Chapter Twelve

(Hey, y'all.

Again, I'm sorry for not uploading this chapter on Friday. I got really tired and I didn't get enough sleep due to catching up on my homework and studying for a chemistry test. And due to school, this story will be finished probably a little bit after Halloween. I have to tell you, school is such a pain in the neck when it comes to writing stories.

Anyway, here is Chapter Twelve.

The next chapter will come soon.

Oh! If you haven't heard of the Hungarian Rhapsody or The Flight Of The Bumblebee, go to these links at that bottom of this note.

-imaginarytoon1

PS: Attention, fans of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, there is officially a Who Framed Roger Rabbit forum on FanFiction. So try to spread the word of this forum and think about joining.

PPS: Enjoy the story and…try to enjoy life.

watch?v=MK0z3LS45xU

watch?v=Jhq-6375Arc

Again, enjoy! )

Beatrice:

In the middle of the edge of the woods, there were three old upright pianos standing next to each other in a curvy line (with three stools). Yes, the Toon Patrol led me to the edge of the woods and either Wheezy or Smarty said that the second part of the challenge was going to be taking place outside. I don't have a problem with the woods or going outside. I just wanted to set up the setting a little bit, that's all.

"This is where the second part of the challenge is taking place." Wheezy said to me as we walked to the pianos.

"What do I do in this part of the challenge?" I asked and studied the pianos.

"Well…" Smarty said while still having a combination of being a little stunned and irritated from my speech. "We are going to see if you can play the piano the 'clongest'."

Meathead, it's 'LONGEST'! I thought.

"You're not going to be the only one playing the piano in the edge of the woods." Wheezy said. "Slimy and Flasher will be joining you in just a second. In this challenge, you have to try to be the remaining piano player in order to move on to the next challenge. If YOU stop, then you will lose one of your three chances and this piano will suck you in and take you back inside the house. After that, win or lose, you'll move on to the next part of the challenge."

Wheezy stops and lights two cigarettes. After taking a big ol' whiff of smoke and blowing out a ring of smoke that outlined my body as it came closer to me, Wheezy asked, "Can you play piano?"

"Yeah, I can play piano." I replied.

I've played piano since I was six and that was before I climbed my first tree. I thought. That's when I was nine.

"Duh, what can you play?" Stupid asked.

"Many songs and pieces." I replied. "Rimsky-Korsakov, Offenbach, you name it."

"Can you play Flight of the 'Bubble-Bee'?" Smarty asked.

I looked at Smarty with a smug on my face and I chuckled for a brief second.

"I can play that piece." I replied.

"Ha! I doubt it." Wheezy said.

"Me, too." Smarty said and then, he crossed his arms and gave me a smug.

"Me, three." Stupid said.

"Play, pretty girly!" Psycho exclaimed and clapped his hands.

"Si!" Greasy said and clapped for me a little bit. "Let's hear you play the piece!"

I chuckled and cracked my knuckles.

"Okay, you asked for it." I said and sat down on the stool (in front of the piano) that was on the right side.

I took a deep breath, paused to add a little suspense effect, and then, I played the rapid introduction of The Flight Of The Bumblebee. The intro begins to sound like something from a cartoon was falling down and then, it begins to sound like something was being chased by another unseen being. With a calm look on my face and the adrenaline running through my fingers, I watch my fingers and try my best not to let them slip off of the keys or hit the wrong key.

Boy, oh, boy, I can't wait to see the look on Smarty's face when I stop playing this piece! I thought as I played and played and played.

After finishing the piece (Flight Of The Bumblebee is actually pretty short), I cracked my knuckles and I turned around to see how each weasel reacted.

Smarty's eyes were as big as basketballs and his jaw had dropped down the orange and yellow leaf-covered ground, exposing the inside of his mouth. Psycho was smiling, clapping his hands, and giggling. Wheezy's burnt out cigarettes were on the ground and his jaw dropped in shock. His bloodshot eyes were as wide as sugar plums and Wheezy didn't even blink. Stupid was staring at me blankly and Greasy was covering his mouth in shock, as if he just said a swear word in front of a two-year-old kid when he wasn't supposed to.

