told me this last night, but I did not have a good opportunity to share it until now. It's Chasity…" Brandi looked away. "She is… in a coma."
Max's hand came down on the table, causing a crash that echoed in the kitchen. "No!"
"How?" Hope managed to say.
"I don't know the details… we have to see Hime at the hospital," Brandi said. "Mom and Dad are there too. I'll call Matt."
"…Fine." Max got up and walked to the living room.
"He could have at least put away his plate," Mana sighed as she collected it, along with everyone else's dishes.
"Max is taking this really hard," Gaston noted.
"I was afraid he would," Brandi said regretfully. "Chasity was one of the only things that got him through those seven years. He really cares about her."
"I see…" Hope glanced towards the phone. "We leave after you contact Matt?"
"That's right." Brandi went to the phone and dialed.
"Hello?" she heard Matt say.
"Matt, this is Brandi. Something bad happened. Chasity is currently in a coma."
"What? How did that happen?" Matt exclaimed.
"We're not sure. Could you come to the hospital? Not only do we need to see Chasity, but… well… there's a few other things I want to talk about."
"Of course. I noticed you never came home last night."
"I can explain that there," Brandi assured.
"All right. What's the room number?"
Brandi glanced toward her Soul Monster. "Mana? What is the room number?"
"333!" Mana called, which Brandi repeated into the phone.
An audible groan came from across the phone line. "Typical…"
"See you there," Brandi said before hanging up.
Max entered the room again. "We ready?"
"Yep. I'll drive!" Brandi volunteered.
"Sure," Hope said. Then she noticed Max's expression. "Is something wrong?"
Max looked sickened, but he shook his head. "Um… no… go ahead, Brandi…"
"Let's go!" Brandi said, running to the door. They followed her out.
After Gaston and Mana went into their Soul Cards, Hope and Max got into the back seat of the car. Brandi went to the driver's seat and locked all of the doors. Max hurriedly put on his seatbelt and grabbed onto his seat. Hope also put hers on, wondering about Max's strange behavior.
His reason became apparent as soon as Brandi backed out of the driveway. She bolted forward, driving at a speed that spat in the face of any speeding limit that could have existed here. Hope instantly took a leaf out of Max's book and grabbed onto her own seat.
"Oh, forgot to mention, I like to drive a bit fast!" Brandi called back as she turned a corner sharply, causing the tires to squeal in protest.
"A bit?" Hope whispered to Max.
"A bit. She is being slow today," Max informed her, a little pale.
"Oh gosh," Hope said, her skin color matching his.
How they got to the hospital without dying was beyond Hope's knowledge. Nevertheless, they made it in one piece. Brandi braked in a parking spot so quickly that they would have flown through the windshield if they did not have seatbelts on. She turned off the car and smiled back at them. "Well, that was pretty fast, wasn't it?"
"No kidding," Hope groaned as she took off her seatbelt and bolted outside, mentally thanking all that was holy for making it here alive. Max also exited, his face betraying his relief.
After bringing out Gaston and Mana, they went into the hospital and to the third floor. When they reached the Room 333, Hope knocked.
"Come in," they heard Abby call.
Hope opened the door and entered, with everyone else behind her. Randall and Abby were sitting on two chairs in the room while Hime occupied the third one. GaBa lay on the floor, both mouths muzzled and with a leash that looped around their necks; it seemed that Randall did not trust them in the hospital.
Chasity lay on the bed, still. Hope was alarmed to see that she was depending on a respirator to breathe. Chasity was pale, very much so, and looked vividly fragile.
"You arrived," Abby said, trying to smile. But it wavered. Hope felt a pang of pity for her. She could not imagine how hard it must be for Abby to have to deal with all of the near-death experiences her children went through.
At least she seemed to be coping with it. Hope told herself that as she looked over Abby. Her appearance had changed over the past years. She now wore an orange sleeveless shirt, long white skirt, and black high-heeled shoes. Her blonde hair fell to her back now, and her green eyes reflected her worry.
"Matt will be here soon," Brandi said as she went to the side of the bed.
Hope looked to Randall. "I am pleased to finally meet you."
"Ah, yes… you were unable to see me the last time you were there." Randall ran a hand through his hair. "Hope, I was grateful for what you did for me. Now that you can hear me, I must thank you once more."
"I was happy to help," Hope replied, taking in Randall's new appearance. He had on a black long-sleeved shirt and khaki pants, along with black dress shoes. His white hair was cut short, and his brown eyes held their usual weary look.
"So this is your Soul Monster, the one that Max warned us about?" Gaston asked, looking at GaBa. They growled in response, unable to speak.
