Author note - Welcome back readers, glad to have another chapter up! Thanks for the nice reviews from GeekyGirl183, EpsilonW, and the two guest reviews, it was much appreciated! A second thank you to the 51/60 favorites and followers, you're an awesome bunch! And welcome to newcomer ChaCha07, glad to have you aboard! Enjoy!
Chapter 60: Cabin Fever
Vaggie felt herself float into consciousness. The moth demoness opted not to open her eyes, instead electing to remain in her comfortable position. Normally she would be the first to rise, but after the night she had, she decided to indulge herself.
Her brows furrowed as she listened for the familiar sounds of slumbering at her side. But instead, she was met with silence.
'That's strange.' Vaggie thought sleepily.
She distinctly remembered being in the midst of sharing a tender moment with Charlie, her head nuzzled against Charlie's neck as her girlfriend traced patterns along her arm when a small voice interrupted.
"Miss Vaggie? Miss Charlie?"
Opening her eyes, she raised her head to look over Charlie's shoulder and saw Taylor at their bedside, clutching KeeKee in their arms.
"You should be in bed, Taylor."
"I got scared. Can I sleep with you tonight?"
Groaning, her first instinct was to say no and send them back to their bed, but the hopeful look Charlie gave her melted her resolve.
"All right, get in here. But it's just for one night."
The night that ensued proved trying; it turned out children can be restless sleepers and the two demonesses had to endure a passed-out Taylor tossing, kicking, and clambering over her and Charlie for most of the night. Her girlfriend took it in stride, but by the time Vaggie finally got some peace, Taylor had moved from their initial spot sandwiched between the two to settling on Vaggie's other side.
Shifting closer to the middle of the bed, Vaggie sought out her girlfriend's comforting form, but she was only greeted with air. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and sure enough, Charlie's side of the bed was empty. Vaggie frowned; she hadn't even felt her leave. She'd always been a light sleeper, a habit that persisted from her time up top, and that only got worse after she started living with Charlie. Turning over, Taylor was also gone.
'Charlie must have gone downstairs to attend to Taylor. She's gotta be exhausted, not that she'd admit it.' Vaggie thought, deciding to go lend a hand. Throwing back the silk blanket off her, she rose from the bed and reached her hands high over her head, stretching her limbs. Gathering her clothes for the day, she made her way to the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, she stepped out of the room when she heard soft clinking and hushed voices in the hallway. Turning her head, her heart swelled at the sight before her.
Charlie and Taylor were slowly making their way down the hallway, a footed tray held in the child's hands as her girlfriend hovered over them nervously.
"You're sure you don't want me to take over?" Charlie inquired.
"No, I—" a small grunt and clattering of dishes on the tray as they teetered a bit before readjusting their grip, "I got it. I wanna help."
"Then let me at least carry the juice."
"Okay, but don't spill it!"
"That's what I should be saying! Careful!"
"Do ya think Miss Vaggie will like it?"
Deciding it was time to make her presence known, Vaggie called out to them.
"What will I like?"
The duo froze as two sets of eyes focused on her.
"Aww, we're too late!" Taylor said, crestfallen.
Vaggie locked her gaze toward her girlfriend.
"Hon?"
The Princess of Hell gave an awkward smile as she was found out.
"You were sleeping so soundly this morning, so Taylor and I wanted to surprise you with breakfast."
"You didn't need to do that." Vaggie said, truly touched by the thoughtful gesture.
Drink in hand, Charlie excitedly ran over and promptly led Vaggie back into their room and sat her on the bed, Taylor following along at their own pace.
"You always do so much to support us, so let us dote on you for once!" Charlie said eagerly, placing the tray Taylor held out in front of her before she took a seat at her side.
Vaggie looked at her plate and chuckled at the face staring back at her: a pancake with egg eyes, a bacon smile, and a whipped cream nose greeted her.
"I squeezed the juice myself!" Taylor exclaimed, indicating to the orange beverage before they continued. "The first tries came out all burnt, then the next ones were kinda raw, but in the end, Miss Charlie made everything just right!"
Vaggie tilted her head in admiration. Knowing that Charlie could have easily conjured up her meal, the fact she made it by hand was endearing.
"Try it, Miss Vaggie!" Taylor urged. With a light laugh, she dug in and hummed in delight. "Well? Is it good?"
