Three Delivery "Another Dimension" 6
By Crystalquirt
Nana still has the portal recipe. She used it successfully to get the kids back from another dimension. Kong Li escaped with the Black Liquid recipe from the kitchen where he was fighting with Nana, Sue, Sid and Tobey.
*A 'pile' is a vertical structure member used to support the load, in a pier it's the column or pole that goes down in the water which the pier is built on. I hope I'm describing it clearly.
Violence, more violence, possibly disturbing and scary situations, mild expletive.
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From part 5
Before Sid went to their room to rest he went to the store room and got a hammer and nails, and the longest rope he could find. There was no one around when he pried up a step in the staircase and dropped the rope down into the space.
He hammered the step back down tight and returned the hammer to its place in the store room.
"If I ever do fall down there, now I can get back out!" satisfied, he went to rest a while like he promised Nana. Sid was having some left-over worries from what he went through too.
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Tobey was sleeping fitfully. When Sid got back up to their room, he arrived just in time to catch him as he fell off the top bunk. When Tobey landed in his arms he startled in his sleep and started punching.
Sid calmly let him roll out of his arms and onto the lower bunk. That woke him up. Tobey landed facing the wall and looked back over his shoulder at Sid.
Sid sat on the edge of the bunk and spoke softly. "What was your nightmare about?"
Tobey rolled over and looked at him through wet eyes. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"
"No, I just came in. I had something to do first. Are you still worried that Nana doesn't want you around?"
"I don't think so, but in my dreams she hits me. I've never had dreams like this before."
"Well, if you're gonna be thrashing around in your sleep - stay down here on my bunk, I'll go up top for now. You won't have so far to fall if I miss catching you."
"Ok"
"And remember, we all love you and want you around - no matter what happens." Sid hoped one of the times he heard it, it would really sink in and Tobey would feel better.
"Thanks Sid."
Sid climbed up the ladder, but paused and looked back down at Tobey. "I'm not gonna find where you're hiding month-old shrimp or something up here for a midnight snack - am I?"
"I don't think you'll find it." Tobey smiled and closed his eyes again. Sid stretched out on top of the comforter, not really wanting to see what might be lurking in Tobey's bunk.
As soon as it got quiet and Sid closed his eyes, he heard Nana's and Kong Li's voices repeating, 'You ran away.' he rolled over and heard 'You wouldn't help him.' It had seemed so real. He could still see Tobey falling with the arrow he shot from his bow, sticking out of his gut and Tobey's pained expression.
Before Tobey went back to sleep he noticed Sid was really restless, and he thought he heard him crying. No way! Is Sid crying? Tobey called up, "You ok Sid?"
"Just fine." He tried too hard to sound 'normal.'
"I don't believe you. What happened to you? You know, in the void?"
"Kong Li took over Chinatown and enslaved everyone."
"But what happened to you?"
Sid made a sound like a hiccup trying not to cry. "I ran away. I couldn't take the responsibility and ran. I injured you badly and then couldn't make my feet move to help you. I watched Kong Li kill you and Sue and didn't do anything to help either of you! It was so real!" his voice cracked and Tobey could tell that he was really crying now.
"I know Sid, Nana yelling at me and kicking me in the head seemed very real too. But I know she would never do that. Just like you would never leave us hanging, buddy. There is no way you would ever not back us up in a fight, we know we can depend on you."
Tobey was climbing back up the ladder with a box of tissues to sit with Sid if he wanted to talk. Sid turned to the wall and used the tissues before speaking again.
"Thanks, but the problem is - I really do have doubts - I wanted to be a 'normal' kid and do kid stuff. Sometimes I really do hate all the responsibility."
Tobey added. "And sometimes I just think it's all too good to be true. To have been adopted by Nana, and get to stay with you and Sue, my best friends – and be a superhero to save Chinatown! It's just . . . epic! I have doubts sometimes that I really don't deserve this life and I'm terrified it will all end."
"Yeah, I guess that's what the void did. It took our fears and intensified them - and made them 'real'. I really hate Kong Li for doing this to us."
