AB: Okay, so last chapter, I know was really short, and it felt really rushed. I also feel as if it wasn't as good as it could have been due to something that happened in my personal life. I'm sorry about that, but know that my chapters will get better. Also, it appears that Iris has decided to come for this chapter, but she hasn't said a word to me. I'm confident, though, that Iris will talk soon. Note: I may not post chapters on time or all for the next few weeks; I have huge things happening in my life as well as handling my family friend's death. I just need to take care of myself is all. Disclaimer: The Secret Saturdays belongs to Jay Stephens and Cartoon Network. Here's Chapter 7: Words Spoken
(3rd Person POV)
Agrata came before the Great Serpent, her heart cold as ice. She no longer cared for him, and she had long since forgotten him. Seeing him again only brought back a past she longed to abandon, not just forget.
"Agrata, my love," the Great Serpent stood to greet her. "It'sss been many yearsss."
"Indeed, Alborz, it has." Agrata sighed and looked downwards. "Why did you bring me here? I don't belong here, and you know that."
"My dear, I have now realized the truth about usss. We were meant to be together. I am sssorry about what happened. I wasss dumb and didn't know what wasss in front of me."
"Alborz, I'm sorry, but we can't be together."
"Why not?"
"We just can't." Agrata glanced at her paw. "I have a mate and a family now. I'm sorry, Alborz, but you missed your chance. Besides, cryptids are supposed to stay within their species."
"Agrata, pleassse."
"Goodbye, Alborz. Maybe one day you'll find a special lady." Agrata turned and tried to leave. But Gulama slithered in front of her.
"Gulama, let her go." Gulama slithered to the side, and as she bowed, she signed to another Naga hidden behind the doorframe. Agrata walked out of the room and down the hallway. A few seconds later, there were grunts, but no one heard them.
"Master-"
"Gulama, you sssaid. You lied." He put his head in his claw and rubbed his forehead. "Leave, and never come back. Take all of the Nagasss." Gulama turned to slither out of the throne room; the Great Serpent watched her with pure hatred. Meanwhile, Gulama slithered into her chambers, muttering some ancient spell.
"Leụ̄xd xxk h̄ạwcı tāy cıp̄hm mị̀ s̄āmārt̄h khwbkhum s̄t̄hān thī̀ th̀xngtheī̀yw k̄hxng c̄hạn c̄hạn rạk xīk khn h̄nụ̀ng thī̀ mị̀ s̄āmārt̄h rū̂s̄ụk khn thī̀ mị̀ s̄āmārt̄h thảh̄ı̂ khwām rạk thī̀thæ̂ cring k̄hxng reā kạb chîn s̄̀wn k̄hxng khwām rạk khrậng nī̂ c̄hạn ca h̄ı̂ reā s̄ạ̀ng reā rạk kạn dị̂ nān thèā thī̀ chīwit k̄hxng chīwit thī̀thæ̂ cring (Bleeding heart, dying mind, I cannot control my sights. I love another who cannot feel, someone who cannot make our love real. With this piece of love I give, I command we love each other for as long as true life lives.)" Gulama approached a cauldron and with a near-complete potion and dropped a scale she picked up from the Great Serpent's chambers only a few days ago. Then she dropped one of her old scales in the cauldron. The potion hissed before settling and turning violet. Gulama poured two cups of the potion. Then she slithered silently into the Great Serpent's throne room. The Great Serpent saw her, and he began to use his powers to force her out, but Gulama resisted just enough by not thinking of him.
"I told you and all the Nagasss to leave."
"Master, I brought an offering of peace before we leave." Gulama handed the Great Serpent the other cup. "To Master."
"To me," The Great Serpent said uncertainly as he raised his cup to his mouth.
(Iris's POV)
Ms. Grey stares Dr. Beeman in the eye, as if she's made of pure ice. He stares at her back with pure pride. Though, I've no idea what this is about, I do not want to get involved. It's not my place anyways; this is their fight.
"I've brought her."
"I can see that."
"Payment, where is it?" Ms. Grey asks.
