Chapter 24-Rewrite
There is a lot of chopping and glueing and all together cutting going on. So, enjoy the fact that this chapter is going up earlier than planned!
"What do you mean, "that's the guy you've been talking about!" How is my son even in your mouth?" Maddie demanded narrowing her eyes at the screen in front of her.
"Were you not listening?" inquired the younger voice. "The birds spoke of it."
"Yes," a man sighs tiredly pinching the bridge of his nose, "of course, the birds."
"Yes, the birds." The young woman rolls her eyes looking at that the older women with her with questioning eyes. 'Should I tell them?' Her eyes asked dancing with mirth and mischief. She received a nod and that was all the permission she needed. "The Ravens have spoken many a times about that particular boy, except when they sing his praises they sing of a man, not a boy. He is still in the cusps of boyhood, which is fine, but he is not yet who he needs to be. Carrying on, they sing of his wit and justness. How he brought death to its knees. The Ravens are not even the ones who started wistfully praising him, that was the Crows, who heard from the Cardinals and Hummingbirds, right Adrienne, Angerona, Basker."
"Ravens...and Crows...?" Damon Grey murmurs suspiciously looking to the Fenton's for a reaction.
"Death follows him, and death becomes him," Adrienne agrees.
"He will bathe in blood," Angerona muses gleefully.
"There is no way, that he is that guy!" Basker mourns. "Bellivia is lying."
"So...," Kiyannah interrupts, "we just gone let them speak and confuse the hell out of us or is someone gonna ask them to clarify? No? No. Okay."
"What the spinsters and Livia is trying to explain, unsuccessfully. Is that young Mr. Fenton has a great destiny ahead of him."
"Hate that bitch," Sam speaks up causing people to jump. "Always has a stick up her ass."
"Hello again, Ms. Manson," Lancer calls to the girl amusedly.
"Samantha Elizabeth Manson," Pamela squawks, "you bring yourself home right this instant!"
"Sorry, no, not up to me," she rolls her eyes.
The Teens
"We can't worry about him right now," Mikey, surprisingly, says as he saddles up to Danny looking down at the teen with curious eyes. "What are you thinking about Danny?"
Danny blinks gazing at the boy curiously. He swiftly stands up and calls Tucker to walk with him into the woods to find branches to make a makeshift shelter.
The first person to walk out the clearing immediately hits a roadblock...he can't leave. Dylan shakes his head thinking that he had somehow managed to run into someone without noticing. So, he quickly spits out an apology and tries to leave from a different angle. He meets the same result. He takes off his hat and scratches his head in confusion.
"Hey Gilian, come help a bro, bro."
"Sup?" Gilian jogs up to the boy at the outskirts of the clearing.
"I can't leave," he says blandly pointing to the woods on the other side of the barrier.
"Dude don't be stupid," Gilian laughs trying to leave the clearing. He doesn't. "Dude, I can't leave."
"No shit."
"Should...should...should we...sh... should we um...I don't know...tell someone or...," Gilian trails off watching as Dash face plants onto the shield surrounding the clearing.
"...Naw, they'll figure it out."
Dash groans falling back in a slight daze. He stares at the space in front of him skittishly. Kwan watches this space with a similar wary expression on his face. "Um...did the air just...hit you?"
April from a different direction tries to exit the clearing as well, she doesn't even take one step before she feels as though something is wrong. She pauses, putting her hand out in front of her to test the space. Her hand touches something. "That's new," she murmurs walking along the barrier using her hand to gauge it. She passes by a confused Dash and Kwan, who watch her with bafflement. She passes Dylan and Gilian who nod and wave, respectively, at her and decide to follow her. The barrier went around the whole clearing with a few kinks. It wasn't a perfect circle but accurately mirrored the shape of the clearing including when and where it stops before meeting the tree line.
"We've got a problem," she reveals sedately, she then notices one of the new girls fall over, "make that two. One is exceedingly more important than the other though."
"Are you...," Dylan looks around himself in bemusement, "are you talking to me? Why, why...why would you do that? Why is she doing that?" He turns to Gilian who shrugs. "Um, Danny is over there," he assures her pointing to the boy who is standing just shy of the barrier talking to Tucker. "He knows way more than I do, and he'll probably care way more about both of those problems. I would say talk to Dash but...I don't think that's a good idea. Better yet, go talk to Valerie. Wait, have we decided who's in charge yet? I vote anyone but Dash and Kwan or any of the newbies or the dorks and dweebs or Paulina or Star and definitely not Megan." He spits out randomly ignoring the confused look he received from Gilian.
"One of the new girls passed out!"
"There goes one problem," April nods.