"You sound better - do you feel any better Sid?"
"I think so Tobey . . . thanks."
Sid was thoughtful for a moment. "I wonder what Sue experienced? She wouldn't say a word about it."
"Yeah, even I can tell she's wound up tight about something. Barney didn't stand a chance when he accidentally startled her before." As Tobey went back down the ladder he made a punching motion with his fist and a splat sound, mimicking Barney hitting the floor after Sue hit him.
Tobey left the tissue above with Sid and stretched out on his back staring up at the bottom of the top bunk.
They were both feeling better, but both closed their eyes worrying about Sue.
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Sue didn't go to sleep right away either. She could hear Sid and Tobey talking and banging around in their room. It didn't bother her at all. She was so happy they were all home it was comforting to hear them.
She finally shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep with images of Barney smiling at her, being interrupted by him tearing at her clothes. Every time she saw Barney plunge the knife into Sid's chest - even in her sleep she felt an ache in her chest.
A couple of hours later Sid and Tobey were finally sleeping soundly. Tobey dreamed of shrimp toast and all he could drink hot and sour soup filling up the bathtub. They were both startled awake by screaming.
Sid forgot he was on the top bunk and almost fell off. "Sue!" they both ran to her room.
Sue was thrashing around, totally wrapped up in her blanket. "Barney! NO!" she screamed again after they were at her side. Sid held her shoulders gently and called her name until she woke up. Then he helped her get out of her blanket.
"Are you alright Sue?" Tobey asked. He nervously watched while Sid tried to calm her. He sat down on the foot of her bed. Sid sat on the edge next to her.
"I'm fine Tobey. Just a bad dream I guess."
Sid looked at her with a worried look. "It sounded like a bad dream about Barney. Why would you have a nightmare about Barney?"
"Maybe she dreamed he wouldn't take her dancing." Tobey guessed.
"Probably more than that - Tobey."
"Just never mind guys, I don't want to talk about it."
"Sue, tell us. What happened to you while you were in the other dimension?"
"I can't, it was too awful."
"Tobey and I didn't have any fun either – but I does help to talk about it. Come on Sue. You said you lost control of a situation. What was the situation?"
Oh alright, if you think it will help. "I was weak – I hated it! I suddenly had no kung fu skill" she still tried to not really talk about it.
"That happened before, when my stupid wish about being normal came true. We all lost our skills for real for a little while. That's what my nightmare was about in the void - my fear of not facing my responsibility . . . but you know now what happened in the void isn't real. You weren't this upset even when it happened for real. What else happened to you?"
"That's it."
Tobey tried, "No way, tell us! Maybe we can help – it can't hurt you know, you know you can tell us anything and we aren't leaving until you spill you're guts!"
"Oh alright, Barney finally noticed me! He finally told me that he thought I was pretty but he wound up attacking me." She looked away trying to keep from crying. "He hurt me . . ."
"Oh Sue." Sid put his hand on her shoulder.
". . . and when you caught him and tried to stop him from hurting me, he killed you!" Sue's lower lip was quivering.
"You died in my arms – and it was all my fault! If I hadn't wanted him to notice me or like me, if I had been strong and able to protect myself, you wouldn't have had to come to my rescue!"
Sid found his muscles tensing, his anger rose – anger at Barney! "Hurt you? How? You mean he . . . ?"
He had to focus and concentrate just too keep from getting angry himself. It would be hard to convince her it wasn't real – if he let himself react how he first felt like reacting - even the thought of anyone touching his sister that way . . . was too much.
Sue didn't answer him. Instead, she started sobbing and covered her face with her hands. Sid pulled her over hand hugged her. "I couldn't stand it Sid, I felt so helpless and stupid."
"You know now that it wasn't real right? It never happened – I know Barney would never do that to you."
"Yes, I know, and he would never kill you either. Even if he attacked you, you would wipe the floor with him. But I don't want to ever have to have someone else help me! How can I go through life knowing there might be something happen that I can't handle myself?"
"You've always been able to handle whatever happens. Tobey and I count on you a lot."
