AB: Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had wonderful holidays, and I hope last chapter didn't get you down too much. I had a hard time writing the chapter, if it's any consolation. But I have good news! The story is not yet over, and you never know what may happen with the Saturdays. I just hope the Secret Scientists don't find out. (All the Secret Scientists, except Dr. Grey and the Saturdays, storm the room.)
Dr. Cheechoo: Too late, AB.
AB: For goodness's sake! Don't any of you have any respect for doors and people's privacy?!
Dr. Cheveyo: (Nods once to Dr. Cheechoo.) Yes, just not for you or your door. (Epsilon and Francis suddenly barge in.)
Epsilon: Take AB.
AB: I don't think so. (Starts backing out of secret door to room.) Disclaimer: The Secret Saturdays belongs to Jay Stephens and Cartoon Network. Here's Chapter 11: Where's Zak?
(3rd Person POV)
Rani Nagi presented her new husband with a gift the next morning. At first the Great Serpent was confused by the large stone with markings carved all in it, but Rani Nagi explained that the carvings told his story, should he ever be erased from history. However, Rani Nagi failed to mention that the stone was also a map to the tomb she had made for the Great Serpent. The Great Serpent, pleased with his wife's gift, gave her one too.
"It'sss a flute, Beloved. It onccce belonged to the former queen, ssso I've been told." The Great Serpent handed the two-piped flute to his wife, who nodded while looking intently at it. Another plan was formulating in her mind as she fingered the open hole keys.
Hours later, the Great Serpent sat upon his tall throne in thought. Rani Nagi slithered in and inquired what troubled him. The Great Serpent said that he wanted revenge on the gods for banishing him and the cryptids; he also said that he wanted revenge on Agrata for making him look like a fool. The Great Serpent's blood boiled inside of him. The rage was tremendous. Finally, the Great Serpent blew his top and said he hated humanity, for it was the root of all his problems. If humans had not needed gods and had not started dying in the first place, then he wouldn't be forced to rule the Underworld. The Great Serpent continued to vent and disclosed the incident just days earlier and how humanity's disdain for cryptids landed him in this situation.
"Then declare war on them! You are the Great Serpent! You can do whatever pleases you!" Rani hissed at her husband. Then an idea struck her. She whispered it to her husband, who agreed instantly.
"I will declare war on humanity, and the godsss too," the Great Serpent decided after thinking through his wife's suggestion. Thus, war was declared on all the world, and the Great Serpent led it. He forced cryptids to attack cities, villages, and kingdoms alike. No one was spared from this attack. Even the deads' spirits returned to attack the living. All the while, the Sumerian gods hid and planned a counterattack. But one goddess suggested negotiating with the Great Serpent first.
The god who had visited the Great Serpent twice before suddenly appeared in Underworld, watching the chaos. The Great Serpent slithered by and hissed at the god. In response, the god stuck out his tongue before explaining his visit's purpose.
"I know this is not you, Great Serpent Alborz, and you need to wake up to what has happened to you. Look outside and tell me if this war is what you wanted when you started your mission." The Great Serpent hissed and replied that it was his goal the entire time. The god continued for quite a while to reason with the Great Serpent, but all was in vain. Defeated, broken, and mourning the loss of his old friend, the god started to leave. "But just remember this, Great Serpent Alborz, the gods and I are serious, and we will do whatever it takes to save our people should you refuse to see the error in your ways." With those words, the god vanished from the Underworld.
(Iris's POV)
I feel ill at ease when I wake up the next morning. Something is tearing at my heart, but I cannot remember the cause for the life of me. Not that this is surprising; it is just how I handle certain situations. It hits me that instant, and it seems to be hitting Dr. Grey too. Mister Zak is dead, only he's not coming back this time, ever, no matter what happened under Master's watch in the past. I vow in my heart to avenge Mister Zak. I will avenge him if it's the last thing I do.
The doctor comes by for the first time this morning and says we can go tell Mister Zak our goodbyes; they've already moved him to the morgue. Dr. Grey asks how long they'll keep Mister Zak's body, and the doctor replies with no longer than 72 hours. Then the doctor walks us back to the morgue. It feels like an everlasting walk, partly because no one says a word or makes a sound. We finally get to the morgue, and the doctor leads us to the nurse there. He leaves, and the nurse walks us to the table Mister Zak's body is on. Dr. Grey draws back at the sight, but I can't get my eyes off him. He is so lovely, no matter the strength of death's grasp.
Dr. Grey asks if she is allowed to touch him, and the nurse says yes. Dr. Grey walks to the tableside and brushes her bangs from her eyes. "Darn it, Zak. You were such a fighter a month ago. Why'd you stop now?" Dr. Grey stops to breathe for a moment and wipes tears from her eyes. Then she ruffles Mister Zak's white star. "Zak, I'm so sorry. Just come back. Please." Knowing nothing will happen, Dr. Grey bends down and kisses Mister Zak on the forehead. "Goodbye, my godson, if I still deserve to call you that," she whispers as her voice breaks.
