Chapter 7: Catching Breath
…Monster High…Infirmary room 4…two hours later…
"Are you sure you're alright, Avery?" asked a worried Apple as she watched Avery, Tobias and Dexter get up from the cots the three Riders had been resting on, while Cupid and Raven looked equally worried.
"I'm perfectly fine," said Avery, "aside from feeling exceptionally hungry."
"Dude, you shouldn't be eating so soon after you tossed your cookies," said Deuce as he and Cleo stood nearby. Also in the infirmary, being looked over by the school's volunteer nursing staff was Twyla, Howleen, Iris and Manny, the latter two being fussed over the most, while Howleen was on the verge of pushing away Clawdeen and Clawd, whom absolutely refused to leave their little sister's side since the battle ended.
"You were pretty sick for a while," said Raven, "you, Dexter and Tobias."
"Well, I feel much better now," said Dexter, "whatever made us sick must be over."
"I honestly can't, for the life of me, explain what came over us," said Tobias.
"I can't explain either," said Apple, "and I won't feel at ease until we get some answers."
"None of the school doctors and nurses could figure it out," said Avery.
"Give them a chance," said Apple, "medicine doesn't always work at the drop of a hat."
It was then that Ghoulia, whom was sitting nearby, working her laptop, moaned something.
"You're right," said Frankie, "whatever caused you guys to be sick, you all showed symptoms of decompression sickness."
"Headaches, loss of equilibrium, nausea and joint pains, how awful," said Cleo, "but what could possibly cause you three to experience such horrific ailments?"
"Betcha Ghoulia knows," said Lagoona.
At that Ghoulia moaned something.
"Yes, I know it's only a theory," said Lagoona, "but even a theory is something to go on."
At that Ghoulia moaned in acknowledgement and pointed at her computer screen, which displayed the theory she was working on.
"'Acclimatizing Rider Powers to Dimensional Pressures and Hypertime?'" asked Dexter after he and the others read the screenshot.
"Are you saying we got sick because we got some weird case of The Bends?" asked Avery, at which Ghoulia moaned and nodded in affirmation.
"That doesn't make any sense," said Tobias.
"Well, it's just a theory," said Frankie, "but if what Ghoulia's working on is right, then your Rider powers, which you've been using exclusively in the realm of Ever After, isn't used to being used in this dimension, or something like that."
"In other words, you need to acclimatize to being Riders in this world," said Robecca, "and that acceleration move you did only made things worse."
"That still doesn't make any sense," said Tobias, "are you saying that transforming and Clocking Up made us ill? How is that even possible?"
"We're dealing with powers granted to you by beings beyond human understanding," said Raven.
"Or just another whim by a certain someone," said an annoyed Maddie, "just another unnecessary plot twist to fill up the story. Mr. AndrewK9000, I'm talking about you, you know?"
With all due respect, Maddie, can't you go one chapter without pestering my creativity?
"Oh, don't get me wrong," said Maddie, "I like a lot of what you've done with the story so far, and I really liked what you did with 'Apple White and the Seven Riders,' not to mention your other stories. Though, while I've got your attention, I've got some serious questions about your earlier work."
I don't want to talk about it.
"Oh come on, why not?" asked Maddie, "at least tell me why you didn't edit your first stories."
I was young and inexperienced! There's a lot about my early stories that I'm not proud of. If I could I'd go back and redo everything I did in those years. Now is there anything else?
"As a matter of fact, yes," said Maddie, "what's the point of giving Avery, Tobias and Dexter so much trouble when they transformed?"
I can't tell you that, it would spoil things.
"At least tell me if it'll play an important part later," pleaded Maddie, "something really important?"
I can't, no, I will not spoil things, now please let me get back to the story.
"Oh, please?" begged Maddie, "pretty please with sugar lumps on top?"
I…well…I…NO…NO! Must…resist…sugar lumps!
Ah…there…problem solved. Sorry, Maddie, you'll just have to wait just like everyone else.
"Awww…do I have to?" asked Maddie.
"Okay, that's it," said Cleo, "I'm officially declaring her insane."
"Who made you a psychiatrist?" asked Raven irately, "Maddie's just that, mad, but in a good way."
"She keeps talking to her imaginary friend," said Toralei, "I'd say she's certifiable."
"I honestly can care less what you think of Maddie, what about us?" asked Dexter.
"It'd be rather unfortunate if the three of us found ourselves unable to transform in the middle of a Kaijin attack," said Tobias, while Avery nodded in agreement.
"Well, let's think about it logically," said Apple, "Avery, Dexter and Tobias all suffered symptoms similar to decompression sickness. They became sick after they transformed and Clocked Up, but they recovered rapidly afterwards. What we need to know is why they became sick, and will they get sick again."
"For all we know, they'll never be able to transform again," said Toralei.
"What?!" exclaimed Dexter, "no more 'Henshin!?'"
"She didn't mean it!" said Raven in a reassuring manner. She then glared at Toralei, "right?"
"Just ignore her," said Clawdeen, "she's always trolling for trouble."
"Where we're from," said Raven, "'trolling for trouble' has more than one meaning."
Just then an irate Jessie burst into the room, "unbelievable! Freaking unbelievable!"
"What's freaking unbelievable?" asked Frankie.
"Santa Clause is coming to town," teased Toralei.
"That's not funny," said Jessie as she placed her hands on her hips, "I'm not in the mood!"
"What's got your hair all snarled?" asked Cupid.
"He has no right," said Jessie as she paced back and forth, "they have no right! Not after all the hard work we've done!"
"Would you mind filling us in, love?" asked Lagoona.
"How dare they!" exclaimed Jessie, "what gives them the right to say what we can and can't do!?"
"Who and what are you talking about, ghoulfriend?" asked Clawdeen.
"The Alabaster Council, that's what," said Lance as he walked in, looking just as angry as Jessie, "they and Wilhelm Chase."
"Who?" asked Frankie, "oh, your contact with The Alabaster Council."
"The same," said Lance, "and right now I'd punch them all in the nose if I could!"
"What'd they ever do to you?" asked Frankie.
"And please, be as vague as you like," said Toralei.