"It's delicious." Vaggie answered after she swallowed. Seeing Charlie's dazzling smile of self-satisfaction made Vaggie put a hand lovingly on her cheek. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"
"Vaggie, you took the words right out of my mouth." Charlie chuckled, winding an arm around her neck to bring her close.
"Oh, Charlie." Vaggie breathed, rapidly closing the distance between their lips.
An outcry of disgust reminded them they weren't alone.
"Eww! Gross!" Taylor gagged. "If you're going to get all kissy, I'm leaving! Buh-bye!" The little fire demon made good on their promise and sprinted away, slamming the door closed behind them.
Vaggie's cheeks burned in embarrassment. Where was her restraint? Especially in front of a child, albeit a very temporary one.
She was shaken from her sense of horror when whipped cream was dabbed on her nose.
"Oh my, Vaggie. You've gone and made a mess. Let me clean that up for you…" Charlie said teasingly, not embarrassed in the slightest.
Charlie's confidence washed over her, and her smile returned.
'I'm the luckiest woman in the world.'
- x -
"Husk, when is Angel coming home?" Taylor asked listlessly, stacking poker chips on the table next to the bar out of sheer boredom.
"Would ya quit askin' already?!" He snapped. "I said later, kid. Now keep it down, yer annoying the shit out of me." The cat demon grumbled.
Angel Dust had been called back to Taylor's turf to help lend a hand (or six) to push back an attack on the businesses there. The fact that the Overlord was conspicuously absent from view was generating whispered rumors that they were the Dealbreaker Demon's latest victim, and their territory was now up for grabs. When the spider demon returned from his trips out, he came bearing experimental reversal potions, but none had any effect yet.
Taylor looked over and observed Husk. He looked miserable; hunched over with his elbows on the counter, rubbing his temples in discomfort and aggravation.
"Do you have a headache?"
"How fucking observant of you."
Taylor's brow furrowed, knowing if they used that bad word, Miss Charlie would put them in time-out.
"Why don't you take some medicine?"
The comment rubbed him the wrong way and he fixed a glare their way.
"Kid, I'm not stupid. If there was some magical fucking remedy for hangovers, I would've heard about it already. Now leave me be."
Taylor hummed, a pensive look on their face. After a few moments, they gasped, and they raised their fist a few inches before letting it fall against their flat palm with a soft smack. Husk laid his head on the bar counter as the little fire demon dashed up the stairs and away.
The hungover demon gave an aggravated huff when small footsteps returned and approached the bar. Hearing the soft sound of glass against wood, he glanced up and a fiery mess of hair could be seen on the other side of the bar, a vial set atop the counter. Sitting up and promptly leaning his aching head on his hand, Husk watched as Taylor struggled to crawl up onto the barstool.
"Here. Try this." They said after finally settling on the stool. Pushing the vial toward Husk, they continued. "Angel says it works for a lot of stuff. Maybe it'll help you."
"Didn't work on you, remember?"
"I'm not a real monster, maybe that's why." Taylor reasoned with a shrug.
"Thanks, but no thanks. If it came from Angel, who knows where it's been." He scoffed.
"I found this one in my room. There are a couple in there, so you don't have to share."
Husk raised an eyebrow before picking up the vial with narrowed eyes.
"Not that it'll do jack shit, but if I do this, will you leave me alone?" He pressed, a sour look on his face.
"Okaaaaay." Taylor sighed, disappointment clear in their voice as they jumped off the stool and meandered over to the parlor to finish a page in their coloring book.
With a grumble and asking himself why he was taking suggestions from a literal child, he popped the vial open and chugged the contents. Grimacing at the saltiness, he conceded he'd tasted worse. Resuming the massage of his pounding temples for a while longer, he eventually decided to get to prepping the bar for the night. Upon finishing restocking the liquor bottles, he realized that the nausea, pain, and muscle tension he'd been saddled with all morning were gone.
"Holy shit, it actually worked." He murmured incredulously, turning his head this way and that to physically feel the proof that his headache was no more. Hell, if he wanted to, a drink didn't sound half bad right around now. His gaze then wandered across the way to spot Taylor quietly coloring, though Husk could tell they were just going through the motions.
Husk frowned, feeling guilty that he bit their head off when they only wanted to help. But luckily, an idea popped into his mind on how to make up for it. Stepping around the bar, he made his way over to the fire demon.
