Disclaimer: So…what else is there to say? Oh, yeah…look back at my other 24 chapters to see what I do and do not own. I'm still depressed that I do not own Lucas Grabeel (he's just so cute, I drool at the sight of him…and 'eep' louder than anything you've ever heard before)! Ignoring that…
Chapter 25: Call Backs
The next day, Sharpay had turned a lighter shade of pink, which required less cover up. Rachael was still light-headed and Ryan managed not to break anything after his last incident of almost ripping his locker door off its hinges.
That morning, in English, they had taken a test. Rachael must have spread the news about the new couple to the teachers, too because, as Miss. Darbis handed him his test, she had advised Ryan to keep his eyes on his test and not on other people.
He knew what that meant. It was currently lunch and Ryan and Sharpay were heading to the cafeteria. As they walked past the Musical call back sheet, something caught Sharpay's eye. She stopped and walked back over to it. Ryan followed her as she skimmed it over.
"Call backs?" she yelled then screamed at the top of her lounges. Ryan, used to this sort of behavior from his sister, just stood there in silent shock. When Sharpay stopped screaming, Ryan read over the sheet out loud, "Call backs for roles Arnold and Minnie next Thursday: 3:30pm. Ryan and Sharpay Evans, Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton."
He stopped and tried to think of any possible answer. He didn't even see Troy or Gabriella audition. "Is this some kind of joke? They didn't even audition!" Sharpay screamed. "Maybe, we're being pumped." Ryan suggested. "What?" Sharpay asked entirely confused and angry.
"Maybe, we're being filmed right now." Ryan continued grabbing her arm and getting a bit over excited, barely noticing Chad and the other jocks were wandering over to them, "Maybe, we'll get to meet Ashten!" "Oh, shut up, Ryan!" Sharpay screamed at him and he released her arm.
"What's wrong?" Chad laughed and looked over at the call back sheet. Sharpay glared at him noticing Troy wasn't with them. She stared at her speechless brother expecting an answer, as the jocks stared in disbelief. "What?" Chad whispered slightly confused, looking from the board to Ryan. He decided to leave the group and look for Troy.
"Ugh!" Sharpay grunted, realizing she wouldn't get an answer, so she stomped off. Ryan and the jocks remained there; still trying to figure out how much of this was real. Feeling let down, the jocks started to slowly disperse.
In the cafeteria, Sharpay was complaining about how much sense this was making. "How dare she sign up?" Sharpay was yelling at Ryan and Kelsi, "I already picked out the colors for my dressing room!" "And, she hasn't even asked our permission to join the Drama Cub." Ryan agreed, using the knowledge he'd learned to use around his sister.
"Somebody's got to tell her the rules." Sharpay stated with an evil grin. "Exactly," Ryan agreed, then realized he had another question, "and what are the rules?" "Oh!" Sharpay huffed as she just looked at him with a mix of disgust and exasperation.
Then, she walked over to the rails, looking down at everyone below them. Ryan and Kelsi looked at each other in slight confusion. Kelsi just shrugged it off with a raise of her eyebrow. She just couldn't bring herself to admit that she was the one who got Troy and Gabriella their call back.
Meanwhile, Cloe and Rachael had decided to stay away from Sharpay during lunch after hearing the news. "Sharpay seems to be taking this horribly." Cloe said. "Yeah, I feel bad for Ryan. After all, I heard Sharpay screamed in his ear." Rachael stated in a gossiping mood, "I'm surprised he can still hear."
"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure someone had this in mind before Troy and Gabriella got their call back." Cloe continued, "I heard that nobody's beat out Sharpay for a lead since Kindergarten." "You know, I'm pretty sure that Kelsi has something to do with this." Rachael stated, "I heard her talking with Gabriella about their audition." "Really?" Cloe asked. "Yeah, I hear they were only singing for the fun of it and Darbis overheard them." Rachael continued, "Apparently, they both love to sing."
"And, from what I've heard, everyone has a secret they're sharing." Cloe stated, "Very surprising." "The biggest surprise is that Sharpay hasn't figured this out yet." Rachael stated going into her light-headedness again. "She probably thinks someone's out to ruin her." Cloe offered an answer.