"We've been sacked, that's what!" exclaimed Ian as he walked in, followed shortly by Chad and a man in his mid to late 40's. He had graying brown hair and wore glasses, wearing average clothing of an average man. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about him. He seemed like a man who could be found on any street in any town in any country on any world.
"You have not been sacked, my friend," said the man.
"Then why'd you say that Chad was the rightful Faiz and we aren't!?" exclaimed Lance.
"Whoa! Hold it!" said Frankie as her neck bolts sparked with annoyance, "can someone please explain what is going on here!?"
"I can explain, young lady," said the man.
"Oh sure, you've done a great job with us," said an irate Jessie.
"I want to hear what he has to say," said Avery.
"Thank you, young Rider," said the man, "I am Wilhelm Chase. I was hired by The Alabaster Council as their liaison, to influence brave and virtuous souls in the name of goodness and righteousness across time and space."
"And to raise up the hopes and dreams of gullible kids," said Lance, "only to shatter those dreams."
"Why is he shattering your dreams?" asked Lagoona.
"He said we can't be Faiz anymore!" said Lance, "that we weren't meant to be Faiz."
"But he is!" said Ian as he glared at Chad, whom all this time looked like he had no idea what was going on.
"Will you three please let me explain and not jump to illogical conclusions?" asked Wilhelm Chase, "you're overreacting to something you don't know all the facts about."
"The fact is that you're sacking us!" said Ian.
"For him!" exclaimed Jessie as she pointed at Chad.
"Why are you hating on Chad so much?" asked Frankie, "you didn't feel this way when Clair became the new Kiva."
"Siegfried chose Clair as his successor," said Ian, "we didn't have a choice."
"Okay, that does it," said Raven as she stood up. With a wave of her hands and a flash of purple light, Ian, Lance and Jessie found themselves unable to speak. Try as they might, no words came from their lips, only silent mouthing.
"That's better," said Raven. She then looked at Wilhelm Chase, "you were saying?"
"Thank you," said Wilhelm Chase, "as I was trying to explain to young Ian, Lance and Jessie before they so rudely jumped to conclusions, is that while they have done a lot of good as Faiz, they cannot utilize the full power of Faiz. They have been substituting for the rightful Faiz until he was ready to take up the mantle."
"And Chad is the right one for that mantle?" asked Avery.
"He is indeed," said Wilhelm, "and as I was trying to explain to Ian and his friends, while they are no longer needed as Faiz, they can still use the Faiz Gear in the event Chad is unable to do so, while the opportunity to become other Riders may present itself in the future. They have not been sacked and are more than welcome to keep fighting the good fight."
"Is this true?" asked Clawdeen as she looked at Ian, Lance and Jessie, whom looked as if they had been given a valuable lesson in humility, yet were unable to respond.
"Oh, sorry," said Raven. She then waved her hands and with another flash of magic, restored their voices, "you okay now?"
"I feel like I've been forced to eat a murder of crows," said an ashamed Lance.
"I just feel sorry for myself," said Jessie, "all I head from Wilhelm before was that we couldn't be Faiz anymore. I guess we overreacted."
"And how," said Ian. He then looked at Wilhelm Chase, "I'm sorry, we shouldn't have acted that way."
"Quite understandable," said Wilhelm.
"But I still don't understand why," said Lance, "why is Chad the right one and we're not?"
"That's what I want to know," said Chad, "I know Alabaster chose me and I was able to use the Faiz Gear, but why? Why me? What makes me the chosen one?"
"Because you are," said Wilhelm Chase, "you see yourself as just as average boy thrown into an extraordinary situation, but you're more than average. Your own blood makes you the right one to be Faiz."
At that Ghoulia moaned excitedly in a manner similar to one exclaiming 'Eureka!' She then hurried over to one of the tables in the makeshift infirmary and pulled out a blood sample kit, then hurried over to Chad and rolled up his left sleeve.
"What are you doing?" asked Chad as Ghoulia swabbed his elbow crook with alcohol, "why are you taking some of my blood?"
"To test your blood, obviously," said Cleo, "Ghoulia never does anything without a purpose."
"But why does she want to test my blood?" asked Chad as Ghoulia tied a tourniquet on his arm, waited for a vein to distend, then inserted a needle and collected the blood sample.
"To see whatever's in your blood that makes you the right one to be Faiz," said an intrigued Ian. He then walked over to the table and picked up three more blood sample kits, "if you don't mind, Ghoulia?"
At that Ghoulia happily moaned in a manner resembling 'not at all.' After putting a bandage on Chad's arm, she then walked over to Ian and prepared to take a blood sample from him.
"She's in her zone now," sighed Cleo.
"Okay, so we've resolved that crisis," said Dexter, "but what about us?"
"If you are from Alabaster," said Tobias to Wilhelm Chase, "then would you mind explaining why we became ill after transforming?"
"You became ill?" asked Wilhelm Chase, "this is news to me. Have you checked with your Alabaster liaison?"
"You mean a proxy?" asked Avery, "we never had one."
"What?" asked Wilhelm Chase, "you mean that you've been fighting Obsidian all this time without a direct liaison with Alabaster?"
"Well…yeah," said Avery, to which Tobias nodded in agreement, "is there a problem with that!"
"Darn right there's a problem," said Wilhelm Chase irately, "how could you have survived as long as you have without guidance from an Alabaster liaison?"
"Skill, luck and a lot of friends to help," said Dexter.
"Well, that won't due," said Wilhelm Chase, "that won't due at all. There's no way The Council would let you younglings run around unsupervised."
"Since when have we needed supervision?" asked an irate Avery.
"We took down Cuthbert, Ophelia, Manfred, all those Foundation X scientists and who knows how many Worms without any extra help from Alabaster or anyone," said Tobias.
"Ahem!" said Cupid irately.
"Oh, and we had our friends and loved ones too," said Tobias.
"That's no excuse," said Wilhelm Chase, "you should have had your own liaison with Alabaster. What if you needed guidance or assistance in a dire situation? Or required advice directly from The Council?"
"We did pretty well without a proxy," said Dexter, "and the only contact we had with Alabaster is when they sent us those visions inviting us to become Riders."
"Well, that won't do," said Wilhelm Chase, "That won't do at all. This situation must be rectified immediately!" with that he turned around and opened a portal, "I'll be back." He then stepped through the portal, which closed up after him.