"Hey, Kid." He called out, getting Taylor's attention. Throwing his hand into the air, a pair of dice became airborne. Taylor watched on in amazement as the dice exploded in a shower of red sparks.
"WHOA!" They cried, eyes wide. "Can I try?!"
"Sure, why not?" He grinned, sitting on the ground as Taylor shot up and stood beside him, bouncing excitedly. Calling on his powers, he summoned a far weaker pair of dice than what he usually wielded. Last thing he wanted to do was hurt the kid or damage the hotel by accident.
"Here." Husk said, tilting his hand and rolling the dice into Taylor's. "Just throw those up in the air."
"O-kay!" Taylor nodded before they wound their arm back and lobbed the dice as hard as they could. Watching carefully, Husk waited until the dice started their descent before exploding them.
"That's so cool!" Taylor cheered. "Can I try again? Please? I'll get them to go higher this time!"
Husk chuckled, obliging in their request. It was nice to hang around someone who didn't have any ulterior motives for once.
Some time later, Angel Dust stepped through the front doors.
"Angel!" Taylor cried, dropping the cards they were playing with Husk and running over to the spider demon. Angel laughed lightly as they picked up Taylor with one set of arms.
"How was your day, short stuff?"
"I ate a bug today!"
"Oh, is Vaggie cookin' again?" He joked, adding with a conspiratorial wink. "Don't you dare tell her I said that."
"And Husk let me blow up stuff with his dice!"They threw their hands up in the air dramatically, imitating an explosion. "Then we he taught me how to play Old Maid and Crazy Eights! He's really awesome!"
Angel Dust looked over at the winged cat demon gathering up the forgotten cards, not missing the grinning smile on his face at Taylor's proclamation.
"You said it, Fuoco. He is pretty awesome."
- x -
Alastor sat in his armchair; leg swung over the other as he looked forward to a late night of quiet solitude with a good book. With the child filling the hotel with the sounds of their inane chattering and hijinks, at times he couldn't even hear his music nor his thoughts over the racket. He grit his teeth in annoyance at the memory of the little scamp asking without fear if he knew Peter Pan when his shadow tried to frighten them. He took a sip of his strong drink, savoring the flavor when one of his patrolling shadows glided over to his shoulder to whisper something. His ears perked up a bit.
"Oh? My diminutive associate is out of bed and wandering the halls? Surely they know that they could find themselves in a harrowing situation in the middle of the night? Perhaps I should kindly remind them…" He mused aloud as malevolent glee twisted in him. He got up from his chair and put on his tailcoat before sinking into the shadows.
When he arose from the darkness, he found Taylor sitting in front of the fireplace with their knees to their chest in the semi-dark parlor, the glow of the dying embers in the hearth the sole source of light. With their arms wrapped around their legs, they morosely stared into space, not aware of his arrival. Alastor's grin widened as he saw his chance.
"Evening, chum!" He said a bit too loudly given the hour, making Taylor jump at the sudden noise. He grinned wildly as he looked down at the spooked demon watching him warily.
"Hi, Alastor." Taylor greeted nervously, scanning his person for any sign of another scare coming.
"What has you up and about? I'll have you know that it's the witching hour, when all sorts of boogeymen and ghastly creatures crawl out from their lairs, hungrily prowling around in search of naughty children to gobble up!" He said with a dark chuckle, flashing his yellow grin in the dark to emphasize his point.
"I can't sleep." Taylor uttered, looking away.
"That much is evident. Why the long face, chum? Did you break one of your playthings? Or perhaps you're feeling slighted after being sent to bed without dessert?" He jested, trying to get a rise out of them.
The small fire demon shook their head and buried their face in their knees, refusing to answer.
It was almost too easy.
Ever so quietly, he grew in stature and his antlers expanded to a crown of spikes. With a blink, his pupils turned dial-shaped and began to glow. Taking a step closer, he loomed beside the small demon, sharp claws outstretched menacingly as his shadow stretched and crawled up the wall on his other side, sadistic grin curled in vindictive anticipation.
"Come now, it's clear something is just eating you up inside. You can tell me~" he said in an entreating tone, his words honeyed but grin sharp as he encouraged, nay, demanded them to look his way.
After a few moments, it seemed Taylor's resolve crumbled, and they sniffled.
"I miss my mom…" they admitted, their voice all choked up before they were wracked with sobs.
