Title: Falling Through Love?
AN: Thank you for your interesting reviews! Most of you guessed it right, and yes, it is Mother's Grave. And you'll find out in this chapter what this exactly "means". The flash scences and italic scenes below are just recapes of what happened. Sorry for the long, long wait...I mean it. I am sorry.
Chapter Thirteen: Sneaking In & Secret Lairs
Victoria tapped her finger impatiently on her thigh- her hand placed under her chin as another long sigh escaped her lips. Sitting up, she stepped down from her iron "throne" and walked over toward large, cylinder tank. Inside lay Carmen's mother, limp, her breathing shallow. Smirking, Victoria leaned against it and began speaking to the sleeping mother.
" Your daughter is playing right into my trap", she said, her voice cruel and low." And when she arrives, she'll feel the true meaning of betrayal and broken hearts. It's hard to imagine that someone of her inteligence can so easily become's someone else's pawn."
Victoria suddenly frowned, then laughed.
" Well, I am a genius!" she gloated, crossing her arms and walking away, her laugh lingering behind.
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" Um, Lash?" Carmen said, staring at the message, puzzled.
" Yeah?" he replied, equally confused.
Gulping, she asked, " What does this mean?..."
He shook his head. " I don't know."
From behind the couch, Richard's head popped up and he glanced at them both, then at the paper. " Why are you staring at that paper? And why do you look so out of it?..."
"..."
" Fine, don't talk", Richard huffed, and walked away childishly. Carmen and Lash simply ignored him and began re-reading the letter. Carmen tried to think of an idea for what the message meant, but with the web of confusion, anxiety and fear nestled in her mind, it was very hard to concentrate for a mere fifty seconds.
" Uh, what are you guys-"
" Layla!" Carmen exclaimed, hopping off the couch and dragging Layla toward the letter. " Tell us what this message means!" Carmen pointed to the phrase Mother's Grave, in which she had wrote out.
" Um...a mother's grave?..."
Carmen shook her head. " No! Read the letter! Then read the phrase! But look at the unexplained capital letters while reading!"
Layla held up her hands. " Okay, okay. Just calm down..."
Layla sat down and read the letter, her eyes scanning word to word. After a few seconds, she set the paper down and looked up. " You wanna know what Mother's Grave means, right?...Well, it's obvious there's something hidden in a graveyard somewhere...or someone's grave, I guess..."
" Hidden?" Lash said, arching an eyebrow.
" As in secret?" Carmen added. Layla half-smile, eyes glistening with confusion at their puzzled words. " Well, of course? I mean, I've actually been paying attention in hero Class, and we've went over this before."
" We did?" Carmen asked, searching for that particular lesson. Nothing came to mind. But of course there were those few lessons where she hadn't payed attention at all.
Layla smiled and nodded. " Yes...Why do you want to know?..."
Carmen rubbed her arm. " It's nothing", she whispered.
Layla looked skeptical. " Right...Well, I'll just go up to bed then-"
" No!" Carmen said, grasping Layla's arm before she could sit up. " I mean... I'll tell you..."
Layla nodded and sat back down, then stared up at Carmen, waiting. Carmen inhaled a deep breath, then began. "...Awhile ago, I made serious, serious enemies with Victoria. To be frank, she tried to kill me-
Flash
Victoria used her telekinesis to slam Carmen against a locker, then glared down at her, eyes narrowed. She then levitated herself in the air, ready to finish the fight when Carmen suddenly became invisible.
Flash
-One day, when I came home from school, she was there, waiting for me..."
Flash
Victoria stood near her bed, smirking. Carmen eased inside the room, shut and locked the door, then stared apprehensively at her.
Flash
" She told me she was going to revive her brother, and with his power of absorbtion, she was going to destroy every super being, good and bad. Then, she would take over the world...But, after telling me, she erased my memories..."
Flash
Carmen fell to her knees clutching her head, as a horrible pain spread. Victoria stood above her, slight venom in her voice. " You'll lose." Suddenly, darkness enclosed Carmen's vision, and the only words she could utter were, " Why did you tell me this?.."
" I had a premonition..."
Flash
" And now, she has sent me a letter, and I don't know what Mother's Grave means. But I do have an idea. You said it's probably in a graveyard, right? Well, I think where she's hiding...is...under a grave..."
