After grabbing the second to last tile, Boo and Sheela ditched their Artemis Fowl costumes, much to Sheela's protests. They had decided to go casual this time, just looking like normal teens. They were about to stroll into the alley way when Boo suddenly stopped.
"What's up Boo?" Sheela asked, raising an eyebrow.
"This is the fangirl alley. Are we sure we want to do this?" Boo asked tentatively.
Sheela bit her lip, she did hear some stories about fangirls, but not all were the same, "I'm sure we'll be okay. How bad can they be?"
Boo sighed, "I hope you're right. If I come out scarred from this, you're paying for my therapy."
Sheela patted his shoulder, a fake look of sympathy on her face, "I was already planning it."
"Whatever. Let's just go."
They heard 2 distinct female voices, chattering about something.
"Nila, what do you mean by- Oh never mind. There's no way he's going to confess to her. He's too chicken."
"I guess you're right, Ganga. Aiden Acharya is definitely a chicken. He's not going to confess and neither is Rudy. But what about Hira and Brynne? I think that will work, what do you think?" Nila asked, looking for her friend's thoughts.
Boo paled, "What the-Aiden Acharya? Rudy? Sheela are you hearing this?"
Sheela nodded, eyes wide, "Apparently, Rudy's a chicken now."
They listened on as the first girl answered again, "Brynne...she's...hmmm...maybe. I have no clue how that awkwardness is gonna go, honestly. I mean-Hey. Wait a second. There's someone here," Ganga said, looking at Nila.
Boo and Sheela backed themselves up, bumping into a wall behind them. As the footsteps came closer, they revealed a teenage girl. Her hands rested on her hips. An eyebrow was raised, and her eyes were framed with round glasses. Her straight, black hair was tied up in a ponytail. Wearing gray sweatpants and a black T-shirt, she smiled. Her complexion made it obvious that she was an Indian. She looked openly sweet, but Boo could see in her eyes that she wasn't always as nice as she seemed - as if she was inwardly planning a murder. Sheela could tell that no matter what her first impressions may be, it'll take a long time for her to trust you, but when she did, you were in for a world of unique and amazing friendship, a protective older sibling at times too. Her eyes were very guarded, but that was easy to read.
The second girl had followed, having more trapezoid shaped glasses, and slightly wavy and straight hair till her middle back in a low ponytail. She too was an Indian. She was a little shorter, and wore a charcoal gray hoodie with maroon baggy capris. The girl had an expression on her face that suggested that she could possibly smite you in your sleep. She could totally flip out if you make her mad. But, for Boo, something about her expression kept him calm. She looked like a person that was easy-going and trustworthy - even if she could be very dangerous when mad.
The girls had an intense stare-down with Boo and Sheela before Sheela had to back down under their glares.
It wasn't very scary of course to begin with.
The older girl looked at the other, "What do you think these kids are doing here, Nila?"
Nila, from what Boo and Sheela could gather, studied them, "They seem a bit older than me. Maybe your age?"
The first girl smirked, "14? You think so?" She looked back at Boo and Sheela, on guard and watching their every movement.
Nila nodded. She was a pretty good reader of people, "Don't doubt me, Ganga. Yes, definitely. They're 14. Except the boy looks like a 200 year old in a 14 year old body. I'd say, he's mentally very old, even if his appearance says otherwise. Also, the girl is harmless, and the boy is like her older brother. Kinda like us. They aren't related though, I think. I can tell they are from here but they are looking for something. They are okay. Hi! I'm Nila." She said, a little shy.
Ganga smiled, "Weird descriptions, but...okay?" She hesitantly held out her hand to Boo, "Ganga, nice to meet you."
Boo and Sheela looked like a fish out of water. They couldn't believe how much info was actually right.
Sheela asked dumbfounded, "How'd you know? Literally, everything you said is true!"
"Especially the part about my mental age," Boo muttered quietly.
Ganga raised an eyebrow, slowly withdrawing her hand, "What now?"
Nila's brown eyes studied him, "Interesting. It seems like my guess has some truth huh? I knew there was something ancient about you!"
