Alternative ending of Chapter Ten: Under Pressure. Enjoy.
Chapter 10: Under Pressure
Jazz threw Tucker a pleading glance; wishing he could distract her, change the subject anything. But she knew Maddie wouldn't drop it. She felt her bones tremble and the sweat bead on her forehead. Her breathing became heavy and Tucker saw her breaking at the seams. He started to bite his nails, waiting for her to answer.
"Jasmine, I'm waiting." Maddie's normally cheerful voice hushed out in a husky, dark tone. It made Jazz shudder.
"T…Tucker, help me out please." Throwing him another glance. Maddie switched her glance to him in less then three seconds. He felt the enormous weight and pressure don itself upon his young shoulders, crushing him, and drawing him closer to the ground, inch by inch. He felt his stomach cave in; butterflies fluttering violently, his back slouched in even more. He sat down on the curb and started to breathe in and out deeply.
"Tucker, tell me where my son is." This time it was filled with sadness, rage, wanting.
"Jazz," he began, looking back up to her, tossing his arms up in defeat. "I…we…" exhaling one last time. "We have to tell her. It's not fair."
"Do you think he'll be mad?" she agreed.
"No. He'll do anything to get Sam back right now. I don't think something like this is going to blow a fuse."
Sigh "All right." She turned her head from Tucker and faced her mother dead on. "Mom, I don't think there is any other way to tell you this. Please don't be angry at Tucker, Sam, Danny, or I. Promise?" she asked, grabbing Maddie's shoulders.
"My gosh Jazz. What happened? Did you toilet paper someone's house? Graffiti school property?" eyes wide with humorous fear.
Elric Mansion
SPOV
I was sitting against the wall in Al's room, hugging my knees for dear life. The bed I was on was bare because I became so enraged with his brother; the covers were over there. Rage coursed through my body; but not only rage, fear, and guilt also. I was afraid Ed would kill Danny, or he would hurt me. I didn't realize that I was shaking; fingers sore from gripping onto the skirt so hard. I was loosing it, loosing everything. Everything I knew was slipping from my mind, exiting out of all my pours, hair strands, tears, words, steps. Anything I did seemed to do allow the information to exit in a different and larger way.
I must be going crazy!
"Sam, Sam," voices called my name. I'm hearing voices in my head! Ice dripped down my spine and pooled in my stomach.
"Get out of my head!" I screamed out loud, gripping the sides of my head with hair. "Get out of my head!"
"Sam, Sam," it kept calling. The pool in my stomach made me feel very cold and goose bumps arose on my skin. A shudder shot threw me and I gripped my hair tighter; as if I were gripping on to my sanity. Or what was left of it. Tears started to fall out of my ghost-fighting experienced eyes.
"Stop…please stop," I whimpered and begged at the voices. I felt the breath on my bare arms, my trembling bare arms. I could tell my voice was a tiny, insignificant little whisper compared to the normal volume of the voices.
"Sam, Sam, are you okay?" why couldn't they be kind and leave a girl loosing her mind alone.
Silk wrapped around my arm in the form of fingers; gently pulling me towards them. They felt warm and heavenly safe. I opened my eyes to a now white room, and a warm, calm atmosphere. The air was amazingly clean and pure; filling my lungs with a sense of hope, freedom, and love. The warm silk fingers caressed the cup of my eyes, brushing away any tears that fell. Giggles came out of my mouth as the angel took me from hell and was slowly transporting me back to heaven. I reached for the angels face, expecting it to be baby soft and warm, radiating with love and happiness. My hands reached its face, and it was icy cold, and radiated with hate, and evil.
I screamed at the devilish creature.
APOV
"Sam! Sam!" I screamed, shaking her. "Sam you're scaring me! Are you okay?!" Her whispering pleads; startling screams, shaking figure, recent odd giggling and now screams again shook me and made me question her overall sanity. Had living in the house made her mad? Or was this more of Edwards work?
"Sam please respond to me!" setting her down on the bed, she scurried back to the spot I got her from, hugging her arms and hiding behind her knees. She looked absolutely terrified and crazed. Hair a mess, teeth bare, tear flooding wide eyes, and pale skin.
"Oh Sam," I started to walk over to the side she was on.
"Get away from me you monster!" she screamed. "Leave me alone! I know you want to bring me somewhere, but I'm not going! Get away from me!"
"Sam, it's me, Alphonse. Do you not recognize me? Please answer me." I begged. I felt sympathy for my friend. I wanted to hug her and tell her it was all okay and that I was here to comfort her. I felt the hot, stinging tears brim my eyes.
