Here is the update I promised. :) Thank you all for your patience.
He sent himself flying towards her again, so fast she had little to no time to react. Cora cried out as she felt herself fly backwards as his heavy form hit her chest. She hit the wall with a bang, crying out in pain, as she slid to the floor, her wings disappearing in a soft flash of light.
"You should have left well enough alone." His voice melted from April's to his own and his face leered down at her.
She looked up fearfully, her shoulder throbbing in pain where she had hit the wall her eyes tearful. Was this truly the end? As the creature in front of her began to glow with a strange purple energy, ready to finish her, she heard a sharp bang as the door opened fast and looked forward, wide eyed, as a pink rope like thing wrapped around Toma's waist. The duplighost looked at her with a confused look on his face before being pulled backwards towards Lyon's open maw with a screech.
Cora watched as the tongue coiled backwards into Lyon's gaping mouth along with a struggling Tomas.
Lyon closed his mouth his eyes bugging out slightly then turned his head, sending the creature flying out of his mouth, to fly into a picture on the wall, the frame splitting with the impact, the duplighost sliding to the ground, wet with saliva.
Cora gave Lyon a relieved smile, "Lyon! Thank goodness you came! I was so afraid…and April." Cora's eyes widened in realization that her friend was still lying still on the floor and struggled to her feet, crying out in pain as she did so.
Lyon ran to where April lay his face contorted in both fear and worry, "What happened?"
"He did something to her." Cora cried, "She acted drugged or something, I-I don't know what's wrong!"
Lyon turned to glare at the creature who was now sitting up on the floor, "What did you do to her?"
"You disgusting thing, gah!" Tomas got to his feet, shaking his damp cloth, to no avail.
"Answer me!" Lyon roared, his shoulders shaking in rage.
The duplighost just grinned, "I only wanted a companion, a friend. Is that such a bad thing?" He cackled, "I lured her in here for such a selfish reason, but you don't know what its like. Living in this wet forsaken place with a bunch of silent spirits. "
"What did you do to April?" Cora yelled.
He ignored her and stared past them, "Seeing her there, when I found her. With my lantern aglow, how her hair shined like a flame; a flicker of light that can chase away this perpetual darkness. Lovely blood red…It was at that time I knew she would be the one, to chase away the night and give me the light that I dreamed of."
He stood up, liquid dripping off his cloth as he did so, and stepped forward, "I have heard stories that we were once alive, that we are nothing more than spirits, but that unlike the boos we were not remnants of another, but our own creation." They watched him take another step forward, Lyon tense in front of their still friend, "Before I was left here to perish for my desire of the light and my dreams of folly that I still hold to, I heard a story. That one of my kind could create another, that with a death would they be reborn, as long as one of us stood by to capture the departing spirit, merging it with our own. It was then that the captive spirit would merge with our own, taking a small piece, but just enough. Then they would be born as one of my kind."
"Death?" Cora stared at him in horror. "Oh my gosh! Did you kill her?"
She ran to where her friend lay, immediately checking her pulse. She gasped and looked up at Lyon, "She's alive! Her pulse, its so faint though, no…Lyon! What do we do?"
The Yoshi stepped towards the duplighost, "If she dies then you will die too, and it will be a slow and painful death."
Tomas stepped back, both blanketed arms held up, an almost innocent look on his face, "Now…we wouldn't want that. Lets see…blue sleep shroom…"
"Now!" Lyon yelled.
"Fine! You will find no cure here…but there is a village, about two miles east of here. There are healers there, who may be able to save her." He gave them a blank stare, "You won't have much time, but if you are fast then you may just be able to reverse the effects of the sleep. Once she goes in to deep." He gave them an emotionless grin, "Then it is hard to pull her free of it."
Lyon glared darkly at the creature and quickly looked at Cora, "Slip her onto my back, hold onto to her."
"Can you carry us both, quickly?"
"I'll try."
00oo00oo00oo00
They forced the duplighost to show them the fastest way out of the underground, Lyon threatening the creature with a snap of his tongue.
The Yoshi raced through the forest, Cora on his back, with April in front of her, her head lying slack against her chest, face unnaturally pale. The brunette gazed down at her friend, tears falling down her cheeks. She couldn't die…not April.
Lyon raced across the earth, barely missing the sharp branches that seemed to reach for them, stumbling once or twice over stones on the ground.
Cora winced as a small branch broke over her sore shoulder, leaning down to cover April with her body, feeling dread when she felt how cold her friend was. Her eyelids were a blue tinge as well as her cheeks, the rest of her skin so very pale, like milk. Cora pressed her cheek against her friend's hoping that her warmth would in turn keep her friend warm, that somehow that warm touch would be enough to keep death away or still time itself.
00oo00oo00oo00
"This time I think we have someone." The woman's voice was of a hopeful nature, for the benefit of her listener's emotions, the child who sat in front of her, who staring down at the ground.