"I can't leave the clearing!"
"There goes the other one, we are on a role."
"I think...there's a snake?"
"That's a new problem." April grins, "We are 2 for 2 gentlemen! Up top!"
"Alright guys, listen up! We have exactly...5 problems!" Valerie calls out.
"What are the other 2! We only mentioned 3!" April recalls.
"We don't have water or food."
"Okay but that makes 4 problems not 5."
"We don't have a bathroom," Valerie barbed.
"That...that is in fact a problem," Dylan nods along, "good shit Val, pun not intended. I vote she be in charge!"
"Shut up Dylan," Kelly aggrieves pinching the bridge of her nose. "So, we can't leave the clearing, does anyone have any inkling or clue as to why?"
"Protection," Mikey pipes up helpfully.
"Doubt it, but nice try," Megan scoffs.
"No, he might have a point," Abby reveals coming to stand next to the scrawny boy. "That...thing said that we weren't supposed to find the other clearing till later. So, him trapping us here is helping us get to that later."
"Or" Star drawls sardonically, "we can't leave because we're trapped and we're gonna die."
"You couldn't have chosen to be a blonde in this moment," Randy scowls at the girl.
"It's dyed," Michelle informs the class lightly using a stick to poke at the barrier.
"It is NOT!" Star rages basically breathing fire at the redhead.
"Looks like we're all sleeping on the tarp for tonight." Tucker shrugs.
"Who is we? Is me and the A-list we, because if yes, then yes, we, are sleeping on the tarp. And if no, then no you are not sleeping on the tarp." Paulina smiles.
"I," April starts with a glare, "am not," she pauses for effect, "sleeping on the ground." Kira nods in agreement.
"I would have thought that that would be something you're used to, Ape-ril," Megan smirks.
"Just like you should be used to being on your back, huh Megan," April counters with a mega-watt smile.
"What are you implying, Sanders?"
"You're a slut."
Observation Theater
"Wow," A man observes with a whistle, "those are fighting words."
"Your daughter called my daughter a slut!" Mrs. Buewller turns to Holly Sanders.
"Takes one to raise one," Holly indulges with a smile.
"She is though, did you not watch that episode where...," Kiyanah chimes in helpfully ignoring the looks from her classmates. "Anyway, sis slept with the whole team and not all of them are packing."
"Packing what, Ms. Harris," Principal Ishiyama asks her cordially.
"IQ points," she answers blandly.
"Damn straight," Zack nods in agreement.
The Teens
"How. DARE. You!"
"I mean...she's not wrong," Dylan nods, "but she's not right either. I heard you spent some time on the wall too."
"Not helping, Dylan," Kira tells him with a laugh.
"Look," Abby speaks up, "now is not the time for this seeing as we are still being watched by whatever the hell that thing is," she gestures to the being in white who stood a little off to the side watching everything go down.
"It's almost nighttime, and who knows what type of creatures might just come out at night."
"The barrier will stop them," Sofie reveals surely.
"No, it won't," the being counters, "it only keeps you in."
"Why though," Dylan questions curiously.
"Just like a human to always ask why."
"Ok, but, why though?" Dylan asks again.
"Leave," Danny speaks for the first time in a while with a firm glare in place. "But first, tell us about whatever the hell comes out at night, what it wants, why it wants, and what can it cause."
"Smart, smart," the being applauds lightly, "not you, my intriguing friend, but everyone else."
"I'll pass," Tucker raises a hand with an unsure chuckle.
"Me too," Holly or Molly says.
"Oh, that was a problem," April remembers, "is your sister, okay?"
"Oh, she's fine. She didn't pass out she just tripped because she's clumsy."
"Fuck you, Molly."
"I'm not the one who likes girls, Holly."
"Nice," Dash nods with a grin.
"Pig," Kelly sneers.
"Oink oink baby," Dash teases.
"Eww," Kira states, "I just witnessed something I never want to witness again."
"I understand the entertainment value that you all have," the white thing acknowledges.
"Thank you, answer my question. Please. I won't ask again." Danny interrupts with a darker glare on his face.
The Observation Theater
"Ooh, he brought out the scary eyes," Youngblood laughs enthusiastically.
"Pixie Pop is serious now, there's no more playing games when he has that look," Ember nods tuning her guitar.
"Ember?" Jazz says intrigued.
"I said you'd remember my name," Ember smirks.
"Ghosts," the Fenton's say looking around the theater for the threats.
"Separate theaters dearie," the Lunch Lady hums.
"Why are you guys watching this?" Kiyanah asks curiously.
"We don't have a choice, and it's great television," Johnny shrugs.