"You sound like Sheela," Ganga mumbled.
Nila furrowed up her eyebrows and glared, "Was that supposed to be an insult? I think that Sheela would sound much more interesting than me, to be honest."
Sheela smiled, "Why thank you!"
Ganga stared at Sheela, "What?" She looked up and sighed, "Great. We're stuck in an alley with two wackadoos."
Nila smiled at Sheela, "Are you pretending to be a cosplayer? I think you're doing a great job! What's your name by the way? You and the boy's names please."
Ganga looked at Nila skeptically, "You seriously think they're cosplayers? They don't even have costumes for gods' sake!"
"Nope! But it's the easiest way to explain all of this. I mean, They can't be Sheela and Boo. Boo's a pigeon, and Sheela... well she doesn't look like that."
Boo was getting weirded out, "Who are the Sheela and Boo you're talking about?"
Nila's ears reddened, "Ganga will answer that!" She said quickly.
Ganga rolled her eyes, "Seriously? Fine. They're characters from a book series we read. Interesting to say the least. Boo's a reincarnated pigeon that can talk. And Sheela's a clairvoyant."
"Yeah! From Aru Shah! Boo is like the mentor pigeon. His full name is Subala! And he's Shakuni. And the SHIPSSSS!! Aru and Aiden, Mini and Rudy, Brynne and Hira... You can't get enough of them! They're adorable!" Nila said, becoming more excited.
Ganga gripped her friend's shoulder, "Whoa there. You're getting fangirly again." She looked back to Boo and Sheela, who had become extremely pale. Putting her hands on her hips, she analyzed the two. "So, what brings you here, strangers?"
Nila controlled herself, "Sorry. But I already told you, Ganga. They are here for something in our alley! But tell us your names first."
Ganga gave her a deadpan look, "I totally didn't know that." She looked back to Boo, "So. You have any names or are you guys just...um..nameless? I guess?"
Nila restrained herself, silently fuming, "Deadpan at me one more time..."
Ganga snickered, "Yeah, yeah. You'll punch me. You know, you've said that so many times that it's getting funny. Really, punch me once in a while. Before I start cracking up on the spot."
Boo and Sheela glanced at each other, seeing a dangerous glint in Nila's eyes.
Nila growled, raising her fist.
Ganga laughed, "Oh flip. What have I just unleashed? Oh wait...nothing. You're too soft, sis."
Nila punched her right in the face, a lot of force smashing into Ganga's face. Boo and Sheela gasped at the craziness, but were surprised to see Ganga and her glasses completely fine. She pouted, "Ouch. That hurt. Well, I guess we have to be even, don't we?"
Ganga grinned before curling her fist into a ball and punching her friend right near a nerve, effectively numbing it. Ganga shook her fist to loosen it up, "That was nice."
Nila widened her eyes, rubbing it. Soon she laughed in joy and pain after groaning, "That was fun! Can we do it again, after I can feel again?"
Ganga looked at her weirdly before both she and Boo answered Nila's question, "A wise man doesn't seek fights, but stays prepared for them."
They stared at each other, and Ganga spoke first, "Who are you?"
Boo cleared his throat, having made up a lie worthy of Aru, "My name's Anirudh, and this is my sister Lakshmi. We're looking for some," he coughed, "misplaced items that were scattered around the city. Precious family heirlooms, stolen and being retrieved currently. We wanted to help, and found out that one of the items was here. It's a tile with book carvings? And some animals on the side."
Nila narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "That seems like you made it up. What are you really up to? Besides, you coughed. That's like a universal sign right there that you are lying. Or at least, I think so."
Ganga nodded, "I got the same vibe, but I'm guessing that you don't want to reveal." She searched Boo's eyes for confirmation, "Thought so. And the tile is actually important to you?" Again, she saw the truth in Boo's eyes.
Nila looked at both Sheela and Boo, "Anirudh and Lakshmi was it? Hm... Tell you what. You can have it if you beat us in a contest! What do you think, Ganga? We can't just give it up without some sort of challenge! Then again... it's your choice..." She muttered quietly.