"That…" Greasy began and slowly took his hand off of his mouth. "…was…" He jumps off of the ground in joy and amazement. "…AMAZING! What did you think, Psycho?"

"HEE HEE HEE! PRETTY GIRLY PLAYS GOOD!" Psycho exclaimed.

"What did we miss?" A familiar voice asked.

"Yeah, did we miss out on something?" Another voice asked.

Smarty's jaw comes back up and looks to his left side. He had a smug on his face.

"Slimy, Flasher, you're here." He said. "'Tick' a seat and piano."

As Wheezy explained the instructions to Slimy and Flasher, I started to think about the songs that I should play and I even began to think about how I am going to beat two toon weasels, who go by the names 'Flasher' and 'Slimy', without getting distracted by any antics that they'll pull during this part of the challenge.

"Play well, muchacha." Greasy said.

"I will." I answered.

I was ready to do the piano challenge as soon as Wheezy was done explaining to Flasher and Slimy.

"Remember," Wheezy began, "you can play any song and you either can choose play another at any time after thirty seconds or one minute or you can play the same song. Are you ready to begin?"

I nodded but Flasher and Slimy exclaimed that they're ready.

"You three…may begin." Smarty said.

Immediately after Flasher played his song that I didn't know at all, I went right on ahead and played Hello by Evanescence. The slow beginning immediately made me think of something that makes me think that something is going to foreshadow the future.

I thought of myself sleeping during a violent thunderstorm and I wake up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. I wrap myself up with an old robe and walked to the front door. After opening the door, I see Smarty…with an evil grin…and…he's pointing his pistol at me. I immediately made a run for it and I heard Smarty pull the trigger and waiting for the right moment to shoot me. The pistol goes 'BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!' and I scream for my life as I run around the house.

Gloominess turns to anger as I snapped myself back to reality and played a different song, They Don't Really Care About Us by Michael Jackson…again. Physically, I'm not showing my anger but mentally, I picture myself screaming at the top of my lungs like a rock star in a concert and destroying almost everything in my path, sidewalks, cars, ice sculptures, and walls in random buildings. I even pictured myself in a prison cell and throwing huge and heavy things at the wall in anger and in the urge to be free from confinement.

My thought was interrupted by a Slimy screaming in panic. While still playing They Don't Really Care About Us, I saw Slimy grab on the lid of the piano (the part where it covers the keys) and trying his best to not get sucked in to the piano. I watched leaves, dirt, and Flasher's green hat getting sucked in by a powerful vacuum-like wind and disappear in the piano. Dirt gets in Slimy's eyes and he lets go of the lid. Slimy yells 'NOOOOO' as he gets sucked in and disappears inside the piano. The lid closes after Slimy's yelling fades into a whisper.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh," Flasher chuckled. "Looks like it's just you…and me, you broad."

"May the odds be ever in your favor and break a leg." I mumbled.

Immediately, Flasher began to play a song with a very fast beat. Although I played They Don't Really Care About Us at home for several hours, the weasel that I'm dealing with right now is trying to prove to me that he can try to beat me and I want to make his fingers too sore to play the piano.

The next song that I began to play was another song by Michael Jackson and I'm depending on Beat It, one of his songs, to help me win this part of the challenge.

With determination, I played the fast and the furious introduction of Beat It and I was encouraging myself to play for Lexi, just I urged myself to climb up a pipeline for Lexi.

FOR LEXI! FOR JUSTICE! I thought.

Then, a cream pie flies out of nowhere and hits the side of the piano. While I still played without looking at the keys, I turned to Flasher. He was smiling at me while holding another cream pie in his left hand while playing his song with his right hand.

"You better think twice before throwing that at me again!" I exclaimed over my song.

I looked back at the piano and then, I would aim my eyes at Flasher after every six seconds to see if he was up to anything. He's not going to distract me.