"The welp can be surprisingly entertaining," Skulker nods.
The Teens
"That is no way," it growls, "to treat the person helping you."
"You're just as trapped as we are, except you didn't get brought here."
"Ohh, point Fentina," Dash acknowledges with a slight smile and nod of the head.
"Shut up, Baxter," Kelly hisses.
"Only if you do it for me," Dash smiles.
"Again, eww." Kira shivers bodily.
"No," it snaps briefly, "I am not. You are mistaken."
"So, banishment then, but for what. You don't really want to help us, nor do you want us to escape. You have no idea what's happening or how to stop it." He levels the being with a look, "Buzz off. Now."
"Very well then," the being in white leaves with flourish.
"The barrier should be gone now, I'm gonna go pee." Danny says mildly, walking away with his hands in his pockets.
"Dude," Tucker face palms looking after his best friend with humorless eyes "Why."
"Was it a good thing that he did that?" Michelle inquires lightly.
"Probably not," Tucker sighs, "but it's too late cause he did it. We'll just have to get over it. Somehow," he trails off after Danny rubbing at his temples.
"I mean, it was kinda badass," Dylan smirks.
"Again, Dylan," Kira saddles up next to him and smacks him in the back of the head, "not helping."
"He can't just go out there alone. Foley, go with him," Dash commanded.
Tucker, who was already on his way after his friend, gave him a shrewd look, "What am I stupid?" Considering that he was almost a step and a half behind his best friend he didn't really get why Dash tried to tell him to go after Danny when he was already there. 'Something really strange is going on here.'
"Anyway," Valerie interrupts smoothly, "Let's try and find a stream or a pond or something for water and we can look for food after."
"Hey, dumbass!" Kelly stomps her way in front of the girl, "If you haven't noticed. The sun is gone!"
"Get out of my face, McLauren. Before I make you." Valerie growls through gritted teeth.
"Make. Me. Val. Er. Ie. Please make me," Kelly laughed sardonically.
"Let's not and say we did lass," Abby interrupts with an awkward laugh.
"No," Valerie smiles, "let her finish."
"Let's not for once. Greenwald is right, and so is Kelly, the sun is gone, so really no one should be leaving or going anywhere. And did you not just hear that thing say that there are things in these fucking woods?" Mikey says to the astonishment of those around him.
"Who are you?" Dash asks, scratching his head. Paulina eyes him taking an almost unnoticeable step to the right. Dash was dumb, but never this dumb. Seeing that no one was saying anything she figured it could wait till later, plus her hair was really starting to puff up.
"Mikey's right, so put down the tarp and we can all sleep in the middle of it. We don't have to touch, and we can use the bags as a barrier type of thing, right." Michelle says seeking approval for her plan.
"No, not happening." Megan scoffs flipping her hair over her shoulder. Star and Paulina share a look rolling their eyes.
"Shut. The. FUCK. Up. Megan." Kira growls. "You're not the only one whose beauty routine, that has taken 5 years to perfect, is now ruined. I will kill you, bitch. Keep fucking with me. Please, I am begging you." Kira smiles pleasantly.
Observation Theater
"Honestly, I am slightly confused." Kiyanah reveals with a hand to her chin.
"Why is that?" a Latina woman questions her.
"They are all very snappy, even for them. Kelly would never try to actively fight Valerie, April, yeah that's her, but Kelly?"
"I was gonna mention that too," Zack agrees, "cause even Mikey is joining in. It's like they all have shorter fuses than normal."
"Paulina and Star are surprisingly amicable hardly speaking and mainly just shooting looks at each other. Dash is just downright dumb, and Kwan is acting like an overly excited puppy." Tiffanie hums.
The Teens
The scene turns to Danny trekking through the woods with Tucker beside him. The boy has his hands in his pockets with his eyes closed.
"There's something wronger here than the obvious," Tucker says as if stating a fact.
"Mhm," Danny hums, "there's a lot of anger floating around. Tension is at an all-time high. Strange, but not unexpected, considering our circumstances. It's just a bird Tucker, a hummingbird?" His voice turns intrigued as he moves to observe the bird hovering in the air in front of a green glowing flower with a blue center.
"It's been following us."
"Has it?"
"Let's go back to the group Danny." The black teen turns to leave the way that they had come. "Danny, it's a bird. Danny." The other boy was still staring at the bird with some kind of weird fascination.
"Things will get entertaining soon," Danny reveals with a lazy smile turning to follow his friend whistling a tune unfamiliar to the audience and his friend.
Alright we're slowly but surely getting there. Don't worry about the deleted chapters they'll still be included just further down in the line...as in after this has been fleshed out more.