After Dr. Grey steps back, her arms wrapped around herself, I approach the table with Mister Zak on it. I look respectfully at him and wonder why his life had to end so soon when he had so much going for him. I wonder why I had not been the one to die since I have nothing to look forward to in life. My chest tightens, and a hard lump forms in my throat. I blink back the tears.
"Monsieur Zak, regardez- restez avec votre famille. Monsieur Zak? Monsieur Zak, vous restez avec votre famille. S'il vous plaît. (Mister Zak, look- stay with your family. Mister Zak? Mister Zak, you stay with your family. Please.)" My own voice cracks as the words leave my lips. A tear rolls from my left eye, down my face. Pourquoi dois-je me soucie de Monsieur Zak? Sa famille a essayé de faire du mal Maître. Pour tout ce que je sais, Maître pourrait être mort à cause d'eux, et ici je suis le deuil de la perte de la plus dangereuse. (Why do I care about Mister Zak? His family tried to hurt Master. For all I know, Master could be dead because of them, and here I am mourning the loss of the most dangerous one.)
I break my thoughts and try to back away from the table, but some kind of force keeps me at Mister Zak's side. Too tired to fight the force, I hold Mister Zak's hand for a moment. I close my eyes and imagine electricity shocking Mister Zak's heart; I feel the push, and nothing blocks it. I smile, but the joy is short-lived. My chest burns, and pressure is building behind my sternum. I feel lightheaded, and I am wobbling; Dr. Grey rushes over to me and catches me as I fall.
"Are you alright, Iris?" she asks. I nod, but my head is a lot worse. The nurse calls for help, and I somehow find myself in a chair with my head between my knees a few minutes later. The lightheaded feeling passes after a couple minutes, so I sit up. Dr. Grey looks at me in deep concern; I look down at my feet. Neither of us says anything for a long time.
"You're going to be okay, Iris. I promise that you'll be okay." I look up from my shoes at Dr. Grey. Brushing tears from my eyes, I shake my head. "Iris, I understand your pain, I really do. You lost your father, your master, and now a member of your new family to death. This is hard for you, but you have to understand that life moves on. Iris, I had to face this truth when my brother died the day before my college roommate died."
"Mais comment pouvez-vous être si sûr? La vie est- Attendez. Maître est mort? (But how can you be so sure? Life is- Wait. Master is dead?)" I hear and feel the dull cracking of my heart as it breaks once more. Dr. Grey nods solemnly. "Mais Maître était tout ce que j'avais. Munya est morte ainsi? (But Master was all I had. Is Munya dead as well?)" Dr. Grey looks me deeply in my eyes and says that she has no idea what happened to Munya.
Dr. Grey takes one last look at me and sighs. "I know you think of yourself as property, especially that of Argost's, but you're not. You are a living, breathing human. It's high time you relearned what you knew before you were taken at seven." All conversation stops there, and the two of us start walking back to the ICU.
Once we get there, the doctor tells us that the Saturdays, Mr. Blackwell, and Ms. Grey have all been moved into the regular hospital, but Ms. Grey is in a different part than the Saturdays and Mr. Blackwell. Dr. Grey walks me to the department where the Saturdays are before leaving to stay with her sister. I find myself at Dr. Drew's bedside, where I stay for rest of the day, only leaving to check on the others. I just pray that when she and the others wake up, they handle Mister Zak's death relatively well.
Sunlight on my eyes wakes me the next morning. I rub my eyes and look around; something is troubling me, but I do not know what. However a pain in the center of my chest quickly makes me forget about whatever is troubling me. The pain gives the sensation that something is trying to escape from my body. Hoping that the pain is only a temporary issue, I try my best to ignore it.
After checking on the Saturdays, I stop by Mr. Blackwell's room. My mind takes a minute to register what is in front of me: Mr. Blackwell's eyes are open; he is awake.
"Mini-maid, what happened to Mini-man?" For someone who has just awoken from a coma, Mr. Blackwell is extremely alert. He looks around the hospital room in total shock. "Are we in a hospital?" I nod. "Iris, what happened?" I shake my head. C'est tellement frustrant! Je souhaite que je savais anglais et pouvais lui dire ce qui s'est passé! (This is so frustrating! I wish that I knew English and could tell him what happened!) I clench my jaw in hopes of stopping the frustrated tears before they come.
Mr. Blackwell does not say another word, nor do I speak to him. Instead, I stand quietly in the corner of the room, keeping my senses on high alert. Eventually, Mr. Blackwell falls asleep; after waiting a couple minutes, I leave the room and check on the other Saturdays. Mister Fiskerton, Mister Komodo, and Miss Zon are all awake now. Things seem to be looking up the Saturdays, even without Mister Zak. However, I cannot help but wonder what kind of hospital this is since it treats cryptids as well as humans.
