Chapter 13.. yes.. quite... like a sir.

You know the drill. Now.. time for the real action to commence!

Feeling a little warm under my covers, I woke up with grogginess fogging up my vision. Lexi, Mika, and Elise were still asleep, so I decided to take the liberty of showering a little earlier than usual. Getting a yellow shirt with magenta flowers printed vertically on it, a pair of jean shorts, and some clean undergarments, I sauntered over to my bathroom, allowing me to shower before anyone else woke up.

After lathering and rinsing off, I dried up and dressed into my attire for the day. As soon as I crept out of the bathroom, I heard a wail coming from down the hall. I opened the door and noticed it was coming from Marie's room. Heading in that direction and opening her door, I walked over to her crib.

Her wailing seemed to have woken up Nada and Maddie, as they began to stir and mumble. "'Huh, what time is it? Is it school time already?" Maddie rubbed her eyes, looking over with a sleepy expression towards me and Marie. I shook my head and told them no, then turned my attention towards Marie.

After examining her for a few moments, I figured that she wasn't hungry nor anything else of natural calling. I had a hunch, so I carefully placed a hand on her tiny forehead. It was just as I thought.

'Bingo. The poor thing has a fever. But this early in the year..?'

Nada got up and walked over to see the two year old along with me. "So what's wrong with her?" I frowned slightly, shaking my head. "She's got a fever."

"A fever? How the heck can she get a fever overnight?" We turned around to see Mika standing at the doorway, along with Lexi and Elise.

Elise bit her lip worryingly. "Oh, poor Marie. I wonder how she got sick?" Lexi tilted her head. "That's kinda weird. Just how did she get sick that quickly? She was perfectly fine last night!"

Maddie got up from the bed and joined me and Nada. "Should we take her to the doctors?" I shook my head. "It's not gonna help. She got this fever overnight, and having it early in the year right now? Doesn't make sense. Maybe when going to see the Tunes, you guys could bring Witch Hazel over so she can examine her over. Maybe she might be able to find a cure."

Nada snapped her immediate attention towards me, looking somewhat petrified at the idea. "You mean, you're not coming?" I lifted Marie up, wrapping her gently in her blanket. "No, I think I should stay here with Marie. She shouldn't get out of the house in this condition, even if it's just a trip through the mirror."

"What's all the racket over here? Is Marie okay?" We all turned around to see Hale standing in the hallway behind Mika, Lexi, and Elise. Walking up to my brother, I gave a concerned look. "Marie seems to have gone down with something. Hale, would you mind going to Looney Tune Land and get Witch Hazel? You can take Nada and the others with you."

Hale almost fell back, completely shell shocked. "W-what? No way! I'm not letting you stay here by yourself!"

Nada nodded her head in agreement, stepping up to the two. "He's right, Kari. One of us should stay behind with you and-"

"I'll do it."

Everyone, including me, turned to face Elise. Hale raised a brow. "Elise? You sure?" She smiled shyly, her eyes dancing with a determined light. "If it's okay with you, Hale; I don't mind helping your sister out with taking care of Marie. I've known you both since we were little kids, so it would seem a bit more comforting for your thoughts.."

After what seemed like a good minute, Hale sighed and raised a hand in approval. "Okay. You can stay and help Kari take care of Marie. At least it will be you two together and not one person with a toddler."

I smiled and gave a gesture of thanks towards Elise, who chuckled happily. I noticed Nada was still a little tense, so I wanted to give her some reassurance.

"Don't worry, Nada. I'll be fine holding down the fort here with Elise. You and Hale just go with the others and get Witch Hazel then come back as soon as possible." I pulled out my cell phone and was surprised to find that the battery was almost dead, as it was down to one meter. "Looks like I need to go charge my cell phone. Elise, is your phone on you?"

Elise pulled out her cell, a little orange cat charm hanging off it. "Yep, and don't worry, it's fully charged, so Hale can contact us through mine." Hale nodded. "Okay, so that's the plan then. Get ready and dressed girls, we're going for a quick stop to Looney Tune Land!" Everyone left to get themselves dressed. Elise and Mika used my bathroom to clean themselves up, while Maddie, Lexi and Nada used the bathroom in the hallway, which had an extra shower in it.

Hale was out from dressing up and helped me to fix up the breakfast for everyone. Once the other girls were done getting ready, they emerged down the stairs and arrived into the kitchen. We all had scrambled eggs with toast, cinnamon oatmeal, orange juice and croissants.

Once the breakfast had been finished up, Hale gathered everyone up in front of my mirror, ready to depart to Looney Tune Land.

"Okay, is everyone set?" He glances over at everyone to see if they're prepared. The girls cheered in confirmation, except for Nada, who gave a nervous smile.

"You sure you'll be okay by yourselves, Kari?" I gave him a warm smile. "Trust me, we'll be fine. Just go get Witch Hazel as quickly as possible and come straight back, okay? Elise will help me take care of Marie."