"Uh…what just happened?" asked Dexter.
"Either we've been given the cold shoulder," said Avery, "or we're going to have our own Alabaster proxy."
"Well, that's good, right?" asked Cupid, "I mean, the more, the merrier, right?"
"We've done alright so far without a proxy," said Tobias, "the last thing we need is someone looking over our shoulder, criticizing our every move."
"Wilhelm doesn't criticize our ever move," said Jessie, "at least he didn't."
"I've got a few criticizing words about his latest move," muttered Lance as he gave Chad an aggravated glare.
"I'm not entirely happy with this either, you know," said Chad, "I only put on the belt because I thought it was the right thing to do, not because some otherworldly weirdos told me I had some weird destiny or something…I don't know," he sat down and shook his head, "I barely remember what they said to me."
"You're not alone," said Dexter, "all I remember of The Alabaster Council is talking with them in some crazy library."
It was then that another portal opened up.
"He's back already?" asked Ian.
But instead of Wilhelm Chase, a woman in her early 30's stepped through. She had long, honey-blond hair and gray eyes, wearing a University of Maryland sweater and blue jeans with high-heeled sandals.
"Sasha!" exclaimed Frankie.
"I just heard about Siegfried," said the woman, "did he…did he perform the power transfer ritual?"
"He sure did," said Clawdeen, "but something must have gone wrong, Clair can't transform into Kiva."
"Who's this now?" asked Raven.
"Sasha Getty," said Frankie, "the other Alabaster proxy."
"Oh yeah," said Raven.
"As much as I'd like to get to know you new kids," said Sasha Getty, "I've work to do. I need to see the new Kiva."
"I'll go get Clair," said Chad as he hurried out of the room, only to run back in, "I found her!"
In walked a somewhat miserable-looking Clair, "someone wants to see me?"
"Indeed I do," said Sasha Getty as she walked up to Clair, smiling warmly, "I can't tell you how sorry I am that you've been put in this unfortunate position with no instructions on what to do next. If I had known that Siegfried was ill, I would have intervened, yet circumstances prevented me from coming until now."
"That's what she said," teased Heath, whom happened to be standing nearby, while earning a laugh from Abby and a few annoyed glares from Frankie and the others.
Sasha Getty ignored the quip and bade Clair to sit down. She did so and looked at Sasha with pleading eyes, "please, tell me what I have to do."
"First of all, where's Kivat?" asked Sasha, "I've got a few words with that idiot."
"Who are you calling an idiot?" asked Kivat as he flew into the room.
"I'm calling you an idiot!" snapped Sasha as she glared at the golden bat, "why didn't you call and tell me that Siegfried was dying? I could have helped!"
"I did call you but your cell went straight to voicemail!" said Kivat.
"I dropped my phone and it broke!" said Sasha, "but you know I have a second cell as a backup! You knew it and so did Siegfried!"
"We forgot your second cell's number," said Kivat, "and I did email you!"
"My email provider's server was down," said Sasha, "look, these excuses aren't getting us anywhere. Just tell me if Siegfried had any last words for me."
"Just that you look after his family and help Clair," said Kivat, "that's all."
"That's all?" asked Sasha. She then sighed, "well, I guess that is all. Siegfried wasn't that much of a talker." She then looked at Clair and smiled, "but that was then and this is now. First, I need you to hold still." She then closed her eyes and placed both hands on either side of Clair's face, startling her slightly, but then Clair relaxed and closed her eyes as well.
"What's she doing to her?" asked Chad.
"Reading her mind, duh!" said Maddie as she poured some tea.
It was then that Jackson walked into the room and saw Clair and Sasha, "what's going on here?! Who is that woman?! What's she doing to Clair?!"
"Trying to help her, I think," said Frankie.
At that both Sasha and Clair opened their eyes, "well now," said Sasha as she lowered her hands and sat back, "I get it now why Siegfried picked you; you've definitely got the right stuff to be a Rider."
"Then how come I couldn't transform?" asked Clair, "I should have but all that happened was my getting hurt," she then held up her left hand, which was marred by two bruised and scabbed marks where Kivat bit her, "and I got this for my troubles."
"That's just your first Kivat bite," said the golden bat as he flew around Clair's hand, "it's already healing. The next one will heal even faster, same for the one after that. Before long there won't be any marks at all."
"Will that matter if I can't transform?" asked Clair, "because why try if I can't do it?"
"You can because you will," said Sasha, "I don't know what's keeping you from transforming, but with my help, you will."
"I certainly hope so," said Ian, "because if the next battle is as intense as the last one, then we'll need every Rider we have."
"Which leaves us out," sighed Lance.
"I don't think so," said Jessie with firm determination, "we may not be front runner Riders anymore, but we're still Riders. We can still fight," she then looked at Chad, "and help this one get into shape."
"You're right," said Lance as he looked at Chad, whom looked as if he was about to be put through something awful, "we can get him into shape."
"Now, hold on a second," said Chad, "I did alright for my first time as a Rider. I took out that Orphnoch without breaking a sweat."
"But you're still a rookie," said Ian, "and we've got months of experience to share with you."
"And Wilhelm's off doing who know what," said Jessie, "so it's up to us to show you just what it means to be a Rider."
"Just as I have much to teach you, Clair," said Sasha, she then held out her hand, "if you'll accept my help, that is."
"I…" said a hesitant Clair as she looked at the outstretched hand. She then took a bracing breath and shook Sasha's hand, "I'll try to be a good student."
"When we're done," said a confidently smiling Sasha, "you'll be a Kiva to rival and even surpass that of Kurenai Wataru."
"That's a bold statement," said Tobias.
Just then Ghoulia's phone beeped. She looked at the message and moaned excitedly.
"Now what?" asked Raven.
Ghoulia then packed up her laptop and hurried out of the room.
"Again, now what?" asked Raven.
"We follow her, of course," said Cleo.
"As if we've got anything else to do," muttered Toralei as she, Cleo, Frankie, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Robecca, Raven, Apple, Cupid, Maddie, Avery, Dexter and Tobias, hurried after Ghoulia into the school hallways and down into the catacombs.
"What do you think is bothering her?" asked Frankie.
"If I were a gambling robot," said Robecca, "I'd say she's leading us back to my father's Workshop. As to why, I don't know."