SPOV
The demon was starting to cry. Good. It deserves to. The room had a deep gray that danced its way up the walls and started to consume the white. I was truly going crazy. I wouldn't admit it out loud, but I was going crazy. Nothing made sense any more. I started to laugh at all of my beliefs. I could hear my laugh growing louder, it grew crazed and evil. The hideous laughing continued for a while and the demon still stood close by, watching and waiting for me to do something. I wanted to scream at it more until it went away and never came back. I wanted to run away, run until my legs gave out on their own will and not a conscious one. Where was my saving grace?
NPOV
Al sat in that room with Sam, waiting for her delusions to stop and for her to talk some sense. He feared for her, feared for her future. What would this time here do to her sanity, and trust for other people? He wondered.
A quick rap came to the door and Edward phased in.
"What did you do to her!?" Al screamed at his brother, grabbing his collar and picking him up to meet his face.
"What do you mean Al?" Ed yelled back, squirming under the large hands of his younger brother.
"What did you do to Sam?! She's terrified of me and calling me a monster! I think she's really going crazy. I'm scared." Admitting while breaking out into another sob.
"I didn't do anything to her. If my piano spells start creating there own effect without my command then that's something new to me. Otherwise I didn't do anything to her sanity." He said. Al's lips pursed and his eyebrows knotted together, fighting back more tears. He didn't believe Edward, but for now, he'd go along with it. He'd pretend to believe him for now.
"Okay. I'm sorry Edward. I'm scared for her that's all. She's one of my friends and I don't want her to go crazy. I fear for her sanity and her future! I really do. I don't know how this will affect her in the future. Can you even imagine what you might have caused on her? What traumas, new fears, new demons you've created for this poor girl?! How could you not even seem to care anymore?!" he shouted. Ed stood there in a daze. His mouth was slightly ajar and his forehead creased. His eyes wandered to Sam and he saw the madness she was being thrown into. Days stuck in the Ghost Zone with no outside world to assure her that she is still in reality, that she is still sane. The severity of her apparent damage set into his brain and he sunk to the floor.
"Oh my gosh…" he whispered.
"So now you get it Edward." Al stated harshly. Ed didn't even acknowledge the sentence; he became invisible and sunk through the ground, floating into the distance.
Amity Park
The three sat on the curb while Maddie thoroughly went through the years of Danny lacking in sleep, falling grades, coming home late, and unexplained bruises. It all made sense now.
"Why would he keep this from Jack and me? Why wouldn't he explain it to us?" she asked, forehead resting on the palms of her hands.
"He was afraid you wouldn't accept him." Jazz answered simply.
"How stupid of him. Of course we would've accepted him. He's our son; we love him no matter what."
"Danny seemed unclear of that for a short time. He gave up wanting to explain to you last year. He focused more on the fighting and school for a few months. Sam and I really didn't see him much." Tucker explained, eyes never leaving the pavement. Maddie got up and started walking.
"Mom, where are you going?" Jazz asked also getting up to follow. Tucker joined them.
"I'm going to go tell your father." She stated pulling out her cell phone to call Jack. She found out where he was and headed his way.
"We knew this was inevitable Tuck. One of us was bound to let it out sometime." Jazz spoke as she came back to meet Tucker's stride.
"Yeah. But I thought at least all four of us would tell your folks, not just us. I really hope Danny and Sam are okay." He wished as they followed Danny's mother.
Ghost Zone
Danny flew towards the mansion, phasing through every rock-island he came across; ignoring all foes that reached for him. He was feeling weak and tired. The day was not progressing the way he wanted. Wishing it would go by easily, but he forgot, nothing was ever easy for him. He wanted to get to Edward and end this right here and now. To bring home his best friend and free her from the ghost zone forever. Promising to himself that he'll never bring her back here for the rest of their lives.
A quick shiver raced up his spine as he saw the decrepit mansion in his view. With bubbling rage he progressed faster. His eyelids began to droop and fight against being awake; he fought against not falling asleep. As the island grew closer, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. It filled every muscle, pour, and nerve. Again he fought against it, resuming a hero like state.
Elric Mansion (This is where the alternate ending starts. Again same basic info and stuff, different actions.)
