A/N: (Updated March 31, 2022) Hey y'all! Shoutout to the awesome Number Ten for reviewing! You rock, my friend!
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Number Ten–––Yeah, it's a fucking bitch -_- I lost my writing mojo for way too long. That and life caught up to me, too. Been busy with work and everything. I know, I know, "No excuses, Cass,", and you're right. I shouldn't have kept you guys waiting for that long. That was wrong of me, and I apologize. …But, I am glad to be back in the ring again. I missed it so much.
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Disclaimer: Me no own ASOUE. Quit buggin' me about it, will ya? Goofball.
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Chapter 7:
Jacques To The Rescue!
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An exhausted moan slipped through my lips as I stretched. Ugh, so good to be back in bed. I'm sweating worse than a dog in July, but at least I'm in bed. Now to head downstairs for that fantastic breakfast our butler always made for us.
I opened my tired eyes. Wait. This isn't my room. I blinked, looking around. I was in a small, cozy bedroom with dull green, snake printed wallpaper. My heart sank.
The nightmare continued.
I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Everything about the tunnels, Jacques, V.F.D., the spyglass…just another chapter added to my cheerful book. How many more nights before I can finally accept the outcome of two days ago? To stop waking up thinking everything was a nightmare? Or was I waking up in the nightmare but it was still going? My head began to pound. I didn't know what was reality and not anymore. I gave up entirely on trying to figure it out. If I was in the twilight zone for the rest of my life, then so be it. I just didn't want to think about it anymore.
Suddenly, my face turned from mournful to grave.
Jacques.
I had a job to do.
I heaved myself out of bed, fixed my covers, and headed into the bathroom to fix my hair and void my bladder. Then, I tromped downstairs and made my way to the giant glass room. I pulled the complicated-looking door open and walked inside, scanning the room for my superior. The room was empty, not a soul in sight.
"Looking for something?" a voice asked from behind.
I jumped out of my skin and whirled around to find Jacques smiling at me through a mouthful of canned peaches. He sure was good at sneaking up on people. I commend his stealth skills. "You scared me," I breathed. "Morning."
"Morning, Quigley," Jacques said, then shoveled more peaches in his mouth. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah," I said. "Did you?"
"About as well as you're gonna sleep on the run," Jacques replied, nodding. He could lie all he wanted to, but he couldn't hide the dark bags hanging under his eyes. He clearly didn't sleep at all, and judging how bad the bags were, he hadn't slept well in a good long time, several years to my guess. "Why don't you grab some peaches and join me for a vagabond breakfast?"
That wasn't a bad idea. "Alright," I said, then headed for the kitchen. Returning with a can and fork in hand, I walked up to the desk where Jacques was sitting, eating, careful not to spill peach juice on the messy sea of papers. We ate in comfortable silence for what felt like forever.
"So," I started. "What do you plan on reading today?"
"My goal is to have two books read today," Jacques said, looking behind him at the four bookcases. "Decent in size."
"That's my goal, too," I said, not really having one in mind, but wanting to sound like I was taking this seriously.
"I'd like to have this whole library read in two weeks max," Jacques confessed. "I don't wanna stay here longer than that. I have much to do, and so little time."
I nodded, taking another bite. I looked out the window thoughtfully at the clear blue sky, watching the waves of sunshine pour inside and wrap the peculiar shrubbery in a warm embrace. He was right––I didn't want to stay here longer than we had to, either. The faster we could read this whole library and obtain the access codes, the faster we could get the sugar bowl. The faster we could get the sugar bowl, the faster we could get my siblings out of Prufrock Preparatory School.
There was no time to waste.
I hurriedly finished my peaches, slurped down the juice, and threw the can in the garbage next to Dr. Montgomery's desk. I headed around it to the four bookcases, and instead of randomly grabbing a book this time, I examined the spines for a moment. Before long, a particular book jumped out at me, practically calling my name. Intrigued, I pulled it off the shelf and examined the cover.
It was a thick, black volume with a big picture of a jagged, snow-capped mountain range on it. But that wasn't what captivated me––it was the title. Up above the mountain range, in big red letters, were the words Remarkable Phenomena of the Mortmain Mountains. Hmm. This should be helpful. I mean, if the V.F.D. Headquarters is in the Mortmain Mountains, might as well know everything about the location before I go. I looked around for a spot to land and read, then headed over to the east side of the room where the sun was the brightest. I sat down and leaned back against the glass wall, flipping the book open to the first page. But before I got there, I had received a wonderful surprise. Lo and behold, prefacing the table of contents, was a series of detailed maps of the place.