"But what if I can't handle something someday, if I am not strong, if I'm not able to defend myself and either one of you got hurt or killed! I don't want to ever have to be saved!"
"Lots of bad things could happen in life, and no one knows for sure that they will be able to handle everything that happens - especially alone. We can't live in fear."
"Yeah Sue, It's ok to depend on me and Sid for anything!"
"Ya, we always have your back Mei Mei."
"But . . ." Sue leaned back a little and wiped her eyes, just as her phone rang. Sid saw it was Nana and answered it for her. He could tell his little sister was still having some huge doubts.
He agreed and hung up. "We gotta go. Nana found Kong Li!"
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Nana searched all of Kong Li's known hangouts and wound up at the wharf again. She sat on a bench across from a warehouse. Looking at her watch reminded her of each minute passing, and Kong Li getting closer to using the Black Liquid recipe against Chinatown.
With any luck the three at home were getting some rest, but she was very worried about them and knew they would need more than a little rest to recover completely. It saddened her that soon she would find Kong Li and would need them to help again, without giving them any time to recover, physically or mentally.
Kong Li was also at the wharf very near the spot where Nana had stopped to think. He was inside the warehouse nearby, cooking up more of the Black Liquid recipe and experimenting with it on different surfaces. He poured the prepared recipe into several vials and small bottles and hid them in his pockets.
A nasty strange smell wafted to Nana. She looked around and saw the colorful smoke coming out a window across the way. As she watched, a section of the wall melted right before her eyes! She knew she had found Kong Li, and called Sue's phone.
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Sid and Sue had already pulled on their heavy shirts. Sid was putting his shoes on. Tobey was in the kitchen. Sid observed that Tobey was still very weak. "Tobey you can't go - your hands are shaking."
"Yeah, you lost a lot of blood and the doctor wanted you to get a lot of rest." Sue paused as she tied her shoes.
"No way – I just need something to eat – I'm fine." Tobey was gulping hot soup out right out of the pot again. Barney was beside himself, "I just made that for the customers!"
"I'm not going to goof off here while you're in a fight. Weren't we just talking about this? I've always got your backs and always will have." Tobey finished off the soup and the three went out in the garden to get their bikes. They left Barney in the kitchen alone complaining about having to make more soup. He hadn't heard a word they said about what was going on.
They found their bikes wet. "Oh man, why did it have to be raining?" Sid tried to wipe off his seat before he got on – but realized how silly that was. It was raining so hard everything was soaked and was going to stay that way for a while.
They put on their helmets and took off standing up on the pedals to go as fast as they could.
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When they arrived at the wharf, Sue, Sid and Tobey rode their bikes up on the grass between the street and the paths used by forklifts to the warehouses. Nana was down on a pier already fighting with Kong Li.
They jumped off their bikes without stopping. The three bikes rolled as short distance and fell over as after the three landed in a run. Tobey was a little slower than usual, but was right behind them! The rain stung their skin it was so cold and the strong wind made it hard to run in a straight line.
As got close they watched Kong Li throw a vial that could only be the Black Liquid recipe at Nana to try to melt her!
"Nana No!" Sue screamed! The wind tossed ocean spray over the pier to mix with the rain in the wind and made it hard to see or hear anything sometimes.
Nana couldn't hear Sue yelling at her as they ran up. She back flipped away from Kong Li and the vial missed. It broke against a stack of wooden crates and they melted into a gooey brown puddle. The rain was pounding so hard what was left of the melted boxes quickly washed away.
Kong Li kicked Nana and she fell back against the railing. He was laughing as they came up. Nana glared at him and resumed her dragon stance.
The kids' arrival distracted their enemy for a moment while Nana caught her breath. Kong Li saw them coming and backed away down the pier. He waved his hands and two lumps of black clay-like material appeared on either side of him.
With a wave of his hand and an incantation, they formed into humanoid forms. Two shape shifters! Kong Li stood between them and waited for Sid, Sue and Tobey to realize just how much trouble they had run into.
