Chapter 15

"I'm just saying that he's kinda cute in a dorky sort of way." The blond with the cute dimples explained.

"Yeah, I guess." Admitted the Brunette with way too much make up on. "But he hangs out with that creepy fuck, Andrew."

"They're cousins. You can't help who your family is." Dimples answered as she shut her locker.

"Isn't he sweet on Casey through? He practically wags a tail every time she's near."

Lyn half listened to the teen girls gossiping while most of her attention was preoccupied with the text message Alex had posted to the group chat.

Mon 2012.08.08 0712
**"Brooklyn Blake" created a new group chat**
**"Brooklyn Blake" became Admin for group chat**
**Admin "Brooklyn Blake" changed the group name to "~Alex and His Bitches~"**
**Admin "Brooklyn Blake" changed their name to "Lick-Me-Lyn."**
**Admin "Lick-Me-Lyn" added 3 new contacts to the chat "~Alex and His Bitches~"**

Alexander Blake
A group chat?
Also, what's with the name of the group?

-Lick ME- Lyn
I thought we could do with a collective chat since some of us are
in school and some of us aren't. We can do group discussions here
when we're all not together.

Morrigan Booette
It's not a bad idea.

Lapis Lazuli
(〜￣△￣)〜 I'm fine with it.

Alexander Blake
Alright, I see how it could be useful.
Also, don't forget you have school today. I know you have your
insert memories but good luck with your first day of school.

Lapis Lazuli
I didn't forget
And thanks (*^_^*)

-Lick ME- Lyn
Nothing for the rest of us?!

Morrigan Booette

Alexander Blake
Good luck EVERYONE.

-Lick ME- Lyn
Ty

Morrigan Booette
Thanks Alex.

Mon 2012.08.08 1036
**Admin "Lick-Me-Lyn" changed "Alexander Blake" to "Harem King"**
**Admin "Lick-Me-Lyn" changed "Morrigan Booette" to "BOO-tylicious"**
**Admin "Lick-Me-Lyn" changed "Lapis Lazuli" to "Wet-For-You"**
Mon 2012.08.08 1322

Harem King
Got the results from the subterranean probe.
The core is infested with the MOGOs. No indication that any will
emerge within out Jump but if I'm reading this correctly, they'll
start emerging within five years and continue to do so regularly
for about a century before cycling back to a lower stratum.
Also, Lyn can you PLEASE change my name to something less…
THAT.

Wet-For-You
MOGOs meant the giant crystal creatures that eat people,
right? (?_?)

Boo-tylicious
Massive Omnivorous Geodesic Organisms.
And yes, they're the giant crystal things that eat people.

Lick-Me-Lyn
Does that mean we're a go for operation "Impregnation!"

Harem King
Yes Lyn. That means you can VOLUNTARILY impregnate
people with superpowered babies.
I'm already setting up a trust fund for the mothers to draw
on. I'll have a bunch of cards and paperwork for you in a
few days.

Boo-tylicious
How are a bunch of superpowered toddlers going to help
when the next MOGO incursion is only a few years away?

Harem King
I'm already working on a short term solution.

Wet-For-You
^Can I help? d(_ )

Harem King
Sure. I'll meet you after school and we can go shopping
for plushies.

Lick-Me-Lyn
?

Boo-tylicious

Wet-For-You
(0.O) ?

"Lyn? Lyyyyn, HEY LYN!" Brunette nearly shouted.

Lyn snapped her head up from her phone.

"What?"

"I asked if you thought anyone Matt was cute or if him hanging out with Andrew ruined it." Brunette explained.

"Oh.. umm I guess he's cute? I don't know, I've never really thought about it."

Dimples smiled mischievously. "If how much she's been distracted by her phone is to go by then I say little Lyn has already got a boyfriend."

Lyn grinned. "I'm not confirming or denying that statement." She replied to the giggles of the others.

"By the way," Lyn continued. "Hyperthetically. Would either of you be willing to have a baby for a million dollars and a guaranteed hundred thousand a year for the next five years?"

