Men and Monsters
Chapter 7
"Wow," Taylor breathed when Gabriella had finished telling her story. Gabriella was just beginning to worry that Taylor's world had been shaken a bit too far off center when Taylor turned to glare at Sharpay. "And you let that demon dog run loose?" she demanded. Gabriella sighed in relief, Taylor was back.
"Boi has always been perfectly behaved," Sharpay said. "Until now anyway. And you broke into my house! What were you thinking?"
"That you weren't a demon child from the depths of Hell," Taylor shot back.
"It's not Hell," Ryan muttered from the window seat. The four of them were in Sharpay's room, trying to sort through the events of the night before. Gabriella and Taylor were on the bed while Sharpay was sitting on a pink leopard print couch.
Taylor ignored him and turned back to Gabriella. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.
"Because," Gabriella said. "You're rational and logical and you wouldn't have believed me."
"Why didn't you tell Troy?" she asked more quietly.
"Because …," her eyes strayed to Ryan, "the monster in the movie always ends up hurting the person he loves. Or she loves in this case."
"Okay," Taylor said, taking charge, "first of all, you are not a monster. You simply have a disease. And it could be worse. It's not like lycanthropy kills you. Does it?" she added, looking at Sharpay.
Sharpay shook her head.
"Good," Taylor continued. "So it's nothing horrible. Sure, for one night a month you have to sleep in a bomb shelter. At least we have bomb shelters. Imagine if you were a lycanthrope in some third world country and your village didn't even have running water. Here we have the means to keep you safe."
"You mean keep everyone else safe," Gabriella muttered, pulling her knees up under her chin.
"No, I mean keep you safe. I don't want my best friend killed by some psycho who thinks he's going to save the world from the forces of darkness by killing a few innocent lycanthropy victims."
"How are you okay with this?" Gabriella asked.
"Her?" Sharpay demanded. "What about you? I mean, you weren't as incredibly easygoing about it as Taylor is, but you got over the shock pretty fast."
Gabriella smiled self-consciously. "We lived in Angel Grove a few years ago. It may have been years after the rangers left, but it was still Angel Grove." She turned to Taylor questioningly.
Taylor shrugged. "It's a problem. I know how to deal with problems. And anyway, you're still my best friend. A stupid dog bite isn't going to change that."
On the other side of the room Ryan sighed. Why was this so easy for the two of them? He could think of no one he had known growing up who would handle a situation like this the way they were. Was friendship really all they needed to deal with this monumental problem?
"Um, girls?" he asked, spotting a commotion on the lawn. "I think one of you had better go downstairs."
"Why?" Sharpay asked.
"Because I see a very distinctive head of hair running from the butler."
"Chad!" Taylor cried. She leapt off the bed, Gabriella only a step behind her.
#
"I told him!" Troy called from his truck as Taylor, Gabriella, Chad, and Ryan approached. The two girls had managed to stop Chad, who had hugged Taylor tight upon seeing her, and Ryan had calmed the butler down, promising him that nothing like this would ever happen again. Chad had then informed them that Troy was waiting in the truck just out of sight. He'd agreed to drive Chad, but not to come any nearer the house than was necessary.
"Told him what?" Taylor asked.
"Nothing," Chad said quickly, with a pointed look at his friend.
"That you were safe," Troy laughed. "For hours last night I couldn't get to sleep because every five minutes this guy would call me and ask if I thought Sharpay might be some sort of vampire princess."
Ryan choked as Chad snapped, "I did not say 'vampire princess.'"
"You totally did, dude. But my favorite theory has to be the Stepford Wives one. He thought you were going to come out of there singing and wearing head to toe pink."
Chad shook his head menacingly but Gabriella cut in.
"Everyone is fine," she sighed. "But you boys can give us a ride home."
"There's not enough room," Chad said.
Taylor smirked. "You can ride in the back."
"That's illegal," Ryan pointed out.