Sam got up from the bed and starting walking out of the room. She could sense that Ed wasn't around or even home. After passing a sleeping Alphonse, and double checking that he didn't wake when she stepped on a squeaky floor board, she opened the door and sidled out gently. Knowing that Ed could be home any second she ran down stairs, two fistfuls of skirt in each hand. At the bottom of the steps she stumbled to the door to open it and once it was, she ran outside. Now to find a way out…she thought. Maybe I could try to swim my way over to a rock or something,
Grabbing more skirt, she circled the yard to find the closest rock. Relief washed over her when she found the nearest one in the backyard about five to ten feet away. She backed up to the wall of the house and ran full speed and jumped, reaching for the edge. Her fingers caught the edge while her feet jerked her legs against the rock. Fighting the urge to scream she lifted herself up on top of the rock with success. Lying on her back she felt her legs ache. Lifting up the skirt fabric from her shins she saw the potential bruises and scraps on them. Sam began to laugh at how accident prone she'd become from being here. Being kidnapped, broke a hand, and now her legs. She got up and fought against the burning and stinging feeling in her shins and looked around for another rock. Cold air blew and tickled her ankles.
Shivers raced up her spine.
Whipping her body around she saw Ed standing behind her. A scream escaped her lips and her legs gave out, causing her to fall back.
"You're smarter then I gave you credit for." He said with a hard voice.
"Shut up…" lips curling over her teeth as they formed the words. The top set of teeth dug into her bottom lips as her hand began to protest and sting again and the heel of her palms screamed and stung from getting scraped—it didn't surprise her. Instead the fingers on her hands scrapped the earth on the rock and she held it in a fist. It was time to fight back. She threw the rocks, dirt and gravel at his eyes and jumped back towards the house.
Not making it, she fell into the abyss.
Ed heard her screaming and followed the noise until he swooped her up and carried her back to the mansion. Without knowing where he was taking her, she punched his face with her good hand and was thankful it was softer then his torso. In a knee-jerk reaction his arms and hands flew to his face—dropping Sam.
This time the fall wasn't that far, but her head hit the edge of the porch canopy and she landed on her chest. Something warm and red started to ooze from the side where she was hit. She lifted her hand to the tender spot and brought it to her eyes to see if she really was what she though she was. With what little strength she had in her arms, they dragged her over to the steps and sat up against them. Grasping for air, her eyes opened and they focused on Ed standing in front of her—his eyes where red from the dirt and a scowl was on his face.
"You little…" he spat, lifting his leg as if were going to step on her foot. Bracing herself, she heard his grunt. Eyes flying back open she saw her saving grace.
"Danny!" came screaming it out. He got up and flew over to her at top speed.
"Sam!" He breathed picking her up in a tight hug. He flew them over to the side of the house and placed her down on her feet gently. "Go behind the house and hide," he urged.
"Look out!" she screamed. Ed flew towards Danny, grabbed his neck, and pinned him to the side of the house. His back sheltered into a whole against the wood panels. Splinters from the broken wood stabbed and pinched Danny's back until they became stuck in place. Sam again fell back from the scare, landing on her back. Her left arm crossed over her chest and held her up while the other forearm was acting as a base.
"I can feel you muscles wearing out boy," Ed hissed from between his teeth, pushing his foes head into the splintering wall; splinters still poking and pricking at the skin of the ear. "You aren't strong enough,"
"I'm strong enough to beat you," he exhaled out. Danny twisted his body around and kicked Ed with all his might, he landed against a rock. Danny flew over to Sam and picked her up bridal style.
"I'm going to bring you home; I won't ever bring you back here again, I promise. No more ghost zone. Okay?" he whispered as they began the descent. She nodded her head furiously agreeing with him. He began to go into the air when he felt something grab his ankle. Edward jerked him out of the air in a way that Sam rolled out her protective vice and tumbled to the ground. Danny was thrown there, causing the Peeler to bounce of his belt. Ed picked him up and tossed his body into the wall, shattering the glass. Danny's field formed a dome to protect him. Before he knew it his head was against the wall again and he felt his lip rip open and a section of his forehead getting drenched with warm, thick liquid. The exhaustion totally decapitated him and left his arms to dangle at his side while Ed's hand was holding his neck in place.
Sam rolled onto her chest and lifted her head and saw the Peeler through her hair; it was the once chance to stop this madness.
Ed picked Danny up by his neck and again pinned him up against the house to deliver a powerful blow. Horror made Sam's eyes wide and she threw her legs and body up and raced towards the Peeler. She swooped it up as she passed it and immeditaly put her finger on the trigger.
"Goodnight Daniel," Ed commented lifting his fist. Sam's arm extended.
Holding the Peeler to Edward's temple.
"Don't do it Ed. Don't do it. If you do, I swear I will to you," she spoke through her teeth. His eyes peered over to her—half her face hidden by dirt ravaged hair, red starting to show on her forehead, scrapes and bruises all over her exposed skin, and cuts in the red skirt. She was breathing heavily through her nose with intense seriousness. Danny looked at her too and was shaken.
