AN: I'M BACK! Sorry for the lack of updates lately but I've been busy with schoolwork and life in general. Also, I've been told by my uncle to finish the draft of my book first before I work on this but I'm breaking the rules right now. I don't know if people are still reading this but I'm going to try my best in continuing and finishing this story. Anyways, I just tried out Elsword. Anyone who wants to add my Garena, it's KyojinGirl1997. My character there is Elsword and my nickname is NoxBlaze. By the way, I've never been to Six Flags so I'm sorry if this is a bit inaccurate. Also, this key would help you as you read this chapter but that's my secret as to what it's for.
(Italics)– Back up.
Bold – Together.
Thanks to those who reviewed in the previous chapters and now I give Chapter XL!
Chapter XL:
Six Flags
An hour later, Celeste was driving to Six Flags with Levi beside her and Petra and Andrew in the backseat. Andrew gets car sick if he sits in front. Celeste wondered how the hell he is going to be a racer if he gets car sick. The entire car ride was silent until they arrived at Six Flags.
"Alright. Ready to have some fun?" Celeste asked her parents rhetorically.
"What exactly are we doing here?" Petra asked.
"You'll see. Come on." She aid as they got out of the car. Celeste dragged Petra to the park's entrance with the others behind them. They paid and entered. Petra and Levi were surprised at the sight. There were a lot of people and there was screaming and fast-moving things as well as a big metallic wheel.
"What the hell is this place?" Levi asked his daughter.
"This is an amusement park, dad. People come here for fun." She answered. "Come on, I'll take you guys to one of the coolest rides here."
Petra was expecting that when she said coolest ride, she meant a fun one.
Not a big structure that seemed scary. It had to be. She can hear the people screaming. It had a big sign that read 'Iron Rattler'.
"Come on, you've fought titans, mom. Don't tell me this scares you!" She said with a smile. Petra didn't reply. When it was their turn, Celeste shoved Levi and Petra in and when the ride started, Celeste and Levi could've sworn that their eardrums burst thanks to Petra's screaming. When the ride was over, they got off. Andrea was a vomiting mess and her twin just laughed at her.
"Jesus, mom. What's with the screaming? You use a 3DMG on a daily basis, sheesh. It's just a Roller coaster." Celeste remarked.
"Don't you dare compare that thing to a 3DMG." Petra said.
"Admit it, it was fun." Celeste told Levi, who nodded in reply. At this point, he thought it was best that he just agree to anything she says because she most likely isn't letting it go.
"Adrenaline junkie." She muttered before dragging Petra to a ride called 'Pandemonium'. After that, she dragged them to another roller coaster called 'Boomerang'. Then it's the 'Poltergeist'. The last one was the 'Goliath'. Needless to say, after that Celeste swore off Roller coaster rides with her mother. At least her father didn't even make a sound.
"Please don't make me go through those again!" Petra begged as she clung to her daughter's waist. Celeste built up the image of Petra as a woman who fears nothing. Apparently, she built it up to soon.
"Okay, okay, we won't." She said as she wrapped an arm around her. She just realized that she can't ride 'Scream' without them and that's definitely a no go. The others went off buying whatever they want to buy, leaving the three of them alone. Just then, Celeste noticed the 2 people she really didn't want to meet with her parents. Stella Monroe and Michael Bennett. Her parents' reincarnations.
"Oh, we got to go. I'll take you on more rides." She told them as she dragged them away. She took them to 'Sky Screamer'.
"No!" Petra said.
"This one isn't scary. It'll just go up high and spin round and round. That way you can see the entire park." Celeste said as she took her hand.
"I think I'll pass for now." Levi said emotionlessly.
"Come on, dad!" She whined but it looked like he wouldn't budge.
"Fine. Suit yourself. Just wait here. Oh, take this. So I can contact you from up there." She told him as she handed him a walkie talkie. The two went on to the ride. Petra had to admit it; Celeste was right. The 'Sky screamer' was fun. She could see the entire place from where they were. Finally, the ride ended and they approached Levi once again.
"You guys want some ice cream?" She asked and they nodded. Actually, Levi didn't care much for the cold, sweet treat. He just agreed to appease Celeste. Celeste told them to stay where they were while she went off to buy ice cream.
"Ms. Knight." A cheery voice greeted her. Her eyes gradually widened and when she turned around, there were Stella and Michael.
