Blended Fates (A Modern Fairytale Retelling) ✓

Chapter Twenty Nine : Phone Call

"Would you like a drink?" The guy standing next to her asked and Ariana nodded as the two of them walked toward the drink section. Ariana was quite thirsty from all the dancing that they had been doing since a while. So it turned out that the guy dressed up as Chucky was actually Theodore, although there was something wrong about his voice. He claimed that it had something to do with the costume and well, she did not understand a bit of it.

"So, did you know that the original Annabelle doll doesn't really look like the one that they showed in the movie?" Theodore asked as they gave their orders. Both of them ordered Green Apple.

"She isn't?" Ariana asked surprised. She had always thought that this is what the Annabelle doll looked like. Or, the doll that had Annabelle's spirit.

"Yeah, the original doll was much more raggedy and was the kind of doll that you might have played with in your childhood. Not porcelain at all," he added as they received their order and drank their drinks.

"Oh and did you know that Chucky is not a real doll but based on a doll named Robert?" She asked back, trying to not look stupid. Yeah, well, she knew about Chucky even if she didn't know about Annabelle. She read that in an article a while ago.

"Yeah, apparently some guy named Robert named the doll after him and the doll would talk and move and create disasters and he would always say that Robert did it," Theo said.

"Dude, you seriously know this stuff?"

"Yeah. I don't go out of my house unprepared. I thought you knew," he said as he took a sip and a smirk began forming on his lips.

"Hey, isn't that Evelyn?" Ariana asked as concern and fear began etching on her face. That surely was Evelyn, wasn't she? Tammy said that that is what she would be dressed up as. But if this is Evelyn, then where is Tammy? She saw her and realized that she was falling to the ground slowly.

Acting on instinct, Ariana rushed to her, although it was quite late because she had already fallen and a crows had begun forming around her. She put her head in her lap and checked her breath. From what had happened with her the last time that she fainted, one couldn't be too sure.

Luckily, she was breathing.

"What happened?" Michael's voice entered her mind as she turned up to look at him standing in the crowd, gazing at the two of them with fear and tension plastered on his face.

"We were having drinks when we saw her fall," Theo explained.

"I'm calling 911," Michael said as he took out his phone and began dialing. Soon an ambulance was out there and people were taking Evelyn away. Michael went with them from where, he told them, he would call her father. Somewhere when they were taking her away, Tamara arrived. She looked at the circle, at everyone's tensed faces and at Evelyn and knew instantly what was wrong.

"What happened?" Tammy asked.

"I don't know. We just saw her fall. The paramedics are taking her away," Ariana replied.

"But--I just went to the washroom. So much happened in that much of a time span?" Tamara asked, visibly scared herself.

"I know," Ariana replied sadly. She was scared thinking about what had happened to her friend. The last time she had fainted, it had been poison. What if the same had happened this time too? What if--

No, no, she stopped herself just in time to not think about this. She could not think about that. She could not. Evelyn was strong. She had to survive. Maybe she just lacked some nutrients for the day or something. Anything. But she had to remain alive.

"The line was too long," Tamara said sadly. "I wish I was there when this happened."

"You couldn't have done anything, Tammy. She would have fainted anyway," Ariana replied in a reassuring way.

"Yeah, but I should have been there for her. God knows what she must be going through right now," she replied.

"I know," Ariana replied with an equal measure of sadness.

"Did anyone inform her dad?" She asked as she took out her cell phone to make the desired call.

"Yes, Michael said he would make the call from the ambulance. I hope everything gets fine," Theo said and both the girls realized how they had almost forgotten about his presence. How easy it was do that when they were in distress!

It was almost midnight and many people had gone away. It was then that Ariana received a call on her cell phone. It was Tad. Why would Tad be calling her in the middle of the night when he knew that she was in the Halloween Ball? She wondered but accepted the call nonetheless, thinking that it could be something important. Or an emergency maybe.

"Hey Tad," Ariana said as she answered the call.

"Aria, where are you?" He asked without even a hello.

"I'm fine, thank you very much!" She replied angrily. She was already a little stressed about Evelyn and she did not need Tad pestering her to return back to her room merely because it was too late.

"Aria, you don't understand. This isn't the time for small talk," he said. "Tell me, where are you?" This was when she sensed the strain in his voice. What was happening?

"I'm still at the Ball," she replied. "Why, what happened?"

"You need to get out," he spoke. "You need to get out now. Get your friends and leave. And don't go to your room. Just go outside. Hide at one of your friend's house maybe. But leave! Now!" He almost choked at the last word but Ariana could see that he was restraining something. She had to ask him what but she knew he wouldn't answer.

All of a sudden, a lot of voices began entering her ears. She wasn't able to understand what they were but aside from the music, it seemed like everyone was talking excitedly. She had come outside to take the call because of the loud music inside but now it seemed like there was something exciting happening inside.

"Ariana! Leave. Now!" Tad's voice could be heard on her phone. She turned around to go inside and get her friends when all of a sudden there was a huge blast from the building inside and she was thrown back. The whole building was on fire. Luckily for her, she was at a considerable distance when the blast happened and she was safe. But her friends, Theo and Tammy were inside. Not knowing what to do, she quickly called 911 and ran as far as she could.

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THE END