"I'm supposed to pay you?" Dr. Beeman asks sarcastically. Ms. Grey glares at him. The tension is palpable. "Would you relax, Ms. Grey. It's right here," Dr. Beeman says as he reaches into his pocket. Something tells me this could go horribly wrong in a matter of seconds. I try not to think of all the ways. Instead, I count the number of rocks on the mountain. I lose count after a couple minutes. Ms. Grey and Dr. Beeman have officially entered a staredown. I drop my shoulders in dismay. Où sont Dr Grey et Saturdays? (Where are Dr. Grey and the Saturdays?) I look around the outside of Dr. Beeman's lab, praying that I see something that looks familiar. I see the door Dr. Grey used when she let me go, but that doesn't tell me much.
"I'll be on my way now. Good luck with this one, she's nothing but trouble," Ms. Grey finally says, breaking the silence. I am both relieved and incredibly scared. Being left in the care of Master's worst enemies, no matter how nice they seem, is horrendous, so as one can imagine, this is not much better. Dr. Beeman stops Ms. Grey and invites her inside. She turns him down and prepares to leave.
"But, Ms. Grey, won't you come see your sister?" Ms. Grey turns back around to face Dr. Beeman. She lifts an eyebrow and asks him to repeat what he just said. "I said, 'won't you come see your sister?'" Ms. Grey's manner becomes one of stone. I guess she harbors resentment towards Dr. Grey. I'd rather not find out how intense it is either. Ms. Grey stiffly wishes Dr. Beeman a pleasant day and starts walking away. But Dr. Beeman grabs her hand, telling her that Dr. Grey will need her for support after what happened the other day. Ms. Grey jerks her hand away, saying she's nothing to do with her sister anymore. Then she walks away without another word.
Dr. Beeman quotes Ms. Grey in a high-pitched voice that sends chills down my spine. Then he puts his hand on my shoulder and tells me to come. I hesitate. Dr. Beeman explains I'll be safer inside, but I still hesitate to walk. I do not trust Dr. Beeman, or really any of the Secret Scientists, but there's something comfortably familiar about Dr. Grey. If only I knew what.
After much "convincing" from Dr. Beeman, I finally decide to go inside; the real reason is that I got tired of his incessant talking. He keeps one hand on my back, just behind my shoulder, and he walks me through his lab. I see the pale man from my first day here; I'm sure he's Dr. Cheechoo. Next we pass a Native American man covered in scars from third degree burns and their treatment. Dr Cheveyo?! Comment? Il a quitté les Scientifiques Secrètes après l'accident de brûlure Monsieur Zak a causée. (Dr. Cheveyo?! How? He left the Secret Scientists after the burn accident Mister Zak caused.) Dr. Beeman must sense my surprise because he explains that he convinced Dr. Cheveyo to rejoin the Scientists after he took over. I nod, acting like I understand when I really don't. Dr. Beeman drags on and on about what a struggle it was convincing Dr. Cheveyo to come back and how much better the Secret Scientists were at finding the Saturdays after he rejoined. It's hard not to laugh, knowing Master could find the Saturdays in under two minutes if he needed to. But I know I need to remain somber or else Dr. Beeman may get mad. I want to avoid that at all costs.
Finally, Dr. Beeman leads me to an empty hallway. I try not to take notice of how eerie it looks. I can only imagine what he has here. He keeps walking me down the hallway, further and further away from people. Cela ne peut pas être un bon signe. (This cannot be a good sign.) Dr. Beeman stops me in front of a metal door and unties the ropes. I rub my wrists where the rope pressed. I don't even think of running.
"Here we are, Iris. Go in," Dr. Beeman directs as he opens the door. I turn to face him and look at him questioningly. I motions for me to go in, but I don't move. "Iris, what's wrong? Don't you trust me? Isn't the enemy of your enemy your friend?" I keep my mouth shut, but I furrow my brow. Non. (No.) I feel Dr. Beeman's hand pushing me into the room; I don't know why I don't try to run away. I guess I just don't care anymore.