Yet halfway to Hexiciah Steam's Workshop they were delayed in the form of a certain Rockabilly phantom.
"Hey, mind of some of ya'll help me out here?" asked Operetta as she met with Frankie and the others in an intersection of corridors, "the headmistress asked me to check the school foundations for damage."
"It wasn't that big a battle," said Dexter.
"Not that big?" asked Operetta, "look down, four-eyes!"
"Don't make fun of his eyes!" snapped Raven.
"She does have a point," said Dexter as he knelt down and examined several long, hairline cracks in the floor.
"There's cracks all over!" said Lagoona as she pointed to more hairline fractures in the walls and ceiling.
"That energy blast the enemy used to break into the Creepateria," said Frankie, "it must have shaken the whole school from top to bottom."
"How much damage are we talking about?" asked Avery.
"Well, these beauties aren't that bad," said Operetta as she indicated the cracks, "a little cement here and there will do the trick. But there's more than a couple bigger ones that'll need a lot more work."
"Define bigger," said Clawdeen.
"There's one that's almost big enough to put my fist through," said Operetta.
"That's a big crack," said an impressed Clawdeen.
"Ain't that the truth," said Operetta, "and I've only just gotten started checking the catacombs. I've already got Rochelle and Venus helping, but ya'll know how big the catacombs are, right?"
"Bigger than Cleo's ego," said Clawdeen.
"It is not!" said Cleo boldly, "nothing is bigger than my ego!"
"Yeah, sure, whatever," said Toralei, "can we get going? Ghoulia's probably at the workshop by now and I want to know what's tickling her brain."
"Oh, she is gone," said Frankie as she and the others realized that Ghoulia had gone on ahead of them.
"Whatever Ghoulia's worried about," said Robecca, "it can wait. This is serious."
"If there's a crack big enough to put your hand through," said Tobias, "then the whole school is in danger. The foundations could be eroding as we speak."
"Oh, that crack wasn't in anything that could bring the whole school down," said Operetta, "it's more like in the walls a few levels down. It'll get fixed up as soon as we finish checking the rest of the catacombs. But like I said, I could use some more help."
"Good luck with that," said Toralei.
"Why, Ms. Stripe," said a cheerfully smiling Operetta, "thank you so very much for volunteering to help."
"What?!" exclaimed Toralei, "I did no such thing! I never volunteer for anything, especially to help!"
"Oh, but you will help," said Operetta as she smiled deviously, "unless you want me to show everyone your audition tape for Starlight Express."
At that Toralei hissed wrathfully and got right up in Operetta's face, her claws bared and ready for the kill, "You Wouldn't Dare!"
"We're still going ahead with the play?" asked Frankie, "after all that's happened?"
"Well, you kept working on that jalopy of a lemon all this time," said Operetta, "you had your project, I've still got mine."
"OH MY GHOUL!" exclaimed Frankie, "Hector! I completely forgot about him! I gotta get up to the parking lot!"
"Frankie! No!" shouted Lagoona as she and Clawdeen restrained their friend, "your car's fine."
"How do you know, Lagoona!?" asked a frantic Frankie, "for all you know, Hector's been reduced to scrap!"
"Probably be an improvement," said Toralei.
"Frankie, if it'll make you feel better," said Clawdeen, "I'll go up and check on your car. I was gonna go back up and get some help for Operetta."
"I'll go too," said Lagoona, "we can both check on Hector."
"Yeah, two pairs of eyes," said Clawdeen, "twice the reassurance."
"Yeah…that…that's great," said Frankie as she calmed down, "that's great, thanks, ghoulfriends."
"Any time," said Lagoona. As she and Clawdeen started back up, but then stopped as they realized that Toralei was following them, "where do you think you're going?"
"With you of course," said Toralei, "another pair of eyes on Frankie's car couldn't hurt."
"You stay down here and help Operetta!" said Clawdeen menacingly, "or I'll get her to show your audition tape to the whole school! In fact, I'll ask Ghoulia to help me post it online!"
"You…you…!" hissed Toralei, but then she sighed with reluctant defeat, "alright, I'll do it," she then glared at Operetta, "but you're erasing that tape as soon as we're done! Got it?!"
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of embarrassing you," said Operetta.
"Good," said Toralei, whom then slinked off into a different corridor.
"Where are you going?" asked Frankie.
"Hey, I said I'd help," said Toralei, "but I'm doing it my way."
"Just let her go," said Operetta as everyone watch Toralei walk off, "that's probably the most we'll get out of here now."
"As if she'd do anything nice willingly," said Cleo, "but what could possibly be on that audition tape to upset her so? I hope it's something awful."
"She didn't fail the audition, did she?" asked Apple.
"Oh, she got the part, alright," said Operetta, "Toralei's gonna be C.B., the Red Caboose. She really can sing, that calico cat, once she cleared some hairballs from her throat. But it's what I got on tape after the audition, that's what she's so embarrassed about."
"Oh, do tell, Operetta," said Cleo eagerly, "do tell."
"Ya'll know me," said Operetta, "I hate secrets that I'm not in on, and I'm in on this one and I'm sitting on it, for now. Now, if ya'll excuse me, those cracks won't find themselves."
"We'll be back with help soon," said Lagoona, while Clawdeen nodded in agreement.
"And you'll call me as soon as you know Hector's alright?" asked Frankie.
"We will," said Clawdeen as she and Lagoona headed back up.
"The second you know!" said Frankie.
"Yeah, we will!" called Lagoona.
"The very second!" called Frankie after them.
"Just let them go, Frankie," said Cupid, "they'll make sure your car is fine."
"I hope so," said Frankie.
With that they resumed their downward trek and soon returned to Hexiciah Steam's lab, where Ghoulia was eagerly working at the dimensional portal device.
"What is she up to now?" asked Cleo as they watched Ghoulia connect the device to her laptop and another device.
"Whatever it is, I don't like it," said Robecca. She then walked up to Ghoulia, "I know we agreed that you could help figure out all my father's inventions, but is this really the time?"
At that Ghoulia moaned something as she continued to work.
"What do you mean, 'it is?'" asked Cleo, "you're not making any sense."
"Are you trying to open the portal to Ever After?" asked Raven, "I thought we had to wait three days or so, it's only been a few hours."