Alastor froze, his grin threatening to drop as something akin to pity pulled at his cold, black heart. His plans to send them fleeing back to their room, screaming and crying, vanished when in the dimness, something shifted, changed. Briefly, sitting in the front of the fire was a boy, a familiar human boy that shivered and shook as he sought the base need for comfort from the only person he ever loved and cared for in the world, but had left him forever alone far too soon.
Soundlessly reverting to his normal form, he wrestled with himself. He wanted to break them, see their face twist in fear as he had them at his utter mercy. But not like this. Seeing them broken in this manner brought him no pleasure. Uncertain on what to do, his instincts told him to mock, provoke by telling them that when they were grown, they'd loathe the very thought of their parents. But he couldn't do it. Instead, he felt compelled to soothe them, ease their stricken mind with sweet words. While he only reserved genuine kindness for his dearest companions, perhaps he could spare them a scrap. Just this once.
Alastor moved to sit next to Taylor, his legs stretched out long as his gaze shifted to the embers, waiting for their weeping to subside.
"I understand." He said finally, a distant look in his eyes. "I miss my darling mother too."
Taylor looked up, surprised. He offered them a handkerchief and they took it, drying their eyes.
"Where is she?" They asked softly.
"Heaven, I assume. The woman was a saint." He smiled softly.
Taylor's eyes darted about, pondering the statement as gears turned in their head.
"Miss Charlie says that if you change your ways, you could go to Heaven. Why don't you try so you can be with her?"
He laughed bitterly.
"Why would I do that? I know what I am, and I'm not ashamed of it. Besides, even if redemption were possible and I made it all the way up to the pearly gates, it would be so dreadfully boring."
Taylor stared at him, not understanding.
"No, there is no undoing what is done, chum. As punishment for my misdeeds, I will be eternally separated from her."
Taylor looked down, worry running through their mind. What if they were trapped in this world? Doomed to never to see their mom and dad ever again? They hugged themselves tighter as their stomach twisted in anxiety and tears started to make their vision hazy again.
"Oh dear, chum!" Alastor gasped, pulling them away from their fretting to see the deer demon holding the sides of his face in sheer disbelief. "What happened to your clothes? You're positively indecent!"
"What?" Taylor said, looking down at their pajamas. "No, I'm n— AHHH! Hahaha, STOP!" They felt Alastor's shadow tickle their sides, leading to a peal of shrieking laughter to erupt from them as they futilely tried to get away from the chittering umbra.
"There we go, now you're properly dressed." He said fondly, his voice light as he recalled his mother using the same trick on him so long ago.
When the shadow ended its assault and Taylor's giggles abated, Alastor stood up.
"Feeling better?"
Taylor nodded, in slightly better spirits. They stood to wish Alastor good night when strange noises came from all over. Looking around, they saw small skulls, skeletons, and eyes hovering in the air as the room melted away into red. When the world surged back, they found themselves neatly tucked into a wooden bed in what looked like the inside of a log cabin, Alastor seated at their bedside in an armchair.
"Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do."
"Huh?" Taylor looked over to Alastor, confused.
"It's the first line to 'Alice in Wonderland', chum!" He said cheerily, summoning a small book in his hand. "I figured since you were feeling homesick, you'd find some comfort in another silly child trying their best to find their way home. Have you read it?"
"I saw the movie once. You remind me of the Cheshire Cat."
"Haha, I can certainly see the resemblance." He said, his smile inching up mirthfully. "Now lie back and let me give you a performance you won't soon forget!"
Taylor got comfy on their side and Alastor smiled triumphantly, flipping open the book and thumbing through the pages.
"Once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice 'without pictures or conversation?'" He glanced at over to Taylor, who had scooted closer to check for any illustrations, and he chuckled as they flopped back into bed in defeat. "So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the day made her feel very sleepy and stupid) …"
While there were no drawings in the book, Alastor's shadow provided an excellent accompaniment, forming the characters and goings on with its hands to enhance Alastor's storytelling skills. Before long, they were caught up in encounters with talking flowers, white rabbits in waistcoats, kings and queens who played croquet, and cats with wide smiles.
"My, this feline is quite adept at perplexing conversation, eh chum?" Alastor questioned. Waiting a moment, he shifted his gaze over to his audience. Their back was to him, but the slow rise and fall of their chest could only mean they'd fallen asleep.
Snapping the book shut, his thoughts turned upward, as they always did when he was reminded of his mother.