Ganga, Sheela, and Boo stared at her, "What now?"
Ganga shook her head, "You're not the only one who's good at reading people. Their lies have some sort of truth to them." She looked back to Boo and grinned, "But I like the idea of a challenge."
Nila smiled happily. She always enjoyed it when her ideas were good ones, those that her friend agreed to.
Sheela and Boo looked at each other and Sheela spoke this time, "We're actually on a time constraint, and-"
Nila looked thoughtful, "I can understand a time constraint but... if you want it, I really don't think we can just give it away, especially since you aren't telling the full truth. So..."
Boo sighed and looked up at her, determination clear in his eyes. He smirked, "Bring it on, fangirl."
Nila's eyes flared, "I appreciate that thought, but I do not appreciate being called that unless it's by Ganga. But how about you go against the tiger, Ganga, first, huh? See if we can douse that fire of yours."
Ganga snickered, "You really are a different kind of person, Nila. But really, do we have to make them wait longer than they already are? I wanna do the challenge."
"By all means Ganga, you can go first. Lakshmi and I can be refs. No bias will be used."
"I don't even know what the challenge is!" Ganga exclaimed. Boo nodded along with her.
"Hm. I'd rather not do serious exercise or anything for mine... I'm lazy that way. But maybe you can do a running race or obstacle course?" Nila asked.
Sheela nodded in agreement, "I'm pretty lazy too. Got any disney channel though?"
Boo looked about ready to pop a vein. Ganga face-palmed and mumbled, "Seriously? Disney Channel? Everyone knows that Disney Plus is all the rage these days."
Nila sulked in a corner, "On come on... You know I can't get it... Did you have to remind me?" She said, her mood dampening.
Ganga just shrugged, "Oh well. What's our challenge anyway?"
Sheela smiled, "It's okay, Nila. I can't get Disney plus either, but I will always be loyal to Disney Channel. And I think you and I can make a pretty cool obstacle course for their challenge!"
Boo stomped his foot, "Enough stalling! Seriously. We have places to be. What's our challenge?"
Nila face-palmed, "Your sister already said. An obstacle course. Lucky for us, I already built one in an alley a while back when Ganga was sick."
Ganga resisted the urge to laugh, "What? Okay? Why in an alley?" Ganga waved her hands around, "Never mind. We should hurry up. I feel bad keeping these two here longer than they need to be," Ganga said, gesturing to Boo and Sheela.
Nila nodded, "Come on! I'll show you where it is!"
Ganga raised an eyebrow. "When did she have the time to set it up?" she mumbled to herself.
Nila face palmed again, "I already said! You were sick! I got bored! Now follow me! We don't wanna waste their time!"
Nila ran out of the alley, speeding down the street. She skidded at the corner, racing down the block. The others followed suit.
"Wow, when she wants to, she sure can run, huh?" Boo whisper-yelled to Sheela.
Sheela nodded in agreement, "I hope my challenge isn't very physical."
Finally, Nila stopped behind a street, right next to a basketball court.
They all marveled at the obstacle course. It had balance beams, climbing parts, crawling parts, and so many challenges.
Nila grinned triumphantly, "Well, what do you think?"
"I think you had way too much time on your hands," Ganga snorted.
Sheela sighed, "Woah... it's really cool!"
Boo stared at it, "Well it seems, that I will have a good challenge then. Or are you ready to back out, Ganga the 'Tiger', as your friend dubs you?"
Ganga rolled her eyes, "I'm not a tiger. I don't know where she got that idea. I love gymnastics and swimming, but I'm not a tiger. And about the backing out thing?" She smirked at Boo, "Never."
Nila shushed them, "OKAY! So, this challenge is an obstacle course! Whoever gets to the end wins. I think we can have 3 contests, the third one for a tie breaker if needed. It will be 2 out of 3, meaning that one must win 2 out of 3 rounds to win. Without further ado-"
"WAIT! We should videotape it in case we aren't sure who won. We can watch the tape!" Sheela cried out.