"Everybody quiet!" they hear Sharpay scream. Cloe and Rachael stood up and walked over to the rails noticing Sharpay and Ryan descending the stairs. "Sharpay has every right to believe someone's out to get her." Rachael stated not thinking, "Not everybody in this school likes her, you know." Just then, they noticed Gabriella and her friend, Taylor McKessey, walking towards a table.
As Ryan and Sharpay headed towards them, Gabriella slipped in a puddle of milk on the floor. "Look, there goes somebody dumping their lunch on Sharpay. What did I tell you?" Rachael stated with a laugh as Gabriella's lunch flew in the air and landed on the front of Sharpay's shirt.
Ryan was staring at the scene in front of him as Sharpay screamed for the second time that day. He watched as Gabriella stammered out her apology and Taylor dragged her away. Fright was plastered all over her face. As Sharpay removed the fries, which had landed on her, Ryan mindlessly took them from her.
"What is going on here?" Miss. Darbis asked. "Look at this! That Gabriella girl just dumped her lunch on me…on purpose!" Sharpay was screaming to Miss. Darbis. Ryan didn't pay much attention to what was said next. Even he had seen the girl slip in a puddle that had appeared out of nowhere.
It just didn't seem to make sense. Did Sharpay make the puddle appear on her own? Maybe, he'd done it without realizing it. Then, a thought crossed his mind. Could there be someone else in this school who had powers? Someone like…Gabriella?
"No." Rachael stated sternly that day after Drama Club. "It's possible." Ryan retorted. He had just explained his theory about what happened at lunch and, as far as he was concerned, it made perfect sense. He couldn't understand why no one would believe that Gabriella…or anyone else in the school…might have powers.
"I can believe that you might have careless enough to make that happen, but Gabriella does no have magical powers!" Sharpay was screaming at him. She had been sitting in a chair in his room listening until now, ever since she'd comeback from her room to change for third time. After school, they'd returned to the mansion and were currently in his room.
"Plus, anyone who eats fries that went down their sister's shirt must be out of their mind." Rachael stated recalling Ryan's hunger after Sharpay had handed him the fries and watched him eat out of it. "I was hungry and they were perfectly good fries. Who would want to waste food?" Ryan defended his actions.
He had been hungry and he wasn't thinking at the time. It was a nervous habit he'd had since he was little. When he'd discovered his depression, he'd eaten the shaving cream Sharpay had tried to use to choke herself.
"Maybe, one of us did do it by accident." Rachael stated, "I don't think we should put all the blame on Ryan, though." "What do you think, Cloe?" Sharpay asked expectantly. Cloe had been sitting on Ryan's bed meditating ever since she'd sat down on it.
She looked up from her spot on the bed. Ryan was standing by the door, leaning against the wall, and staring at her with hurt. Rachael was sitting on the floor next to the bed looking up at her. Sharpay was glaring at her with watchful eyes form where she was sitting at Ryan's desk.
Cloe thought it over to herself, then finally said, "I agree with Ryan." She saw the expression, on his face, lift to confusion. "What?" Rachael and Sharpay both stated in mild shock. "Just because he's your boyfriend, doesn't mean you have to agree with him about everything." Rachael stated point blank.
"There's a reason why I agree and I'm surprised you two don't know." Cloe began perking everyone's interest; "There could be someone at East High who has powers. It could be anyone: a prankster, a genius, or a thrill-seeker. There's no end to the possibilities. It could even be someone as shy as…if not…Gabriella."
"What makes you say that?" Rachael asked not understanding a single thing her friend was saying. Cloe sighed and continued, "If either of you had done it, don't you think you would have realized it? Plus, nothing has happened like that before this year, am I right?"
"Yes." Sharpay muttered at her defeat. "So, anyone new to this school could have done it." Ryan caught on to what his girlfriends had been saying, "Which includes all freshmen and Gabriella." "You already know the only power I have are my psychic abilities and Rachael was with me the moment it happened." Cloe reminded them.
"So, I told you. It might have been Gabriella." Ryan added. "Why would they be after me and Ryan? Most importantly me!" Sharpay asked. "I'm not sure. Unless they knew about us and happened to be the same person who has to do with the sudden disappearances of your family members." Cloe realized.