The door closes, and a deadbolt lock seals the door. Grande. Je suis enfermé ici maintenant. Bon travail, Iris. (Great. I'm locked in here now. Good job, Iris.) There are no windows in this room, nor is there any light coming from under the door. J'ai été dans des situations pires. Mais j'ai toujours su Maître reviendrait. Je ne peux pas dire la même chose pour Dr. Beeman. Je veux revenir à Maître. (I've been in worse situations. But I always knew Master would come back. I can't say the same for Dr. Beeman. I want to go back to Master.)
I crawl my way to the corner farthest from the door and curl up in a ball. I feel like such a failure right now. The last time I saw Master, he was mad at me, Munya is missing, Father is dead, and the Saturdays are lost. The worse part is it's all my fault. I squeeze my knees tighter into my chest and rest my head on my knees. The tears start to form in my eyes. There's no stopping them now; I cry for all I've lost. I suddenly feel all my energy drained from me. I decide to rest for a little while.
The snow blocks the door from opening. My excitement grows with every minute Daddy spends trying to open the door. He finally opens it, and I try to run outside in my pajamas. Daddy scoops me up before I can make it out. He laughs as he tosses me in the air. Then he sets me down and tells me to go get dressed in warm clothes. I run away to my room and throw on mismatched clothes, put my jacket on the wrong way, and put both my legs into one pants leg. I hop out to Daddy.
"Iris, what am I going to do with you?" Daddy laughs with me. Then he helps me get dressed properly before sending me outside to play in the heavy snow. I see my best friend, Lindsey Campbell, playing in her yard next door. I call her over, and we start playing together. We have a snowball fight that lasts all morning. Eventually, Mr. and Mrs. Campbell call Lindsey back home for lunch. Daddy comes out shortly afterwards and tells me it's time for lunch. I reluctantly head inside, promising to Lindsey as she heads to her house that we'll continue playing later. She agrees.
I hurriedly eat lunch with Daddy, but he takes forever. When I try to excuse myself, he tells me to wait for him to finish. I wait. Finally he finishes and puts the dishes in the dishwasher. I'm about to bolt for the door when Daddy stops me in my tracks.
"Iris, I need to talk to you." I walk over to him and climb in his lap. He holds me and rocks me for a few minutes. I listen to the steady sound of his beating heart. "Iris, you've gotten big," Daddy's voice cracks slightly.
"I know, Daddy. I'm seven now." Daddy holds me closer.
"Yes, you are. Listen to me, Iris." Daddy takes a pause. "It's time you learned to take care of yourself. It's time you learned to work with others and how to take care of other people and animals." I press my head against Daddy's chest. The teardrops land on the side of my head with a plink.
"Daddy, please don't cry. School won't be that bad. It can't be much different from homeschooling." I try to cheer him up.
"Not school, Iris." Daddy starts sobbing. "One of my clients has offered to take you in as a protégée. He's coming today." I hug Daddy as tight as I can, scared to let go of him, of my life. He's all that I have; I can't lose him. Daddy hugs me as tight as he can. I sense another person walk into the room. I turn around; I see the person.
"Iris." The person runs over to me and hugs me, as if he or she is scared to let me go too. Then Daddy hugs both me and the person. The pain and love in the room is palpable. Daddy and the person let go; Daddy can't stop crying, so the person takes him to his bedroom and closes the door.
"Goodbye, Daddy. Goodbye, _," I say in awe. "I love you both." A deep red-violet limo pulls up, and a scary-looking butler steps out the driver's seat. He opens the door to the passenger part of the car. Out steps a man with pure white hair and a hunchback wearing a light blue cape.
"Hello, Iris. I am V. V. Argost. You will be my manservant's protégée from now on. You will learn French and all of Munya's duties. Viens, maintenant. (Come, now.)" The butler, named Munya, takes me by the hand and walks me out of my house. He helps Mr. Argost into the limo, and walks me around to the front. He opens the door and helps me into the booster seat. Then he walks around to the driver's side.
"Iris, when Master and your father worked this out, your father was made to think that you would be Master's protégée, not mine. But I promise, I'll take good care of you." Munya looks ahead. "It's not a far drive." The drive was spent in silence.