They all three looked nervous, and watched for Kong Li to make the next move. Nana backed up a little and stood with Sid, Sue and Tobey. Her wet hair fell out the bun and hung down her back.
The shape shifters jumped in front of Kong Li and charged. Sid ran forward first. "Stay here, I will handle this!"
"Not alone you won't!" Sue was right behind him. Tobey asked Nana if she was ok.
"I'm fine, be careful you three - Kong Li was cooking when I found him."
Tobey ran in and delivered a palm to one of the shape shifter's faces. It rolled away and turned into a dog before attacking again. As it tried to bit Tobey's face, he grabbed it by the fur on both sides of its head and held it back.
Sid still argued, "No Sue! I said stay back – protect Nana while I take care of this."
"And I said you can't do it alone – you don't have to do everything yourself to prove you won't run away." Sid realized what she was saying and let her take the shape shifter while he went after Kong Li. Nana joined him.
Tobey managed to keep the dog-shaped shifter's teeth away, but didn't have the strength to push it off with only his hands. His wrists pained him under the strain. The rain soaked his clothes and the bandages on his wrists through to his skin. The strain of holding onto shifty ripped his stitches and blood soaked all the way back through the bandages and his shirt.
Tobey got his foot under the shifter's stomach and kicked. The large dog-shifter went off the side of the pier but appeared again right away as a large bird flying right at him. Tobey used his painful hands again to block the bird and it landed on the deck near him. As Tobey let out a kung fu yell and started to run at it, the shifter started to transform again.
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Sue looked at Tobey and the shifter she was fighting took the chance and got in a good punch. She fell into the boxes next to the ones that had been melted and barely avoided falling off the pier.
She glanced again at Tobey while the shifter was running at her. He wasn't doing well, and even from where she was, she could tell his wrists were bloody again. Tobey paused to brace against the wind to keep it from blowing him off the pier.
Determined to do the 'saving' this time, and help Tobey she fought her opponent with renewed vigor. The hard rain in her face made her blink. She could hardly see, but it didn't even slow her down.
Sid stood with Nana against Kong Li. They had each narrowly avoided being melted by the recipe. Sid was still over compensating, trying to be sure he was doing all he could to protect everyone and do it all himself. He was getting very tired already. Nana caught him breathing hard and holding his arm where Tobey's pocket knife had stabbed him I the moments after she knocked Kong Li down.
"What's wrong with your arm Sid?"
"Nothing!" Sid charged Kong Li again, only to be thrown back off of Kong Li's staff. Nana completed a round kick and took Kong Li's feet out from under him. Sid jumped in and reached into his cloak for the recipe.
Kong Li growled and knocked Sid away before he jumped to his feet. Once up he kicked Sid and connected right over the place where he was holding his arm, knowing he was injured there already.
Sid gritted his teeth and yelled holding his arm tightly against his body again. Nana ran in, and Kong Li through a whirlwind at her. Nana and Sid were both swept up in it. Nana grabbed onto Sid and guided him back down to the pier instead of the water with a wind spell of her own.
But now they were way back near shore when they landed, and they immediately started running back to the fight.
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Tobey gasped when the shifter he was fighting took form again. It was his Nana's form! Even though Tobey saw the shifter take Nana's look, and new it couldn't really be her, he still screamed "No!" and backed up with his arms wrapped around his stomach.
The shifter ran at him and delivered a series of punches and kicks that all landed on their target and Tobey cried out each time. He couldn't make himself hit 'Nana' back and was really freaked out by her hitting him, just like in his nightmare!
The others heard him scream, "No Nana, please – I'm sorry!"
Sid said "Oh no! Tobey's apologizing to the shifter – he thinks it's really you Nana?"
Nana just frowned, not taking her eyes off of Tobey.
Tobey screamed loudly when the shifter-Nana kicked him in the stomach and he flew into the boxes. The one on top fell off and was blown way out to sea by the strong wind before it hit the waves. The shifter went to where he fell and kicked him again. Tobey rolled into a fetal position trying to protect himself while shifter-Nana struck him three more times.
