PianZoe: [monotone] Okay, so, we've returned. Whoohoo for us and you, the readers.
CiaHottie: [raises an eyebrow at PZ] Something is wrong with you.
PianZoe: [sarcasm] Oh, no, I never would have guessed.
CiaHottie: And it is...?
PianZoe: [scoff] I don't own anything.
CiaHottie: ô.ó Uh, yes, you do. You own... let's see... you own Razi-
PianZoe: [snort] WONDERFUL... [rolls eyes]
CiaHottie: Uh HUM, as I was saying, you own Razi, Edan, Vedette, Denae, uh... Aiko, Anthony, several others...
PianZoe: [snort again] I'm in a pessimistic mode and you're not helping!!
CiaHottie: [sighs and slaps hand over face] I thought I was helping you get out of your pessimistic state?
PianZoe: Oh. Well, stop it! Anyway, we own everything but the original characters, and the planet, and most of the towns.
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At dinner, they were having pleasant conversation.
"So... who was that Jacqui person you were with?" Denae asked, before taking a bite of mashed potatoes. Erica, who had a rather large mouthful, looked at her, then held up her index finger to indicate 'just a second'.
Swallowing her mouthful, Erica told Denae, "Her full name is Jacqui Cascade." and before she could continue, she heard her parents gasp, and when she looked at them, she saw looks of complete horror on both their faces.
"Ca... Cas... Cascade?!" Georgia squeaked, her eyes wide and her right hand covering her mouth. "You were... were with a Cascade? I think I am going to have a heart attack... this is impossible! Did she kidnap you!?" she sat up as straight as her back would let her, narrowed her eyes, brought her hand away from her mouth, and balled her hands into fists. "Because if she did, ooooo, I am so going to find her and beat her little fu-"
"Mom!" Erica laughed, shaking her head, all the motions done slightly nervously, and held up her hands in front of her face. "No, she didn't kidnap me. I went with her, willingly." she looked into her Mom's eyes, to see shock flit across in them - not to mention something else, that looked... wrathful. 'I hope that doesn't mean she's so angry with me she'll kill me. I mean, I have survived so many things while with Jacqui, then I finally find home and my own Mother kills me? Kinda ironic, isn't it.' she thought dully.
"W... willingly...? My own daughter... went with a... a Cascade willingly? This can't be the right girl... she can't be my daughter... I told her about the Cascades... she should have known..." Georgia muttered, gripping the arms of her chair. "It couldn't be her... no... Erica... she can't be... she wouldn't... Jacqui Cascade and... and... no... she's not a..."
Anthony gripped Georgia's arm, making her look into his eyes, and a tear run down her cheek. He wiped the tear away, and shook his head. "I'm afraid, it's true, Georgia... it is her... and if she has been hanging around with Jacqui Cascade, it must be her..." he murmured, and Georgia sobbed loudly, flinging her arms around him and burying her face in his shirt.
"Georgia? Anthony? What are you talking about?" Denae asked, hearing what Anthony murmured to Georgia because of sitting the nearest to them. Anthony looked to her, looked around the table, then tapped Georgia on the back, and whispered something in her ear. She nodded her head, pulled away from him, stood up, then walked into another room quickly. Anthony then stood up, and glanced around at all of them.
"Would Denae, Kevin, Razi, and Vedette, please follow me in to the living room. If you wish to join us, Anna, you may, but I would really rather you didn't." with that said, he turned, and stalked into the living room, the four he asked to join he and Georgia following closely behind.
Erica, who seemed very baffled for the behavior of her parents, stared at the doorway to the livingroom. "What did I do?" she grumbled, scowling and slamming her hand down onto the table. "Damnit!"
Edan looked up at his sister, and frowned, crossing his arms. "Mommy thayth that word ith bad. Only bad people thay it." he scolded, and Erica looked down at him, still scowling, and growled.
"Not only bad people say it, Edan." she said, looking at Anna, who was looking right at her, with her eyes narrowed. "What is it, Lenial?"
"Nothing."
Suddenly, a loud, piercing shriek rang throughout the house. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!?!"