"You can talk to them later… after we are out of the hospital," Randall said dryly.
Before Hope could ask about why they should wait, she heard someone come in through the doorway. She turned and stared in surprise. "You… you're…"
"Ender," he confirmed.
Hope had almost not dared to believe it. Although Ender now wore a red t-shirt, blue jeans, and casual white shoes, and his brown hair went to his shoulders in a ponytail, his hard green eyes had given him away in an instant. Hope had thought he would be completely crippled after what she had heard seven years ago. Ender was in a wheelchair though, so it appeared that he was only affected from the waist and lower.
"Is something wrong?" Ender asked as she stared.
"Oh, um, sorry," Hope apologized. "I was just startled. All of the things that were said about your condition… well…"
"It could have been a lot worse," Ender stated as he went next to Abby with little difficulty. "This may not even be permanent."
"We have heard of a surgery that might be able to heal him completely," Abby explained. "But we need to look more into it before we can be sure. That is why I wish to speak with Lilian before we leave. She said she would get some information for us and tell us what she thought the next time we came."
"Good luck with that," Hope said, feeling genuinely sorry for him. She did not think he deserved this, even after what he had done to Olympion.
"Thanks." Ender turned his gaze back to Chasity.
"Can we hear what happened to her now?" Brandi asked Hime.
"I really do not know," Hime answered. "She was in Teknisk Wereld when it happened. I had come into the room and I saw that she was not breathing, so I called an ambulance. I tried to give her CPR, but it did not work. Yet when I checked her pulse, it was there. Lilian confirmed that she is in a coma."
"But how did this happen?" Mana wondered.
At that moment, the cell phone in Hope's pocket suddenly rang to a tune that sounded remarkably like the Final Fantasy victory theme. Blushing as everyone glanced at her pocket pointedly, she took out the cell phone and turned it on. "Hello?"
"Hope. It's your father."
"Dad! How are you?" Hope asked. Normally she loved hearing from her father. However, his voice was making her nervous. He sounded remarkably grave.
"Not well, and here is why. Amy is in a coma."
The words hit Hope like a lightning bolt. "W-what?"
"She is in a hospital currently. They still do not know why. I felt that you should know," he said.
"…Oh… I see… thank you for… telling me…" Hope said, her vision blurring.
"I will tell you of any updates," she heard him say, his voice laced with sorrow.
"Thank you… until later…" Hope pressed the end button on her phone, and then said to them, "Amy is in a coma too."
"No way!" Mana exclaimed.
"So now we have two… she was probably in Teknisk Wereld as well…" Hime mused.
Gaston put a comforting hand on Hope's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll find a way to help them."
Hope nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
To their exasperation, the victory theme rang through the room again. Thinking of how bitterly ironic that ring tone was right now, Hope answered it again. "Hello?"
"Hope! What the hell is going on?" she heard Rue yell from the other end.
Hope held the phone away from her ear. "Ow! Rue?"
"Of course! It's Claire! She's in a coma!" Rue shouted. "I want to know why the hell she is like this, and I want to know now!"
"Rue! Calm down!" Hope yelled back through the phone. "I'll tell you what I know, but only if you get a grip on yourself!"
There was a moment of silence, and then she heard Rue say in a quieter tone, "Sorry. It's just… I found her like this when I got home last night, and by the time I thought to call, it was midnight… Ruecian had me wait until morning. I just woke up."
"I understand," Hope said. "Chasity and Amy are like this too. We don't know why yet, and we're trying to find out. Let's talk about it in Teknisk Wereld, all right?"
"Fine," Rue said reluctantly. "See you there." The phone went dead.
"Claire too," Hope told them, feeling her heart sink even lower.
"This is crazy!" Max exclaimed.
Brandi looked at Chasity again, her hands clasped anxiously. "Isn't there anything we can do to figure out what happened?"
They were silent in thought for a minute, and then Hope's eyes brightened. "I've got it! Angela!"
"Angela?" Abby asked.
"Right." Hope gave a quick summary for their benefit. "I think that if Teknisk Wereld caused this, Angela could probably tell us why and how to cure them."
"Great! So call her!" Mana said, happy that they had a lead at last. "Brandi knows their number by heart!"
Hope lifted her cell phone for a third time and punched in the number as Brandi relayed it.
…
Angela had stood in the room all night, patiently waiting for it to be eight AM. Her mind told her that there was still fifteen minutes to go.
That was when the phone rang. Angela instantly tensed, and then began to speak. "Unidentified sound heard. Will investigate source." She went to the door and quietly opened it before sneaking towards the kitchen.