When we first arrive at Mr. Argost's manor, I have to learn the rules pretty quickly. I finally catch on after a few beatings and other punishments. It's torture.
I gasp for breath when I wake up. My chest is so heavy, it feels as if there are a hundred (100) elephants sitting on it. I don't know how much time has passed since I went to sleep, but frankly, I'm not sure I want to know. Je ne peux pas me croire. J'ai trahi Maître. Comment est le jour où il m'a sauvé mon pire souvenir? Pourquoi ne puis-je ne me souviens pas qui était l'autre personne? (I can't believe myself. I betrayed Master. How is the day he saved me my worst memory? Why can't I remember who the other person was?) I continue to sit in the corner for a while, but I've no clue how long.
Not being able to see anything or know what is happening is causing me to drift in and out of sanity. When insanity comes, I let go, and my situation changes to something bizarre. It becomes my escape. Nothing makes sense, but it is comforting being in my imaginary state.
Dr. Beeman comes back. He opens the door and leans against the frame. He looks at me and sighs. I pull my knees in tighter.
"You want to see them, don't you? You want to see them getting what they deserve before you return, right?" I try not to look at Dr. Beeman, but I nod. "You've been here a day, only a fraction of the time they've been here. Come on." Dr. Beeman props open the door and walks over to me; he extends his hand. I quickly shove my gloves back on and take his hand; he pulls me to my feet. We leave the room and start up the hallway. Dr. Beeman stops across from Dr. Cheveyo's lab. Dr. Beeman opens the door and lets me look. Only, I don't see anything. I turn around and look at him questioningly. He doesn't answer. Instead, he pushes me into the room. "And stay in there, Kur!" The door slams and locks. Pourquoi as-tu pour être si stupide, Iris? (Why do you have to be so stupid, Iris?)
"Iris?" A voice calls. The voice echos off the walls, so I don't know from which direction it came. "I'm to your left, Iris. Come here." My eyes adjust to the darkness; I look to my left and start walking cautiously. I step on something oddly shaped; something winces. I step back. "Iris." I get down on my hands and knees and crawl around what I stepped on. I find myself next to Dr. Grey. "They're over here, Iris. I can't tell if they're doing well or not." Dr. Grey reaches toward me and firmly grasps my hand, as if she's scared to let me go. Then she guides me over to where the Saturdays are. Right off the bat, I can tell Mister Zak is in the most danger. I pull off my gloves and try to heal him, but I can't. I try on all the Saturdays, but my powers won't touch them.
The door unlocks suddenly, and Dr. Beeman tosses a struggling Ms. Grey into the room. She hits the ground hardly and grunts. She seems fine, though because she stands right back up and starts swearing at the door. Then she sees Dr. Grey. "Miranda." Ms. Grey rushes over to us. "Miranda, your arm."
Dr. Grey smiles. "For my eighteenth from Papa and Derek." Dr. Grey takes a pause. "Iris, please try again. I know you can heal them." I try again, but nothing happens. I start to get frustrated. The tears well up in my eyes when Dr. Grey keeps encouraging me. Ms. Grey stays silent. "One more time, Iris, that's all I ask."
I blink back my tears and swallow. "Je ne peux pas. (I can't.)"
AB: Yay! Iris talked! Iris talked! After seven chapters, she talked! (Starts happy dancing around the room, then stops and gasps before stepping back slowly.) Hello, Dr. Beeman.
Dr. Beeman: Hello, AB. May I ask why you are celebrating if such sadness has just befallen you?
AB: I can't dwell in gloom. I need some kind of escape. Besides, I've done something I've never done before.
Dr. Beeman: And what, pray tell, is that?
AB: I wrote a 3,000 word chapter using only one POV, except for the myth at the beginning. That and Iris spoke for the first time since the start of chapter one.
Dr. Beeman: I see. And why are you not celebrating my victory over the Saturdays?
AB: I'll get back to you on that. To my readers, the dream Iris has where she says goodbye to her father and to the other person, I meant to leave that blank. That's part of the mystery of Iris's past; I also do not count that as her first words since the start of the story because that is a dream, a memory, therefore it has already happened. Thank you so much to all of you! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! Love you!