Power Outage [REWRITTEN]

The End

They hastened to the top floor with all of their energy. The people in coats rushed behind them in an endeavour to cease them from trespassing. They kicked the door open and slammed it shut shortly after. Since there was no lock, they pushed a massive and heavy shelf in front of the panel. Their eyes averted to a woman in a white bed who was continuously coughing. Her skin was growing pale and her movement was weak. Inching closer, they sat at her bedside and wrapped their arms around them.

"What happened to you?" She eyed the stains on their clothing. "Did you get hurt?"

They did not respond, as the lump in their throat made it hard to even utter a word. The woman caressed their hair and patted them on the back, yet they still weeped.

"I'm-I'm so sorry. I-I-I tried to get here as fast as I could. I'm really trying to not cry. You p-probably don't wanna see me like th-this." The other whispers.

Her lips curled into a smile. "It's alright. I'm glad that you visited me."

"I should've spent more time with you." They lift their hand to wipe the snot trickling down their philtrum. "I-I should've known that a cure to such a disease never existed. I'm really sorry, Ma. I did something terrible..."

She coughed into her elbow before speaking."I don't know what you're talking about, but no matter what you do or become, you'll always be you. And you'll always be my dear child."

She arm went limp and it fell to the surface to the bed. The heart monitor played a long high-pitched sound. They begin to shake her with their trembling hands. "Ma! Ma! Wake up!"

The banging from the door became stronger and louder. Suddenly, the shelf toppled to the marble floor, and the crowd darted inside. Two of them drag them by the legs, taking them away from the unconscious patient. They throw their arms in front of them and claw at the ground with their nails to prevent the people from capturing them.

"LET GO OF ME!" They shrieked. The men did not listen to their plea and stuck a taser near their neck, shocking them.

Their sight was fading. The strength that they had was leaving them. As they were carrying them outside the building, they finally passed out.

I never even got to say 'I love you'.

Prasiddhi eyes shot open. She sat up from her bed and glanced behind her; her lilac pillowcase was completely soaked. Her hands reach for her cheek and touched it. The door across the bedroom swung open and a familiar person barged in.

"Prasiddhiiiii!" Ze skip closer to her. "Hey, what happened? Your face is wet."

She lowered her brows. "A sad dream. I'm beginning to forget what it was, though. I don't know why I was sobbing."

"Anyway, there's a party we have to attend to. It's starting at six, so we have plenty of time." Ze shove their hands in hir pocket and presents Prasiddhi a letter.

"Amethyst, I never agreed to this." The girl furrowed her brows.

Amethyst rolls hir eyes and pouts. "Aw, c'mon! It's being hosted by Jean-Claude! He's a buddy, remember?"

"An acquaintance." Prasiddhi corrected. "And Jean-Claude lives in France. We live in India. We can't go."

Ze nudge her elbow and retort. "I never said what day the party's starting. Just read the letter!"

"Alright..." She held back an irritated groan and ripped up the envelope.

"What does it say?" Amethyst leaned over her shoulder and attentively stared at the letter.

Prasiddhi opened her mouth and read the words aloud. "Dear pesky plumbers, the Koopalings and I have taken over the Mushroom Kingdom. The princess is now a permanent guest-"

"Hey!"

She cackled. "Alright, alright, sorry. This is what it actually says: Dear Prasiddhi and Amethyst, I'd really like for you two to come to this party I'm hosting. The party's starting on September the thirteenth at six o'clock sharp at my place. There should be seventeen other people attending. The list of people coming are on the back. Love, Jean-Claude."

"Where's his place again?" The one with purple hair rose a brow.

"He lives in Tours. The address is on the bottom." Prasiddhi pointed their finger to the bottom of the paper.

"Eh, I'll check it out later." She added. "So, who's invited?"

"Uh, he just drew a mini picture of the guest and wrote their first name underneath. He also mentioned what their pronouns were." Prasiddhi raised the letter to their lover's view.

Amethyst squinted their eyes. "Hm, this Austin guy looks angry or constipated; I can't tell. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. We're leaving in two hours."

She exclaimed. "What!? Why?!"

"As you said earlier, he lives in France. If we wanna make it on time, we're gonna have to leave pretty soon. The trip to France is gonna be around four days."

"Do we really have to go?" Prasiddhi folded her arms.

"I mean, no, but I want you to go." Ze answer. "You have a problem opening up to people, and maybe this party will help you make some new friends. The only people you hang out with is me, your sister, and that other guy two houses down the street."

"Fine, I'll go." She inhaled sharply.

Amethyst embraced her and squealed. "Yaaaay! I'll get you some lemon bites when the party's over. We should get dressed."

Her significant other ambled out of the room, most likely heading to the restroom nearby. Prasiddhi rolled out of bed and mumbled to themselves. "I guess I should get ready."

. . .

"Good job on getting the letter! I'll pay for the plane trip. Remember to focus on the main objective. You want to those tablets, yes?"

"Yes, I do. I'm outside the house. What should I do next?"

"It's simple. Blend in with the other guests and make sure you don't get caught. I already explained the rules a week ago, and if you need to be reminded, I'll say them again over the speaker. They're also in your journal."

"You're not accompanying me?"

"It's far too dangerous for me to be with the others. I'll be watching over the game outside. You know, from my headquarters."

"Is there anything else I should do?"

"Hm, I don't believe so. Just ring the doorbell now and have some fun."

"..."

"Alright."