(A/N) Phew, I'm back. Been a very busy time for me and I'm exhausted. Well, I felt bad for not updating anything for a while, and this chapter has been finished a while now, and so I decided to put this up, since I'm still struggling with my other stories. Stupid writers block. So here it is, chapter 4! Hope you enjoy:)
Chapter 4
I looked at the letter I held in my hands.
'Isabella Garcia-Shapiro' was written in big golden type on the front of it. Eve told us not to open it until we got home. I couldn't shake off what she had said to us just before we headed into Math class.
"The fate of both of our worlds is in your hands. Please, you must help!"
The desperation was clear in her voice. But it had to be a joke. I wasn't old enough for this kind of responsibility. I looked at my hands.
'Could I really do something like that?' I thought to myself. There was nothing special about me, why would it be down to someone like me? I heard someone sigh next to me. I didn't even need to look up to see who it was.
"What are we going to do?" I whispered to him.
"Don't worry, Bella. I'm sure she was just pranking us?" He sighed, obviously as clueless as I was. Phineas placed his hand over mine, trying to reassure me further. But the more I thought about what Eve had shown us, the more I realised that it couldn't be a joke.
"No, Buford. I am not going to ditch."
"Fine then, Izzy. But you'll regret it." Buford waved to me and Ferb before turning around and running up to his bully friends.
I turned to Ferb who simply laughed and lead me inside.
"Shouldn't we try and stop him?" I asked him. Buford wouldn't listen, but if we pinned him down, then we could probably get him to stay.
Ferb shook his head no. We eventually had to part ways as he had been taken to more advanced math lessons, along with Baljeet. Phineas would have been offered, if he didn't 'lack motivation' as our teacher would say. So, luckily for me, he was in my class. Usually, Phineas and I would go one way, as Ferb and Baljeet went the other, but since Baljeet wasn't here and I didn't know where Phineas was, we had to go off on our own. I sighed as I headed for the classroom. It wasn't that I disliked Math; I just wasn't particularly fond of our teacher. No one was. Not even Baljeet liked him, and that is saying something.
"Hey, Isabella. So about Friday?" Jack came up behind me, and tapped me on the shoulder.
"I told you, I'm. Not. Interested. Now, please go away. I'm going to be late for class." I rushed off to math, for the first time, but Jack sprinted after me.
"Come on, it'll be fun!" He stopped me again and I sighed.
"No, Jack. I'm busy." I lied. I hoped that he would get the hint and leave me alone.
"Oh, and with whom?" he raised his eyebrow, calling my bluff.
"Er... with..." I stumbled. Who could I say that would cause any more gossip? Once I said a name that would be it. Rumours would spread like wildfire around the school.
"Me." Phineas came up behind me, and glared at Jack, who backed away.
"Oh. Ok. Sorry, Isabella." And he slumped away. Just like that! Buford was right, why was everyone so afraid of the 'terrible two'?
"Thank you, Phin. But you do realise..." he grabbed my hand and pulled me to the side. After checking the coast was clear, he dragged me away from the classroom. "Phineas? What are you...?" He put his hand over my mouth, and continued to pull me along the corridor. We finally came to a halt at a door, and he pulled me inside the room. He turned on the light and revealed that we were in the old art room.
It was dusty and in need of some repair, but it still looked as it did when we first started. There was the paint Buford had chucked on the floor (not purposely. He had aimed for Tim) and the peg he used to hang Baljeet on. Phineas' paintings were still pinned up on the walls, and the decoration was still the same. This room was never used anymore, as we had been given funding to get a new art room. This one was outdated, unused and dirty. But Phineas liked it here. If we ever lost him, this would be the first place we would search. I remember spending a whole lunch time with him here. It was the perfect chance for me to spend time with him without the entourage, and it was just perfect.
"Sorry, Bella. But there is something you need to know." His voice snapped me back to reality. He had let go of my hand and was stood opposite me.
"What is it, Phin?" I replied after I had absorbed what he had just said. He had something he needed to tell me? Without anyone else around? Was today going to finally be the day? I felt like I was about to explode with the anticipation.
"I just got this." He held out an envelope with his name printed out in gold type on the front. I tried to hide my disappointment. I thought that he was going to declare his undying love to me, but it turns out that I'm wrong. It was just him showing me a letter. Probably another thank you card from some big important business man or celebrity. I met his eyes again, and saw something strange in Phineas' eyes. It looked like fear.