Giving an uncertain look but then shrugged it off, my brother wished us good luck and stepped through the mirror. Lexi then stepped in through it, followed by Mika and Maddie. Nada turned to face me, still unsure by us being alone. "Kari, are you sure-?"

I nodded again. "Yeah, I'm positive. Just go along with the others! If anything, we'll call Hale." Looking as if she was thinking it over, Nada nodded her head and then stepped into the mirror herself.

Now that everyone left, I asked Elise if she could take Marie downstairs and give her some apple juice while I went to go charge my cell phone. Taking the coughing and sneezing toddler, she left out of my room and into the hallway towards the stairs.

As I went to go grab my cell phone charger, I noticed that I didn't have the bracelet that Nawt gave me on my wrist. Ignoring the dying tone my cell phone was making, I went to my night-table and noticed that the bracelet wasn't there where I normally left it.

Getting frustrated, I placed down my cell phone on the bed and opened the drawer, in hopes of finding it in there. What I failed to also notice, was the silent footsteps that made their way down the hall and entering my room. About to close the drawer in agitation, I heard a deep snarl coming from right behind me, with an all too familiar voice, like it came from a nightmare.

"Hello, Kari.. Looking for something?" I turned around to see my bracelet in the nasty and grimy hands of the brute who we've blown away six years ago. I couldn't believe my eyes at what's in front of me. He started making his way towards me, and I did the only thing that snapped into my mind.

I screamed.

Third Person POV:

Elise left Kari's room and headed down the stairs with the tiny tot in her arms. The poor child was throwing a coughing fit, whimpering at the misery of having a fever. The older girl tried to calm her little cries.

"There, there now. It'll be alright. Hale and the others will be back soon with Witch Hazel and you'll be good as new! Now let's get you some juice, shall we?" As the went to the pantry and pulled out a spill-proof cup, she instantly jolted and dropped it when she heard a piercing scream coming from upstairs.

Marie jumped slightly and began to whimper even more. Elise cooed the child to stay quiet as she looked up towards he staircase. She gasped with some fear in her trembling voice. "Oh no. Kari!" She held on to the little child as she stealthily sprinted up the stairs, and looked over to Kari's door, where it was left ajar.

Creeping up as quietly as she could, she peeked into the slightly opened door and was shocked at what she saw. A giant, olive green alien with a nasty stench of cigars and the most frightening red eyes she has ever seen, grabbed Kari and threw her down onto the floor. She retaliated and kicked him hard on the shin, casing him to almost double over.

Getting up, she snatched her bracelet from his hand and was about to make a get away. Unfortunately, he reacted just as quickly and snatched his large hand around her left ankle, causing her to trip down onto the floor. As she hit the floor, Kari lost a hold of her bracelet as it flew out of her hand and slid behind her mirror.

Elise couldn't help but watch in horror as her friend was getting thrashed around like a rag doll, although she was trying to put up a good fight. Getting back onto his feet, the aggressive alien backhanded Kari across the back of her head, knocking her unconscious.

Now fearing for hers, Marie's and Kari's lives, she quickly made her way down the hall and into the room where Marie slept in. She closed the door and placed the lock on it. She sat on the bed, unsure of what to do next. From the other room, Swackhammer heard the light footsteps and growled. "Looks like there's someone else here besides the brat. Guess I should go give them a proper greeting." He grabbed the unconscious tomboy and held her under his arm, making his way out of the room to see who else was in the house.

Hearing the thunderous foot steps, Elise began to panic. Calming herself down as much as she could, she picked Marie up in her arms while she was still wrapped in her blanket and dove into the closet. Closing it firmly, she pulled out her cell phone from her jean pockets and began to dial Hale's number.

Meanwhile, in Looney Tune Land, Hale arrived with the girls in the gymnasium, where the Monstars and Tunes were busy playing a couple rounds of basketball and were waiting for the kids to show up.

Bugs heard the doors open and everyone turned to see the teens entering. "Hey there, docs! Where's Kari, Elise and the tyke at?" Hale gave a concerned look. "Marie's caught a pretty bad flu."

Bupkus raised his head in alarm. "My poor little Marie's sick! Did you take her to a doctor?" Lexi shook her head. "Kari insisted that it wouldn't be necessary. She also thinks that it's not a normal flu."

Mika shook her head. "But it's true. How can a little healthy girl get a bad flu overnight? It ain't even flu season yet!" Pound raised a brow. "Maybe it's a perk?"

Nawt gave a slightly disappointed look at the fact that Kari stayed behind, but he knew it was for the sake of her little cousin. "So I assume Elise is with her?" Nada nodded her head, giving a greeting to Blanko. Blanko seemed to have noticed the uneasiness on her features and put a hand on her shoulder in concern. "What's wrong, Nada? You seem upset about something."

Bugs and the others took note of that too. Hale approached his sister's friend with a dubious look. "Nada, you've been acting really strange lately. It's pretty obvious that there's something eating you. What's going on?"