They all heard Tobey screaming. Sid and Nana were running and would come to his aide first. Sue knocked her shifter off the pier and even though it tried to shift into a bird, it was caught in the wind and blown into the water.
She went to help Tobey, but Kong Li struck her in the head with his staff from behind. She got right back up and faced him; very happy she still had her bike helmet on. "You fight dirty don't ya?"
"You have no idea!" Kong Li replied.
Sid couldn't believe his eyes – Tobey looked so . . . helpless! "Oh no! Of all the things – why did it have to turn into you Nana? He's not fighting back!"
"What's wrong with him?"
"Nana – you hit him in his nightmare in the void – it is one of the things he is most afraid of!" and then to Tobey he yelled "Tobey! That isn't Nana! – FIGHT BACK!"
Tobey heard him, but was not in a frame of mind to believe him. He was about to break and give up completely. The wind and rain, and the torture his already, weak body was enduring and the emotional pain of being abused again by Nana was too much for him to take again. He started sobbing instead of fighting back.
"Sid! Help Sue with Kong Li, I think it's important I help Tobey!"
"Right!"
As Nana landed feet first into the Nana-shape shifter and knocked it away from Tobey, Sid ran by and joined Sue in her fight against Kong Li.
Sid was surprised, and Kong Li laughed when she told him she didn't need help and to go back to help Tobey. "But Sue?" Kong Li punched Sue just to show her she might need Sid after all.
Kong Li raised his staff to strike Sid and Sue ran back in and blocked it. "NO! I won't let you be hurt again!"
Sue battled Kong Li alone and backed him out to the end of the pier. Not seeing an opening for him to jump in and help her, Sid stood near ready if she needed him until he saw the first shape shifter that went into the ocean coming back as a very large bat! So large it wasn't being blown around by the strong winds.
When it landed on the pier in-between the two battles that were already being fought, it changed into its humanoid form. Sid picked up rusty chain lying nearby and used a length between his hands to block the shape shifters first punch. The chain sliced Shifty's hand off at the wrist and it landed on Sid's shoulder. Ew! He brushed it off and knocked Shifty into the water below.
Winds continued to rage and rain pelted everyone as they fought. Tobey opened his eyes when he stopped being kicked, and saw the two Nana's fighting. He was so scared and confused at the sight he couldn't move.
Fortunately Nana was doing very well on her own, and after she was sure Tobey saw her fighting with 'herself' with three hard strikes the Nana-shifter was thrown off the pier and caught in the wind. It hit the water way out in the ocean and turned into a whale before swimming away.
Kong Li saw the last of his little army swimming away and snarled as he went after Sue again. Sid was running back to help her.
Tobey tried weakly to get up and Nana tried to take his arm to help him, but he leaned away from her – like he expected her to hit him again. "Tobey – it's alright – I would never hurt you!" she pulled him close and hugged him tight. "Nana." He whispered and started to cry.
"Tobey we have to help Sue and Sid with Kong Li, are you up to it?"
"Yeah, let's go Nana." He followed her to stand against Kong Li.
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Kong Li fought with a strategy and soon had Sue at the edge on the end of the pier. He grinned and took out three of his vials. He threw them in rapid succession in a line trapping Sue at the end of the pier. He backed up a little when the magic melted the boards closer to him than he planned.
The wooden planks and steel that the liquid hit turned soft and dripped into the waves below. Sue was left on just the width of one plank supported by the last two piles on each end. She got ready to jump back across but hesitated waiting to see what Kong Li would do. She saw Nana and Tobey running toward her, and Sid in the lead.
Kong Li threw another whole bottle at Sue's feet. She jumped into the air to avoid being hit by the melting recipe.
When she landed over the same spot where the Black Liquid recipe hit, the boards melted out from under her feet and she fell through. She caught the soft, melting edge with her fingers but it was melting faster than she could climb up on it.
They all saw Sue fall through the pier. Sid screamed her name and slid to a stop in front of Kong Li, but the enemy slammed his staff into him and knocked him down through the hole too. On the way down, Sid grabbed the end of Kong Li's staff and saw Sue was still hanging on too.