Right after the shriek, Denae burst out through the door, running, tears streaming down her face, and rammed into Erica, knocking her off her chair, making her land on the hard wood floor. "I HATE YOU!" Denae plopped down beside Erica, and put her hands around her neck. "I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!!"
Kevin rushed out behind her, gasped when he saw Denae attempting to strangle Erica, ran up behind her, and tried to pull Denae off of Erica, who was now struggling for air. "Denae, what she did was wrong, but don't kill her! Please don't kill her!" he exclaimed, finally managing to get the hysterically sobbing Denae off of Erica.
"B-b-but she ki-ki-killed the-the-them!!" Denae cried, kicking out her foot, which hit Erica directly in the face. As soon as Denae's foot connected with her face, Erica cried out, tears coming to her eyes, and clutched her nose. "Se-serves y-y-you ri-right, yo-you m-mu-mur-murderer!!"
Anna suddenly jumped to her feet, her eyes wide, her chair falling down behind her. 'Oh my GOSH, I know why she looks so familiar! I have been searching for her! Erica! I can't believe it, she was just delivered right into my hands!' she grinned down at Erica, clasping her hands together.
All the others rushed out of the livingroom, to see Kevin still trying to hold Denae back, because she was still trying to kill Erica, Erica lying on the floor, curled up, holding her nose, and crying quietly, and Anna standing up, grinning down at Erica. Razi was appalled to see Erica hurt, so he rushed forward, and knelt beside her. "What's the matter? Is it your nose?" he asked, sounding as concerned as possible, and tried prying her hands away from her face.
"OWWW!!" Erica cried out when Razi tried to rip her hands away from her face. "Razi you idiot!!" she shrieked, covering her broken nose with her hands again, and kicking at him, hitting him in the stomach.
He grabbed his stomach, and backed away from the angered girl, wincing as he did so. Little did he know, Kevin nearly let go of Denae to do a victory dance, but instead just grinned happily, and sung a victory song in his head.
Anna, while everyone else was busy trying to either help Erica, or restrain Denae, snuck unnoticed out of the room, then out the front door, to Razi's horse, where she had left her stuff (why? She didn't know, she just felt like leaving it there). When she reached the horse, she glanced in each direction, opening her Rat Monkey skin bag, and peering into it. "Okay, let's see..." she muttered as she reached in, her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth, her hand digging around in the medium sized bag. "Huh... violet flower... heat salve... heal berry... heal berry... grab bag... clothes... book... book... tiny hammer... ambrosia... gems... aha! Light gems'll work!" she exclaimed, taking the gems out of her bag, but scowling at seeing that they were just ice gems. Reaching back in, she felt more gems, and when she pulled them out, she grinned in success.
Just as she was about to head back in, she heard a loud round of curses come from inside; it sounded very much like Erica's voice, too. Quickly, she grabbed a rope out of her bag (Why didn't I feel that when I was looking for the gems? she thought, with a roll of her eyes), and rushed back into the house - carefully, though, so as to not draw attention to herself. Although, that would be pretty difficult, she realized as she looked around the room.
Denae was still trying to murder Erica, Erica was lying on the ground, guarding her broken, bleeding nose from harm, Kevin, Georgia, Anthony, and Vedette were holding Denae back, so she couldn't get to Erica, Razi was just standing there, trying to figure out how to help Erica, and Edan was standing next to Razi, also trying to figure out how to help his older sister.
This is going to be almost too easy. Anna thought with a snort, as she readied herself to throw the light gems so that only the others would get momentarily blinded, not herself. Her hand slipped over her eyes, as she tossed the gems, and they lit up. Hearing startled screams confirmed it to her that the lights had been, in fact, successful, so she turned around, opening her eyes just a crack, and began searching for Erica.
"She was on the floor..." she whispered to herself, searching the ground where she had last seen Erica, her face contorted in concentration.
"DAMNIT! I can't see anything!" Erica's irked voice came from practically right next to Anna, making her grin in triumph, and reach out in Erica's direction. "What the-!!" her surprised voice was cut off, as Anna covered her mouth, hissing a threat into her ear. Erica nodded her understanding of her 'command', and Anna removed her head, grabbing both ends of the rope, and Erica's hands, tying the rope around her wrists.
