Monsters Don't Come From Under The Bed

Chapter 3

As they walked inside, Genesis greeted them with two mugs.
“You were out there for a while. Hey Rico? You don't have the digestive system of an actual cat, right?”
“Not to my knowledge, no. Why do you ask?” 
She handed a mug to Rico and one to Andy.
“We’ll find out. Take a sip.” She smiled. Andy peered into the mug. It held a dark brown liquid that smelled sweet. The heat of the liquid warmed the rest of the cup, and small white chunks floated around.
“What is it?” She asked.
“Hot chocolate. Amber thought you should try it. We were gonna have an early dinner, but that sounded weird so we made these to tie you guys over until then.” Rico took a mouthful of his drink but spat it back inside. He hung his tongue out of his mouth and yelped.
“I told you. It’s hot.” Genesis laughed.  Andy laughed too, and then joined the rest of the exiles on the couch.
“Hey, Rico. Come with me real quick.” Genesis held Rico’s free paw and led him upstairs. Rico set his cup down onto the stair railing and walked with her.
“Are you going to scold me again? Genesis I'm really sorry.” He explained. Genesis reached up and scratched the hybrid's head.
“Nah it's alright. We're not gonna get anywhere with scolding you and saying rude things to you. I already told Hilda and everyone else that they shouldn't be so rude to you for doing something that you were used to. Instead, we're gonna help you break your over protective mindset.” Rico purred and his pupils dilated.
“Genesis, I need to tell you something.”
“What's wrong?”
Rico told Genesis his story. He told her about the Monster King's daughter, and his exile.
¨Why didn't you tell me this before?¨
¨I was embarrassed, and I couldn't find the right time to tell you.¨
¨Oh. Well I'm glad you told me now.¨ Rico nodded and looked down the stairs. Andy ran up the stairs and joined them. She grabbed Ricos paws and jumped up and down.
¨Amber made something called mac n cheese for lunch! She said come get it before it gets cold. And then we will have rabbit soup for dinner!¨ Rico laughed and let the small monster lead him downstairs.
¨Genesis? Are you coming?¨
¨Oh yeah, just give me a few minutes.¨ The monsters left her alone. Genesis walked past several doors, and reached for a doorknob at the end of the hall. She unlocked the door, and walked in. David was sitting on the floor playing with a scrap of fabric. He looked up at Genesis, and then back down at the fabric.
¨Why would you take me out of a place to be locked up, only to be locked up again?¨ He tossed the piece at Genesis feet.
¨I wouldn't lock you up, David. That was Amber. Besides, I don't think you want to experience or more monster drama for a while.¨
¨Eh, you'd be surprised. There’s only two of 'em, right? The cat n ball?”
Genesis laughed nervously and scratched her head.
“Would you like to meet them? They are downstairs.” David slowly stood up and headed for the door. Genesis followed behind him down the stairs, and onto the stairs.
“Let me go first, just in case they decide to get huffy or hostile. Especially Rico or Valentine.”
“Valentine? There's three?” Genesis laughed again and led him into the dining room. The lively and cheery chatter coming from Amber and the exiles immediately stopped as soon as David entered the room. The mushrooms sprinted towards David. They were as tall as his thigh, and they looked up at him with cheese around their mouths. The trio screamed their tale once again.
“The evil man who shot our beautiful, elegant, and radiant lamb! The man who dared to threaten our poor and defenseless Hilda!” David backed up behind Genesis as Amber approached him with a ladle. Genesis stepped away from David, leaving him by the stairs. She watched as the pack of rainbow runners circled around his legs and hopped up and down. Kali stood over David, and smelled his crimson hair. Andy held his hand and inspected his fingers, while Zhen and Rico poked at his back. Hilda stayed behind Amber as she held the ladle up to his face a let out a series of threats. Zita joined Genesis.
“I think they like him.” She giggled.
“Maybe. Zita. Where do I go from here? I need help, I need guidance. When I think I understand something, another confusing thing pops up!” Genesis grunted.
“Is that how you really feel, child? Would you mind if I added another thing to your plate?”
“Would it help me?”
“That is for you to decide.”
“What have I got to lose?”
“Thats the spirit. Come, sit down on the wide yellow cushion thingy.”
“Couch.” Zita clicked her tongue. Genesis sat down with Zita and sighed. The rest of the exiles were too busy inspecting David to hear what came next.
“Child. Open your ears, for what I say next will not be repeated again. Its too risky to tell openly, so I will try to be quick.” Genesis nodded and leaned in.
“You were given books by your grandmother that were written in our language. You cannot read them, but I will tell you what they say. They are filled with notes and knowledge that she collected from our world. About exiles, laws, rules, species, roles, potions, and lands.”
“How did you know Grandma gave me books? How did you know what was in them?”
“That will be revealed when the time comes. Now, what I wanted to tell you was something about the King and the books. The King wasn't always such a hard and cruel being. He would never dream of exiling his beloved monsters. I think I know what happened.”
“What happened?”
“Will you have patience? As I was. I think it was the incident with my daughter and Rico.  You see, Rico had a terrible accident with her.”
“Rico told me this.”
“Ah, saves time then. I think that maybe after Rico’s exile, he tried to find things that were wrong with his monsters because he always believed our daughter was perfect. He compared her to every monster, and if they did not fit his liking, they were exiled. That is probably the reason why he has the mindset that things must be perfect.”
Genesis cleared her throat and cupped her face with her hands. She groaned as she fell back onto the couch and exhaled sharply.
“I know, dear, I know. Now I must ask you something.”
“Fire away.”
“Will you help me take down my husband, the Monster King?”