There was a stunned silence in the room and everyone watched Sharpay as the realization sunk in. "You mean, there could be someone in our school who kidnapped our family and is after us?" Sharpay asked. "I'm afraid so." Cloe said.
Sharpay stared blankly at the wall. "Are you all right, Shar?" Ryan asked with a hint of worry in his voice. "No." she responded. "Calm down." Rachael stated calmly. "No." Sharpay repeated, "Ryan, I can't take it!" Ryan looked at his sister with concern flooding his face.
Sharpay was slowly reaching for her throat. "Ryan, I'm going to do it again. Stop me!" she called to Ryan. He ran over to his twin and grabbed her hands before they could do any damage. "Breathe." Ryan told her. "Ryan, I can't." Sharpay choked, "Make it stop!"
"Breathe, Shar!" Ryan told her urgently as he opened a desk drawer. He grabbed an inhaler and rushed it over to Sharpay. Cloe and Rachael had run over to her, while Ryan's back was turned, and managed to stop her from choking herself.
Ryan shoved the inhaler is his sister's mouth and pumped the cool, refreshing air into her lungs. When she began to calm down, Ryan removed the inhaler and sat down next to his slowly recuperating twin. Cloe and Rachael collapsed on the floor in relief as Sharpay rested her head on Ryan's shoulder.
That night, Cloe tossed and turned in the guest bed. Voices kept swirling around in her head. She remembered Gabriella's comment about Ryan and herself. Gabriella had said, "I guess you're a match that has a destiny of it's own."
What did that mean: 'a destiny of it's own'? Then, Cloe remembered Theresa saying, "I'm a semi-corrupted mind that's sort of bent on maintaining the power to control the universe." Those were the two people she could think of who had said something to her that might make them some kind of suspect.
But there were still many more people who could be possible suspects. After all, everyone knew who the Evans' were. There was one last thought that crossed her mind. Troy's voice echoed though her ears, "Do you want to know a little secret about Ryan?"
What did he mean? Did he really know something about her best friend that she didn't? Troy's last few words sounded loudly in her mind, "Ryan is gay!" Was that really what he'd meant? Troy, Gabriella, and Theresa were all possible suspects.
Meanwhile, Ryan heard noises coming from down the hall. He slowly opened his eyes and noticed it was around midnight. He got up, managing not to break anything. As he walked towards his door, he realized the noises were coming form Cloe.
He's half expected Sharpay to be attempting to smother herself, but was thankful that she wasn't. He opened his door and slipped into the hallway. He decided to check in on Sharpay. Comforted with the fact that Sharpay was asleep and in perfect health, Ryan headed for the guest room.
In his opinion, he'd given Cloe the best room in the mansion. He paused in front of Rachael's guest room. There were murmurs coming from inside the room. Ryan, feeling curious, put his ear to the door as he tried to hear what was going on.
"No, you're cuter." Rachael was saying. "No, you're way cuter." Zac had responded as the two laughed. "Ryan pulled his ear away from the door as he realized what must have been going on in the room. He continued walking down the hallway.
When he was close enough to Cloe's guest room, he hear a moan come from inside. It was definitely Cloe. Ryan walked up to the door and opened it a crack. Cloe moaned again, this time a little louder. Ryan moved inside and silently closed the door behind him. Cloe moved in her sleep as Ryan crept closer to the bed.
When he reached her bedside, he looked at his girlfriend's sleeping body. He smiled to himself as he thought of how beautiful she was. "Ryan." Cloe muttered in her sleep. 'Should I wake her?' Ryan thought silently to himself. Cloe shifted again.
Ryan found her appearance quite amusing. Cloe had one hand flung above her head and the other off to the side of the bed. Though she was under the covers, Ryan could tell that Cloe's legs were thrust apart. 'What was that girl dreaming about?' Ryan wondered to himself.
As if to answer his question, Cloe gave a little laugh and muttered, "Ryan." Then, she let out a little sigh. She was happily dreaming of him. Ryan walked to the other side of the bed and sat down on the edge of it. Cloe let out a small yelp. Her chest was heaving and her breathing got shorter and quicker.
Ryan leaned over and started to shake her. Almost immediately at his touch, she jolted awake panting. Ryan pulled back a bit concerned by Cloe's sudden break into a cold sweat. Cloe was flattened to the bed in fear. She was as frightened as anyone would have been, if they'd witnessed what she had.
