Chapter 6
I won't go into the details with Jack's birthday. You've probably got it figured out already. So I'll just skip to 3 days before the coyote litter's birthday.
Kelly got out of bed first around 8:30. She slowly woke up, uncomfortably. All month, she'd been having nightmares every night and it was almost indiscernible whether any of them were visions, let alone specifically the ones about Austin (in every one of which he killed her). Anyway, she got up, quite upset and tired, and zapped herself ready for the day. She reached under her pillow and pulled out her necklace just as Sarah and Ryan were waking up. She didn't notice her brother and sister stirring and instantly began to put the necklace back on.
Sarah noticed the necklace first, her eyes flashing blue and then whitish-blue. "What's that?"
"What?" Kelly asked, stuffing the necklace in her shirt as fast as lightning and pretending she didn't know anything about it.
Sarah got up and pulled the necklace out. "This."
Ryan turned his older sister around to look at the necklace, his eyes flashing as well. Again, no one noticed it. "Wow."
Michael got up. "What's going on here?" He noticed the necklace. "Wow."
Ryan looked back. "That's what I said."
Michael got out of bed, his eyes flashing as soon as no one was looking. "I take it there's a story?"
Kelly giggled. "You'd think so, wouldn't you?" She hid her necklace again. Sarah gave her a look. "Stop staring at me." Sarah put her hands on her hips. "Quit giving me the look!" Sarah crossed her arms. "OK, you broke me! I had a vision about my birthday present and couldn't wait to get it so stole this from the closet in dad's lab."
"And the truth comes out," said Ryan, "Thanks for the stare, Sare."
Sarah curtsied, smiling.
Kelly sighed and left the room.
Sarah zapped them ready for the day and left the room.
But as soon as they were all in the living room, everyone heard the beeping that let them know Zadavia was calling. The Loonakids received the call and ran off for the mission to find yet another giant cephalopod.
"Sarah," Benny said, "Do your stuff."
Sarah nodded and started to scream. Suddenly, she cut off and covered her ears, lurching back.
"Whoa!" Ryan went over to her. "Sarah, you OK?"
"I think so," Sarah said, "My powers have never affected me before."
"Well, maybe you should…" Before Ryan could tell her to go back to the tower and have Tech check her out, he noticed his backpack going on the fritz. "Uh oh." He fell to the ground.
"Ryan!" Sarah landed next to her older brother, who, luckily, had fallen on a patch of grass, and helped him up. "Are you OK?"
"No," Ryan said, clutching his arm, "I think I broke my arm."
"But that's not possible!" Sarah said, "You weren't moving! Your molecules should've densened!"
"I know. That's what's scaring me."
Michael landed next to them. "Maybe you 2 need to get home." Suddenly, he transformed…into a flounder. He started flopping around. "Ah! Fish out of water! Fish out of water!"
Robert noticed Michael's plight and hit him with a wave of water, drenching all 3 coyotes.
"Thanks," Michael said.
Sarah got out a bowl and put Michael in it, bringing in some water so that he could breathe as long as he had gills. "We're going home." She strapped the bowl to her belt so that it wouldn't spill or anything and then grabbed onto Ryan, activated her jet pack, and flew her brothers back to the tower.
Lucy groaned. "Great! Now we're 3 down and the battle's barely started!" She glared at Benny. "Why'd you have to tell her to use her powers? She could've gotten all 3 off clean!"
"Hey, I didn't know that was going to happen!" Benny snapped.
"Here we go again," Kelly said, rolling her eyes. She then noticed Austin in an alley, groaned, rolled her eyes, and landed by him. "So it's back to the alley, huh?"
"Look, we need to talk."
"Of course, we do. That's all we ever do! Well…that is, until I kissed you, but that was an impulse deal! You drove me to it!"
"Oh, yeah. I told you to kiss me and run off. I'm tired of going back and forth like this!"
"Don't mean round and round?"
"What?"
"Inside joke. Sorry."
Nadine landed nearby and groaned. "Can you believe those 2? Little Miss Cottontail just called me a-"
"Excuse me, we're having our own little confrontation here," Austin said, "You might want to stay out of it."
"No, Nay," Kelly said, "Stay here. We may need a witness."
Nadine looked at Austin. "Have we met?"
"Not been properly introduced, I don't think," Austin answered, "But now's not the time for…" He cut himself off when he saw Kelly weakening.