" Under a grave?" Layla said, shaking her head as if the thouht were horrible. " Why would she do that? It's wrong and violating someone's grave!"
Carmen shook her head this time. " I think its her own mother's grave..."
" It's still wrong", Layla said, crossing her arms. Carmen nodded and began rubbing her temples. " But why would she tell me? What would be the point in luring me into the placing she was supposedly "hiding"? And why did she tell me her plan, then just erase my memories? And why hadn't the higher super beings seen this message? Aren't they...well...smart?"
Lash scoffed. " Obviously it's a trap. And the higher super beings probably didn't care..."
Carmen turned and stared at him, eyes wide. " Didn't care?..."
He frowned, and stared at his feet. " They probably didn't read it. Or, if they had, they most likely didn't see it. They are way to preoccupied with the fact that at any given moment, Victoria can destroy them all."
Layla raised an eyebrow. " Not at any given moment. How is she going to bring her brother back to life? And he can't be that powerful."
They each stared at each other, trying to find the answer, when Carmen suddenly remembered. " Michael!"
Lash and Layla cocked their heads. " Michael?..."
She nodded. " Michael. He had the power to bring others back to life. And I know she has him..."
" That's a rideculous power", Lash muttered.
" But", Layla said, brushing a strand of hair away from her eyes. " That still won't make her brother powerful enough."
" I know", Carmen agreed. She already knew what she had to do. " But, we need to get into Sky High's file system. If we look up Victoria's file, we might find out what else her parents did and her history. Something in there might help us."
" Yeah, and how are you going to do that?" Lash asked.
Layla and Carmen smiled and looked at each other. " Will."
" Stronghold?" Lash said, his eye twitching with confusion. " I know he can fly and is strong, but...he can't exactly carry you."
Carmen shook her head. " No, but Ron, his bus driver will. They developed a friendly relationship, I guess you could say. And I'm not going alone. I'll need Ethan, and Will, too-"
" I'll go, too", Layla cut in, standing up. She then raised an eyebrow. " But, why don't you just ask Principal Powers or any of the others?..."
Carmen sighed. " Because...They'll want to know what's going on and why we need it. And when they find out, we'll have to tell them everything. The message, her hide out...Then they'll go barging in, and will fall into her trap. But, if I go in, she has something different planned, I know it. She won't allow her brother to steal my powers..."
There was silence between them, before Lash nodded. " You're right. And, I guess I'll go..."
She smiled, and turned to Layla. " Call Will, tell him everything. But don't let him tell his parents or anyone else."
Layla nodded and hurridly walked to the phone in the kitchen. Carmen placed her hand over her heart, trying to stop that rapid beating. Nerveousness began to overtake her stomach, but she gulped, and closed her eyes tightly. If they found the files, found out how Victoria was going to make her brother stronger, then they could sneak into the lair, and stop her.
A few minutes later, Layla came back into the room. " He's coming, and he'll get Ron. I was surprised at how fast he agreed, though."
Carmen nodded, and opened her eyes; they glistened with ran determination.
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Carmen, Layla and Lash stood outside her house, awaiting the bus. Layla glanced anxiously at her mother's window, hoping that she wouldn't come out or discover them, then sighed. Richard stood next to Carmen, smiling. She had told him he couldn't come, but after threataning to tell Layla's mom what she was planning, Carmen had no choice but to take him. There was no way she could let any super being to know, or, actually, adult super being.
" I just wish this was over", Layla whisperd, rubbing her hands as another gust of cold wind swept around them.
" Yeah", Carmen agreed.
Fifteen minutes later, the bus pulled up, and Layla glanced once more at her mother's window, before walking up toward it. Once it opened, Will stood, smiling. His smile faded when he saw Lash, who in turn, glared. As Carmen stepped in the bus she touched Will's shoulder. " It's okay, he's helping."
Will shrugged and walked back in the bus with Layla by his side, followed by Richard then Lash. Carmen stopped, and her mouth fell open. Not only was Ethan in the bus, but Magenta and Zach.
" You guys are coming?" she asked, going sitting down in the seat across from Zach and Magenta's. They nodded, and Zach stared behind him. " We couldn't get Warren to come, dude. Sorry..."
" Yeah", Ethan joined in. " He said we could beat her without him, I think..."