Dimples and Brunette just gave her a shared look of disbelief.

"What?" they asked in unison.

⦖⋄⦕

Dead, glassy brown eyes stared back into Lapis' Persian Blue. Those eyes, both forward facing, were the eyes of a predator. A beast that hunted prey tirelessly, mercilessly and apathetically. This was a creature of death. A creature of the forests and of the rivers. A creature that stalked the nightmares of the First Peoples of to walk the lands of America as much as it stalked the animals of the woods and field. Strong proportioned limbs upon which the beast could run with haste utilising all four blade tipped paws or balance itself on the hind two for either intimidation or a crushing take down. A forward gutting muzzle that hid two rows of sharp piercing teeth. Dark brown fur that blended into the brush or into the night.

"Lapis," Alex asked cautiously, "do you want to keep that one?"

Lapis nodded and brought the vicious beast to her chest, holding it close.

Alex turned to the plump woman at the checkout. "And can you add the brown teddy bear to the lot, we'll be taking that one too."

The woman who at first had been leery of the teen boy with black eyeliner and dressed in black leathers, now smiled warmly. "That's a lot of plush toys you're getting; there a big birthday coming up?"

"Something like that." Alex replied. "I'm going to make sure they all go to some special children."

"That'll be $234.32 in total, Deary."

Alex blinked at the woman. That was a lot for some stuffed animals and dolls but it had been a long time since he was a kid so maybe that was standard now.

Alex simply swiped the black card that via the magic of Mr. Pennybags was connected to his hordes of gold and cash. With the cost cleared he hauled the two big bags filled with squishy plush animals and dolls out to the carpark. Lapis following along behind still hugging her new teddy bear.

"So… are you going to explain why you needed to buy more than a dozen dolls?" Lapis asked as they quickly walked to the car. The sky was grey and dreary and the threat of rain was looming.

Alex grinned. "Nope, you'll see when we get to work."

"We?" Lapis asked

"You'll be helping me. It was your idea after all."

Lapis narrowed her eyes in confusion until she worked out what Alex had meant. Her look of confusion washed away with a brightness of her smile. She edged a head of him to the car with a new skip to her steps.

They reached the sleek black car that Alex had gleefully purchased the day before for a frankly ludicrous amount of money. Lapis would admit that it looked nice in a boxy sort of way, at least compared to the other vehicles she saw others driving.

Alex opened and loaded the toys into the trunk.

"What model did you say this was again?" Lapis asked as she leant against a door waiting for Alex to unlock.

"A 1967 Chevrolet Impala. I've wanted one of these babies ever since I saw the one on Supernatural."

"That was the series about the demon brothers you've mentioned before?"

"Demon slaying brothers but yeah, that's the one." Alex replied as he opened got in the driver's seat and leant over to open Lapis' door.

Lapis took her time really examining the interior of the car as Alex backed them out of the car park and got them on the road.

"…It's nice." Lapis eventually admitted.

Alex smirked. "She's old. The previous owner mentioned that his dad bought the car just before driving to Woodstock, this baby's supposedly got a history of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. She's already been driven up and down the length and breadth of America over the last few decades but she's been completely refurbished and obviously well cared for. Though I'm already planning to modify it with Gem-tech to improve her performance."

Lapis nodded as she fiddled with the radio, moving between bands of static and random music stations before settling on a channel playing My Chemical Romance. Alex cocked an eyebrow at Lapis' choice but didn't comment.

"Good. It needs the spatial expansions at least." Lapis said as she settled back into her leather bench seat.
The next few minutes were filled with the hum of the engine, the whoosh of passing cars, the soft patter of the just starting rain and the angst laden tones of Gerard Way.

Alex took a left off the freeway out of the city and onto a less travelled road that skirted the edges of the forest in which their temple resided.

It was only his better reflexes and perception skills that allowed him to swerve the car safely out of the way as a man in hunting attire, a Fluro orange vest and carrying a large shotgun came barrelling out of the forest onto the road.

