Ch 24; Darjeel With It, Part 2

Author's Notes:

-I apologize for the shorter chapter (and for forgetting about this story for a while), but hopefully you all enjoy the chapter! Happy Halloween everyone!

The Twins were shown, with Mickey having finished his basket but Jay having his hands itch as he held another leaf.

"We got this!" Mickey cheered.

Jay sneezed again. "I don't know how long I can do this…"

Mickey thought to himself briefly. "I have an idea! Technically the basket doesn't have to be on our backs as we collect them. So you can use it like a sorbet scoop!"

Jay followed his advice, taking the basket off and into his hands, scooping the leaves without touching them, and soon filled up his basket.

"Sweet! Chill zone, here we come!"

Emma looked at the twins running forward. "Crud… we don't have time to harvest by hand…"

She saw a nearby branch with a bunch of leaves.

"Come on, we need to move, move, move!"

"Coming…" Kitty muttered, before groaning.

The Twins cheered as they got their tip and ran off.

The Sisters soon entered the room, Emma holding the branch.

"Um, I'm pretty sure the leaves are supposed to be in the basket." Emma shoved the leaves into her sister's empty basket and set them down. Don shrugged. "Good enough for me."

The local smiled, handing them a tip.

The scene showed the train whistle blowing, and getting ready to leave the station.

"The train is now on its way. The Ice Dancers are in the front car, followed by the Goths, Adversity Twins and the Sisters. That is, if the sisters can catch it."

Emma and Kitty ran towards the train, with the younger sister lagging behind.

"We have to jump!" the future lawyer exclaimed.

Emma took her sister's hand and they jumped, barely making it on.

"Hello racers in cabins two through four, you are free to begin making your way to cabin one now." Don announced.

"So we just have to sit here and let the other teams catch up?" Jacques asked.

"I guess so… Or… we could barricade the entrance." Josee started moving a large cabinet in front, groaning as she attempted to get it closer. "Help me push this."

Jacques helped Josee, angling the cabinet so that it rested directly in front of the door.

"There, they'll never get in." Josee laughed.

"This should stop them right in their tracks."

Outside a few of the cars, the Adversity Twins were trying to assess the situation before running into the car.

"Okay, Don said there would be animals in here, but he never said what kind…" Jay reminded his brother.

"Probably not the friendly kind." Mickey lamented.

"Alright, let's go!"

The two ran into the train cart, and a few seconds later, an offscreen scream was heard before Jay was sent flying and a goat was heard as well.

Mickey ran to his brother after he got hit by the incoming goat. "Jay!"

The older brother groaned in pain.

Meanwhile, the Goths were shown walking into a train cart with a bull. The Goths were unfazed by the angry bull about to charge them. Loki hopped to the floor, growling at the male cow. The rabbit brushed one of his paws against the wooden floor, and the bull did the same with one of his hooves. The bull charged towards Loki, only for the rabbit to jump over him and land directly on his head.

Ennui and Crimson blinked as the rabbit fought off the bull offscreen, the bigger animal groaning in pain.

"Loki is a very fierce bunny." Ennui told the viewers.

The bull was shown on the floor, exhausted. Loki soon returned to Ennui's shirt.

"Shall we keep going?" Crimson asked.

The scene switched over to the Sisters, about to enter a train car.

"Uh, I hope you like chicken." Emma remarked.

"You ready on three?" Kitty asked.

"One…"

"Two.."

"Three!" they exclaimed in unison.

The two ran through the chicken car, with screams and chicken shrieks heard as they tried to make their way through.

Soon the sisters emerged from the chicken coop car back the way they had come, slightly roughed up.

"Wow, chickens are tough." Emma stated.

"I think I swallowed one." Kitty coughed up a feather.

"And we've still got three more cars to get through!" The older one remarked. "This challenge really bites!"

"Well, do you have any better ideas?" Kitty asked.

"I have one. You know those safety warnings they put on windows to keep your arms in?"

Kitty looked unnerved at what her sister was implying. "Yeah… Why?"

"This one doesn't. Let's get to climbing."

Up on the train car, Emma slowly crept along as she tried to find her footing, with Kitty lagging behind.

"This is so unsafe!" Kitty complained. "Let's go back."

"We have to risk it, we're too far behind!"

"And yet you lecture me on the blind-flooded toboggan story!"

"UGH! This is different!"

Interview; Sisters

Kitty groaned. "Emma loves bringing up the blindfolded tobogganing story."

"It speaks to the reckless behavior Kitty's displayed her entire life." Emma explained.

"I was ten! Come on, live a little!"

"She slammed into a tree and then 'lived a little' in the hospital for two weeks."

End Interview

Mickey was shown helping his brother up from the floor.

