With this chapter, we are officially over halfway through the rewrite. If you've made it this far, please leave a review letting me know if it still holds up.
And... ACTION!
~Chapter Twenty-Eight~
Marbles and Ada woke up at sunrise, like they had been since they got trapped three days ago. This time would be the last time they woke up in the triangular prison.
At least that's what they were hoping for...
"Do we have to get up now?" Ada whined, her eyes only half opened.
"Affirmative Ada," Marbles said, "The sooner we start looking for the exit, the sooner we can leave."
"Marbles?" Ada asked as she stretched, "I think we should take Francesca's body with us. She may have been mean, but she still has parents at home that are probably wondering what happened to her."
Marbles sighed. "I suppose you're right. And Ada, we don't really know if it is Francesca."
"She looks like her, she's dressed the same way Francesca used to dress outside of school."
"But why would Ann trap her own sister in here and not set her free?" Marbles reasoned, "Surely she comes around here sometimes."
"Well I remember I eavesdropped on one of Francesca's conversations once and-"
"YOU eaves-dropped?!" Marbles laughed.
"It wasn't on purpose," Ada remarked, playfully slapping her boyfriend's arm, "Anyway, she said something along the lines of hating her sister and always getting into fights with her."
"I see." Then Marbles thought back to the news reports he'd watched, "You know, I remember Ann's parents were once interviewed on the news. They said they had two daughters, including Ann. And that both of them were sent to reform school for their behavior."
"And?"
"They said their eldest daughter 'got her act together' but that Ann only got worse," Marbles continued, "They also said the whole Arky family was terrified of her."
"She's THAT out of control?!"
Marbles nodded. "Apparently."
"Then it would make even more sense for this to be Francesca," Ada said sadly.
The two were silent awhile, thinking of what possibly could cause someone to want to harm their own family. But alas, there are some people who are just evil beyond understanding.
"Well we better go my lady," Marbles finally said and opened his door, "Perhaps we can still make it to our evening classes if we're quick enough."
"Just as long as I can shower when we get back," Ada replied as she got out of the cyber-coupe as well.
Ada grabbed her and Marbles' belongings, knowing they probably wouldn't be able to come back to the vehicle, while Marbles lifted up the dead cyborg. With that, they were off.
Location: Cyber University:
Melissa's alarm clock rang at 6:45 A.M. and the eighteen-year-old screamed as she jolted into a sitting position. Panting, she looked around her dorm room which was slightly dimming from the rising sun and breathed a sigh of relief. Melissa had had yet another horrifying nightmare where Abaddon and Biff were holding her brother and best friend captive and there was, somehow, nothing she could do about it. They were just about to pull a trigger onto each prisoner's head when she was freed from the horrible dream.
"Get a grip Melissa," she told herself as she tried to gain control of her shaking hands, "Its just a dream. It doesn't mean its real."
There was a knock at her door. Melissa got up out of bed, her knees also shaking from the dream and opened her door slightly. It was Artemis: a student from cybersite Mount Olympus, a cyborg designed after the mythological Greek goddess of the same name, and the girl whose dorm was right next to Melissa's.
"Hey honey," the slightly older cyborg said concerned, "Is everything ok? My roommate and I heard a scream."
"Oh everything is alright Artemis," Melissa said, "I just had a very vivid nightmare."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Artemis asked her acquaintance.
"No thank you," Melissa answered politely.
"You sure?"
"Yes," Melissa answered, "Thank you for your concern though."
Artemis gave a small smile and a polite nod and went back to her dorm next door. Melissa closed her door and went to her bathroom to take a shower. (in Cyberspace, all college dorms come with their own individual bathrooms). After she had finished she went to blow dry her hair.
"She seems like a nice girl," Melissa thought as she flipped her hair to dry the back of it, "I really should hang out with her sometime."
Melissa and Artemis had only talked a few times since the semester had started, but the twenty-year-old was very friendly.
"Melissa!" Artemis had exclaimed when they first introduced themselves, "Like the Greek nymph that looked after Zeus when he was a baby!"
"Yes," Melissa had replied laughing slightly, "I have her name."
Melissa smiled at the memory and then quickly glanced at her clock to read the time. 7:35. She decided to let the rest of her long hair drip-dry and quickly slipped on a dark brown sweater dress that had a tight turtle-neck and then put on knee high socks and beige ugg boots. Knowing her class was further away and she didn't have much time she decided to skip her usual make-up look and quickly applied plain lip gloss after brushing her teeth. She threw her pea-coat on, grabbed her book bag and purse, and left.
Melissa's last morning class ended at 11:50 A.M. and she wouldn't have another class until 1:00 P.M. She headed back to her dorm to see if she could get back at least some of the lost hours of sleep. As she rode her bike back she ran into Antoine.
"Hi Melissa," Antoine greeted politely, "Hear anything from Marbles and Ada?"