She found the phone there, ringing on its hook. Angela tilted her head as she gazed at it. "Scanning… analysis complete. Object confirmed to be a telephone. No threat found. Safe to examine." Then she picked it up.
The ringing stopped at once, and she heard Hope's voice faintly coming from it. "Hello? Zack? Larka?"
Angela lifted the phone to her ear. "Speaker confirmed to be Hope. What is it that you wish for?"
There was a pause, and then Hope said, "Angela? Is that you? I can't hear you very well…"
"You are speaking at a lower tone than normal," Angela reported. "The efficiency of this conversation has gone down by 43.59 percent due to this."
"I can't hear you! Speak up!" Hope shouted through the phone.
"Raising voice tone by 50.00 percent. Is this enough?" Angela said in a louder tone than before.
"No! I still can't hear you much!" Then Hope said, "Angela… try turning the phone! I think you aren't talking into the speaker!"
Angela turned it. "Is this what you mean?"
"OW! Lower your voice!" Hope exclaimed.
"Returning voice tone to normal. What is it that you wish for?" Angela asked.
"Ouch… just… get the phone to Zack or Larka, please," Hope said.
"Affirmative. Will arrive at their locale in approximately seven seconds." Angela went back towards their room.
When she arrived, she found that Zack and Larka were up, both looking confused.
"Angela? What is wrong?" Larka inquired. "I heard your voice from in here…"
"Our conversation was delayed for one minute and three seconds by difficulties with using this device." Angela handed Larka the phone. "Hope wishes to speak with you or Zack."
"Oh… thanks…" Larka watched Angela head to the door and stand in front of it before saying, "Hope?"
"Thank everything you're here," Hope replied, sounding exhausted. "That was painful…"
"Sorry, Zack and I were asleep. What is it?" Larka asked as Zack listened with interest.
"We need you and Zack to come to the hospital near the condo. It's important that you bring Angela." Then she said, "Wait… I forgot, you probably do not live near here…"
"Actually, we live in the same condo that Max and Brandi do," Larka said brightly.
"WHAT?" Hope yelped.
Larka laughed at her reaction. "That's right. We'll be there soon. See you then." She hung up. "Zack, we need to go to the hospital with Angela. Hope thinks it is important."
"Very well. Let us go," Zack said. "Angela, will you accompany us?"
"If that is what you wish," Angela replied.
"Let's try to keep away from other people; Angela kind of stands out," Larka suggested, glancing at Angela's purple hair.
"Good idea. Angela, please do not speak to strangers unless we say it is all right first," Zack requested.
"Affirmative." Angela went outside with Zack and Larka going after her.
…
Hope hung up with a sigh of relief. "That was the most painful phone call I've ever made."
"It was painful for us too," Ender said flatly. "We had to hear you yelling."
"I can't believe Angela picked up the phone," Gaston commented.
"I can, unfortunately." Hope slipped away her cell phone and leaned against the wall. "Now we have to wait for them…"
A soft knock silenced them. Brandi opened the door since she was near it, and promptly leapt forward and embraced the arrival fiercely.
"Geez! You could have… warned me…" Matt gasped out
"Sorry!" Brandi said, loosening her grip a bit.
Matt looked far more formal than Hope could remember. He wore a white dress shirt with a tie, a thin black vest over it, and had black dress pants and fancy brown shoes. His brown hair had been cut short, and his brown eyes were not concealed by glasses any more.
"Going to a party?" Gaston joked as Brandi finally released him.
"To work, actually. Directly from here," Matt replied. "But I wanted to see what was happening myself."
He went to Chasity and shook his head. "Terrible…"
"Yeah…" Brandi seemed nervous. "Hey, Matt… could we… um… talk elsewhere?"
"Huh? Sure. Where?" Matt asked.
"Another room… also, I'd like my parents to come." Brandi looked at them for confirmation.
"All right," Abby agreed while Randall nodded. They stood up to follow.
"We'll be back soon," Brandi said to the others before they went outside, closing the door.
Brandi led them five rooms down and shut the door as they entered. Once they were inside, Abby said, "What is wrong?"
When asked, Brandi got flustered. She looked away, saying, "Well… I… I… I wanted to… tell you something…"
"Yes?" Randall asked calmly. "Go ahead. We are listening."
That was precisely the problem. Nevertheless, Brandi knew she had to tell them. "Well… I'm… pregnant."
Randall did not react at all, merely gazing at her, while Matt covered his face. It was Abby who had the largest response. "BRANDI! YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!" she yelled with an expression of fury.
"…I am," Brandi said, closing her eyes.
Abby stepped closer to her, rage coming in waves from her body. "YOU MADE A PROMISE! YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD BE ABSTINENT!"