April felt uncomfortable with the tall woman standing in front of her, gazing down almost expectantly, like she was supposed to suddenly look up and say "Gee isn't that swell?" Or leap in the air with joy at this mention of 'someone'. The girl however did neither of these things and instead chose to stare at her unlaced shoes, the ends dirty from where she had ran around outside with the other girls when they were playing tag in the court yard. It had finally been her turn to not to be it (the girls seemed to think her long legs meant she was perfect for the job) when an unfamiliar woman had pulled her inside.
"She seems like a capable care taker, her home is clean and well kept. She was very polite and assured us that she would make a very good mother." The woman smiled down at the red headed child, her face pinched on the corners where her dimples shown. "Isn't this wonderful news April? You will finally have a home."
A mother? April felt her eyes widen at the news. She would get a real mother?
"Follow me, she's just waiting down the hall." The woman stood up and opened the door leading out into the hallway and motioned for April to follow. The girl stood up, stumbling on her untied shoelaces and began walking after the woman her hands clasped in front of her nervously. Like the other girls that left to homes it would now be her turn.
They walked for a long time it seemed, April following the tall woman whose heels clicked noisily on the tile floor, a bright light flickering above them, shadows dancing across the pictures of landscapes that lined the wall.
Finally they stopped at a wood door with a tiny window at top, and the woman knocked. It was only a short moment before the door opened and another woman smiled at her, eyes sparkly and kind. April smiled tentatively back, feeling a little less nervous, that was until her eyes landed on the lady sitting in the chair in front of the heavy wood desk where the head caretaker sat.
The woman had red colored hair, far darker than her own that was piled atop her head, bound by a sky blue ribbon that was patterned by small daisy patterns. Her face was tan and small lines were around her hazel eyes, which looked April up and down curiously. The woman wore a bright yellow sundress and a small red handbag was clasped in her hands that were slender and bony, the nails painted with little daises, which appeared to be her favorite flower.
"This must be April." The woman gave her a wide smile that made April think of painted clown faces, where frowning faces could easily be hidden by paint smiles. She thought of this because when she looked into the lady's eyes she did not find anything that was promised in the smile, her eyes looked like they were scanning her for any imperfections.
The woman stood up, shorter than the woman who led her in, but still seeming to tower over her small form. April swallowed nervously and gazed up at the woman's clown smile, "Such a lovely shade of red, almost like my own." The woman's hand reached out to run fingers through April's short bangs, a nail scraping her forehead slightly causing the girl to wince. No one seemed to notice and the woman began to talk to the lady at the desk, taking a seat and receiving some papers that she began to sign in red ink from a pen she had pulled from her bag.
April traced the red with her eyes, reading the name that was being signed, the woman barely signing with cursive. Caroline Lowen, so this was to be her new mother's name.
"Done, you can take April home now, if of course you're ready for her."
The woman smiled cat like at April, "Sure thing, come on hon. I have your room ready for you."
The drive home was more than a tiny bit uncomfortable. April sat stiff in the front seat the safety belt digging into her shoulder, hair caught under it a bit, but she was far too nervous of the woman next to her to pull it free.
"Now lets get some things out of the way April." The woman glanced at the small girl next to her, "When I ask you to clean your room or do some other chore, you must do as I say. I keep a clean home and I expect it to stay that way."
April glanced out the window watching the electric lines race by them, sliding up and down as they went, the trees behind them quickly being replaced by homes and people walking down the side walk.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you young lady." The sharpness in her voice startled April out of her window gazing and she gave the woman, her new mother, a wide eyed look.
The woman's eyes were calculative again as they looked down at her, glancing every so often at the road, "As long as you follow my rules we will be a very happy family, do you understand?"
April nodded feeling herself swallow sharply as she did so, her throat feeling dry.
"Do you understand?" The woman said again.
"Y-yes."
"Yes what?"
April sat there for a moment feeling confused then she glanced up at the woman's waiting eyes, "Yes…mom."
00oo00oo00oo00
The forest thinned out as they raced forward, Cora gripping her legs tight around the Yoshi as he gained speed, keeping her arms tight around April who was mumbling something in her sleep, Cora feeling relieved at this, hoping it meant that she was not too far gone yet.
In a few minutes they were out of the trees and a cool breeze whipped past them, slowing Lyon a bit before he pushed forward again. Far ahead there were many steep hills and Cora felt her heart beat as they raced towards them. So many obstacles in their path and they were running out of time.
To her tearful relief at the top of one of these hills they gazed down at lights far down, where homes were nestled between forested dells. They had reached the village.
This is a tiny bit shorter than usual (only five pages instead of six), this is because of some issues we have been having where I live. Some stress unfortunately keeps me from writing more, but I will never give this story up! That happens way too often on this site and I refuse to disappoint anyone. Every story I create will eventually be completed. Expect more soon of either The Tapping or Joy. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! :) Oh! For the long wait you all deserve a little hint about next chapter, the gang will run into some issues in the village, what exactly? Well, find out next chapter! ^^ Laters~