All Kong Li would have had to do was drop his staff, and Sid would have been sure to fall, but there was no way he would lose his staff. He kicked Sid's hands trying to get him off. Sid screamed at Sue "Hang on!"
Kong Li was off-balance, trying to kick Sid to make him let go of his red dragon staff. Nana landed a kick and took his legs out from under him. As Kong Li let go of the staff and fell, Nana caught it and yelled at Sid to hang on!
As Kong Li went down, he grabbed the staff too and was hanging face to face with Sid. Now Nana was straining to hold them both up while they hit each other. "Sid hurry and get him off, I can't hold you both!"
She hooked the head of the staff over a cable that tied what was left of the pier together. She prayed that she, the staff and the cable could hold the weight.
Kong Li punched Sid in the mouth and his hands slid off the staff. He caught Kong Li's cape as he fell and started climbing hand over hand back up on it. With Sid's weight hanging from his cape Kong Li found it choking him and tried to knock him off with his elbows.
Sid hung on tight and climbed him like a pole. Kong Li thrashed so hard, his hands finally slipped off the staff, and just in time Sid caught it again with one hand. Nana had been holding her breath and finally dared to breathe again when she saw him catch the staff again.
Tobey jumped the hole and put his hand down to help Sue up. He reached for her just as her fingers slipped off the melting board and he . . . caught her! Her hands were full of slimy melted wood and he could feel her slipping away.
Tobey screamed at Sue to hold on then he screamed for help, but her hands slipped from his and she fell. She made a small splash in the choppy waves below and disappeared in the spray and rain! Tobey immediately dived in after her.
Sid kicked Kong Li's hands until it loosened his grip and soon his boots fell off. Kong Li went with Sid's boots into the water near where Sue and Tobey fell.
Nana helped Sid out, and he panicked when he saw Tobey and Sue were gone. "Where are they?"
"They fell into the water!"
He took a step to the edge planning to dive in after both of them and Nana stopped him. "Wait Sid, Tobey needs to save Sue, and Sue needs to be saved, and you don't have to prove yourself to anyone."
"Give them another ten seconds to appear. If not, we'll both go in after them." Sid held on to the railing and braced against the wind. He could barely stand to follow Nana's instructions for him to wait. His sister and best friend could be drowning!
In just a moment he saw Tobey walk out of the water carrying Sue across his arms. He collapsed to his knees and put her down. Sid and Nana ran back to come down the bank to the beach.
Tobey took Sue's helmet off her head and felt for a pulse, his relief at finding her pulse vanished quickly when he saw she wasn't breathing! "Come on Sue!"
He tilted her head back and pinched her nose closed. "Please breathe!" He could barely draw a deep breath himself to blow hard enough to make her chest rise, but he did it. "Breathe-Sue! Breathe!" he pleaded with her.
In-between each breath, as he counted – he looked around frantically for Nana and Sid wishing they would come help him, but didn't see them anywhere. He was concerned too, that maybe Kong Li had hurt them.
Desperate to save Sue, he stayed focused on what he had to do for her and just hoped Nana and Sid handled whatever happened on the pier. After the third time he breathed life into her, Sue coughed and Tobey turned her on her side.
Water ran out of her nose and mouth into the sand. Tobey put his forehead on her shoulder and closed his eyes. He was exhausted and so happy to hear her coughing. The rain slowed to a slow drizzle and the wind turned into a breeze.
After Nana saw that Tobey got her breathing again, she allowed Sid to run to them. He had been about to burst! Nana ran too just behind him. Tobey perked up again when he heard them coming. "You guys are ok! I was afraid Kong Li hurt you!" Sue opened her eyes and sat up with Tobey's help. "Sue! Sue almost . . ." Tobey's voice cracked and tears well up in his eyes.
Nana sat in the sand next to him, "It's ok Tobey, and you saved her! You did it! She might have died if you hadn't been here and able to save her." Tobey covered his face with his hands.
"Are you hurt anywhere Sue?"
