Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical…or Lucas Grabeel…or anything you recognize. However, I do own the characters you don't recognize…well, by now you should recognize them since this is the 33rd chapter, so I'll rephrase that last statement. Clears throat. I own everything you don't recognize…from the movie. K? Good. Now plz continue reading and review for me so that I'll have my full demand of 200 reviews for this fic. YAY!
Chapter 33: The Amulet
"How does someone get so insanely evil?" Sharpay asked as she looked up to see Ryan and Rachael hovering in a cage with Theresa sitting on top of it holding Zac's lamp and a peculiar green amulet. "Oh, we've set pretty high standards." Theresa smiled smugly. "What standards?" Sharpay screamed in confusion and anger. "None that wouldn't apply to you." Theresa mocked. Sharpay narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists as she started growling in offense. She raised her hands above her head so her palms were flat. "Uh, uh." Theresa scolded shaking her head with a sly grin, "You wouldn't want ou beloved brother to have an accident, now would you?"
Sharpay lowered her hands and clenched her fists again, digging her nails into her skin. She was losing control and that was exactly what Theresa wanted her to do. Cloe looked up and saw Rachael whispering something to Ryan whose face was drained of all color as he looked down at Cloe. Something wasn't right. "Face it, Sharpay. You know the saying 'If you can't beat them, join them'. I think that applies here. Don't you?" Theresa prodded, "I have the lamp and the amulet. I have your family! There's only one more person I need and that's you."
"You know, I'm not the only one here." Sharpay reminded her suspiciously. "So, Cloe's psychic. Big whoop! It's you who really matters." Theresa stated, "Give up; join me. You can have everything you've ever wanted. You know it's all about you." "Tempting offer, but I get everything I want now." Sharpay spat, venom pulsing through her veins. "Not quite." Theresa corrected as she smiled smugly. She waved her hand and an orb appeared in mid-air between the two groups. An image of Troy appeared in the middle of it. "This…this is what you really want and you know you can't have it." Theresa teased, as an image of Gabriella appeared next to Troy's image, "And this is why."
The orb disappeared bringing the images with it. "If you eliminate the problem, you get what you want." Theresa tempted. "Don't do it, Shar." Ryan suddenly blurted out. "Silence!: Theresa shouted at him and shocked him with her magic, making him jolt back in pain. "You can't do that to him!" Sharpay and Cloe screeched then glanced at each other briefly before focusing on Theresa again. "Oh, yes I can." Theresa said confidently.
"Stay out of it, Cloe." Ryan warned and Theresa sent another shock to him body. Rachael had crawled over to him and attempted to help ease the pain. "Ryan, just…shut up!" Sharpay yelled at her twin, so he wouldn't get hurt again. He'd suffered enough just trying to protect her and he didn't need anymore pain. Plus, if anyone was going to torture her brother, it would be her. "Anyone else have something to say?" Theresa asked, daring someone else to speak and sighed when no one did, "I didn't think so."
"Are you going to torture us and then leave us to suffer?" Cloe finally stepped up and asked her, "You figure you know everything and can torture them, but forget about me? How typically naïve of the villain." "Hey, that's my job, plus there's nothing you can do to stop me." Theresa exclaimed as she let her hand with the green amulet drop down to the bars of the cage. "That's what I thought you'd say." Cloe responded trying to buy them some time, "So typical."
She saw Ryan inch towards the hand with the amulet. "I have nothing else to say about it. With this amulet I can –" she stated and stopped, realizing that the amulet was no longer in her hand, "All right, whoever took it is going to pay. They better return it…now!" "That's not going to happen anytime soon." Rachael stated as Ryan held up the amulet. "Cloe, catch." Ryan shouted and tossed it to her; when she caught it he instructed, "Quick, put it on!"
"No!" Theresa screamed, eyes full of rage, "If you do, I'll make you pay. I'll take away your little friends." "Just do it." Ryan told her and Theresa shot another shock through his body, "Trust me." Cloe slowly put it on and cast them all a confused look. "I warned you. Now I'll have to get rid of all of you." Theresa muttered in frustration, "You are such typical 'heroes'. Always getting in the way and making my job harder."
As the amulet around Cloe's neck glowed bright green, Theresa floated down to the floor. She trudged over to Cloe, who was looking up questioningly at Ryan and Rachael. "Cloe." Sharpay muttered, "Be careful." Theresa stopped in front of the two, pushed Sharpay out of the way, and crossed her arms. Cloe looked at Theresa and realized the amulet was glowing even brighter. "You have three seconds to hand it over to me or I'll have to take it from you." Theresa demanded intimidating even for her small size.
"No." Cloe responded trying to sound confident, "Why should I give this to you?" Theresa glared at her. "Because I said so." She complained, eyeing the amulet with greed, "Now give it back." "I'm warning you, Cloe. Don't do it." Ryan warned her desperately. "Do I have to keep doing this over and over until you learn?" Theresa called frustration clear in the way she thrust her hands in his direction and sent an even more powerful shock through his body.
This time, Cloe felt it too and it seriously hurt. 'Poor Ryan.' She thought as she clutched her stomach. Then, she realized that Theresa wasn't aiming the pain towards her, but she was feeling Ryan's pain. And she was also feeling his frustration and fear. Psychics feel the emotions of the people around them and sometimes their pain. Then, Cloe realized something and quickly devised a plan. "If you want the amulet, you'll have to take it from me." She managed to say.
Theresa stopped producing the magical blast and faced Cloe. "You're going to let me take it?" Theresa questioned in disbelief and Cloe nodded, "Good girl." Ryan and Rachael both looked at each other knowing what Cloe was trying to do. Sharpay, on the other hand, did not. She stared in pure horror at the scene in front of her. She was still angry that she'd been pushed aside and wanted to knock Theresa to the ground. Instead, she remained rooted to the spot, focusing on what was about to happen.
As Theresa's hands reached out greedily towards the glowing green, Cloe squinted her eyes shut. The second Theresa's fingertips touched the amulet, she was blast backwards. The cage containing Ryan and Rachael disappeared and the two fell. Sharpay instinctively thrust out her hands and the two stopped right before they hit the ground. "I think I've said this before, but just in case…I'm mildly afraid of heights." Ryan stated and Sharpay gently placed them on the ground. They all sighed in relief. "I don't blame you." Rachael whispered to him.
"I should have seen that one coming." Theresa complained as she sat up where she'd landed, "You tricked me! You are such a tool, do you know that?" Cloe opened her eyes and looked around to see that the glowing had subsided. Rachael and Ryan were standing up slowly a few feet away and Sharpay was signaling them to be prepared for anything. "I should have realized that amulet was linked to you." Theresa scowled at Cloe before standing up, "It's only making you harder to defeat. That's going to make my next task more difficult."
She stood up and walked over to Cloe, who had backed into the wall. "In order to get the amulet from you…" Theresa grinned wickedly before stopping a few feet in front of her, "I have to get rid of you. For good." She thrust her hands in front of her as the three screamed, "No!" Theresa shot a powerful blast at Cloe.
(A/N) Ooh, I feel so evil. Another cliffie sent your way. Well, I want reviews and I still want 200 for this entire fic, so plz even if you have to go back and review for old chappies, just plz do so and I won't finish this fic until I get my 200 complete. So, technically now it would be still around 7 per chappie I've posted. K? That's definitely fair, so review away! Thx for everyone who has reviewed for every single chappie. And thx so much Char for being there for me. Means so much! Luv ya! What do you think will happen next? Will Cloe make it? Find out in the next chappie! L8rs!