Nada grew uncomfortable that all eyes were on her. However, she knew she had to come clean. Taking a deep shaky sigh, she looked up at Hale and the rest of them head on. "The second day we were spending staying here, when Blanko left to help Pound with the salad, I saw.. I saw.."

Blanko didn't like where this was going, but encouraged her to continue. "What did you see, Nada?"

Hale slightly clenched his jaw apprehensively, but maintained level. Nada couldn't help but start to cry softly, barely whispering. "I saw Swackhammer. He was there, in the greenhouse with me."

Everyone let out shocked gasps and murmurs. Hale became alarmed and so did the Monstars. The girls shifted around nervously, but listened on, for there was more to be heard. Hale calmly egged Nada on. "What happened? What did Swackhammer do?"

Blanko gave a worried look of his own. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" She shook her head, trying to hold back her sobs. "He threatened.. he said he would hurt all of you guys.. and my family.. if I didn't.." Hale began to tense up, feeling his blood boil. Blanko coaxed her to calm down. Nada swallowed hard and squeezed her eyes shut, crying out the last part of her sentence. "He told me he would hurt everyone if I didn't do as he says!"

Bugs stepped in, a deeply concerned look etched into his features. "What did he tell you to do, Nada? It's okay, we won't get mad at ya." Nada finished off before breaking down in sobs. "He wanted me to make sure Kari was by herself! That's why I was so insistent on being near her or at least having someone with her!" Hale clenched his fists, his nostrils flaring. Lexi stepped up behind Nada and hushed the poor girl's relentless sobs. "There, there. He won't get near her. Besides, Elise and Marie are with her, so there's nothing to worry about. You did what you thought was right." Blanko held Nada close, rubbing the side of her arm gently.

Suddenly, a jingle was heard echoing throughout the gym, startling everyone. Hale reached into his pocket and grabbed his cell phone. His eyes widen at Elise's name appearing on the screen. "It's Elise."

Mika cried aloud. "Put her on speaker phone. I wanna holler at my home girls and the baby cakes!" Chuckling a bit, Hale pressed talk, followed by the speaker phone button. Bugs and Pound hushed everyone down so Hale could hear what Elise was going to say.

"Hey, Elise. Is everything okay?"

"Hale! You guys have to come back here now!" Her voice sounded frantic, like she was in some sort of trouble. This alarmed everyone slightly, and Hale felt unnerved at her reaction. "What's going on, Elise? Is something wrong?"

Elise cried out. "No! Hale, you have to come back! Kari is-"

Hale was now fully alarmed at hearing his sister's name. Nawt raised his ears in alarm as well, his eyes widening with anxiety. Nada silenced her sobs, her eyes staring at Hale's phone in fear and realization. "Oh no..."

"What happened to Kari? Elise? Elise!" He heard nothing but silence. Before he could say anything, a loud scream was heard from the phone, then silence again. All the Tunes were exchanging frightened glances with one another. Nawt was next to Hale in an instant, trying to maintain his calm.

Moments later, there was a response; one that sent chills of terror in everyone's spine, especially Nada's, Nawt's, and Hale's.

"If you ever wish to see your precious girlfriend, the little brat , and your sister... then I dare you to come and find me. Good luck, boy.." A loud, shrill cackle was heard from the phone's speaker before the line went dead.

Hale couldn't believe his ears. "No.. Kari!" Without another word, Hale bolted in the direction of the mirror that was sitting near the gym wall and jumped through it. Everyone else, Tunes, Monstars and girls alike followed him in tow.

Hale landed in his sister's room and looked around in horror. His sister's room was a total mess, like there was sign of a struggle. Frantic, he raced out of the door and looked around wildly. He caught sight of Marie's door wide open and bolted into there. To his shocked discovery, the closet door was ripped off it's hinges and the door broken in half. Looking down, he saw Elise's phone in two pieces and Marie's favorite stuffed bear.

Nawt was the second one to fly out of the mirror, followed by Bugs and then the rest. Everyone glanced around in utter disbelief and horror at the room's condition. Nawt walked around the room, completely stunned at the sight. As he looked back towards the others, something bright caught his eye from under the mirror. Kneeling down, his eyes grew wide at the object; it was the bracelet he gave to Kari. Picking it up, he felt his blood boil and his face contorted with rage. "Damn you, Swackhammer."

Hale arrived back into the room, where everyone glanced at him with worried faces. As soon as they saw the murderous look he had on his face, a lot of them stepped back. Nawt got up and faced Hale, his anger not subsiding in the least. Hale glared out towards the window, his teeth bared.

Nada brought herself closer to Blanko, feeling completely at loss. "So what now Hale?" Hale turned to face the lot, his eyes meeting Nawt's. In that moment, as if they just knew what the other was thinking, they nodded at one another. Hale then pounded his right fist into his left hand, the chip on his shoulder finally bursting.

"The one thing we can do: go get that son of a bitch, send him to hell where he belongs, and get my cousin, Elise, and my sister back!"