Melissa shook her head sadly.
"Don't worry," Antoine assured her again, "They'll turn up."
"I hope so," Melissa said sadly, "Thank you for the reassurance."
The two stood silently, both worrying in their minds what could've happened to the young couple. Antoine desperately wanted his friend to no longer be in such distress, nor did her professors whom had noticed the bags under her eyes and recent lack of attention. Melissa just wanted them back. She would've done anything, even lay down her own life for them. Then suddenly, her prayers were answered when her cy-phone rang. She took it out of her purse and nearly fainted with happiness when she saw Marbles' name on the caller ID.
"Its Marbles!" Melissa exclaimed, bringing a smile of relief to Antoine's face as she quickly hit the answer call button.
"Marbles what is going on?!" Melissa yelled into the phone, "Archimedes and I have been worried sick over you and Ada."
"Oh goodness Melissa," Marbles sighed on the other line, "Do calm do-"
"Don't you tell me to calm down!" she yelled on the verge of tears and not caring what the passing-by students thought of her outburst, "Where are you? Are you safe? Is Ada with you? ANSWER ME!"
"Yes Ada is with me! Yes we are safe right now. And we appear to have landed somewhere in Discardia," Marbles answered to all the questions, "We are next to the Forever Gone Ma-"
"Landed? Are you hurt? When did you-"
"I told you already Melissa! We're safe!" her brother interrupted, "Listen we'll explain everything when we get back. Can you make us a portal?"
"Yes," Melissa answered, beginning to calm down and then bringing her voice down to a near whisper, "Text me your ID codes and I'll have my laptop track you and open a portal at your exact location. I'll see you in ten minutes."
"Thank you Melissa."
"Good-bye," she said and hit end call. She turned to Antoine. "Come on! We have to get back to my dorm."
Melissa rode her bike at break-neck speed and Antoine ran as fast he could to catch up with her. When they arrived at the dorm building she quickly locked her bike to the bike rack and the two rode the elevator to the second floor where she resided. Melissa hadn't been able to design a tracking system as advanced as she'd hoped for. But it was a tracking system nonetheless and, Discardia being only an hour or two away, it would be able to find them. Once she and Antoine were in her dorm room, Melissa ran over to her laptop and turned it on. She then grabbed her cy-phone out of her purse and opened the text message Marbles had sent. She typed in the ID codes and within five minutes, her laptop had tracked them. Melissa then opened a portal and out fell Marbles and Ada.
"You know Melissa," Marbles said as he and Ada got up, "That was actually twenty mi-"
Just then Melissa ran up to her brother and hugged them both tightly, stopping him midsentence.
"Uh... Melissa," Marbles said.
"Too... tight," Ada finished for him.
"I was so worried about you two," Melissa said through tears of joy as she loosened her grip, "I'm so grateful to have you back."
Antoine just sat on the bed smiling with relief to see the three reunited. Marbles noticed the nineteen-year-old and, not knowing about the ball his sister and girlfriend attended, asked who he was.
"This is Antoine," Melissa said gesturing for her friend to come closer, "He's from my History class and he and Archimedes have been helping me try to find you all this time."
"Pleasure to meet you, Marbles," Antoine said shaking the younger boy's hand, "Glad to see that you're safe."
"And its a pleasure to see you again Antoine," Ada replied.
"Again?" Marbles asked, confused and just a tad bit jealous.
"I'll explain later dear," Ada said, giving her lover a quick peck on the cheek.
"Yes. After you explain exactly what happened to the two of you," Melissa remarked just as Antoine gasped, jumping back from where he was sitting on the bed as they both noticed the cyborg corpse, "And also after you explain why there is a dead woman on my bed!"
Marbles and Ada looked at each other for a moment.
"Ladies first," Marbles said.
Location: A Distant Unknown Cybersite:
"What the heck do you want?" Ann Arky asked Abaddon snobbishly.
Ann had come at the cyborg's request, though she really had better things to do.
"I need your help Ann Arky," Abddon explained.
"That's MIZZ Arky to you," she interrupted placing one hand on her hip.
"Alright," Abaddon sighed, "Mizz Arky, I want you as my partner in crime. Join me and we'll-"
"Save it!" Ann snapped, "You are so pathetic! Do you know that?"
"Excuse me?" a confused Abaddon said. He had expected the fifteen-year-old to be flattered by his request.
"I said you're pathetic! You are 140 years old and you feel the need to get help with cyber domination from a teenager?! PLEASE!"
Abaddon just stood there clenching his fists. How dare she?!
"All I'm going to say," the rebellious teen continued, "Is that you need to just give up on cyber domination and just make people miserable. Channel all your anger of losing your ruler-ship and make this world a mess!"
With that the teenager snapped her fingers and vanished, leaving Abaddon stricken and General Biff standing in the corner, wondering what to do next.