"We were drunk!" Brandi said. Then she paused, guilt showing on her face. "…No… that isn't right… Matt was, so he did not even know this had happened until now… but I… I knew what I was doing. I… I took advantage of the situation…"
"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO BE, SOME KIND OF WHORE?" Abby snapped.
That was all Brandi could take. Her eyes glimmering with unshed tears, Brandi ran to the door and flung it open, going down the hall. Randall quickly followed her, looking concerned.
Matt swiftly shut the door again as Abby confronted him. "What were you thinking? I thought you cared about her… and I thought you were a friend of mine! Never would I have thought that you would do something like this…"
By this point, Matt had had enough. "Abby, excuse me for being frank, but… shut up." He was standing next to a table, so he took out a black, velvet ring box from his pocket and slammed it onto the surface. "I've had this ring for a year now. Yet each time I try to propose, I get scared… each and every time… so don't give me this. I care about her, and I plan on asking her. Today, as a matter of fact."
Abby was silent, staring at him for a long moment. Then she sighed. "I've been an idiot… I was afraid for Brandi. Afraid that she would be disowned like I was. When I was pregnant for the first time… Randall and I had not been married, so… I was disowned by my parents. I did not want Brandi to go through the same thing…"
"But you aren't like your parents," Matt said.
"No, I am not… I care for Brandi, in a way my parents never did for me…" Abby lowered her head. "I can't face Brandi like this… Matt, will you tell her that I am sorry?"
"Sure. I'm going now." Matt put the ring box back into his pocket. "We'll see you shortly." He went out, leaving Abby to collect herself.
He found Brandi and Randall three more rooms down. Brandi was sobbing softly while Randall held her, whispering soothing words.
"Randall, could we have a few moments alone?" Matt requested as he came in.
Randall slowly let go of Brandi. "Of course. Return soon." He exited the room, closing the door to give them privacy.
"Being a crybaby again?" Matt asked jokingly as he went up to her.
Brandi wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I am not," she protested, giving him a small smile.
"Go ahead and deny it, doesn't change the fact that you are." Matt thought over what to say, and then told her, "Abby did not mean what she said. She told me to apologize for her. You see, her parents disowned her for getting pregnant before marrying. So she was worried about you."
"Oh… that explains," Brandi said softly.
Matt looked uncomfortable at this. "I… owe you an apology, too. This… never should have happened."
"What do you mean?" Brandi asked.
"I should have asked you this a year ago…" Before Matt could lose his nerve, he pulled out the ring box and kneeled in front of her, flipping it open to reveal a silver ring with a single diamond that was shaped like a dolphin. "Will you marry me?"
Brandi was frozen in disbelief. Then she flung herself onto him. "Yes! What did you think I would say?"
"I don't know… I guess my fears were foolish…" he said, embracing her back.
Brandi could not respond; she was crying again.
"See? You are a crybaby," Matt said.
Despite her tears, Brandi managed to laugh. "Yes… but I am your crybaby."
…
The group in Chasity's room did not have to wait long for a knock. Gaston answered it this time, letting Zack, Larka, and Angela enter.
"Thanks for coming," Hope said.
"No problem. What happened?" Larka asked.
Hope quickly summarized the comas. "None of us can figure out what caused them though. If it had something to do with Teknisk Wereld, we thought Angela might know."
"That is a possibility," Zack agreed.
Larka gestured to the hospital bed. "Angela, would you please look at Chasity and tell us what happened to her?"
"Yes." Angela went to Chasity and placed her hand on her forehead, similar to what she had done for Larka. She concentrated, and then removed it. "This has never happened before. However, there is a 95.73 percent probability that it has come from her being in the deleted area of Teknisk Wereld."
"The deleted area? You mean… she got caught in the initial deletion?" Larka asked.
"That's right! Amy said she was going to meet Claire in the plains!" Hope recalled. "I bet Chasity happened to find them there, and then…"
"That reminds me of something," Mana chimed in. "Chasity contacted me right before I woke up from my coma. She said Brandi was in danger."
"I bet that was an out of body experience," Hime said. "Chasity must have had enough strength to warn you before she went into this state."
"Is there any way to cure the victims?" Zack asked Angela.
"The most probable solution is to replace the areas deleted," Angela answered.
"And that will cause them to wake up?" Hope inferred.
"That is the most logical conclusion," Angela stated.
"Then there is a chance to save them!" Mana said enthusiastically.
"I sure hope so," Gaston replied.
Randall and Abby entered the room. Seeing everyone except Angela look at them curiously, Abby said, "Brandi will return in a moment."
"So this is Angela," Randall assumed.