"Seems like forever," said Dexter.
But then Ghoulia finished her work and pressed ENTER on her laptop. The dimensional portal device powered up, while the second device also activated. With a clattering of gears and whine of energy, a set of crystals rose up on brass arms from the machine and began spinning. Another set of brass arms raised up several focusing mirrors that shone beams of light through the crystals, producing a hazy image in the air above our heroes.
"What is that?" asked Cleo.
From the projection came a familiar voice, familiar to Avery, Tobias, Dexter, Cupid, Apple, Maddie and Raven that is.
"Hello? Hello, hello? Are you reading me?"
"Dorothea?" asked Avery, "is that you?"
"Oh, it's a communication machine," said an impressed Frankie as Ghoulia made adjustments to the projection machine, then to the portal device, "at least I think it is."
"Here, let me help," said Rochelle as she walked up to the projection machine and assisted Ghoulia in her adjustments. Within seconds the image had cleared enough for our heroes to see Dorothea sitting at her computer in The Base.
"Avery? Apple? Raven?" asked a slightly distorted Dorothea, "can you see and hear me?"
"Like a bad TV reception," said Avery, "but yeah, we can."
"Then it worked!" said Dorothea eagerly. She then looked to her left, "Hey! Everyone! It worked!"
At that Hunter, Ashlynn and Cerise could be seen next to Dorothea.
"Apple! Raven! Maddie!" shouted Ashlynn, "can you see us!? I can barely see you!"
"We're here, Ashlynn!" said Apple.
"My gosh!" said Cerise, "Cupid…is that…is that…"
"What happened to your wings?" asked a startled and confused Hunter.
"My wings?" asked Cupid, "oh…oh! You guys haven't seen me in my native dimension before. This is how I look like on this world."
"I was confused at first too," said Tobias, "but she's still the Cupid we know and love."
"What about my brother?" asked Dexter, "where's Daring?"
"He's up top keeping an eye on things," said Hunter, "no pun intended."
"There haven't been any Worm attacks since you guys left," said Dorothea, "but we're still keeping watch for any trouble from Obsidian."
"Well, we've been getting plenty of trouble from them here," said Raven, "have we got a story for you all."
"But in the meantime, meet the Ghoulfriends," said Cupid, "you've already met Frankie."
"Hi!" said a warmly smiling Frankie as she waved at the image from Ever After.
"And this is Cleo, Rochelle and Ghoulia," said Cupid, "I'll introduce you to Lagoona, Clawdeen and the others later. But for now…"
Just then Briar shoved her way into the image, "Apple! You'll never guess what!"
"What is it, Briar?" asked Apple, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, silly," said an eagerly smiling Briar, "it's actually wonderful!"
"The mock turtle is releasing a new single!?" exclaimed Maddie.
"Uh…no," said a slightly confused Briar, "but it's still great news and you'll never guess what it is. Go on, guess."
"Umm, you've found your prince after all?" asked Apple.
"Nope," said Briar, "better than finding my soul mate a hundred years early."
"You've found a new extreme sport that'll most likely kill you?" asked Raven.
"Nope," said Briar, "not even close, but it is extreme and it may end up killing me."
"You're joining the special forces," said Dexter.
"Close," said Briar, "It is kinda a special force, but it's no military force."
"Oh for crying out loud!" exclaimed Kitty as she shoved her way into the image, "she's the new TheBee."
"WHAT!?" exclaimed a dumbfounded Apple, Raven, Cupid, Avery, Dexter and Tobias, while Maddie nonchalantly poured her tea.
"Oh, darn it, Kitty," said an annoyed Briar, "you ruined it!"
"I couldn't help it, I'm bored!" whined Kitty, "everyone else is keeping watch for Obsidian and I'm stuck underground?" she then flashed out and reappeared behind Briar, "I need to charge my mischief batteries!"
"Remind me to introduce you to Toralei at some point," said Cupid.
"Don't! We'll never survive!" pleaded Dexter.
"Well, anyway," said Briar, "it's true! I'm a Rider now!" as if in answer, the metal wasp that was TheBee Zecter hovered around Briar. Yet the metal wasp, formerly yellow and black, was now yellow, black and rose-pink.
"It adapted to her just as Drake Zecter adapted to me," said Hunter, while said metal dragonfly hovered around him.
"But how'd you get chosen to be a Rider?" asked Avery.
"And why?" asked Raven, "not that I'm not happy for you, Briar, but why did Alabaster choose you?"
"They said I had the right stuff," said Briar, "at least I think they did. I barely remember meeting with them."
"These Alabaster people," said slightly exasperated Cleo, "They'll let anyone be a Rider."
"Anyone with the right stuff and the guts to fight the good fight," said Briar.
"Are you sure about that, Briar?" asked Apple, "not that I'm doubting your courage and conviction, but…"
"But am I sure I'm doing the right thing?" Briar finished, "yes, without a doubt. This is what I'm meant to do, Apple, what I'm meant to be. I just didn't know about it until it actually happened."
"Have you transformed yet?" asked Tobias.
"Yes, and it was incredible!" said Briar.
"She took to it like a pro," said Dorothea, "better than Clare was. Not only can she fight better than Clare, and believe me, we've sparred with Briar to know, she was able to beat Hunter while Clocking Up."
"I've got the wounds to prove it," said Hunter as he pushed up his sleeves, revealing several scrapes and bruises on his arms.
"Well, that's great," said Apple, "but please, Briar, be careful. I'd never forgive myself if something were to happen to you."
"I'll be fine," said Briar, "but what about you all? What's happening on Cupid's world?"
"I hope you've been to the market for snacks," said Raven, "'cause we've got a story for you."
…The Enemy Lair…
"Okay, then," said Irvin as he, Valentine, Draculaura and six black-robed Shadow Acolytes, sat at a conference table in one of the rooms of the ruined castle, "you all know why we're here, so let's get down to business."
"Uh…I don't know why we're here, Mr. Weis," said one of the Shadow Acolytes sheepishly.
"None of us know, Mr. Weis," said another Shadow Acolyte, "you never told us what the meeting was about, only that we had to be here."
"You didn't tell us either," said Valentine, while Draculaura nodded in agreement.
At that Irvin sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking up remorsefully at the ceiling, "I am surrounded by idiots," he sighed.