"Then he can walk," Taylor said. "Come on, Gabby. It was nice seeing you, Ryan."
"Bye," Ryan said.
Troy shrugged and unlocked the door as Chad gaped at the girls.
"Oh!" Taylor leaned across Gabriella and Troy. "Ryan, about what Gabby told you at school on Friday. I totally agree."
"When did you hear about that?" he asked. "And what about all that stuff about disease and friendship?"
"You don't have a disease. And I saw Sharpay. If you're even close to that, I will tell Kelsi to stay far, far away."
As they drove off Chad turned to Ryan. "What's this about Small Person?"
Ryan moaned. "I would never hurt Kelsi! How many times do I have to tell people this?" He marched back towards the house, leaving Chad standing alone on the roadside.
#
Kelsi watched in amazement as Vida and Matoombo worked the DJ tables.
"They are really good," she said swinging her legs over the side of the counter.
"I know," Toby said. "I've always said music is universal. I just didn't think it was interdimensional too."
Madison laughed from the register. "Well, as nice a sentiment as that is, it's getting late and we promised Kelsi's parents we'd get her home in time to finish all her homework ."
Chip, who was looking through CDs, said, "Was this before or after you apologized for keeping her all weekend when it was only supposed to be a few hours?"
"After," Vida called. "Definitely after!"
Kelsi bit back a giggle. "Just so long as I got my Oklahoma. Thanks again, Toby."
"Anything for you, kiddo," he said, tilting her hat up. "You were always my favorite member of the Rocca family."
Vida stuck out her tongue just as the door opened with a chime.
"Excuse me?" a young man asked.
"Can I help you?" Madison asked, stepping forward.
The man smiled. "Madison, right?"
"How did you know?" Madison asked, looking to her friends in confusion.
"I'm Mack. Overdrive Red?"
"Oh! Xander told us about you."
"Ditto," Mack said with a smile. "And I'm looking for him. My Dad and I kind of have a magic question."
"He's at Rootcore," Chip said, coming over, "I can take you. Are you coming?" he asked, glancing at Madison and Kelsi.
"No way," Kelsi said quickly. "No offense," she added, smiling at Mack, "I think you're cool and all, but I do not want any part of this ranger madness. Aside from the perks where I get music."
Madison chuckled. "I'll catch up with you guys later."
#
"You what?" Xander asked after Mack and Andrew had explained. Leanbow had stayed to listen and lend whatever help he could to Mack, Andrew, and Spencer's predicament, though he'd apologized that Udonna was out helping Nick fix his motorcycle.
"I don't remember people that everyone else seems to remember," Mack said.
"I even called some of my friends on the flight back," Andrew said. "They claim to have known the Evans twins all their lives. I've known them all their lives," he added fervently. "I remember holding Sharpay in my arms after she was born. I would definitely have added them to Mack's memory, if only as background knowledge."
"But I don't remember them at all," Mack said, shaking his head. "And Mr. and Mrs. Evans remember me. They claim to have known me all my life. And I don't just mean since I came online."
Xander looked helplessly to Leanbow. "I have no idea," he said.
Leanbow sighed. "Well, I doubt the Corona would have altered your friends' memories, especially since it doesn't seem to have altered anyone else's. But," he added slowly, "if someone was enacting a large level spell to … create these twins, it's possible that they would have overlooked the alterations needed to make the spell work on machinery."
"But how does that make the Evans remember me?" Mack asked.
"That may have been a biproduct," Spencer said, stepping forward. "If the Evans had children they would have known your father and any of his children."
"And if you were alive, so to speak, at that point," Andrew said, "it would have been incorporated into the blanket spell."
"Exactly, sir."
Leanbow nodded. "A spell like this forms itself for the most part. It looks at the change that needs to be made and at the world at large, then alters the latter to make the former fit. Whoever enacted it probably had no idea they were even adding Mack's existence to the spell."
Andrew nodded. "But were the twins the original spell?"
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