"BEARS!" the man's shout faded behind them as Alex kept driving. "Demon bears!"
Lapis turned in her seat to watch as the shrinking figure continued running down the road towards the city. "Shouldn't we help him?"

Alex glanced at the man in the rear-view mirror. "Not my monkey; not my circus."

Lapis shrugged and turned the radio up.

⦖⋄⦕

Getting the car into the temple didn't prove as difficult as one would expect. Alex had simply driven as close to the temple as the roads would take them and then extended his ghost intangibility to the car and drove/flew right through the trees.
Alex had already carved out a garage-come-workshop into the mountain and the shiny new impala took pride of place on its own little platform. Alex had to stop himself from planning to instal a giant penny coin to keep the theme going.
Right now through he was trying to work on his own Save-The-Planet-from-Telepathic-Rocks plan (name subject to change). He had all the components ready: Plush toys? Check. Selection of Gemstones? Check. Vial of ectoplasm? Check. Legion of construction and repair robonoids?

Alex glanced over at the Gem computers and used the SB Bear perk to mentally connect to the systems, he noted that the
progress for robonoid replication was proceeding as expected, so checked that too.

Alex cracked his knuckles and went to work.

It took hours. Lapis stayed with him for much of it offering advice and ideas and acting as a sounding board for the process. But she wasn't able to help much with the actual process of creation and so had retired for the night some hours earlier.

Alex had quickly became appreciative how the Sir. Bearington allowed him to use both Ghost and Gem powersets simultaneously, the process was time consuming due to the nature of trying to achieve the balance between ghost and Gem so as to result in the specific abilities he was aiming for. Despite the fact that it had been mid-afternoon when he started by midnight Alex had only completed one plushie… or he assumed it was completed. It would still be hours yet til the Gem enlightened even with the ectoplasm boost.

"How long has she been like that?" The voice startled Alex from his concentration.

He whirled around to see Lyn leaning against the workbench.

"What?" He blinked at her.

Lyn gestured with a nod of her head to the end of the table.

Alex turned see his ghost-maid Alice sitting at the far end of the workbench staring at the collection of plush toys.

"I didn't even know she was in here." Alex confided.

He got up and walked over the little skeleton-Gem.

"Hey Alice. Do you like the plush toys?" He asked.

His first attempt at creating a ghost turned her head to look up at him and nodded.

"You can have one if you want." Alex offed the quite maid.

Alice nodded more emphatically.

"Cool." Alex smiled and rubbed the little girl's smooth head. "Which one would you like to keep?"

Alice peered intently at each of the cuddly toys in turn only to then turn back to Alex and hang her head.

Alex tilted his head in confusion but puzzled out the problem. "You want one but none of these are the one you want?"
Alice nodded again.

"Alright, well then, after I've enchanted all of these ones we can go searching for the perfect plush toy for you, how does that sound?"

Alice deployed more emotion in her sudden hug than she had in the year or so since she had been made. Alex could only look at Lyn over the top of the little maid's head and shrug. Who knew that the little ghost maids like cuddly toys?

⦖⋄⦕

In a no-name bar three miles down a no-name street, a collection of yokels, rednecks, hunters and ex-varsity football players gathered to drink.

"I'mma tellin' you, they ain't no natural bears." The inebriated hunter repeated for what could have been the hundredth time that night.

"Yeah, yeah, old man." A younger man in called from deeper in the cigarette smoke filled bar. "You sure you weren't drunk and seein' things?"

The older hunter pulled himself to his feet and growled at the apathetic patrons. "I know what I saw! They were bigger, meaner and smarter than any regular bears."

"And they move faster and can throw a man with their minds." Laughed another drunk. "You've been telling this tale for three nights now."

The older man grumbled, but returned to his seat and nursed his near empty beer as the crowd laughed at his story.

So, he was surprised when a full pint of ale was placed in front of him and a man in his mid-twenties and wearing a crisp green park ranger uniform sat himself in the chair next to him.