I grinned, taking out my purple notebook, my heart thumping madly in my chest. The next few hours were going to be fun.
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The sun was on the other side of the room by the time I had every inch of the Mortmain Mountains charted in my notebook. Feeling accomplished, I examined my handiwork, making dead sure that no landmark was a millimeter out of place. Nodding in approval, I shoved my notebook back in my sweatshirt pocket and looked at Jacques. He was still sitting at Dr. Montgomery's desk, lost in a thick book as well, jotting down notes as he read. I should probably take notes, too. They might come in handy one day.
Just then, the phone on Dr. Montgomery's desk rang.
Jacques put down his pencil and picked it up. "J.S.," he said into the receiver. "…Of course, yes. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. The world is…" He hung up the phone and stood up.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Apparently, one of our associates has been locked in a freezer at Prufrock Preparatory School," Jacques explained, walking to the door. "I need to go help him."
My ears perked up. "Prufrock Preparatory School?" I breathed, immediately jumping to my feet and following him. "Can I come with? That way we can bring my siblings back here."
"No, you can't, Quigley," Jacques said, looking quite sad. "I'm afraid our enemies have compromised the safety of the campus, and if I bring you with me, you'll be in danger. I need you to stay here and look for those access codes."
My face fell. "But––"
"No buts," Jacques said. "It's important that you stay here and look for those access codes. The faster we can get the sugar bowl, the better. Don't worry, I'll be back." With that, he walked out of the room and out the front door.
My heart quickened, my blood pumping hot and fast through my veins. My one chance to go and save Duncan and Isadora and I can't go. I can't believe it. I watched Jacques climb into his taxi on the other side of the glass and drive off, leaving me alone once again. Angry at my luck, I retreated back over to where my book was and started reading again. Hopefully he wouldn't be gone too long.
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"Quigley?" a voice called after a door slammed.
After a moment, something shook me. I jerked awake and looked to find Jacques staring down at me with a small smile. He was hard to see though, as night had fallen and there was no moonlight to illuminate my surroundings. "Jacques," I groaned tiredly. "How'd the rescue go?"
"It went well," Jacques said, helping me up off the floor. "I saved him. He's quite frost-bitten, but alright."
"How are Duncan and Isadora?" I asked.
"I didn't see them," Jacques admitted, disheartened. "But I'm sure they're alright for now."
My heart sank. Great. More suspense. Why couldn't he have at least let them know I was alive? How hard was it to track them down and talk to them for five minutes? I felt my heart speed up, my vision going red. He could've killed two birds with one stone and he didn't. Did Jacques even care about his apprentices? Was this what V.F.D. really was, heartless? Was I just disposable?
"Did you find the access codes?" Jacques asked, walking over to Dr. Montgomery's desk.
"Uhh…no," I said, defeated, shaking my head. "But I did read most of that book I was reading.
"Good. We're two-hundred pages closer to our objective." Jacques sat down and rested his head in his hands. I couldn't see it well in the darkness, but judging by his body language, he was exhausted. Must've been a long drive there. "Why don't you get some sleep, Quigley? It's late."
That was a great idea. "Okay," I said, nodding. Thrilled that Jacques unlocked the chains binding me, I turned and headed out of the glass room. Suddenly, there was an ear-piercing shriek from above, and I about died from a heart attack. I looked all around me, frightened. What the hell was that?
"Dr. Montgomery's cuckoo clock," Jacques told me with a chuckle, reading my mind. "It scared me the first time I came here, too, don't worry."
I looked around at Jacques, trying to catch my breath. That's some cuckoo clock alright. I've never heard one sound like a pterodactyl before. That's a first. I nodded at him, then resumed walking. I headed up the stairs and into my room, or my room for now. Taking off my shoes and climbing into bed, my mind couldn't help but flash back to the fire. How bright and hot the flames were, my mother frantically ushering me down a ladder into the tunnels. At least Duncan and Isadora were okay. But were they? Jacques never checked up on them. How was I to know for sure? I guess I won't know until I meet up with them.
Unable to do anything about it, I sighed and rolled over. Great. Another day in the twilight zone. I couldn't wait.