" It was more like, ' How the hell did you get my phone number?' ", Magenta said, smirking. They each laughed.
" Let's go kick some bad guy butt!" Zach yelled. Will turned to Ron and said something. Ron smiled and nodded. " Hold on!" he yelled.
" Is he going to keep this a secret?" Carmen whispered to Will as he sat down in front of her. He nodded. " Yeah, he told me he won't tell anyone. We're friends, alright. How do you think I got into Sky High on Homecoming Night?"
Carmen smiled and stared out the window. Soon, they were speeding up toward the ramp. Danger and Caution signs flashed by, and then, they were in the air, flying through the night air. She looked up at the stars, mesmorized by the beauty of the night. Pressing her head against the window, she inhaled and exhaled. Her heart was bounding so fast, it felt as if she was going to have a heart attack.
After the bus touched the grounds of Sky High and had stopped, they all exchanged worried glances before Carmen stood and walked to the front of the bus. " Is anyone here?" she asked Ron. He bit his lip and nodded. " Probably a teacher, maybe a janitor."
Carmen groaned, and motioned for Ethan. He quickly got up and followed her out. Before walking out, she peeked her head back in. " If you need to warn me or I need help-"
" Come in after you, got it", Ron said, nodding. Carmen cocked an eyebrow. " I was going to say honk the horn..."
"...What does this remind me of?" Will said knowingly.
" Honk the horn, got it", Ron said.
She smiled and ran toward the entrance with Ethan right next to her. Once they stopped at the doors, Carmen grasped Ethan's hand and phased them through. Once inside, they walked steadily toward the Principal Office, near the end of the school. Ethan shook his head, nervous. " Why a I here again?"
" You can hake the computer, right?" she whispered. He nodded.
They continued down the hall, then turned a corner. Carmen quickly pulled Ethan back. " Nurse Spex?" Carmen whispered, womdering why she was still here. Nurse Spex walke down the hall, clipboard in hand.
" Come on, I'll make us invisible-"
" She'll see you!", Ethan whispered. " She has X-ray vision, and if she hears our feet, or feels us, she'll probably use it. Even if we're invisible, her X-ray vision will see the form of our skeletons."
Carmen bit her lower lip, and motioned for him to turn around. " We'll go in the other hall."
They turned and walked toward the other hall. Once near the corner, they turned and froze.
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" Uh, oh..." Ron whispered. They stopped talking and looked at him.
" What?" Layla asked.
Ron turned and looked at them. " There are guards, too."
They exchanged glances, but Zach merely laughed. " So? Carmen can just become insibile, right? No big deal..."
Ron shook his head. " These guards carry temporary neutralizing guns, specially created by Mr.Medulla..."
There was silence between them.
"...That sucks..."
" I hope they're okay", Layla said.
"...Uh", Magenta interrupted, glancing behind her. " Where's Lash?"
They all looked around, wondering how he had slipped past them.
" Idiot", Will said, shaking his head.
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The guard, seeing them, immediately ran toward them. Carmen grabbed Ethan's hand and phased them through a wall. She pressed her body against the wall, her breathing shallow, and turned toward Ethan. " Was that a gun in his hand!?"
He shook his head. " I've heard about it. It a gun that will temporarly take away our powers."
Gulping, they stared at the doorknob as it began to move. Carmen could hear the guard fiddling with a set of keys, and knew he was going to get in. Taking Ethan's hand she readied herself.
" When he opens the door, I'll phase us back out and then make us invisible", she said. Seconds later, the door slammed open.
" Hey you ki-" They didn't hear the rest, as she phased through the wall and concentrating, turned herself and Ethan invisible. Standing still, she waited for him to come back out. When he did, she watched as he looked around, before walking there way. She was relieved when he walked past them and around the corner.
Quickly and steathily, they made there way down the hall. After reaching the Principal's Office, she phased them through the door and Ethan ran to the computer. She stood above him, watching as his fingers rapidly worked on the key board. The computer flashed on, demanding a password. Ethan pulled out a disk from his small messanger bag and injected it into the computer. A series of red letters covered the screen, and soon, the real desktop was on the computer.
" Easy", Ethan said to himself. She smiled and watched as he clicked on a folder labeled Student Files. He opened it and searched, then looked at Carmen. " What's her last name?"