Soon Mister Komodo and Miss Zon go to sleep, but Mister Fiskerton stays awake. His red eyes bore holes into my soul, or so it seems. I stare down at my feet, refusing to reveal reality to him.
"Where is Zak?" Mister Fiskerton asks, his voice filled with concern. Again, I clench my jaw to keep from answering. All I do is shake my head and hope Mister Fiskerton understands. Mister Fiskerton asks again where Mister Zak is, but all I can do is shake my head. I watch as Mister Fiskerton sighs and leans back against his bed. He folds his knees into his chest, wraps his arms around himself, and rests his head on his knee. My best guess is that he knows something happened to Mister Zak. But like all the others who have woken up, Mister Fiskerton soon goes to sleep and leaves me to watch over everyone.
After a long day of keeping an eye on the Saturdays and Mr. Blackwell, I check on Dr. Solomon and Dr. Drew. Neither of them is awake, much to my relief. Then I return to Dr. Drew's room and fall asleep in a chair.
I jolt awake as I gasp rapidly. I can feel my heart in my throat as it races. I don't know what happened to make me wake up in this state, but I know it had to be bad. Once I get my heart to slow down, I realize that the pain behind my sternum is very much present. Today, however, the pain is a lot worse than it has been the past couple days; it feels as if something is trying desperately to escape my body.
I look at Dr. Drew as she rests in her coma. Part of me hopes that she stays like this so that I do not have to tell her about Mister Zak and so I can find out for myself if Master is really dead, but part of me wants her to wake up so she can help her family now that Mister Zak is gone. Dr. Drew's chest rises and falls with each breath, and each breath gives hope that she will pull through. But Master taught Munya and me not to have hope unless he also had hope.
Watching Dr. Drew fight for her life and the feeling of hope it gives is too much. I burst into tears. Je me déteste pour ce que je suis devenu. Mon esprit est tellement tordu et confus de mon temps avec Maître et le peu de temps que j'ai passé avec le Saturdays et M. Blackwell et les expériences que j'ai eues avec Dr Grey. Je ne sais plus ce qui est bon ou mauvais. Noir et blanc ne sont plus clair pour moi; zones grises apparaissent dans ma vie.(I hate myself for what I've become. My mind is so twisted and confused from my time with Master and the short time I've spent with the Saturdays and Mr. Blackwell and the experiences I've had with Dr. Grey. I no longer know what is right or wrong. Black and white are no longer clear to me; gray areas are appearing in my life.)
Tears stream down my face as my thoughts calm down. But they do not stay calm for long; they start all over again. Je ne sais plus qui je suis ou ce qu'il faut croire. Je me rends compte maintenant que la réalité n'est plus quelque chose que je peux faire confiance, et il fait des ravages. (I no longer know who I am or what to believe. I now realize that reality is no longer something I can trust, and it is taking its toll.) The sound of sheets rustling catches my attention, so I look up. Dr. Drew is moving slightly; she will wake up soon. I decide to remain in the room until she wakes up.
In actuality, several more hours pass before Dr. Drew shows any more signs of waking up. She tosses in the bed for a few minutes before settling down. After waiting another moment, I leave Dr. Drew's room and go check on Dr. Solomon.
Dr. Solomon is wide awake and sitting up in bed. He eyes me cautiously; there is no way he could show his distrust more obviously. I curtsy to show respect and hope he understands.
"Iris, how are the others?" Dr. Solomon asks.
"Ils sont bien. (They are well.)" Dr. Solomon seems pleased with my answer. I stay in his room until he drifts off to sleep. Then I return to Dr. Drew's room and watch as she awakens. The first words out of her mouth are asking about the others. I tell her exactly what I told Dr. Solomon. Dr. Drew nods and starts to fall asleep. I linger in the room until she has gone completely to sleep.
On my way out to the waiting room, my chest pains amplifies. I recognize that I am collapsing, but there is nothing I can do to stop it. The floor hurts, but not as much as the my chest as something tries to escape.
Dr. Beeman: Mwahahaha! I have complete control over the story now! (Epsilon and Francis return, with a tied up AB.)
Epsilon: What do you want us to do with AB?
AB: How about LET ME GO?!
Francis: Never.
AB: I am the author! I can do whatever I want to any of you if I wanted to!
Francis: Who cares?
AB: I care! First you all barge in on me and my chapter, then you capture me, next you try to overrun my chapter, and now you're disrespecting me!
Dr. Beeman: Would you just shut up?
AB: NO! This is my story! I have control over what happens! I-mmmm mmmm! (Epsilon gags AB.)
All the Secret Scientists, Epsilon, and Francis: Ahh. Some quiet at last.
AB: Mmmm mmm mmm mm mmmmmmmm! Mmmmmm mmmmmm mm mmm mmmm mm mmmm mm! (Don't let them get my outline! Please review if you want to save me!)