When I was right in the middle of Beat It, I glanced at Flasher and he threw that cream pie but I ducked while my fingers were still on the keys.

Flasher grabs another cream pie out of nowhere and throws it at me again. I ducked and Flasher unleashes a full round of cream pies. While my fingers were still pressing the keys and repeating the chorus of Beat It, I would duck out of the pies' way to prevent myself from getting hit, just like a Toon would do it.

It was at least a minute after Flasher threw the pies at me and his arm was looked like it was getting tired. Flasher gives me an evil grin on his face and I began to play Hungarian Rhapsody by Franz Liszt.

"Oh, you want to play that game, huh?" Flasher exclaimed and laughed.

I didn't answer and I played the song at fast pace. Flasher began to play the same song and like Daffy Duck from the Ink and Paint Club, he hits the wrong keys on purpose. If he can do that, then I guess that I can play faster than I usually play.

I pressed the keys harder and my wrists were getting sore. My fingers are tired, too, and I felt droplets of sweat running down my forehead. Flasher played at an equal speed but pressed the keys even harder.

C'mon, Beatrice! I thought. You're playing this for Lexi! She's counting on you and it's make-your-cousin-proud time!

I played and played and played until all of the sudden, my left wrist started cramp up and my fingers from my left hand began to get stiff. I still didn't give up and my right hand was still in good condition.

"GOOD LUCK IN LOSING, YOU BROAD!" Flasher exclaimed.

"I AIN'T GIVING UP YET!" I exclaimed, accidentally giving away a word from my Texas Country Vocabulary.

With determination and fury, I played the final ending number from Hungarian Rhapsody at a very, very fast pace.

You're going down, Flasher, you son of a bilge rat! I thought.

I glanced at Flasher and he was slowing down. Still, he doesn't give up. I played the ending number again at an even quicker pace. I looked at Flasher again and he was panting and the sleeves of his coat were getting torn.

One more round, Beatrice. I thought. Just for luck and for Lexi.

At the most impossible speed, I played the finale from Hungarian Rhapsody and while I was about to end the song, I saw Flasher pass out and he lands face-first on the piano. After that, Flasher gets sucked into the piano and disappears after the lid closes.

I played the final notes of the finale with both of my hands and after the last two notes, I put my hands up in the air in victory.

Then, I noticed that the other members of the Toon Patrol were not present and I found a fortune cookie on the lid that was on top of the piano.

I cracked it open and pulled out a slip of paper and read it.

"IF YOU'RE THE REMAINING PLAYER, ENHORABUENA! COME IN TO THE MEETING ROOM AS SOON AS YOUR DONE PLAYING.

–GREASY"

At the bottom of the paper, Psycho's name was scribbled next to Greasy's signature.

…..

I walked to the house and I was about to knock on the door when it…opened by itself.

That's cliché. I thought. That doesn't even scare me.

After entering the house, I peeked behind the door and I saw Psycho walking from behind it.

I smiled and chuckled a little bit.

"Hey, there, Psycho." I said.

"Hee hee! Good job on piano, pretty girly." Psycho said.

"Want to go to the meeting room?"

Psycho nodded and trailed behind me. We walked to the meeting room and I saw that Smarty was sitting on the same chair from the last meeting. In front of him, there was a glass pitcher and a glass full of water.

"So you 'vast' the first challenge, didn't you, Birchwood?" Smarty asked and pointed to the chair to his right. Psycho sat in a chair that was diagonal from where I was sitting.

"Yes, I did." I said. "It was too easy."

"Oh, really?" Wheezy asked as he and the other members came in the room. Slimy and Flasher came in last with angry looks on their faces.

Wheezy sat in a chair in front of me, Stupid sat in a chair next to Psycho, Flasher sat in front of Smarty, and Greasy sat next to me, once again, making me feel uncomfortable. Oh, yeah, uh, and Slimy sat in a chair across from where Stupid was sitting.