"Ms. Monroe. Mr. Bennett. Fancy seeing you here in Six Flags." She muttered.
'Christ, am I ever going to get away from these two?' Celeste thought to herself. It's very weird seeing her parents' reincarnated forms.
"Well, Stella wanted to have some fun before we continued on to Houston so I figured why not." Michael answered as Celeste placed her orders in.
"I see. I'm here with the family for some fun." She said.
"Well, I see you're with your parents. How does it feel being with them?" Stella asked. Her eyes widened when she realized that she may or may not have just stepped on a landmine.
"Oh, I'm sorry. That must've been personal." She immediately said but Celeste shook her head.
"Not at all. Well, it's fun but needless to say, there are a bit of difficulties. There's the resentment and regret, of course. But I guess it's like Star Wars."
"Star Wars? How?" Bennett asked as Celeste took the ice creams and paid for it.
"I guess it's like watching Star Wars again after a long, long time and realizing that you've fallen to the dark side because you'd do anything for them because you love them. Even if it's bad. I have to go. See you in the next race." She said before walking away. When she approached her parents, she handed them their treats immediately. Then they took a walk as they ate.
"Have you been here before? You seem to know the place like the back of your hand?" Levi asked Celeste.
"Yep. Couple of times. Spent some birthdays here too." She admitted as she bit on her ice cream. Just then, she spotted the Ferris wheel. Taking Petra's hand, she dragged them over.
"See that? You can see the entire park if you get in there. You're coming this time, dad." She told them as she continued dragging them away. They got on the ride and they watched the setting sun while they ate ice cream and an awkward silence enveloping them. Petra reveled at the sight of the sunset once more while Celeste was surprised that her father wasn't in his clean freak mode once again. Celeste leaned her cheek against the knuckle that wasn't holding the ice cream and looked at her parents' way. Her father was observing her mother while Petra was busy looking out the window. An image flashed in her mind's eye all of a sudden; a man with black hair, blue eyes and a youthful face despite his age and a woman with brown hair, green eyes and a beautiful face. She remembered the people who raised her and loved her even though she wasn't really theirs to care for. She remembered Clara and Raphael Knight.
'I miss them.' She thought to herself as she shook her head and rubbed her eyes for a short while so they wouldn't see the tears stemming from them.
"Oi, you alright?" Levi asked. Celeste nodded as she took the last bite from her ice cream. When the ride was over, Celeste was eager to bust out of the place. As a result, she simply took their hands and dragged them away to the rendezvous point she agreed on with the others. The others were waiting for them already and they seem to be conversing with someone.
"Hey." She greeted them.
"Celeste, this is the park manager. He'd like to talk to you about something." Uncle Federico reported.
"Okay, if this is about the red dye and the mannequin in the Gully Washer 6 years ago; let it go, man." She deadpanned. About 6 years back, Celeste decided to have a little birthday fun. Okay, maybe a lot of birthday fun. It resulted in her running around the park, causing havoc and eventually it ended in a gift shop mannequin and red dye falling in the Gully Washer track. A lot of people freaked out, thinking there was a dead body there.
"Miss Knight, it's not about that. I hear you're quite the experienced singer." He replied.
"Yeah so?" She asked.
"Apparently, there was supposed to be a band coming here for 3 songs but their bassist and vocalist caught the flu so they need some people to sing in their place." Uncle Damon reported. Celeste hesitated. She hated singing in front of other people. The only reason the world knows she (and her cousins) are good singers was because she, Rex, Duncan, Andrew and Janine made a cover video of the songs 'Loser of the Year' and 'Jet Lag' and Janine posted it on youtube for the fun of it. She was on bass and vocals, Rex and Andrew on Electric Guitar, Duncan on drums and Janine was on keyboard. That was also the time they found out that Celeste can deepen her voice enough to sound like a guy's. But enough of that; her problem is that she has a bad case of stage fright. And to quell that she needs a dose of benzodiazepine for its anti-anxiety properties.
"I don't really know." She muttered.
"Stage fright, sweetie?" Aunt Natalie asked and she nodded. Then she was tossed a bottle of benzodiazepine. Man, her Aunt is quite the Girl Scout, isn't she?
"Okay, fine. Just three songs, alright. We'll go for Loser of the year, first. I hear people still like it but we don't really have band equipment." She reminded them.