Completely unaware that anyone was it the room with her, Cloe sat up and stretched her arms out to the side rather quickly. "Ow." A voice stated a bit loudly. Cloe froze and looked over at the figure sitting on the other side of the bed.
Cloe dropped her arms in shock and let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Neither person spoke. 'Who is in the same bed as me?' Cloe thought trying to suppress a scream. She finally saw the outline of the guy sitting on the bed.
"Cloe." Ryan's voice whispered to her in a slightly shocked tone, "I came in here to wake you and you hit me?" "Ryan," Cloe stated a bit relaxed, "Why did you want to wake me?" "I heard you making noises and you started thrashing about." Ryan shrugged, "I wanted to know if you were all right."
"That's sweet." Cloe said to him affectionately. "What were you dreaming about?" Ryan asked curiously. Cloe blushed in the darkness before saying, "Someone special." "Then why did you start thrashing about and screaming?" Ryan's voice hinted concern.
Cloe remembered all that she'd seen. "Your mother…Rachael's mom…your grandfather." Cloe stammered, "It was all so real." "Go on." Ryan urged her with interest and possibly fear. "They need our help, Ryan!" Cloe said softly, but urgently, "They're captured…in Magicath."
The two of them sat in silence wondering where Magicath was…and how to get there. They'd never really thought about it before. "Did you see who it was?" Ryan asked hopefully. "Unfortunately, no." Cloe sighed, but quickly remembered, "But I have narrowed it down to three suspects." Ryan was silent, so Cloe continued to name them, "Troy, Gabriela, or Theresa could all be the ones after you."
Ryan quietly considered the thought. He and Sharpay had both caught Troy and Gabriella looking at the musical's sign up sheet. Maybe, they were the ones after them. The only problem was that Troy was nowhere near the event when it had happened the other day.
"I'm really sorry, Ryan." Cloe apologized, taking his silence for anger. "For what?" Ryan asked. "I tried my hardest to see who your attacker/saboteur is. You know my abilities are just developing and meditating is supposed to make the thoughts come clearer. I'm so sorry, but I tried." Cloe had felt a sudden pang of guilt as she turned to look at the one person who really cared about her.
She'd let him down and she felt horrible about not being able to give him more information. "Cloe." Ryan said soothingly, knowing just how painful it was to not know the important answers, "Don't be mad at yourself. It's not your fault."
He moved closer to Cloe and held her in a tight embrace. Ryan knew that, even though she didn't, Cloe wanted to move away. Instead, Cloe just sat there with her body in his arms. Something about it made her feel horribly guilty. Maybe it was because they were in the dark alone.
Even though that was an intriguing thought, Cloe finally managed to break away from Ryan's grasp. "What's wrong?" Ryan asked, not understanding why she was so uncomfortable. "I don't know." Cloe told him, "Something doesn't feel right."
Ryan knew what that meant and he did not want to make Cloe feel uncomfortable around him, so he moved back to give her some space. "Like what?" Ryan asked, just to be sure. "I'm not sure, but I'm getting this strange feeling." Cloe explained, "Maybe I should talk to Zac. It could be another vision that's trying to get through."
"As good as that sounds," Ryan told her, remembering what he'd heard from Rachael's guest room, "I think Zac is kind of…busy right now." "With what?" Cloe asked with confusion. What could a genie possibly be doing at this time of day?
"Rachael." Ryan shifted uncomfortably upon saying this. Right now, he wasn't in the mood to interrupt them. He looked down at the bed and barely noticed Cloe's sudden movement. He felt her brush against his arm.
When he looked up, he found himself almost nose to nose with the girl he thought he loved more than anyone else in the world at the moment. "What is he doing to her?" Cloe asked almost demanding an answer.
Ryan looked back at her a bit stupefied at her question. It was obviously clear that Cloe wasn't in the mood to be ignored. As Ryan opened his mouth to answer, Cloe's collided with his and the two stayed there in the dark connected. Ryan grabbed her close to him and she hugged him back.
(A/N) I wrote this chapter really long to make up for all the shortness of all of my early chapters. I hope this makes up for it. Did I do a good job? If you have any questions, ask me and I will tell you what you will be allowed to know. R&R!