Hey, Butterflies! I'm back with Chapter 7! What do you all think of the story so far? Let me know, because your feedback encourages me to write and can point out details that I miss. Here's Chapter 7: Running Out
Disclaimer: The Secret Saturdays belongs to Jay Stephens and Cartoon Network.
My heartbeat pounds in my ears, and it hurts my head. My palms are sweaty, despite it being freezing cold outside. This is a day I have been dreading for several months now. I knew it was coming, but I never imaged it would happen now and under these conditions. I curl my lips inward over my teeth, and bite down enough to feel pain. This is not going to go well, but it's my only choice. Today is the last day we have to find Doyle, and without Agent Epsilon's people helping us, and without Wadi's help, we are down to just Ulraj and ourselves. That is, if Ulraj is willing to help us. If not, we're on own to find Doyle with what little information we've gathered. This hunt for Drew has turned into something much harder than I ever anticipated. And watch it all be a hoax and Drew actually be dead.
Ulraj approaches the front gate, so I turn around and pretend not to see him. Zak, Fisk, and Zon all come running out to meet him while I linger behind and watch with my peripheral vision. Things have been awkward between Ulraj and me since he confessed his feelings for me several months ago. Even the memorial was awkward, but we tried our best to mask it. But here we are, about to team up to find my uncle.
"Iris, it's so good to see you," Ulraj says warmly.
"You too, Ulraj. And I go by Lily now."
"Oh, alright. When did that happen?" I explain my decision to go by Lily very quickly as Zak whisks us off to the computer room in the house.
In the computer room, the Saturdays, Ulraj, and I make a plan and review the information we already have. When we reveal that we only have today, Ulraj's eyes bulge. He says that we should have told him earlier, but I rather snarkily remind him that I called him two days ago for help. Ulraj backs down, and I smirk triumphantly. Lily: 1, Ulraj: 0.
Once our plan is settled on, Doc asks me to walk Ulraj out. I reluctantly obey. On our way out, Ulraj and I talk. He wants us to be friends again, and it's in his eyes that he's sincere. Unfortunately, I'm not ready for that, so I tell him the truth. He nods respectfully, and by then, we have reached the gate. He exchanges goodbyes before he dives off the cliff and into the water below. Lucky him. He's the king of an underwater kingdom and can do whatever he wants. I am just an abandoned servant girl turned orphan. Yes, I have the Saturdays, but I will never truly part of their family, even if I am their flesh and blood. They were so well established before I showed up, and I undid it all. Maybe I was better off alone at WeirdWorld. The cold wind blows my hair in front of my face. That's it. I am going to get this mop chopped off.
Zak comes racing towards me, excitement radiating from him. Stars, I wish he would tone it down. When he reaches me, he is so excited he can barely breathe. He has an idea that can help us find Doyle. He remembered me telling him how I used my Kur powers to find them back when Dr. Beeman had captured them months ago, so Zak figured he could use the technique to find Doyle. Internally beaming, I tell Zak how to use the technique, and he runs inside the house to get a picture of Doyle. While Zak is inside, I turn my thoughts inward. I miss being connected to cryptids the way Zak is, but I know that Zak has a right to those powers after everything he has been through. Nevertheless, I still miss being able to understand Komodo like I used to; now I have to put in a lot of energy to understand what he says, though I would never tell him this. He has been so sweet to me, and I just can't hurt him like that. My greatest fear, though, is that I'll lose my ability to understand him entirely. That would crush both of us, and I try not to dwell on it. Still, it lingers constantly in my mind.
Zon comes and pushes me into the house. Inside, I see Zak setting up to channel his powers into global communication with cryptids in order to find Doyle. I sit down on the living room floor with Zak and guide him into a meditative state deep enough to awaken even the most dormant part of his Kur powers. Then I tell him to use the full extent of his powers to feel the life of every cryptid on Earth; it sounds hard, but it is actually quite easy to do. Once he has connected, I describe Doyle's picture to Zak, who forms the image in his mind. That image is then sent out to all the cryptids on the planet. Zak stays silent as he tunes into the cryptids' messages. Finally, he opens his mouth to speak. An inaudible word comes out. Slowly, I draw Zak out of the meditative state and give him time to adjust to being in the present. Then Zak looks at me and nods. He says thank you before getting up to tell Doc.
Stars I hope we find Doyle in time. We only have a few hours left.
Komodo comes up to me and lays his head in my lap. I stroke his head and listen to his gentle growls; I will definitely miss not being able connect with him. I wonder what it will be like for him. He has said before that I'm the only one who really connects him, and I can only imagine how painful losing the connection to the one person who connects with him will be. I shun the thoughts from my mind and turn my attention back to Komodo. I need to spend as much time with him as I can. Our whole world is about to flip upside down this coming January, and we need to cherish the time we have together.
I look up from Komodo and stare at the wall in front of me. Unlike my time with those I lost, I think.
So that's the end of Chapter 7! I hope you all enjoyed it, even if it was a little short. Thank you all so much for reading. I love you all so much! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! I'll have Chapter 8 up soon!