"Sam…" he marveled. Edward's mouth opened and his eyes were wide. He dropped Danny, letting him fall to the ground coughing and grasping for air into his lungs. Sam followed, setting the Peeler down next to her.
"Danny, are you okay?" she asked stroking the hair out his face. Her voice was frantic and hopeful. She'd clearly forgotten her own pain. "Talk to me!"
"Petulant brat," he chuckled. She ignored the stupid comment and kissed his cheek.
"You moron. Next time be prepared. Okay?" she asked, holding his face into place.
"Maybe I should get beaten up more," joking around. She slapped his shoulder and he moaned. In a long run, he was more hurt then she was. Her fluttering hands went back to help smooth out his pain. She put his arm over the opposite shoulder and helped him stand up. Her free hand picked up the Peeler and brought it forward.
"Back off Edward," she spoke holding it to him. He obeyed and backed off and sat on the ground, face totally callous. She walked them over to the opened door of the house. "Al?" she called. Surely he was awakened by all the noise. He jumped down the flight of stairs and gently landed on his feet. His arm was in a bandage and her eyes ran to the green stain bleeding through. Al got hurt.
"Sam!" he cried. "Thank heavens you're better! I was so frightened that you went completely insane!"
"So was I. Please, get some food or something. I know you guys have a loaf of bread somewhere. Danny needs it." She instructed. He ran off into the kitchen and she walked her and Danny into the living room and laid him down on the couch. Al ran up and handed her what was left of the loaf. Danny took it and started to nibble.
"Do you have any water?" he asked after swallowing. Al nodded his head and went of to go get him a glass.
"Aside from the fight, you have no idea how happy I am that you are—well were—okay." He spoke carefully, trying not to irritate his lip.
"I'd say the same but you don't look to hot. Honestly though, you don't know how sane I feel right now. I didn't know what was wrong with me before. I felt like every thing I knew—reality included—was slipping out of me in through every pore, word, any way possible it was all seeping away from me! I felt so utterly helpless and crazy! I was seeing this devil like creatures; feeling like I was getting dragged to hell and whipped back; laughing demonically at my beliefs. It was so scary." Hugging her shoulders for the warmth. Al handed Danny the water and sat on the piano stool, kicking off the stones from the peddles and taking the ones off the keys. They had faded when Danny arrived.
"Al, you got hurt," she took notice, her hand drifting to the green-white bandaged.
"It was from the glass. I'm fine now though. Sam your head is bleeding, do you feel nauseous?" he asked, sort of ignoring Danny.
"I'm fine Al. I'm just worried about you and Danny."
"Sam," Danny spoke after guzzling down a big swig. "Ed said he kidnapped my family, do you know where they are?"
"He did!?" questioning news that was new to her.
"Al, did Edward kidnap my family?"
"No…" it sounded distant but it was true.
"What an asshole," Danny muttered under his breath, Sam caught it but Al didn't.
"Where's Ed?" Al asked. Sam's eyes flew open and she ran outside but her foot caught the skirt and she fell head first down the small set of steps. The palms of her hands stung and so did her forearms—they were both badly scraped. She found an open whole from the fall in the skirt and tore it westward, making a smaller skirt that came up to her ankles.
She ran to the side of the house where she held him at gun-point but Ed was gone.
SPOV
I heard the pop like sound when my jaw fell open. Edward was totally gone. Not a trace of him or footsteps or even palm prints! But the indent in the side of the house was pretty noticeable, and the window too. Eek.
I totally ignored the throbbing pressure on my head when it hit the canopy edge. I could tell I was bleeding but I set that aside and concentrated on Danny and Al more. My hand went to the spot and brought back a blood sample to my eyes; I felt the liquid start to travel down my head but ignored it and walked inside. My best friend was slowly nibble on the bread and sidled on the couch to make room for me. But I rejected and stood.
My head was still throbbing and the room was spinning and tilting left and right. My eyelids were like weights and magnets that pulled down to cover them. I fought against them to stay awake for my friends.
"Sam?" is what I deciphered, my name was being called. But it was muddled and faint because my ears were ringing. The voice sounded deep and lost in the ocean. I lifted my head slightly to respond but the couch came hurdling towards my forehead instead and I realized I was falling.
I gave into the weight and magnets of my eyelids and watched the room fade into the same shade of black as the couch. Muddled calls of my name following.
AN: That's the alternate ending. Well I guess it would be a "different" version ending but you get the idea. I hope you enjoyed it. Again next chapter is the last.