"So, I hear you've run into some interesting bears… more so than the average bear."

The old man finished off his warm beer and pulled the fresh one closer. "Demon bears they were." He began his tale again.

⦖⋄⦕

"Your boyfriend is weird."

Avery leant against the doorframe of her sister's room and commented as Casey edited her video blog.

Casey looked up from her work in confusion. "My what?"

Avery flicked her long, straight blond hair walked into the room and flopped down Casey's bed with the all the casual superiority of a little sister. She picked up a stuffed bear that was on top of the covers and threw it into the corner as if it had personally wronged her.

"Your boyfriend, Matt, is weird." Avery continued.

Casey rolled her eyes. "Matt's not my boyfriend." She frowned, "and don't throw Mr. Puddles."

"Riiiiight. The boy who you've been flirting with, but not really, but kinda seriously with for the last few years. The boy who just so happens to appear in like half of your stupid blogs. The boy who gives you puppy-dog eyes every time he sees you. That boy is weird." Avery drawled.

Casey grunted but didn't deny her little sister's comments. Denial was a sign of weakness.

"Why do you think Matt is weird?"

"Him and his looser cousin and…" Avery paused and frowned. "I don't know the name of the other one. Black, buzz cut, kinda cute until he laughs, annoying laugh."

"Steve. He's running for class prez."

"Right. Steve, whatever." Avery blushed.

Casey hid a smile and decided to keep an eye on that. Mayhap her sister had a crush and good blackmail material was always nice.

"Aaaanyway. They were goofing off at the toy store earlier today. Giggling like a bunch of stoned idiots." Avery flopped back on the bed and said in a quieter voice. "And I know they had something to do with that bear."

"So they were being idiots. From my experience that's normal for teen boys."

Avery huffed. "Nah, there was some weird shit going on and I'm sure is was them."

"Language." Casey grumped. "You don't want mom catching you talking like that."

"English." Avery smirked. "And mom's not here and ain't going to know unless you tell her."

"Unless you tell me what?" Came the stern voice of their mother from the doorway. She was a tall woman and shared the same blond colouring as her daughters, along with their grey-blue eyes. She was holding a basket of freshly laundered and folded clothes.

"That Casey has a boyfriend!" Avery leapt to her feet and fled the room.

The older woman dodged her youngest and stepped over to the newly vacated bed to put the basked down.

"Boyfriend?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Lies and slander, mom."

"Good. No boyfriend until you're twenty-five."

Casey rolled her eyes. She knew her mum was just joking… or well, she hoped she was.

Avery made it to her room without her mum getting on her case about her language. That was a win in her books. She grabbed her phone from where she had left it charging and bonelessly flopped onto her bed. Unlike her sister's, the covers had not been made that morning. Seriously? What was the point when you were just going to muss them up again each night?

She scrolled through the local Facebook pages looking for posts about the weird shit that had been going on. The toy store had been mentioned by two accounts: a post about a haunted trolly and a post about someone stealing a car and moving it to a different car park. She hadn't posted about the fucking teddy bear. Who would even believe her about a floating fucking toy attacking her at the mall?

She scrolled through the posts of the last few weeks. There was the usual stuff. Posts about garage sales, low priced fuel locations, a rant about skateboarders. But there was also a video of a leaf-blower coming to life and blowing up some schoolgirls' skirts, a post about an image of the virgin Mary in a bowl of soup, a post about an escaped polar bear and various other bear sightings in reply. Oh, and an official post by the local police about a dangerous and off-limits sinkhole in the woods near a popular rave spot that all the teenagers knew about and all the parents pretended to not know about.

Avery spent a few hours searching various social media sites for more evidence of the strange. That teddy bear in the mall had definitely floated by itself, and no! she didn't scream like a little girl. She was twelve and she didn't bloody scream!

"Psst!"

There was a plush, bipedal Ram doll standing next to her bed.

Avery screamed and kicked the doll.