(Jonas Brothers' "Little Bit Longer" plays in background as all other sound fades out)
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just…dizzy…" Suddenly, Kelly fell into his arms.
"Kelly!" Nadine cried.
Austin tried to wake her up, but she down for the count. "Kelly! Kelly!"
Got the news today
Doctor said I had to stay
A little bit longer
And I'll
Be fine
Robert finally struck the monster down. But then he, Jack, Lucy, and Benny turned to the alleyway to see Nadine and Austin holding Kelly's unconscious body.
Well, I thought it'd all been done
And I thought it'd all been said
A little bit longer
And I'll
Be fine
The 4 remaining Loonakids landed by Nadine and Austin. Austin gently handed her over and they flew her back to the tower. Austin gazed after her. Maybe he really did like her.
Well, you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
And you don't know what it's like to feel so
Alone
Tech was in the medical wing, checking out Ryan, Sarah, and Michael to see what was wrong with them, when Nadine came in and laid Kelly on one of the beds. Tech looked at his eldest daughter. Something was wrong around here and it seemed she was the one always getting in trouble. But this time it'd come back to bite her and they were all gonna pay for it…and Tech knew it.
And every time you smile
I feel close
You don't even know, no, no
You don't even know
Sarah stood by the doorway in the hall, looking over the events and practically crying. Suddenly, someone came up behind her and took her hand. She looked at the interlocking fingers and then up at Benny's half-smiling, sympathetic expression and laid her head on his shoulder.
All this time goes by
Still no reason why
A little bit longer
And I'll
Be fine
Sophie came in after the rest of the coyote litter had left and saw Tech sitting by their daughter's unconscious, likely coma-induced, body. She sat down next to him and started crying, knowing as well as he did that something was not wrong with their kids, but after them. Tech wrapped his arms around her, gently, and tried his best to calm her down.
Waiting on the cure
But none of them are sure
A little bit longer
And I'll
Be fine
As soon as Sophie had lost her tears and left, Tech noticed that Kelly was wearing a necklace under clothes. He started to take it off and laid it under her pillow, doing her the courtesy of not looking at it.
But you don't know what you got
Till it's gone
And you don't know what it's like to feel so
Alone
After Tech was done with that, he started to leave and then came back around almost immediately when he heard Kelly whimpering and turned around to see her struggling. He ran over there and calmed her down, unaware of the horrors her nightmares were forcing on her that she couldn't wake up from this time.
And every time you smile
I feel close
You don't even know, no, no
You don't even know, no, no
You don't even know, no, no
Tech would've stayed in there all night if he could, but he had to leave to start working on the tests to see what was wrong with Ryan (whose arm had been bandaged and Daniella was working on healing it), Sarah (who had suffered no physical damage but was reeling over everything), and Michael (who was now a bear). Tech, upon seeing the test results, noticed something odd about it and was struck with an idea. "Hmm…" He raced out of the lab.
Yeah
But you don't know what you got
Till it's gone
And you don't know what it's like to feel so
Alone, yeah
While Tech continued working on his…well, work, Kelly was still in her coma-induced state (a "semi-coma" as Tech had simply diagnosed it as). Finally, she rolled over on her pillow and the necklace started shimmering. Suddenly, it flickered out and Kelly slowly opened her eyes and looked around, examining her surroundings and wondering what had happened until she remembered. "Oh, boy…"
Every time you smile
I feel close
You don't even know, no, yeah, yeah
Kelly sat up. "That's it. I can't take anymore of this." She got up and then noticed something was wrong. "My necklace!" She reached under her pillow and sighed with relief when she found it there. "That was close. I hope nobody else saw it." She put it on and hid it again and then raced out of the room.
You don't even know, no, no
Ryan was the first to noticed Kelly come in. "Kelly! You're OK!"
Sophie and Tech raced to her side.
"Kind of," said Kelly. She stopped her parents from hugging. "I have something to say first." She sighed and thought about it and then voiced what she was longing to say: "I quit." She left the room as fast as she could and ran out of the tower with tears in her eyes.
So I'll wait till kingdom come
All the highs and lows who've gone
A little bit longer
And I'll
Be fine
Sophie looked at Tech. Neither one could believe this was happening. Kelly was really gone.
I'll be
Fine