"Maman." He whispered, melancholy flooding him. "Sometimes I wonder how far a mother's love goes. Would you forgive me for my actions, for forcing us to be forever apart?"
When he got no answer, he settled back in his armchair and summoned the novel he'd intended to revisit earlier. Despite Taylor's obvious distaste and reluctance toward him, perhaps after his plans came to fruition, he'd keep them around for a while: that fiery spirit and tenacity was a welcome change to the terror or brown nosing he usually encountered.
When morning came, Taylor creaked their eyes open, a bit perplexed about where they were. Pushing themselves up, they remembered when they spied Alastor, who seemed to be still asleep as his eyes were closed and he breathed steadily. They tilted their head, unable to stop from staring as his face was completely relaxed and for the first time, his smile was gone. It felt strange, like something not many people would get to see.
Not wanting to get in trouble for watching him like this, they silently climbed out of bed and started to leave, but a thought stopped them. Grabbing a blanket from the bed, they reached over on their tip toes to cover Alastor. They startled slightly when one end of the blanket was lifted, and they turned to see Alastor's shadow had one end in its shadowy claws, its free hand making a shush gesture. With a nod, slowly, as to not wake up the sleeping demon, the two worked together to drape the blanket over his front.
Once complete, the shadow showed them the way out of the cabin, through the swamp, and out the door. Turning to face the shadow, Taylor spoke apologetically.
"Sorry that I asked if you were like Peter Pan's shadow, you're much cooler than that."
The shadow seemed to consider their words, then winked and mimed closing a zipper over their mouth. Understanding to keep quiet about the visit, Taylor waved goodbye and made their way back to their room to get dressed.
- x -
"Oh, hi!" Charlie said in surprise as she carefully opened the door to the hotel.
"Hello, Princess." Antonio greeted awkwardly, taking furtive glances behind him as if he was worried about being followed. "I know you haven't texted us if you needed anything, but I had some free time and I wanted to check in."
"Of course! Please, come in!" She replied brightly, recovering from the surprise of the sudden visit and letting the German Shepard demon enter.
"So, how are things? No issues, I hope." Antonio inquired as he looked around the hotel.
"Pretty well, considering." Charlie said as the two made their way to the staircase. "Taylor is pretty well behaved, though they can be rambunctious at times. We found out recently during one of their tantrums that a bit of their fire abilities are coming back. Maybe that means the potion will dissipate soon?" She offered hopefully.
"One can hope. Where's the little tyke anyway?"
A goofy voice from behind the staircase rail drew their attention to a sock with button eyes.
"Miss Chaaaarrlieeee! The show is ready to begin, take your seats, please!" The puppet declared, indicating in the direction of the event before a snicker could be heard and Taylor's head popped over the rail. "Did you guess it was me? Niffty told me to gather—" the child paused, noticing the other demon in the room. "Antonio! Are you here for the puppet show too?"
"Puppet show?"
"Yeah! Niffty let me help her with her latest roach puppet show! I don't like touching the bugs, so she says I can be a —what did she call it? Oh yeah! — a supporting character with my sock puppet!" They said proudly, moving their hand to make the puppet dance about.
"Oh, well, I wasn't — "
"Of course he would!" Charlie cut in. "Go and get everyone else and we'll meet you there!"
The fiery-headed kid dashed off to spread the word. Once they were out of view, Charlie's eyes softened toward Antonio. "How are things going on your end?"
Antonio sighed.
"We're fine. Things are a bit complicated, but all we can do is hold out until Taylor gets back so all goes back to normal. It can't come soon enough, though." Antonio confessed, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously.
"Would you think me selfish if I sort of hoped they stay like this? They've been such a good influence around here." Charlie said with an awkward smile. Antonio gave her a nervous chuckle but didn't know how to reply to the Princess of Hell.
"Come on! It's almost time, hurry up!" Taylor's voice shouted from down the hallway as the two saw the little fire demon pulling Sir Pentious along.
With a lighthearted sigh, the two made their way toward the show.
- x -
Angel Dust entered the lobby and instantly sensed the cheerless atmosphere within the hotel. Whereas all had grown accustomed to the noise that accompanied having a child on-site, now there were only sounds coming from the television in the parlor.
Husk was at his usual spot at the bar, cleaning glasses and taking the occasional swig from his bottle. Sir Pentious sat watching television, fingers drumming on the armrest. On his way to the bar, he spotted Niffty dusting around the place.