He then sat up straight with a serious look, "very well, then, I'll tell you why we're all here," he then glared at the six Shadow Acolytes, "and take those damn robes off, it's like I'm talking to clones."
"So be it, Mr. Weis," said one of the black-robed dark magic users. With six flashes of magic, the robes were gone and replaced with ordinary clothing worn by three men and three women, with each of them wearing a nametag:
Xander
Isidore
Fabian
Palomor
Edouard
Hortensia
"Is this better, Mr. Weis?" asked the man whose nametag read 'Xander.'
"Or would you prefer neon signs in purple and pink?" asked the woman whose nametag read 'Palomor.' At that six pink and purple neon signs appeared above the dark magic users, brightly blinking their names, while earning laughter from the other Shadow Acolytes, Valentine and Draculaura.
"This is hardly the time for jocularity," said an annoyed Irvin, "that fiasco at Monster High put us on thin ice with The Obsidian Council, and believe me, my friends, the last thing any of us wants to be on thin ice with Obsidian."
"We wouldn't have been on thin ice if you hadn't…" said Valentine.
"It doesn't matter what and what not happened at Monster High!" snapped Irvin, "the point is that we need to produce results or we'll be at the mercy of Obsidian, and believe me, my friends, you do not want to know how merciless Obsidian can be."
"Then let's talk turkey already," said the man whose nametag ready 'Edouard.'
"Well, does anyone have any ideas on how to take down Monster High?" asked the man whose nametag read 'Fabian.'
"Another frontal assault is out of the question," said the woman whose nametag read 'Isidore.' "Nor would another flanking attack."
"Why not?" asked Draculaura, "we got inside the school with that big gun made out of Fangire."
"Yeah, but next time they'll be ready for something like that," said Isidore, "no doubt Bloodgood is reinforcing Monster High with additional layers of Material Emancipation Grills."
"Not to mention additional traps and defensive weapons," said Xander.
"At least Bloodgood is unable to call for additional help from the authorities," said Fabian, "whatever Mr. Wise did to keep away the authorities, and the families of those teenage freaks, it really did the job."
"Just what did you do to all those people?" asked Valentine.
"That's my dirty little secret," said Irvin, "and while my secret whammy did its job, it can't help us get into the school."
"Can we tunnel into the school?" asked Isidore, "there's miles of those catacombs beneath Monster High. I say we dig into them and just march up into the school proper."
"No," said Valentine, "it won't work because there's miles of catacombs. We could get lost down there and never breathe fresh air again."
"I thought you vamps didn't need to breathe," teased the woman whose nametag read 'Hortensia.'
"Never mind that," said Irvin, "getting lost in the catacombs is an unacceptable risk."
"Not to mention the dragons and other creepy crawlies living in the catacombs," said Valentine.
"Oh, I forgot about the dragons and creepy crawlies," said Isidore, "Well, what about that pool they've got? They wouldn't expect an aquatic assault."
"NO! We can't try the pool!" exclaimed Draculaura, "to get in to the school through the pool means going through THE DEEP END!"
"So what?" asked Isidore, "just outfit the attacking force with diving equipment, or better yet, send in aquatic Orphnochs and Fangire."
"No! You don't understand!" exclaimed Draculaura, "we just can't go through THE DEEP END!"
"If you're worried about that thieving kraken, don't," said Valentine, "I can handle that thing."
"No, Bloodgood would have anticipated an aquatic attack" said Irvin in a thoughtful manner, "she's probably mined the pool and rigged the underwater passages to collapse."
He then leaned back in his chair while summoning a chessboard onto the table. He turned it sideways and began playing both sides, "Bloodgood is no fool, while her students aren't morons."
"I can think of a few who are," said Draculaura.
"And what about those damn Riders?" asked Xander, "Faiz and those Zecter users?"
"And what about Kiva?" asked Fabian, "he's been absent from the field for some time now."
"That girl who was with Frankie Stein," said Valentine, "what's her name again?"
"Clair," said Draculaura, "she should be dead by now after my poisoned bite, while Siegfried should also be dead."
"And there's Raven Queen," said Irvin as he continued to play against himself, "she should have been presented to The Obsidian Council long ago. I should have known Cuthbert wasn't up to the task."
He then sighed and sat back again, his head raised to look up at the ceiling, "but to have taken out Manfred and disgrace Ophelia, then Raven and her allies must be formidable indeed." He then sat up again, "We must be cautious, my friends, for any misstep could result in our destructions, or worse."
"Indeed," said Xander, "I'd rather be shot out of a cannon than suffer the wrath of Obsidian."
At that Irvin blinked in surprise and looked at Xander, "what did you say?"
"I said I'd rather be shot out of a cannon," said Xander, "and not a circus cannon, a real one."
"A cannon," said Irvin thoughtfully as he made several moves on the chessboard, "yes, yes, that could work."
"What could work?" asked Valentine.
"A plan to render all the defenses of Monster High moot," said Irvin as he smiled wickedly while placing the white king in check, then moved a white piece, "a plan to place the student body of Monster High under our collective thumbs," he then made a final move that checkmated the white king, "and acquire the two Star pieces at Monster High. Oh, and take out those Riders as well."
"Tell us more, Mr. Weis," said an intrigued Hortensia, "tell us more."
Elsewhere in the castle found three gray-clad Orphnochs in their human forms, preparing another room for a meeting, yet this one was far, far different than the one involving Irvin and the others.
The three Orphnochs, two males and a female, whose names happened to be Allen, Brittney and Carl, nervously paced through the dimly-lit room for those whom would be coming.
"This was a bad idea," said Carl, "for all we know, there could be a dozen Orphnochs loyal to Irvin on their way to detain us as we speak."
"Or a dozen Fangire," said Brittney, "or a dozen Shadow Acolytes, or Irvin himself."
"Don't be foolish, both of you!" said Allen harshly, "we're having this get-together when Irvin's talking with the upper echelons of his dark magic users, as well as those lovey-dovey vampire freaks, so don't panic."
"Ever since we started on this path, I've been panicking on the inside!" said Carl, "admit it, man! We're as good as dead!"
"We've already died once," said Allen, "each of us, remember? Or have you forgotten how your old life ended and your new began?"