Nila considered it. "Sure! We can use my phone!"
Nila held the phone steady as Sheela motioned for Boo and Ganga to start. They ran through the obstacle course with a little difficulty, but soon came to the last stretch.
Sheela and Nila remained unbiased in the challenge, as promised.
Ganga and Boo sprinted through the obstacle course, nearing the finish line.
Then, Boo had a burst of speed from adrenaline. He crossed the finish line first, Ganga following close behind.
Sheela looked at Nila, "That was a definite win by B-my brother"
Nila sighed not noticing the mistake, "Sorry Ganga, she's right. It's a win by Anirudh."
Boo choked at the stutter Sheela said. He was glad that Ganga and Nila didn't notice.
Ganga smiled, "That was literally the best race I've had in years. Amazing, honestly." She shook Boo's hand and turned to Nila, a hand on her hip, "So. What's the next challenge?"
Boo looked away, thoughtfully, "Sheela, how about a bike race? We can quickly map out a route in which you too can race on a bike."
Ganga smirked, "Nila is a pretty good Bike rider. You up for it Nila?"
Nila looked at Sheela who smiled somewhat competitively.
"I'm in! I love to bike ride!" Nila cried.
Sheela also agreed, "But where are we going to get bikes?"
"Leave that to me!" Nila said, running off.
Ganga, Sheela, and Boo stared at the running girl. Ganga laughed, "Sorry, about her and these challenges. It's a bit much, especially with your time constraint."
Boo raised an eyebrow, "Why do you trust us?"
Ganga tapped her finger to her temple, "I have instincts and smarts. I know who and who not to trust when the time comes."
Sheela watched the two talk with little enthusiasm, "Yeah, yeah. I WANNA PLAN!"
Boo smacked the back of her head, "Fine. Just be quiet before I tape your mouth shut."
Ganga snickered, "I have the perfect route. I take it with my family all the time." Ganga pulled out a map from her backpack. Boo and Sheela glanced at each other.
Boo decided to point out the map, "Why do you still use a-"
"A paper map? I don't know. Makes me feel connected to my past, somehow," Ganga shrugged.
She set the map on the floor and used a pen from her backpack to mark the route, 'It's pretty short, so the first person to complete two rounds will win."
Boo nodded, "Good idea. Lakshmi?"
Sheela smiled, "Anything's good with me!"
Soon Nila came back, wheeling 2 bikes with her, one green and black, the other blue, purple, and white "The black and green one is my brother's, but he's okay if I borrow it. You can use mine!" She said, gesturing to the blue, purple, and white bike.
The others had shown the bike route and the race began. Sheela sped off, Nila biking at a normal pace, just a few feet behind her. Ganga kept yelling at her to speed up, while Boo remained thoughtful. Sheela began to tire a little faster, and Nila gracefully sped past her, keeping a steady pace. Determined, Sheela picked up her speed, becoming neck to neck with Nila. Glancing at each other, they smirked and sped off even faster in the bike lane. As they approached the end of the route, Boo and Ganga ran to get there first in order to determine the winner.
It was Nila's bike that completed the two rounds first, but Sheela followed close behind.
"Aw, I didn't win, but you're really good!" Sheela said, shaking hands with her competitor.
Nila smiled, "You are too! Good race! I'd love to race with you again sometime!"
Ganga checked her watch, "It's going to be lunch time soon," she mumbled. She looked to her companions, "Good job you two, but it's best if we get to the tiebreaking challenge so we can all be on our ways."
Boo came forward, "While it is kind of unfortunate that Sheela didn't win, it certainly was entertaining to watch. You both are really good bikers. But, Ganga's right. We must get going soon."
They decided the last challenge, the tie breaker, would be a simple game of rock, paper, and scissors. Boo had won that challenge too.
Ganga face-palmed, "The one day I decide to throw my lucky socks in the laundry, we have challenges to do." She giggled, "Fair and square, Anirudh. Good game." She handed him the tile, and he took it with a smile on his face.