"Oh goodness, are you ready to try again?"

"Not yet…" Jay breathed. "Just a few more moments…"

Suddenly they heard a loud, slamming noise from above.

"What was that?!" Mickey asked in alarm.

The twins went outside, seeing the Sisters jump from one train car to another as Mickey helped his older brother stand and move forward.

"Oh hello there." Kitty waved. "I thought you'd be farther along by now."

"Jay got hit in the crotch by a mean goat." Mickey answered. "I know it's risky, but could we join you up there?"

"Are you sure about this?" Kitty asked in concern.

"Just stay where you are." Emma ordered.

Mickey turned to gaze to meet that of his brother. "Well Jay, it's your call."

Jay gave a pained look.

A while later, the Twins were shown on the roof of the train car, with Jay still being guided by his younger brother.

"When did you become so brave?" Jay asked.

Mickey faintly smiled at this. He turned to Kitty asking, "How much longer do you think we have until the train reaches the station?"

Kitty tried to smile, giving off a nervous shrug. "Hard to tell."

"We should be fairly close to the first car if nothing else." Emma remarked. She looked farther ahead. "Only one more car left."

"We got this, right?" Jay asked.

"Absolutely!" Mickey and Kitty agreed in unison.

The two soon realized what they did and blushed in embarrassment, nervously smiling.

"Hurry up, Kitty!" Emma called from afar. "Don't spend too much time with those weaklings!"

Interview; The Sisters

"Why are you being so mean?" Kitty asked her.

"We're down to the final four, and between those creepy Goths, ambitious Ice Dancers and weakling, cursed twins, we're the only sane team left." Emma reasoned. "We need to come out on top."

Kitty snuck a nervous side glance.

End Interview

Down below, the Goths continued their trek through the carts.

"Too easy." Ennui remarked.

"I wouldn't mind if the Twins won. They seem nice." Crimson began. "And yet Emma is accusing us of being monsters, just as the Ice Dancers are."

"But can we blame the younger one for the wrongdoings of her older sister?"

Crimson silently thought over his words as they reached the first train car.

Ennui tried to open the door, but without much luck. "Well, this may be a problem."

The scene switched back to the top of the train.

"There- we made it." Emma told Kitty, still lagging behind. "Now we have to descend off to the side and get into the first car before the other team gets in."

Emma effortlessly jumped down, perfectly landing on the platform below. Kitty jumped down, landing not too far from her sister. Jay gradually slid off and landed a few feet below, stumbling a bit as he tried to regain his balance. But as Mickey jumped down, he lost his footing and began to tumble.

Kitty, seeing that she was closer to him, lifted her arms to try and brace for impact. He ended up crashing right on top of her and unexpectedly claiming her lips in the process.

He softly gasped before exclaiming, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I-!"

She smiled and reassured him, "It's okay."

Kitty got up and extended her hand to let Mickey up. Emma and Jay looked confused, but the latter was faking his confusion- he already knew what his brother was trying to hide.

Interview; Mickey (Adversity Twins) and Kitty (Sisters)

"That really was an accident." Mickey admitted.

"Sure it was," Jay teased.

Kitty asked, "Is there a reason you asked me to be here?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I support you both being together. I know about what happened down there… in Siberia."

"You'd be willing to keep our secret?" Kitty asked.

"Of course I would." Jay answered. "Why wouldn't I?"

They were all shown smiling as the interview concluded.

End Interview

Soon the train pulled up to the station, with Emma having the door slammed into her face as the Ice Dancers ran off.

Don was waiting there, ready to announce team placements.

"First place goes to…" He scoffed. "Seriously? The Ice Dancers? Again? I can't believe it."

The Ice Dancers held their victory pose as Josee taunted, "Better believe it, Don."

The two happily leapt away as they had taken first place.

Not long thereafter, Mickey and Jay landed on the carpet.

"Adversity Twins, you're in second."

Mickey blinked in amazement. "Second? We've never gotten second before!"

"Hooray!" They both cheered.

Soon the Goths arrived at the carpet, with Loki resting in Ennui's shirt.

"Goths, you're in third place." he announced.

"Yipee."

The Goths slowly walked off screen.

Emma groaned as she made her way to the carpet, lagging behind Kitty.

"Sisters, you're in fourth place."

Emma groaned even more as Kitty lamented.

"Aw…"

There was a pause of silence.

"Well… Maybe I should tell you…"

"But it's a non-elimination round!" Don announced.

Kitty sighed in relief. "Phew!"

Emma glared at Kitty as the latter nervously smiled.

"Will all the words that were unsaid ever be spoken?" Don asked the audience. "Find out next time on… the Ridonculous Race!"

He flashed a smile for the cameras as the scene ended.