The Return

Chapter 10

It was well after closing by the time Theo and Merrick arrived at Jungle Karma Pizza. Theo quietly let them in the back door with the key he had conveniently forgotten to return before storming out.

"We have to hurry," Merrick said, the pain in his shoulder now completely gone, "we've already lost a day."

"What will happen when you go back to him?" Theo asked as they hurried up the stairs.

"You let me worry about that."

"But--" Theo's argument was cut off by the appearance of a sword at his throat. He carefully looked up the arm that held it and saw Camille.

"I told you I heard an intruder," she said.

Lily flicked on the light and gave out a girlish squeal of glee when she saw Theo. She rushed to hug him while Camille let the sword disappear.

"When did you get a sword?" Merrick asked, coming up the stairs behind Theo.

Camille smiled when she saw him. "A girl's got to be prepared for any occurrence, Merrick."

A loud smack filled the room and Lily yelled, "You idiot! You decide to run away when the whole world's falling apart?"

"Sorry," Theo said, rubbing the side of his head. "But I brought a new friend."

Lily smiled at Merrick but it fell quickly when she saw his bloodstained shirt. "Wha--?"

"What is going on out here?" Taylor growled, emerging from RJ's bedroom as she tied a yellow robe on. "Merrick!" she said with a smile when she saw him. She gave Eric a look and he disappeared as she went to hug Merrick. "You really need to keep in touch more."

"Sorry," Merrick said, which they both knew he was not.

"Merrick," Shayla said with more calm than anyone had thought she would.

Eric passed her by to go stand by Taylor and give Shayla and Merrick their space. Taylor pulled a twig out of Eric's hair which he threw to the ground. "Your princess sleeps on the roof," he said.

"She likes animals," Taylor said with a shrug before ushering Camille, Lily, and Theo down to the restaurant.

"You're hurt," Shayla said and took a step forward, her hand moving towards his shoulder before she could stop herself.

"It's fine," he said, stepping back and holding up Gleipnir.

Her hand dropped. "How did you -- ? Merrick, what have you done?"

"What I had to," he said firmly.

"The last time you did what you had to you were possessed by an evil mask and imprisoned for several thousand years."

Merrick flinched at her tone. "We have to stop him. I owe him whatever I can --"

"You owe him?" She shook her head. "Merrick, I know that he is good, I know that he has changed his ways but there is no way in this world or any other that you owe him."

"I'm the reason he changed!" Merrick cried. "I'm the one who showed him that there was another way. I have to help him."

"Yes, you have to help him, but because he is our friend and for no other reason." She quickly stepped up to him and laid a hand on the dried blood covering his shoulder. "What did you do?"

He put his free hand over hers and she looked up to meet his eyes. "I got Gleipnir. That is all that matters."

Her eyes darkened and she pulled the ribbon from his hand. "It had better be," she said and stormed down the stairs.

Merrick stared after her, hoping against hope that it would be.

Casey ran through the forest, wishing that RJ's mind had taken the form of a nice munitions depot where he could find lots of useful weapons instead of this ancient forest. Ninjas liked forests. He spared a glance towards the sky where he could see what RJ saw. There, beyond the clouds, was a disturbingly askew version of Ocean Bluff's skyline. He wondered if RJ was planning to destroy it. Casey looked back at the path before him too late. He tripped -- how could he trip when he didn't even have a body? -- and found himself surrounded by ninjas.

"No," he said, trying to stay calm. "I can't go yet."

One of them stepped forward, reaching a hand towards Casey's face. He reeled back. "He needs me! Please!"

The ninjas froze and as one turned to look deeper into the woods. Casey breathed a sigh of relief as they turned to dust and blew away on the wind. They couldn't touch him while RJ was there, they couldn't risk being exposed, and that would give him a little more time.

"I just wanted to let you know," RJ said, walking up to Casey until they were mere inches apart, "today I'm going to kill Lily."

Casey said nothing. RJ growled and turned to walk away.

"You won't hurt her."

RJ froze and turned slowly to face his former student. "And why not? You think Theo is going to stop me?"

"You won't hurt her because she's your cub."

RJ let out a harsh laugh. "I hurt you, didn't I?"

Casey shook his head. "That was different."

"How?" RJ asked, walking forward so he could more clearly sense Casey's emotions. "How was that different than this? I'm the same person I was that day. What has changed?"

"That night --" Casey said, pausing to push down the memories of his own terror, "that night you were afraid. You had been injured, caged, and had every bad memory of what you'd done in the past thrown back in your face. You were an animal trying to protect itself. Now you're aware, you know what you're doing and you will not harm her."

RJ smiled. "Tell yourself that, little Casey, tell yourself that and maybe I'll let you see through my eyes while I gut her."