Boo and Sheela walked away, holding the tile like a prize. The challenges didn't last long, but if they met again, they would surely be good friends.
They parted ways, Nila and Ganga watching them as they retreated to who knows where.
Ganga turned to Nila, "They're pretty cool. That girl seems to trust you a lot. You guys would be really good friends, ya know."
Nila nodded fondly.
~~
"I like them, Boo! They're pretty cool!" Sheela said, fondly remembering her race with Nila, and chatting with Ganga.
Boo nodded in agreement, "Agreed. Should we see them again, I think the rest of the group will find them cool too."
They strolled to the museum, looking as though they were just casually walking around.
"Now's the hard part. We have to get inside." Boo said.
"Were those challenges not hard enough for you?" Sheela asked.
Boo ignored her. "I think we can get in through the back entrance. I managed to keep it unlocked."
Sheela nodded, holding her tiles.
They managed to get around the side, only to notice 2 security men standing outside the back entrance.
"Great. As if Nila and Ganga's challenge shenanigans weren't enough." Boo grumbled.
"At least they were fun!" Sheela protested quietly.
"True that. This won't be."
The men were chatting amongst ourselves.
"I miss Mrs. Shah. She was a good boss, ya know?" The first guard said.
The second guard nodded, "Definitely. That's why we continue to protect her museum and Miss Aru too."
"Mhm. It's our lunch break though. Let's go. Squad 2 should be here soon."
The guards left, and Boo and Sheela took that opportunity to sneak inside before the second pair of men came to guard the back exit, and front entrance.
As they entered, the museum glowed as the mother board came back into view. Indents in the floor appeared, each marked with an appropriate symbol, for each tile.
Boo and Sheela put all the tiles correctly, noticing 2 empty spots, one being a feather and burglar mask, and the other being an Alicorn.
"Boo, did we miss 2? I'm certain that I've never seen these before!" Sheela cried, concerned.
Boo looked at them, perplexed, "I have no clue."
Suddenly the 2 missing tiles materialized in their spot, startling Boo and Sheela. The motherboard began to glow, showing all glitches within Jumanji slowly disappearing. Kara was no longer a sentient, glitching human. She was now a full-on NPC.
There was an irresistible pull, that encouraged Boo and Sheela to touch it.
Sheela stared at Boo, conflicted, "I'm going to touch it."
"Wait-"
"I wanna."
"Then let me, at least, touch it with you. Just in case."
They both touched it, nothing happening for a few silent moments.
"Guess it was nothing huh?" Boo joked.
Sheela smiled before furrowing her eyebrows, "What's that on your arm, Boo?"
Boo stared at his forearm. It was a tattoo - a snake drawn in ink on his arm. Right below it was a slightly smaller feather. Around the snake, in a circle, were the symbols that represented the other tiles Boo had gotten. The others except for the feather and snake were a bit smaller. The entirety of the tattoo was no bigger than 1.5 inches.
A similar tattoo appeared on Sheela's arm, however crossed knives were the big symbol, and underneath was an eye, slightly smaller. All around the knives were the symbols of the other tiles, slightly smaller than the eye.
They both stared in confusion.
"What the- If my mother saw me right now, I would be in so much trouble for having a tattoo!" Boo cried, horrified.
Sheela nodded in amazed fear.
Soon, she stared, even more terrified, "Boo! You're disappearing into tiny green dust things! Just like the first time the rest of us were sucking in!"
Boo looked at his arms, and pointed to Sheela, eyes wide, "You are too!"
"I think-" Sheela started.
"We are-" Boo continued.
"GOING INTO JUMANJI!!!!!!" They screamed together.
There was no evidence of the two coming into the museum, except for the bag of disguises left on the floor. Just like that, the 2 had disappeared, going into Jumanji once more.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-3732 words, wow
-confusing chapter, we know, but the main thing is that they're in Jumanji now!
-Ganga and Nila were versions of me and PLB. Those aren't our real names XD
-HOPE YOU ENJOYED!