"No I'm fine, thanks Tobey." He smiled at her; she hugged him and gave him a light peck on his cheek, which really made him blush. The drizzling rain stopped and a rainbow appeared in the sky over the ocean.
"I guess being saved isn't so bad, it's certainly better than the alternative if you find yourself in that position." Nana smiled at Sue and began teaching. Sid, Sue and Tobey sat quietly and listened.
"Finding yourself in a position to need saving, can't always be avoided, and it's not your fault – unless you're being careless. I think you know the difference. We must always be mindful."
"Sid? Wasn't it great that you didn't have to do it all – do you see you can't do it all? You don't have to prove to anyone that you are brave or responsible. We have no doubts in you, overcome yours."
"Tobey experienced crippling fear. It felt terrible, didn't it?" Tobey nodded. "You have already experienced what you think would be the worst possible thing that could happen. Next step is to accept it – and realize you will be fine through it all!"
"All three of you are perfect the way you are, and I'm so happy I was lucky enough to have you all come into my life. Watch feelings and fears that come up in the next few weeks extra carefully. Be sure you are seeing them clearly for what they are. We will add another meditation session to our schedule for a while you will all benefit I'm sure."
For once no one complained about practicing more. Even Tobey listened quietly and nodded.
"There's only one thing we did wrong, our fight isn't over. Kong Li got away with the recipe."
"But didn't he drown Nana? He hasn't come out of the water yet." Tobey knew he was wishing.
"We didn't see him come out of the water, but you know he has a habit of returning after we think he is gone for good."
"We know our fight isn't over, but what did we do wrong Nana?"
"Kong Li still has the Black Liquid recipe! We couldn't get it this time, even though I know you all tried your best."
"But Nana, I didn't! I froze and couldn't fight when the shifter took your form I freaked out!"
"Tobey, look carefully - see the situation clearly. You did do your best. You did the best you could tonight. Just because we lose a fight or fail, doesn't mean we didn't do our best does it? We all have our own conditionings and fears we have to deal with, and I know you all can do it, you prove over and over that you are all brave enough to face your fears!"
Sid had been smiling, and when she finished he giggled not able to hold it in anymore.
"Why are you laughing Sid, we fought so hard, and almost lost Sue, and still didn't get the recipe." Tobey frowned at him.
"Yeah, well," he pulled something out of his pocket. "We got the recipe!"
"Sid! You're a genius! When did you get it?"
"When I was hanging off his cape, he never even felt me picking his pocket!"
"Great job!"
Sid helped Sue and Tobey stand and they had a group hug. Sid dropped the recipe and Nana smiled and picked it up.
When they let go of each other, and the adrenalin in their body's came down, so did Tobey.
He almost fell he got so dizzy. Sid and Sue caught him together. Sid picked him up across his arms and carried him back up the hill. Tobey argued that he could do it on his own. "Let me down, this is embarrassing." Sid ignored him, and he really was too weak to do anything about it.
At the top, in the grassy area where they left their bikes they stopped and sat down in the wet grass. Sid took his heavy outside shirt off and gave it to Sue. She was shivering from being in the ocean. Nana called a cab.
Sid saw Tobey was shivering too, but only had one shirt to give. "Nana? Shouldn't Tobey go back to the hospital?" Tobey frowned at him even though he knew he was just worried.
"I don't think so,"Nana sat down by him and checked him. "I think he just needs some more hot and sour soup and maybe a few of my herbs. That should perk him right up. What do you think Tobey?"
"Whatever you say Nana." He smiled weakly at her.
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Nana kept all three out of school the rest of the day, and the next. She used some of her favorite healing herbs on Tobey when she rebandaged his wrists after he had a shower. Sue was still coughing up seawater. Tobey, Sue and Sid slept almost all the rest of the day. If Tobey wasn't sleeping, he was eating. Even though they were all three bruised and battered, they all said they felt good enough to go on deliveries.
Sid and Sue came downstairs ready for work and found Tobey in the kitchen drinking all of Barney's soup again. Barney was getting really tired of it and was yelling at him. Sue didn't even realize it when she stepped behind Sid while he was yelling at Tobey. Sid noticed.