"Phineas, what is it?" I asked, reaching out for the letter.
"I suppose you could call it an invitation." I turned to find the source of the somewhat familiar voice. Stood behind me, with another letter similar to Phineas' in her hands, was the new girl. I think her name was Eve or something like that. "Hello, Isabella. I have been told great things about you." She smiled at me, and handed me the letter. This one, like the one Phineas had in his hands, had my name in gold print. I looked up at her, confused.
"What... Why are you giving me this?"
"Because, you have been chosen. You and your friends have been given a great honour, Isabella. Should you choose to accept after reading this." She pointed to the letter. I turned it over, to open it but she stopped my hand before I could. "Please do not read this until you get home. You must not let any of them read it until you are alone or with the other chosen ones."
"Wait, there are others?" I asked after she handed me another letter.
"Buford Van-Stomm and Ferb Fletcher. I believe you know them?" I nodded in response.
"I don't understand. What are we supposed to do?"
"The invitation will explain everything. All you have to do is respond."
I still didn't understand. What had we been chosen for? And why the four of us? What is there for us to do?!
"I realise that I have wasted a lot of your lesson, but you must understand that this is important. You may not understand right now, but you will. Everything will be explained to you in detail. But all you need to know right now is that our worlds are in danger!"
"Worlds?" Phineas piped up, after being silent for most of the time. "Why pluralize world?"
"I am not from here. I am from a place called The Elemental." She rushed out her sentence, obviously trying to hurry things along. "I will honestly explain everything after you have read the letter and made your choice, but right now, you have lessons to go to, and I can sense a great evil near us. I'm sorry, but I have to go!" And with that, she vanished right in front of my eyes.
"Wha... what just?!" I sat down, rubbing my temples. How did she just? No. She couldn't have! That was impossible. I looked at the letter again. "Phineas. What is this?" he sat down next to me and could only shrug. He was speechless. The great Phineas Flynn, known for his talking, was once again silenced. This was the second time this day alone he had been at a loss for words. I took both of his hands and met with his eyes. "Phineas, please. I just..." I sighed, "What do we do?" After another moment of him not talking, I spoke up again. "Please, Phineas. You always know what to do. You always have something to say." He looked down and thought for a moment before looking back into my eyes, and moving closer to me.
"Isabella, I'm sorry. I don't know what to say. I don't know whats going on, and I'm scared. But I know that we are going to be ok. Don't panic. I'm sure that we were just imagining it, and that we just ate something funny? Come on, let's just go to math." He shook off his doubt and pulled me up to my feet. "I'm sorry for dragging you here. But, she said she had to see you." He walked to the door and opened it. "You coming, Bella?" He tried to give me his best reassuring smile, but I could see his worry.
"Give me a sec, Phin." I smiled towards him, and he headed out the door. I looked around me. Evil? Danger? Why would they trust a few teenagers to deal with that kind of thing? In fact, why would that kind of thing be a problem? Different worlds, magic and 'great evil' would be the kind of thing you would find in a story. Not in a little place like Danville. Sure, Phineas and Ferb did impossible things, but never dangerous things. Could she just be playing a prank on us?
"Isabella." I jumped at the sound of her voice. "Sorry, but I had to speak to you. I know that you doubt this situation. But please, do not cast it as a simple prank. I can sense your panic, but do not be afraid, please. Fear is never good and brings out the worst in people." Eve was sat on the table opposite me, looking straight at me.
"Why did you need to see me? What's so important about me?" She stood up and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Because, you are the one that has to make the choice. It's all up to you in the end. I know it is a lot to ask, but it has to be you, Isabella. You are the foundations of that group. And I'm sorry, but the fate of both of our worlds is in your hands. Please, you must help!" Her green eyes were filled with an array of emotions, some I could not quite tell, but the most evident one was hope.
"What can I do?" I mumbled and shook my head and closed my eyes tight, trying to see if I was hallucinating. But when I reopened them, Eve was still there.
"Trust me, you can do a lot!" She smiled and then once again vanished, although, this time, she left a note behind that was signed by our school nurse. It was an excuse as to why Phineas and I were late for math class. I left, and saw him waiting outside for me, looking about as pale as I imagined I looked.
"It was weird; it was like she spoke to me in my head. She told me that I needed to leave you two alone." Phineas explained to me as we walked down the hall. I looked at him, and I tried to find the words to say to him. But I couldn't. So I just dropped my head, and we walked into math class together, in an awkward silence, for the first time in forever.