Ch. 4: A Gift Exploited

Blythe is in struggles as she once again finds herself in the hypnosis void, with her body as an inflated balloon.

"Uh, how do I get myself into these messes?" Blythe asked worriedly before noticing a sleeping Russell, who's body is also blown up like a balloon.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Blythe exclaimed in shock as she desperately tried to fly away from Russell, only for the inflated hedgehog's quills to stick her in the stomach.

"Ow," Blythe said sorely before she was suddenly whisked away across the void as the air inside of her was being let out of her rappidly. Eventually, she crashed against an invisible wall in the void as she was completely deflated to the point where she floated slowly on the ground, which was grass and looked like she had no bones.

Suddenly, a pipe entered her mouth and air was once again entering her before her enitre body muscles went back to their normal state.

Blythe looked up and saw that Clark had used a balloon pipe on her while filing his talons.

"Thank you," said Blythe before looking like she was gonna hurl.

"Don't mention it," said Clark without looking at Blythe.

"Where are we now?" asked Blythe, looking around before seeing a familiar institution.

"Downtown City College?"

"Yep," said Clark, looking at Blythe, "didn't know your mother studied while at your new home, didn't you?"

Blythe and Clark walked down the halls of DCC.

"Wow," said Blythe, looking at the structure of the institution, "this place looks more fancier from 20 years ago!"

"Yep," said Clark, "wished I was a real creature and a human so I could be a teacher here."

"For the last time dad," shouted a voice that made the phantasmo duo cringe before looking behind them and sees a young lady, about 19, yelling into her cell phone and was vaguely dressed familiar and had black hair, "don't get the pre-ordered paper stacks! My sorority deserves the best kinds of paper and in my sight, the best are the ones delivered from the Downtown City Paper Pin Palace! Now get the papers from there, or I'm not coming home this weekend." With that, she hung up and walked through Blythe and Clark since they were still unable to be physically touched.

"You know, there's something familiar about that girl," said Blythe as she put a finger to her chin in thought, "I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Follow her and you'll see what's so familiar about her," Clark urged.

Shrugging, Blythe followed the mean girl, who walked into a secluded room before looking around to see if anybody was around until she shuts the door.

Raising her eyebrow in curiosity, Blythe walked through the door and she looked astonished as, in the room, there was a lot of caged animals. Birds, reptiles, mammals, fishes, even insects alike. Blythe looked around and it seems the animals are quite miserable.

"WELL?!" shouted the voice of the mean girl, causing Blythe to look ahead and gasped as she saw none other her mother, in her 19s, being accosted by the mean girl while guarding a caged snake and the mean girl was holding a clipboard and pen."

"What did the slimy serpent say?!"

"That," said Betty nervously, "he'd like an owner with low vents so he can crawl in them."

"Wouldn't the owners have an issue with that?" asked the mean girl in surprise.

"He also said he doesn't mind that," said Betty.

The mean girl wrote something on her clipboard before whistling by putting her left finger and thumb on her mouth and in came swallow, witched perched on her hand.

"Dennis, find a home with people who want a pet snake and have low vents so the snake can crawl in them." ordered the mean girl.

The bird gave a salute and went out the window to fidn the house.

"Bernice," said Betty to the mean girl nicely, "isn;t there any other way for these animals to finds owners besides caging them up in a dark, cold place?"

"Betty," said the mean girl, now named Bernice, angrily, "part of making cash is to take drastic measures. My father wants me to live up to his expectations and part of that involves well, THIS!"

She shouted as she gestures to the entire room.

"And I figured you would be grateful for keeping your secret about being able to speak to animals in exchange for your services to me." said Bernice indignantly.

"I am, Bernice," said Betty frightfully.

"Now, my brother Fishur is giving a speech in half an hour," said Bernice as she got up in her face threateningly, "and when I return, I expect at least 5 more orders to be filled. Got it?!"

Betty gulped, "Yes, Ms. Biskitt."

Blythe gave a silent gasp as Bernice gave a firm nod and headed out the room.

"I can't believe it," said Blythe in angst, "No wonder that girl looked familiar. She is a Biskitt! And my mother's her Jacob Marley!" As she shouted, she gestured to Betty, who was on her knees giving a despondent look.

"Yeah," said Clark, "Blythe, remember when all those animals showed up at the pet shop to ask you to help them solve your problems?"

"Yeah," said Blythe.

"Well, much like Bernice, you gift was exploited, taken advantage of, abused based on the influence of others." said Clark

Blythe looked awed as her continued, "You're just lucky that those pets only came to you for problems. If Bernice's twin daughters found out, not only would they find you more weirder than usual, they would use it to their own advantage."

Blythe bit her lower lip and said in morose, "I hope everything turns out ok for her."

"Well," said Clark as suddenly, the room became empty.

'What the huh?"

There were sirens blaring outside. Curious, Blythe and Clark poked their heads through the wall and saw a crowd with cops putting handcuffs on a grown Bernice.

"Bernice Roz Biskitt," said a cop angrily, "you are under arrest for 4 years of animal cruelty."

"Hey!" Bernice yelled, "Let me go!"

However, her cries went unheard and was put into the car.

'Well, at least Brittney and Whittney's aunt got her just deserts,' said Blythe before saying, "but where's...?"

A female voiced sighed across the wall Blythe and Clark was staring out at and they looked and saw a grown up Betty talking with who appears to be Blythe's father, Roger Baxter.

"I am glad to be free of her." said Betty.

"I'm glad as well," said Roger before he purred, "Now we get to have some alone time."

"Oh, you bet," said Betty seductively as they both kissed/

Blythe groans in disgust before looking down and discovering that Clark wasn't there again.

"OM..."

There was a poof and Blythe looked and gasped as she saw that her right arm was missing.

POOF!

Now her left arm has vanished, making her scream in anguish.

POOF!

Now her left leg is gone, disabling her balance.

POOF!

Her right leg went missing. Making her fall onto her back.

POOF!

Her stomach and clothes are now the vanished.

"..G." Blythe said softly in fear and POOF! her head is now gone.