Tobey looked perky, and he drank so much soup all day, that his normally flat stomach had a little pooch to it. Sue went to the refrigerator and found some curry yogurt for a snack. She chopped an apple into tiny pieces to put in the yogurt and after she stirred it in, turned around to find Sid and Tobey gone. She was alone with Barney in the kitchen, and he was between her and the door.
She noticed right away how nervous that made her feel and tried to focus on what she was doing. Sue even followed Nana's instructions about recognizing fear and clarity and all that stuff and paid attention to her breathing and how she felt inside. Barney noticed her staring at him and asked her what she made to eat.
She grabbed her bowl and ran by him to get out of the kitchen without a word. Sid found her sobbing in the hallway. "Oh, Sue." He held the bowl for her and gave her a hug before walking with her to a booth.
Concerned, Barney followed them and asked if Sue was ok. Tobey intercepted him and told him that Sue was just having a bad day and there was no problem. "Hey, do you have any more soup?" Tobey ran around him to go back to the kitchen, and it worked. Barney followed him.
Tobey couldn't even tease Sue about this – this was serious, and he understood. Nana scared him earlier when he ran into her coming around a corner.
Nana joined them when she came downstairs and sat next to Tobey in the booth. After they talked for a few minutes, she reached toward Tobey's face to pluck a pigeon feather out of his hair and he blinked and ducked. It even made Nana feel bad. Tobey pulled himself together and noticed the sad look she gave him. "I'm sorry Nana."
"It's ok Tobey, I understand. You have to overcome this quickly. I'm sure Kong Li saw your reaction when the shifter took my form, and you must overcome it before he uses it against you again."
"Your right, Nana."
It was an easy night for deliveries and each of them appreciated getting their biking muscles stretched a little after sleeping most of the day.
After deliveries and they were in bed much later, Tobey woke Sid up in the night again talking loudly "I knew it, I knew I would screw up – I'm so sorry! Please don't . . ."
Sid stood up and shook his arm. "Tobey stop – everything is fine." Tobey woke up and they both went to see if Sue was still awake. She was so they joined her in her room and all three sat on the floor with a flashlight talking for hours.
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Nobody slept very well that night, and Nana let them sleep all the next day. Barney thought they went to school without him and went to school alone.
Sid, Sue and Tobey came downstairs late for food and went back up to bed after Nana led them in an hour's meditation. She was pretty sure the only reason Tobey sat still for that long was because he fell asleep.
"Hey guys! Nana let you stay home from school again today? Wow! You got it made - you don't look that sick to me!" Barney greeted them when he got back.
Barney refused food when Nana offered, he got right into working to try and avoid any yelling from his dad. Nana sat bowls down for the other three and they started eating. Sid caught Barney watching Sue and excused himself to go talk to him.
"Hey Barney, Sue is better now, you should go talk to her."
"I wasn't looking at her if that's what you mean – I'm glad if she feels better."
"I can tell that you like Sue, you know."
"I was just worried about her."
"Sue has liked you for a really long time; you should come over and talk to her. I feel a little bad about teasing her about it instead of supporting her before - I haven't been a good big brother I guess. I know you will be good to her." Barney thought his last sentence sounded a little threatening.
Sid didn't give him anymore time to decide and pointed him at their table. Barney sat in the booth across from Sue. He didn't see her give Sid a really dirty look, to which Sid smiled at her. He sat down next to Sue and had chocolate pie with them. They actually found things to talk about. Sue knew more about wrestling than he ever guessed and Barney loved magic!
Of course his only references about it were from movies – but it still made for a lively conversation.
Sid got up to get some hot chocolate. But when he started back out he saw Sue and Barney were holding hands across the table and decided not to bother them. Sid found Tobey playing video games and talked him into going for a bike ride until time to start deliveries.
Nana knew where all of her kids were, and what they were doing. She was very proud of the healing they had already managed to do, with very little assistance. She had some chocolate pie herself to congratulate herself on finding three of the best kids ever!
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