"No need. We have band equipment in the stage." The Manager told them. Celeste responded by taking two tablets of benzodiazepine. They were led off to the stage where people were waiting.
"Celeste, will you be alright?" Petra asked her worriedly.
"Yeah. I'll be fine, mom. You and dad better go with them." She answered. Petra nodded and followed the others to the sound booth. Celeste grabbed the bass as the manager introduced them. At the mention of her name, people started cheering.
'And I'm just a racecar driver who isn't even supposed to sing today.' She thought. Was she really that popular? Well, at least the medication did its job. She and the others approached the stage.
"So, yeah, hi. I hear people still love and adore Simple Plan and some of their songs like Loser of the Year and Jet Lag so since I'm also a fan of theirs like you guys, we have a little treat for you. That's right; we'll sing Loser of the Year first." She announced. People loved their Loser of the Year video and actually requested that she record it. She didn't push through with it since she was busy with her racing career at the time and made it clear that it was just for fun. Just then, she started hitting the right chords as the others started their parts. When it was her cue and after adjusting her voice, she started singing with Andrew and Rex as backup vocals. Once the chorus part comes, the three of them would be singing together.
There's a lot of talk about me (Yeah).
People lining up to meet me (Yeah).
I'm on the verge of celebrity (Yeah).
So whatcha think about that?
I've got friends in high places (Yeah).
Louis Vuitton suitcases (Yeah).
Look at all their pretty faces (Yeah).
So, whatcha think about that?
So, why do I feel like it's all just a show?
You make me want to shut it all down,
Throw it all away, 'cause I'm nothing if I don't have you.
What's the point of being on top?
All the money in the world, if I can't blow it all on you?
So send the cars back, put the house on the market
And my big dreams too.
'Cause it's all so clear.
That without you here, I'm the loser of the year (Loser of the Year).
I'm at a party at a mansion (Yeah).
There's a lot of high fashion (Yeah).
And I'm cooler than I've ever been (Yeah).
So, whatcha think about that?
I'm living life in the fast lane (Yeah).
I've got a fridge full of champagne (Yeah).
And I'm hanging out with Lil Wayne (Yeah).
So whatcha think about that?
So, why do I feel like it's all just a show?
You make me want to shut it all down,
Throw it all away, 'cause I'm nothing if I don't have you.
What's the point of being on top?
All the money in the world, if I can't blow it all on you?
So, send the cars back, put the house on the market
And my big dreams too.
'Cause it's all so clear
That without you here, I'm the Loser of the Year (Loser of the Year).
I could try real hard,
I could try to pretend,
That all these dreams make any sense without you.
But that just ain't true…
I thought these things would make me forget
About you and me, but you're stuck in my head.
I'm a loser, if I lose her.
You make me want to shut it all down,
Throw it all away, 'cause I'm nothing if I don't have you.
What's the point of being on top?
All the money in the world, if I can't blow it all on you?
You make me want to shut it all down,
Throw it all away, 'cause I'm nothing if I don't have you.
What's the point of being on top?
All the money in the world, if I can't blow it all on you?
So, send the cars back, put the house on the market
And my big dreams too.
'Cause it's all so clear,
That I need you near.
Yeah, it's all so clear,
That without you here, I'm the Loser of the Year (Loser of the Year).
Once the song ended, the people were yelling their heads off. Celeste glanced at her parents' way and saw her mother give her a proud smile. She smiled back in return and announced that they'd be performing 'Jet Lag' next. When all that was said and done, they continued on to the next song and with that, the mini concert was over. She was sure people got a video of that. They left stage and met up with the others.
"That. Was. Awesome!" Andrea praised them as she jumped on Rex. Levi approached Celeste and patted her head.
"Not bad." He told her.
It wasn't much. But it was enough to put a smile on Celeste's face.
AN: Alright, I feel like this chapter is getting too long. Anyways, I don't own the song 'Loser of the Year' and 'Jet Lag' and I obviously do not own SnK. This is the first time I put up a disclaimer because I'm sure you guys have common sense to know that I don't own SnK. By the way, I'm sure you guys noticed an exclamation point within a parenthesis in some chapter titles. That only means that they're chapters that are going to lead to an Alternate Ending. The more exclamation points in one chapter, the more alternate endings there are. Thanks to those who will review and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please wait for the next update!