"Like I could forget how my human life ended," said Brittney.
Just then there were two knocks on the door, followed by three, then one more.
"Come on in, Donna," said Allen, while Brittney and Carl sighed with relief.
In came another gray-clad Orphnoch, a woman. With her were two outlandishly clad Fangire in their human forms, one male the other female.
"I wasn't followed," said Donna, "everyone else is licking their psychological wounds from the trouncing we took today."
"So many of our comrades destroyed," said the male Fangire, whose name was Eleuterio, "who would have thought that a school full of teenagers would put up such a fight?"
"A school full of teenaged Monsters," said the female Fangire, whose name was Constanza, "not to mention several teenage Riders."
"Which is exactly why I asked you all to come here," said Allen, "too many of our respective Kaijin tribes have been killed on Irvin's folly."
"I agree," said Eleuterio, "you Orphnoch seek to establish yourself as the next step in human evolution, while we Fangire seek sustenance in human life energy and set up our own kingdom."
"None of which will come to pass if Irvin keeps using us as fodder in his quest for The Star of Rosskarn," said Constanza, "which is why you Orphnoch are planning on running away."
"And we want you Fangire to run away with us," said Allen.
"This is pointless!" exclaimed Brittney, "we're going to get caught and punished!"
"Assuming they don't kill us outright," said Carl.
"We won't get caught if we play our cards right," said Constanza as she pulled out a deck of cards and began shuffling, "if we're careful enough, we can slip away and disappear before Irvin and the rest of his robbed rubes suspect a thing. It can be done."
"I sincerely hope so," said Carl, "or else we'll be begging Irvin to let us die in peace."
"Cut the pessimistic crap already," said Donna as she crossed her arms, "getting away will be the easy part. Staying alive and evading pursuit, that'll be the hard part."
"And knowing Irvin," said Eleuterio, "he'll hunt us down until he catches us or hell freezes over."
"With our plan, he'll be too busy going after the Star pieces," said Allen, "we'll cover our tracks so well, he'll never get close to catching us."
"And just what is your plan?" asked Eleuterio.
"Hold on a second!" said Carl. He then glared at the two Fangire, "how do we know you're on the up and up?"
"For all we know you're spies for Irvin," said Brittney, "sent to seek out and uncover dissidents in the ranks."
At that the two Fangire looked as if they had never been so insulted in their lives, "as if we'd do anything so despicable for that piece of crap," said Eleuterio.
"The majority of Fangire serving under him are unquestionably loyal," said Constanza, "but there's a few, Eleuterio and myself included, whom would love nothing more than to feed on his life force and leave his transparent body to rot."
"And we would if he were human," said Eleuterio, "but he's not as you know."
"We know," said Allen, "so, how many Fangire are we talking about?"
"How many Orphnoch?" asked Eleuterio, "and what is your plan?"
"The less who know the details the better," said Donna, "but as for numbers, I can confirm at least twenty Orphnoch whom wish to run."
"Not as many Fangire," said Constanza, "but they've all have had enough with Irvin and want to know when we're running."
"As soon as Irvin launches his next attack on Monster High," said Allen, "as for the signal to run, you'll know it when you see it."
"And hear it, as it'll turn out," said Donna, "just tell your fellow fugitives to be ready to run."
"We'll be ready," said Eleuterio. He then pulled out a flask and unscrewed it, "let's drink to our forthcoming freedom."
"I thought you only drank life energy," said Carl.
"We can eat and drink whatever we want," said Eleuterio, "I prefer good spirits for pleasure."
"Who doesn't?" asked Allen as he took the flash, "here's to freedom!" he then took a swing, then passed the flask among his fellow Kaijin.
…Monster High…Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…
As Raven, Apple, Frankie, Cupid and the others finished filling in Briar and the others back in Ever After on everything that's happened, their tale was abruptly interrupted by Lagoona as she burst into the lab.
"Oh my ghoul! You blokes have got to see this!" exclaimed Lagoona urgently.
"See what?" asked Frankie, "what's wrong? What happened to Hector?!"
"What? Oh, your car's fine, Frankie," said Lagoona, "not a scratch or dent on him."
"Oh, thank goodness!" Frankie sighed with relief.
"Never mind your Anubis-damned car, Frankie!" said Cleo. She then looked at Lagoona, "what is it?"
"No time to explain!" shouted Lagoona, "you've got to see it to believe it! Come on!" with that she ran up to Frankie, grabbed and pulled her out of the lab before anyone could say anything else.
"Well, that was unexpected," said Raven.
"I think we should go see what's up," said Avery.
"What makes you say that?" asked Apple.
"Call it a hunch," said Avery.
"Oh, it's more than a hunch," said Maddie, "it'll be important, and I don't even need to talk to Mr. AndrewK9000 to be sure."
"Go, it's alright," said Dorothea on the other end of the dimensional call, "we've got some things we need to take care of here."
"Like how we're gonna get the portal open again and come help you guys," said Briar.
"How are you going to do that?" asked Apple.
"It's a surprise," said Kitty drily.
"No it's not!" said Dorothea irately, "it's quite simple actually. You see, I'll need help from Ms. Steam and Ms. Yelps in order to…"
"It can wait, we need to go after Frankie," said Cupid, "sorry to cut you off, but we really need to go."
"But…" said Apple.
"Go already! We're already two days slow!" said Maddie as she held up her watch.
"I don't mean to sound pessimistic," said Cleo as they left the lab, leaving Robecca and Ghoulia to help Dorothea, "but do we know where Lagoona took Frankie?"
"Oh my ghoul, you're right," said Cupid, "they could be anywhere in the catacombs and we'd never find them!"
"Or they'll find us," said Maddie.
Just then Clawdeen ran up to our heroes, "there you ghouls are! Come on! You're not going to believe what we found!"
"What is it?" asked Raven, "What did you find?"
"You've got to see it to believe it!" said Clawdeen, "come on!" with that she led our heroes through the catacombs to a wide tunnel with a set of stairs going down. Waiting for them was Clawd, Howleen, Gill, Lagoona, Frankie, Rochelle, Venus, Abbey and Heath.
"What took you all so long?" asked Heath, "you've got to see this!"
"See what?" asked Cleo irately, "I've had just about enough of being lead around by the bandages here! I demand to know what all the fuss is about!"
