Chapter 24 Two and Two

The flashlight on Pom Pom's phone illuminated the way forward. Pom Pom herself was grateful that the skeletal kong left some footprints for them to follow; without that, they would more than likely have no idea where to go. Frowning, Pom Pom focused entirely on the way forward. Wendy stood beside her, and while she seemed a little jumpy, she still trudged forward. Despite any fear that the girls may experience, this was serious, and it needed to be treated as such.

Of course, Pom Pom was still a little anxious. The full moon aided the phone in lighting the way, and overall it was still the most beautiful, luminescent silver ever, but… it wasn't going to last. The darkness would block out its light, would block out any light in fact. The sun, moon, and stars were all bright and shining beacons, but soon the world would not see them. They would, for all intents and purposes, be snuffed out.

Pom Pom sucked in a breath. She shouldn't be thinking about that, she really shouldn't. She needed to focus on the task at hand. They were going to get Wendy's bracelets back, and once they did, it would be a straight shot to the Flower Kingdom. Focusing on her own anxieties would be like strapping a ticking bomb on her chest. It would only cause her pain. It would kill her if she focused on it too much.

"We're getting really far away from Hooville," Wendy said.

Blinking, Pom Pom looked behind to see that the town wasn't even in sight anymore. Swallowing a lump, Pom Pom looked back at the footprints. "I know it looks far away, but it probably isn't. We could still walk to it fairly easily if given the opportunity."

"I know, but still."

Pom Pom sighed. "Yeah. But still." She decided that she needed to think about another topic. Without much input from her brain, she started talking. "I would really like to know how that dry bones kong is possible. I really would."

"Yeah. It's so unusual. My guess that it has something to do with some kind of curse or something."

Pom Pom felt confused. "Possibly, but who could curse someone in that way…" she stopped. Her brain was finally starting to put two and two together, causing her to gasp. "Oh my God."

"What? What is it?"

So many emotions zipped around inside her. A sneaking suspicion that she was foolish for not realizing this before, as well as anticipation and terror. She barely even noticed the path of the footprints anymore. All she experienced was the weight of the realization.

"That has to be it," she whispered. She turned to look at Wendy, who looked more confused and befuddled by the second. "Wendy, I think I know how the dry bones kong came to be. When I was at the Starbeans Cafe with Derek, he told me this story. Apparently, there was this Kong named Bink. He was a businessman and he… he befriended a Shadow Siren."

Wendy did a double take and gasped. "Wait. Are you saying…?"

"The dry bones Kong is Bink! Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying!" By this point, Pom Pom was shaking. "She must be responsible for this. Viv, I mean." Pom Pom's teeth chattered. "She must've done something to Bink. I mean, Shadow Sirens obviously have access to some really powerful magic. She must've cursed him."

Silence. Wendy stared slack-jawed at the cadet. As she did, Pom Pom began to sweat, creating a very worrisome cocktail when mixed with her shaking. A million thoughts ran through her head, and none of them were good. Most contained worry. All contained fear.

"Pom Pom… if Viv cursed Bink… what does that mean?"

Pom Pom put her hand to her chest. "I don't know." Was Viv really so evil that she would curse someone to a dreadful state of undeath? Would she be cruel enough to end someone's life in such a torturous way? And it wasn't just a random person she had cursed to undeath either; based on what Derek said, she and Bink had a close relationship. They spent a lot of time together, two years if Pom Pom recalled correctly. So, why would she curse him unless she WAS evil? She had no reason to. There was no reason to EVER curse someone. That was beyond immoral. That was beyond wicked. Being placed under a curse, depending on what the curse was, was a fate worse than death.

"Dear God…" Pom Pom placed her hand to her forehead, noticing a headache coming on. "Oh dear God…" her shaking got worse. It wasn't unmanageable yet, but it was getting there. "If she cursed Bink… she could've cursed me. She could've made life even worse for me." She gripped her ninja star and gritted her teeth. "If she's evil enough to put someone under a curse, a FRIEND under a curse…"

"Pom Pom," Wendy went up and placed her hand on Pom Pom's shoulder. Pom Pom turned to her, seeing that she wore a face somehow caught between grim and hopeful. "Pom Pom calm down. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this."

"A reasonable explanation for this?" Pom Pom spat out. "Wendy, Viv cursed someone! She ruined not only someone's life but also their death! She put Bink in a state where he would never find peace! What reasonable explanation is there other than her being evil?"

Wendy cringed as Pom Pom began fuming. "Maybe… it was done by accident?"

"Accident? ACCIDENT? Since when is it possible to curse someone by ACCIDENT?"

"I mean… it is unusual, but it is possible. Magikoopas can screw up spells, and that can cause someone to inadvertently be placed under a curse. Maybe Viv and Bink experienced something similar."