"Yes. She doesn't carry casual conversations well," Mana warned.
"I have not been made for casual conversations," Angela said.
"See my point?" Mana sighed.
None of them had a chance to answer. Brandi entered the room with her hands in her pockets. "Hi everyone. Matt left to go to work."
"Okay, you're hiding something," Max stated. "You never put your hands in your pockets like that unless you are."
"Um… no I'm not…" Brandi said with shifty eyes.
Max seized her without warning. "Hope, pull out her hands."
Hope obeyed, revealing the ring on Brandi's finger. Everyone stared in silence for a moment before Mana said, "You weren't engaged to Matt until now? Well then, it's about time!"
Brandi blushed furiously as Larka smiled and said, "Congratulations!" and Hope echoed her. Max smiled but did not say anything.
"I really am happy for you," Abby said to her. Brandi nodded in response, knowing that all had been forgiven. Randall merely closed his eyes with a smile similar to Max's.
Once everyone was done with their compliments, Zack said, "As much as I hate to break this up, we have to get to Teknisk Wereld by nine. It would be wise to head back soon."
"True," Hope admitted. "All right, let's leave."
Before they could exit the room, the door abruptly opened, and Lilian entered. Upon seeing them, she stopped short, looking started. "Wow, talk about a full house."
"It's been a long time," Hope said to Lilian.
"Yeah, it has been. Hi to all of you." Lilian went to Chasity and examined her. "Hm… no change in conditions. We still don't know what to do…"
"We think we might have an idea," Brandi said.
"If you do, then go for it. Nothing we're doing helps." Lilian turned back to Abby, Randall, and Ender. "Ah, you also wanted to know about that surgery, right?"
"Please," Abby answered.
"I contacted a doctor I know, and he says he's willing to do it," Lilian said.
"Really? How good is he?" Abby asked.
Lilian laughed. "Let me just say this: I was taught by him. He was my mentor when I was in medical school. His name is Salus Casius, and he is an incredible doctor. If anyone can do this surgery, it's him."
"Does he live here?" Randall inquired.
"No, he's in Atlanta," Lilian said. "You would have to travel down there."
Abby put a hand to her chin and was silent in thought.
"Think it over, and if you have any other questions, ask me. If you decide to go through with it, I will have to contact him." Lilian winked mischievously. "Maybe I can convince him to even give you a discount since I'm a former student."
Abby smiled with mirth at that. "Money is not the problem at all. Thank you for looking into it; we will be sure to consider this."
"No problem. See you all later." She left to check on other patients.
"Time for us to depart too. We'll do all that we can," Hope assured.
"We know you will," Hime said.
"And we will be sure to support you," Abby added.
"Be careful," Randall said.
"As always," Gaston replied.
When they went outside, Zack said, "Let us meet in Teknisk Wereld itself when we get back."
"Right. See you there," Hope answered.
"By the way, where is Malon?" Mana inquired.
"We left him at home," Larka explained. "Thought he would cause too much commotion."
"Ah, that explains." Then they parted ways.
Unfortunately for Hope and Max, Brandi chose to drive again. They endured another wild car ride and jumped out gratefully when they arrived at the condo. Then they went inside to collect their Duel Disks and Envoyant Machines.
"We still have about fifteen minutes before we have to meet up with everyone," Brandi pointed out as they got ready to go.
"In that case… can we do something before they arrive?" Hope requested.
"Sure, what is it?" Brandi asked.
"Well… I wanted to… bury Ouka," Hope said, looking away.
"I think that would be for the best," Gaston agreed, speaking gently.
"…Yes… let's do that," Max said. "So we'll meet at the cave."
"Got it," Brandi replied.
…
They arrived in front of their destination and went inside at once. Ouka's corpse still laid there, her chest coated with blood. But her eyes were closed and her mouth was curved in a smile, as though she were happy.
"Maybe some of the Judges are not as bad as we thought…" Hope said as she took out a magic card called Enthusiastic Undertaker. A black coffin appeared when she inserted it into her Duel Disk.
"Others are though," Gaston said. He lifted Ouka's body and put it into the coffin, and then picked up the lid and sealed it. "Even if there are a few decent ones, we cannot afford to pick out the good and bad ones. We have to assume that they all mean us harm."
"Yeah… Ouka would have still killed us," Hope said with a nod.
She brought out a Pit Trap and used it, causing the coffin to fall down the hole. Feeling a pang of sorrow, Hope whispered, "Goodbye…" Then she took out the card, causing the pit to seal with dirt.
"That's that," Gaston said. "Shall we go meet the others?"
"Yes," Max stated. "To the hotel."
To be continued…