"Don't make us play piano with the broad again, Boss!" Slimy exclaimed and slime flew out of his mouth.

"Yeah, she's too good!" Flasher agreed.

"You're not going to play pianos with Birchwood again but you're going to 'punctuate' in the next part of the challenge." Smarty said.

"You were really good! You were on fire!" Greasy said.

He's trying to do a compliment overflow! I thought. That's a serial killer's way of trying to make his victim comfortable!

"Were you scared that you were going to lose, Birchwood?" Wheezy asked.

I shook my head no.

"Are you—Wait, hold on." Smarty said and scooted away from the table. He bends down and picks up something. He places…a green anole on the table and it crawled its way towards me.

I gave Smarty a look that would've said to him 'Seriously? How long are you going to keep this up?' I picked up the lizard carefully and Psycho randomly pulled out a glass jar out of thin air and slides the jar towards me. I put the lizard in the jar and thank goodness, the lid had holes in it.

"Smarty," I said. "I'm not afraid of lizards. I already told you to stop trying because you're not doing a good job on scaring me."

"Tell us what you're scared of, Birchwood!" Smarty exclaimed.

"I'm still not going to tell you."

"Why not?" Smarty and Wheezy asked in unison.

"Two reasons." I replied. "One, if I expose my fear to you, then you're going to use it in one part of the challenge and try to scare me with it."

"And the second reason?" Wheezy asked in a raspy voice and blew a ring of smoke at me.

I didn't make a reaction after the ring of smoke hit my face.

"You're gonna laugh." I said.

"Duh, what's the second reason, 'Bird-wood'?" Stupid asked.

I looked at Stupid and said, "It's BIRCHwood and I just said the second reason, dummy. If I tell you what I'm afraid of, then you're gonna laugh."

"C'mon, Birchwood." Smarty said to me. "We won't laugh."

"Yeah, right." I said, not really in the mood for tricks. "You say that you're not gonna laugh. And what happens after I tell you? Newsflash: you'll laugh."

"Please tell us, muchacha." Greasy said.

Then, all of the weasels start to beg and plead for about six seconds. Finally, I gave in.

"Do you guys really want to know?" I asked.

All of the weasels nodded.

"All right." I said. "I'll tell you. But after I'm done telling you, I would like to move on to the next part of the challenge and say no more about my fear."

"Okay." Smarty said.

"Go ahead." Wheezy said.

"Tell us, pretty girly." Psycho said in a surprisingly calm voice.

I take a deep breath.

"I'm dreadfully afraid of…" I began. I paused and then, I groaned in frustration. "Oh, gosh…I'm scared of c-"

I get cut off by an unseen person playing an ominous tune on an organ.

"Who left the background music on?" Psycho and I asked in unison as everyone in the room looked for the player.

Wheezy spotted Flasher…playing the organ in the left corner of the room and I probably guessed that Flasher pulled the organ out of thin air.

"Hey, shut up!" Smarty and Wheezy exclaimed at Flasher.

Flasher doesn't pay any attention to them and continues to play an ominous tune.

Wheezy stands up and walks over to Flasher. I watched Wheezy take out his burning cigarettes out of his mouth and he puts them out with his stained fingertips. He reaches into his black vest and pulls out a giant pickle-sized cigar and a lighter. Wheezy lights up the cigar and brings it to his mouth. He takes a deep breath a smoke in and blows out a huge cloud of smoke at Flasher.

Flasher stops playing and he coughed in disgust.

That wasn't very nice. I thought.

"Shut up, Flasher, you just interrupted Birchwood." Wheezy said.

Flasher and Wheezy walked back to their chairs and Smarty says, "You were saying, Birchwood?"

Smarty picks up his glass of water and begins to take in a lot of sips.

I sighed and I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"What I was going to say…" I began. "…is…" I aimed my eyes at the ceiling in embarrassment and regret.

I sighed and I felt like a drumroll was rising in a crescendo to add a suspense effect. Suspense went to a cliffhanger and then, the final answer:

"I'm afraid of cinnamon."