" Gold." He nodded and typed in her last name. There was only one student under the name of Gold and that was Victoria. Clicking the file, the image of her I.D. photo came up, along with a list of: Date of birth, full name, age, class, powers, and parents- her parents names were underlined.
" Click on her parents names", Carmen coaxed. After pressing it, two images of black and white photos came on, female and male. She couldn't help but giggle at Victoria's mother's puffy hair. And, just as she thought, it read deceased under her mother's name.
" Her mother's dead", Ethan pointed out. She nodded and leaned in and read an interesting note about her parents...They used to be workes at an area known as The Underground, where the helped develop weapins for superheros. They were fired, however, when it was discovered that they had been creating a weapon for a super-villian- a weapon that could expand the powers of super-being, making them almost 50 times stronger. The weapon had been locked away in...Her eyes widened...Sky High...
" Can you print this out?" Carmen asked. Ethan nodded.
As he was doing this, Carmen walked away and began looking around the room. Maybe Victoria was planning on stealing the weapon, and using it to advance her brother's. But why not advance her own? It would have been a whole lot sipmler, and she would have been able to dominate the world on her own...
" Done", Ethan said, grabbing the paper that came out of the printer. Carmen snatched it and folded it, then stuffed it into her pocket. Suddenly, the door was thrown open. Carmen cou;dn't conceal the scream that escaped her lips.
" Now", the guard said, " Come out and come with me. You are in serious trouble, you two-" A fist collided smashed into the side of his cheek, knocking him out. He fell and Carmen instantly recognized the stretched out arm as Lash's. Smiling, her and Ethan ran out where he was standing, his arms crossed.
" Thanks", she said, and they ran out, down the halls and out of the school where the bus was waiting. After getting back in the bus and sitting down, they patted Carmen and Ethan on the back.
" Dude, we thought you were goners", Zach said.
" Yeah, we didn't real think so until Ron told us about the guards and those guns", Layla said, smiling.
" Hey, Lash. How'd you get past us?" Zach asked.
Before he could respond, Will held up his hand, silencing them. Outside, another guard started to run out of the school, holding up his gun. Ron quickly started the bus, and again, they were in the air, flying away from the school.
" Where would her mother's grave be?" Carmen asked.
" In the only cemetery this city has", Ethan said.
" Then take us there", Carmen said to Ron. He nodded, a bit uneasy, but kept on going through the sky.
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They stood in front of a cemetery, an erie tension in the air. Darkness engulfed the area, making it hard to see. Carmen turned toward them, her eyes full of worry. " You don't have to go."
" We know", Layla said.
" But we'll go, anyway", Magenta added.
" Because we're you're friends", Will said.
" And that's what friends are for!" Zach finshed, grinning. She could tell he was slightly frightened.
She nodded and smiled weakly. " I know. A bit cheesy, but I know."
She turned back around, and ordered, " Layla take my hand, then someonelse, then the rest of you followe the pattern."
After everyone was holding another's hand, she concentrated and phased them all through the gate. Quickly, she walked toward a small building where she would find the location of Victoria's mother's grave. As they went further on through the cemetery, the rotting stench of decaying vegetation grew heavier...
She motioned for them to stop, then phased in the building. After finding a map, she stared at it, then sighed. The grave would be easy to find. It had been isolated from others, and was on the far side of the graveyard, into a small forest. She knew why.
Once she phased back out she told them where it was and they continued toward the grave, weaving through tombstones. After awhile, they were standing in front of a groove, and through the bushes and sagging trees, Carmen could see the grave. They stepped carefully through the many plants, stepping on twigs, until they stood near the grave. Carmen's eyes widened. The glow from the moon shined down on the grave, as if it were something special...
" Wow", Magenta whispered, her arms crossed.
"...So, what now?" Zach asked. She shrugged and walked to the grave, followed by them. She stopped and stared at it.
Amelia Hamilton Gold
Loving mother, dear wife
May 17, 1951 - July 9, 2006
" She died only a few months back..."
" Well", Will said, stepping forward. " Where would Victoria Gold-"
Suddenly, a screeching noise that sounded like grinding metal erupted from under their feet. They huddled closer, Richard clasping onto her, when doors opened from under them. They fell, their screams and yells echoing. The metal doors slammed shut, leaving only a thick silence in the groove.