"It's about this," said Frankie as she pointed down the tunnel. At first glance the stairs went on for several more yards before reaching a dead end. But at the bottom of the stairs was an opening in the tunnel wall.
"This looks recent," said Dexter as he, Avery, Tobias, Apple and Raven got closer to the opening, "did it happen because of the blast during the battle?"
"The blast weakened the rock," said Rochelle, "but it was Toralei who found it."
"Toralei?" asked Cupid, "no way. No freaking way."
"Well, actually, it was Hoodude," said Frankie.
"Hoodude?" asked Cupid, "Hoodude Voodoo? The doll you once made and accidentally brought to live to get everyone to think you had a boyfriend? Okay, now you're just pulling my wings!"
"Well, that's what happened," said Heath, "you don't believe me?"
"I certainly don't," said an annoyed Cupid, "this is pointless, I'm going upstairs to find Deuce."
"You'll find him on his way to the headmistress's office," said Lagoona, "we just had to tell Bloodgood what we found."
"Just what did you find?" asked Raven, "what's in there?"
"See for yourself," said Frankie as she held up a flashlight and used her own electricity to supercharge it. She walked into the opening and with the hyped up flashlight, illuminated a large chamber.
"Good Lord!" exclaimed Tobias as he, Avery, Dexter, Raven and Apple stepped through, followed by Cleo and Cupid.
"That's pretty much how we all felt when we first saw this room," said Venus.
"Okay, exactly what happened?" asked Cupid.
"It's like this," said Clawdeen, "Lagoona and I brought a lot of help down to check the foundations for damage. I didn't know it at the time but Hoodude came along as well."
"Somehow, Operetta, Toralei, Hoodude and Clawd," said Venus, "somehow they were down this tunnel together."
"They were documenting the cracks in the wall," said Lagoona, "when Toralei thought it would be funny to make Hoodude make Clawd slip and slam into the wall."
"I've got the bruises to prove it," said a moderately sore Clawd.
"He wound up going through the wall and into the chamber," said Howleen, "We all heard the ruckus and found…well…this!" she then indicated the room.
"But what is it?" asked Avery.
"What's more important is what's in the room," said Frankie, "oh, Operetta put something of Toralei's on Hoodude and dragged her back upstairs. She was furious that Toralei would do something that damaged the catacombs."
"I agree, they're in bad enough shape as it is," said Cupid, "but what did you find in here?"
"Can't you see it!?" asked Howleen, "oh, wait, you can't see it, yet. Frankie, turn the light off."
"You got it!" said Frankie as she flicked off the flashlight, plunging the chamber into darkness.
"Okay, this is just plains stupid!" said Cleo, "we don't have time to play around in the dark!"
"Just let your eyes adjust and wait," said Frankie, "trust me, you won't believe your eyes!"
"I think I see it already," said Dexter as the room began to brighten again, only this time by no flashlight or any other form of normal illumination.
Slowly but surely, the walls began glowing blue and green.
"What…what is this?" asked Dexter as he and the others from Ever After took in the almost ethereal illumination with awe.
"It's beautiful," said Apple.
"And amazing," said Raven, "light that glows in darkness. This is an incredible bit of magic we're dealing with."
"There's also that," said Heath as he pointed at the middle of the room, where, suspended about five feet off the ground, lay a golden broach set with a large diamond.
"Is that… could that be…?" asked Raven.
"The third Star piece? It's possible," said Clawdeen.
"I should say it's possible," said Cleo as she walked up to the broach, "just look at that rock!" she reached for the broach, but was shocked when her hand passed through the item.
"Don't bother, we all try to get broach," said Abbey, "is illusion."
"No! Nothing that fabulous can possibly be an illusion!" said Cleo defiantly, "I will hold it in my hands! By the pyramids and Sphinx, I will hold it!" she kept grasping at the broach, but to no avail.
"I don't get it," said Cupid, "what is all of this?"
"We were hoping you'd might have an idea," said Lagoona, "you spent all that time in that world full of magic."
"And you're a demigoddess no less," said Howleen.
"I don't think any of the Olympian gods could have thought of this," said Cupid as she looked at the broach.
"This wasn't done by any god," said Raven as she walked around the room, "this was done by man. The walls, the glowing parts, they're all symbols of some kind."
The others looked at the walls and saw that the parts that were glowing were indeed markings made artificially.
"But what does it all mean?" asked Apple, "is that the third Star piece or not? And if it is, why can't we touch it?"
"I'm going to walk out on a limb," said Avery, "and say that it is the third Star piece. It's been here at Monster High all this time."
"But why didn't Draculaura sense it?" asked Clawdeen.
"The same reason we can't touch it," said Raven, "it's not actually here. Somehow, someone, a long time ago, used a very powerful piece of magic to put that broach out of phase with reality. We can see it, and the symbols, but only when no other light is present in the room."
"Well, that leaves Heath out," said Lagoona, "sorry, mate, but you've got to get out."
"Huh? Why?" asked Heath irately, "why do I have to leave?!" he then flared up, the light of his fire blazing through the room and causing the symbols and broach to vanish.
"That's why," said an annoyed Clawdeen, while Frankie and the others looked at Heath with annoyed eyes.
"Uh…sorry," said Heath sheepishly as his fire vanished, plunging the room back into darkness.
"You will be, mon ami," said Rochelle. She then grabbed Heath and tossed him out of the room. He landed in the tunnel with a painful yelp.
"That's that," said Clawdeen as the symbols appeared again, "so what are we going to do about that broach?"
"Find a way to get it, of course," said Avery as he looked closer at the symbols, "I'm going out on another limb and say that these markings, they're the language of Rosskarn. And I'll go out on another limb; I'll bet that if we can translate the symbols, we'll know how to get the broach."
"You're walking on some pretty shaky limbs today," said Apple.
"My grandmother taught me how to climb trees when I was little," said Avery, "and as she once told me," he then pointed at the symbols, "'no matter how far out on a limb you go, always keep your footing sure and your grip firm, otherwise you'll wind up back where you started.'"
"On the ground?" asked Frankie.
"In the hospital," said Avery.
"Your grandmother was a strange person," said Raven.
"That she was," said Avery.
…The End Is Just The Beginning…