Pom Pom let out a sharp exhale. "I can't believe you're even defending Viv here! She's evil, Wendy! She ruined not just my life, but Bink's too! There are now two people who she royally fucked up, without even having the common courtesy to try to fix things! She left me to deal with the consequences of our 'friendship,' and now she did the exact same thing to Bink!" Pom Pom's breathing came out heavy and fast. "She's evil, Wendy!"

"We don't know that…"

"YES, WE DO! SHE'S EVIL!" A vein in Pom Pom's forehead bulged as she glared at Wendy. The princess looked terrified upon seeing Pom Pom in this state, even backing up as she trembled. This was what alerted Pom Pom to the fact that she needed to stop. She pulled back and took deep breaths. "Sorry. I just… I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Pom Pom. Believe me, it's okay." Wendy sighed. "Maybe you are right; maybe Viv really is a rotten evil creep to the bone. But… I'm still willing to play devil's advocate. Based on what you told me about you guys's friendship with each other back at the hotel… a personality like that doesn't really strike me as evil. It more so strikes me as a broken person who needs all the help she can get."

Pom Pom thought about this, analyzing the words Wendy just said and frowning as a result. "For all we know, that could've just been an act."

"It could've, but… Viv didn't show up in the vision that the Shadow Sirens sent out to the world, so… maybe she isn't aligned with them? Maybe her absence means she went down a different path than them. A path that isn't evil."

Pom Pom's frown got deeper. "That is a pretty flimsy piece of evidence."

Wendy cringed. "It might be, but… I don't want to think Viv is evil. And I'm sure that you feel the same way."

Pom Pom felt a pang. She slowly turned around so she didn't have to look Wendy in the eye as she said the next sentence. "I… don't. I really don't. After everything that's happened between the two of us… part of me is hoping that she isn't." Pom Pom sighed. "But honestly, does it even matter? Whether she is evil or not, she still caused so many different people pain. And besides, there's no way to know for sure at the moment."

"When we find her, we can ask her."

Pom Pom snorted. "And what's to say she'll give an honest answer?"

Wendy recoiled a little bit. "That is true." She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. I really don't."

"Yeah." Pom Pom directed her flashlight down toward the path again. "Me neither."

With that, they resumed walking. Pom Pom frowned for the entire rest of the journey, thinking about everything she and Wendy said to each other. She didn't want to think Viv was evil, she really didn't. That would be a much easier pill to swallow, a much easier reality to accept. But that was the thing. Reality was horrible. Reality was often bleak and depressing, filled with pain and strife. Pom Pom had seen the darker side of reality many years ago, and while she wouldn't describe herself as cynical (at least, not completely), she wouldn't describe herself as naive either. Reality was harsh, reality was unfair. Often, the toughest possible answers to accept were what ended up being true. Life didn't care if it was unfair, life didn't care if it hurt to think about.

Pom Pom sighed. It was questions and realizations like these that made her wonder if it was worth it in the end. What was the point of getting up in the morning if the day was guaranteed to be a struggle? What was the point of moving forward when her horrible past was always following her? Often times, darkness would overcome Pom Pom's heart, and she would question if there was even a reason to stay, to not give up. Everyone who loved her encouraged her to never give up, that she could overcome any obstacle that life hurled her way. But was it worth putting the effort to try to overcome those obstacles? Was anything worth it in the end? Was there any brightness in the future? Was there any point to living?

Groaning, Pom Pom rubbed her tired eyes. She knew she shouldn't be thinking about stuff like that, but it was hard not to. There were times where it felt like she was at the bottom of a pit and no one was around to hear her calling for help. It was such a difficult state of mind to be in, but she couldn't focus on that. She had a mission. She had a goal. And most importantly, she had a friend who was going to support her when it came to achieving that goal. Wendy might be the first TRUE friend she ever had. Viv didn't count. Pom Pom was eighty five percent convinced that Viv didn't count at this moment. But at the very least she knew Wendy did. At the very least, she knew that Wendy cared about her.

Maybe it was people like Wendy who made life worth living. Maybe it was the people who supported and trusted you, who you also trusted. Perhaps, when she felt like she was at the bottom of a pit, the reason why she couldn't see anyone up above was because people like Wendy were busy making a rope. Maybe… maybe love and friendship could make the struggles worth it. Maybe they could make life worth it.

"Pom Pom, look."

Pom Pom lifted her head. She saw a cave sticking out of the side of a mountain right in front of them. Based on the trajectory of the footprints, it seemed Bink had gone inside. And that meant this had to be his lair, his hideout. Wendy's bracelets were in there somewhere, and no doubt a fight along with them.

Pom Pom took in a deep breath. "Alright." She stepped forward. "We're going in."