"Air seems kinda heavy 'round here. Mind filling me in? Where're Charlie, Vaggie, and Fuoco at?"
"Taylor's in their room!" Niffty said quickly, pausing in her darting around to address him.
"The Princess and Vaggie have been moping around the place since their fight. You just missed them headed up to go talk to the kid." Husk added with a shrug.
Angel Dust hummed to himself as he took in the information. He'd witnessed Taylor's occasional outbursts and tantrums, but those have always been minor in nature and quickly resolved.
"A fight, eh? Sounds serious. What about?" He asked.
"Taylor wanted to go outside." Sir Pentious explained, turning off the television. "Of course, Charlie and Vagatha said no."
"Taylor got really, really mad! They were so rude!" Niffty chimed in.
"Kid said they hated the both of them. Wished the hotel got destroyed and everyone went away. Pretty much broke the Princess's heart." Husk finished with a grimace.
Angel Dust couldn't believe Taylor's words. Everyone knew they were getting restless, being cooped up for so long. And while he understood and sympathized with Taylor's growing frustration at being kept hidden inside the hotel, he never thought such harshness could come from them. Especially toward Charlie of all people.
Opting to delay his nightly drink, he moved away from the bar to go reprimand Taylor for hurting Charlie's feelings. He just got to the top of the stairs when he was nearly run over by the two demonesses making a beeline for the lobby.
"Razzle! Dazzle!" Charlie called out frantically. Within moments, the two butlers arrived in front of the Princess. "Go out and search the grounds for Taylor! Hurry!"
"Alastor! Get your creepy ass over here and be fucking useful for once!" Vaggie hollered.
"Whoa, whoa!" Angel cried, getting out of the way as the two dragon-goat demons jetted off. "What's going on?"
Ignoring his question, Charlie spoke again.
"Alastor, please! We need your help!"
The hiss of static heralded the Radio Demon's arrival as he rose from the shadows.
"You called, Charlie?" He replied calmly, flashing Vaggie an impish grin.
"Use your shadows to search the hotel for Taylor! They aren't in their room, and we can't find them anywhere!"
"Fucking pardon?! Fuoco's missing?" Angel Dust sputtered.
Alastor's eye twitched at the information before he nodded, and the room took on a sickly green hue. The shadows on the walls started moving, dancing, and chittering before morphing bigger and multiplying. Opening their sickle-shaped eyes and sharp smiles, the shadows scattered as they began combing through the building for the young resident.
While they waited, Charlie began to pace. Trying to dispel both of their worries, Angel Dust spoke up.
"Relax, Charlie. They probably are just playin' hide-and-seek and fell asleep somewhere. Kids do that kinda shit all the time. Smiles will find 'em, no sweat." He said, trying to sound more enthusiastic than nervous.
Charlie halted her panic-induced pacing and perked up.
"Yeah… Yeah! They must have left their room to let out their feelings in a constructive manner! Then they must have tuckered themselves out and they're hunkered down in some nook we haven't checked yet!"
Alastor's shadows returned just as Razzle and Dazzle flew over to report in. There was a tense silence as the other hotel residents waited with bated breath for news.
Alastor was first to speak, ears slightly back.
"It appears there are no signs of our hot-headed resident within the hotel premises, though they did find evidence of the window being left slightly open."
Charlie started to hyperventilate as Vaggie held her shoulders, taking over.
"That's in line with what Razzle and Dazzle found. There are small footprints outside that make their way into the city."
Everyone's eyes widen in shock. Angel Dust felt like he might throw up.
"Shit! Why would they do this?! Where would they even go?! Don't they know the baddest motherfuckers are down here?!"
"What are we going to do?!" Charlie cried, in full blown panic-mode. "Pentagram City is dangerous enough as an adult! Someone might try to trick them into a deal or use them to get at Antonio and Melanie—" she gasped in horror, "oh god, there might even be some that aren't above attacking—"
"Charlie! Breathe." Vaggie said, wrapping her in her arms. Charlie rested her head on Vaggie's shoulder as she took some calming breaths. "We'll find them, they couldn't have gotten far. We'll handle this, trust me."
Vaggie's words were enough to shake her from her panic.
"Right! There's no time to lose!" She lifted her head and turned to the others. "Let's go, guys! We got a friend who needs our help!"