"Ugh! WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?!" Abaddon shouted at the general, "Insulting me like that!... But she's right."
"What do you mean sir?" Biff asked.
"I am pathetic!" the evil cyborg exclaimed, "I should've re-taken Cyberspace eons ago! Oh I give up!"
"Sir you CAN'T give up," the general argued, "That would mean-"
"I know what it would mean," Abaddon interrupted, "We'd have to reveal our location and be sentenced to death. And even then it wouldn't be over."
"What?" General Biff asked confused.
"Well for you and the rest of my posse it would be," Abaddon explained, "But not for me. When I sold my soul 100 cyber-years ago, part of the agreement was that I'd have one last chance, after I die, to gain Cyberspace by possessing another cyborg's body. Then after that I will face my eternal punishment."
"Is there any turning back on this?"
"Of course there is," Abaddon answered, "But I don't want to turn back. I want Cyberspace even if I have to spend eternity burning as a consequence!"
General Biff backed further away from his boss. These were the times he was most scared of this soulless being. Abaddon continued thinking. Finally he came to what he believed to be a "rational" plan.
"Let's just follow the girl's advice," Abaddon said, "But this time, we'll be a bit more secretive."
"But I thought you said-"
"I CHANGED MY MIND!"
"Okay," General Biff said in a small voice.
"Now leave me alone," Abaddon ordered, "I need to think of a plan."
Location: Cyber University:
"And that's pretty much it," Marbles concluded.
He and Ada had just finished telling Melissa and Antoine their entire dilemma and why there was a dead woman with them.
"We need to find a better way to stay in touch," Melissa said, "I don't ever want this to happen again!"
"Its a shame we don't have those locators Mr. Williams' associates use," Ada said.
"I could try to design a replica," Marbles suggested.
"I think Melissa would very much appreciate that," Antoine laughed, "Wouldn't you?"
Melissa smiled and nodded.
Marbles glanced over at Melissa's clock. It was 1:30 P.M.
"Melissa?" he asked, "Could you open a portal for me in my dorm? If I'm fast enough I can still make it to my 2:00 class."
Melissa and Antoine looked at the clock and realized they had both missed their 1:00 class.
"I think I'm just going to take the rest of the day off," Melissa sighed and went to open a portal for her brother.
"I think that would be wise Melissa," Antoine replied and turned to the couple, "In case you haven't noticed she hasn't slept in days."
"Yes I see," Marbles said as a portal swirled before him, "I probably will take the day off after my 2:00 class as well."
With that he took Francesca's body and jumped into the portal.
"Well," Antoine said shyly, "I better get going too. Don't worry about making me a portal. I can just walk."
"Goodbye Antoine," Melissa said politely, "And thank you for your help."
Antoine smiled. "Anytime."
Ada watched him walk out the door and she turned to her friend.
"That's it?!"
"What's it?" Melissa responded.
"He helped you and was there for you all this time?" Ada asked.
Melissa nodded in response.
"Do you still like him?"
Melissa blushed and nodded again.
"You know what I'm going to say dear," Ada said.
"What?"
"Go after him," she said nudging Melissa, "This is the perfect opportunity."
"I don't know," Melissa said timidly, "We still haven't known each other very-"
"It doesn't matter," Ada said, "He obviously cares a great deal for you if he was willing to go out of his way to help and support you. NOW GO!"
Melissa stood up. "You're right," she said.
"Of course I am. Now go!"
Melissa walked out towards the door. "And feel free to go ahead and take a shower," she added knowing Ada desperately wanted one, "You can wear one of my outfits."
"Ok ok," Ada said quickly, "GO!"
With that, Melissa walked out the door and ran in the direction of Antoine's dorm building.
Antoine walked towards his dorm. He was so relieved that the young couple was found and more relieved that his crush would finally get the rest she needed. He was starting to worry that all the stress would have a physical toll on her.
"They came just in time," Antoine quietly said to himself, "But if only I had-"
"Antoine!" a sweet, familiar voice called out.
Antoine turned around. "Melissa?" he said as the beautiful young girl ran up to him.
"I..." Melissa began nervously, "I wanted to just...uh... thank you ...one last time."
Antoine smiled. "Again, anytime."
Melissa smiled, though secretly she was regretting that she couldn't get the words out.
"Well," she said beginning to turn around and walk back, "I better get back to-"
But Antoine, in a spur of the moment, turned her back around and kissed her quickly, yet passionately on her lips. Melissa's cheeks turned bright red upon the contact as sparks of love flew through her circuits. As Antoine pulled back from the kiss, he also turned red. From both embarrassment and love.
"I-I-I," he stuttered, "I apologize, I-"
But Melissa silenced him by kissing him back. And there was no need for further words. They now knew that their feelings for one another were returned.