"Okay, Erica, now, just don't make a single sound that would alert your family, and you'll be just fine. Stand up, now." Anna whispered, standing up, and pulling Erica up with her. Erica just nodded again, making Anna grin, and begin pulling her towards the door.
Once they were out in the natural daylight, the temporary blindness Erica was experiencing began to dissipate. Anna let go of her, walking up to the horses and untying Paard and Erica's horse, then turning back to Erica, who gasped upon seeing her face. "Anna?! What...? I thought you... but... what are you doing!?" Erica exclaimed, her face reflecting the shock that Anna was 'kidnaping her'.
Anna just shrugged, and gave her a somewhat apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Erica, but, you're wanted, and I need the money." she began to pull the hood of her cloak up over her head again, when she heard someone leave the house, and gasp, making her turn around, to find Anthony standing just outside the doorway, staring at her and Erica. "Erica, get on your horse, now, or I am not going to heal your nose." she ordered, scowling, and pushing Erica towards her horse, as Anthony began running towards them, shouting for them to stop.
"But, my hands are-" Erica began, but stopped, when she felt Anna cut the ropes away from her wrists, and push her against her horse.
"Hurry, hurry! Get on your stupid horse, right now! Hurry!!" Anna exclaimed, pulling her ARM - Goldshiemer PSA115 - out from under her cloak, and aiming it at Anthony, a fierce look on her face. "One step closer, Mr. Bernadette, and you'll regret it!" Please, please don't come any closer... I don't want to have to shoot you... she mentally pleaded, hoping Anthony would somehow hear her. Unfortunately, he didn't, and he only stopped for a moment, before scowling, aiming his bionic arm at Anna's ARM, walking a few feet closer, and letting the wire fist shoot out at the Goldshiemer.
Anna, upon seeing the fact that he hadn't heeded her warning, took a large gulp, and pulled the trigger - at the same time Anthony let his fist fly. The bullet was way off course, but the fist hit it's target, causing the Goldshiemer to fly off to the side. "NO!" Anna exclaimed, staring at her ARM, then turning her gaze to the ever approaching Anthony. With a sharp inhale, she jumped up onto Razi's horse, her face contorted in a frown, and turned to the South.
Kicking the horse's sides, Anna glanced around for Erica. With a start, she realized that in the short time between when she had cut Erica's binds and when she had gotten onto Paard, Erica had taken off on her horse. "Damnit, Erica, you weren't supposed to LEAVE!" she shouted, as she galloped off toward the South.
No one noticed that Erica had just galloped behind the house, in hopes to get away from the crazy treasure hunter, Anna Lenial. Pff, what a stupid alias. (A/n: That's the right word, right?) I don't understand why she doesn't just use her real name. Anastasia Eleniak sounds a whole lot better than 'Anna Lenial'... Erica thought, with a roll of her eyes, as she looked around the edge of the house, to see if Anna was gone yet.
When she saw Anna ride off, she began to head back around to the front of the house, but was grabbed suddenly from behind, a hand wrapping around her mouth, none too gently. "Mmmhmmfmfffhmmhm!" she tried to scream, because of the pain shooting from her nose, and from the shock whoever it was that grabbed her gave her.
"Shh, brat, it's me. Jacqui." Jacqui's voice hissed into her ear, as the hand escaped from her mouth.
"Jacqui? What are you doing here? I thought you left when you abandoned me at Maison d'une Citation Élémentaire! Get away from me!" Erica snarled, trying to escape from Jacqui's grip around her shoulders.
"Ah, ah, ah, I don't think so. You're my moneymaker. You think I'll let you go? I don't think so. You're coming with me, whether you do it of your own free will, or I have to force you."
Erica continued to struggle, but it was a losing fight. Sighing, she gave up. Great. This must be 'kidnap Erica day' and I wasn't informed of the festivities...
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PianZoe: You can really tell I wrote this chapter, because it sucks... very, very, very badly... I wish it hadn't been my turn... it's too short, and it sucks! AHH!