Sean and Nixie began arguing again. It seemed that Sean would find any tiny thing he could and blow it into something huge. He brought up her hair, the way she dressed, little patterns in her speech, but none of that bothered her. Then he brought up her absent mother, and how, "If even she didn't want you, what makes you so sure anyone else will?" This resulted in another fight that resulted in Nixie breaking several bones in her hand, and Sean getting a broken nose. Their friends were confident that, had Vince and Mr. Tian not been standing nearby, the two would have killed each other. They were also certain that, had Vince and Mx. Leichenbestatter not persuaded Mr. Connolly, the two would have been expelled. Instead, the two were let off with their final warning and their schedules were completely changed to keep the two as far apart as possible. Kyle was once again acting as the mediator, and someone to whom the two complained.
Kyle kept staring at Nixie's empty seat in Monster Studies as Sean went on about how she had "overreacted" and "things would be better if she would just chill out". Before Kyle could even open his mouth to argue that, quite frankly, Sean was the one acting out of line, Mr. Reaper had an announcement.
"Missions, we have decided, are ready to resume. You'll all be going in groups, with at least one upperclassman and one member of staff." He took a long list from his desk and looked down at it. "Now, of course, we're going to assign groups according to school." He peered over his paper. "It will be enforced this time." Though he did not specify, several students, including Akora, looked from the group of people with whom they came to the school, and the group with whom they had come to know and love. "Pay attention, I'll be assigning staff members and upperclassmen now."
As Mr. Reaper droned on, Kyle looked back to Nixie's seat. Then he turned his attention to Akora, who, every now and then, glanced his way. Though she was a handful, and often got him in trouble, he could not imagine going on a mission without her. And Nixie was like a rock, he did not know how he would get through this without her, either. He started paying attention again when he heard his name. "Kyle Akfernen and Sean Byrne, you two will accomplish this mission with Zach Hunter, and, for whatever reason, Vincent has made it clear he would like to accompany you."
Sean groaned a bit. He did not seem to like Vince, either. Kyle suspected he did not care much for Zach, either.
At the end of class, everyone received their assignments. For their assignment, Kyle and Sean would be clearing large, insect-like creatures from an overgrown temple. They would be going to a rainforest, but not one on Earth; they were going to yet another new planet.
Kyle was nervous about leaving again, but there was also a feeling of excitement. He had never seen a rainforest before, and here he was preparing to go visit an alien rainforest. The following day at breakfast, he decided to tell Aoife and Asim all about it.
"We're going to clear some bugs out of a temple," he told them. "I'm nervous, but I'm kind of excited at the same time."
Aoife and Asim shook at the memory of their last mission. "I'd be too nervous," Aoife said. "I'm still too nervous to do anything alone."
"I feel the same way," Asim shuddered. He picked nervously at the sleeve of his sweater. "I've half a mind to request alternate assignments. I don't want to go anywhere anymore."
Kyle remembered the old man's icy blue eyes. He shivered at the memory. He became much less excited. He put a lot of thought into the next few words he would be speaking, looking for a way to lighten up the conversation without changing it. "When Akora and I fell through the door," he began, "I expected the old man to be waiting. He wasn't there though."
"That's just one place though," Asim argued. "He could be anywhere!"
Kyle shook his head, and responded with, "But he can't be everywhere." He looked at them, and took a deep breath. "I'm still going to try it out. You two can take all the time you need, but I think I'm ready to try again."
Nixie, Elvia, and Akora were much more supportive. When he got to dinner, Akora was waiting, and sat him down at once.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"Some kind of rainforest temple," he explained. It's nothing too serious, we just have to chase away some big bugs."
"That doesn't sound too bad," Elvia said. She sounded relieved.
"It won't be," Nixie declared. Her left hand was still bandaged and she still had bruises here and there. Kyle tried not to stare, and instead just really listen to what she said.
"I'm glad you think so." He rubbed his fingers together anxiously. "Asim and Aoife were making me nervous about it, since... well, yeah."
The others nodded. They all knew what happened, and it had been haunting them, too.
"You're going in a larger group," Nixie told him. "And, let's be honest, the people you're going with are probably better fighters than you and those two." She realized the implication of what she said only after she had said it. Desperate, she tried to correct herself, "Not trying to be mean or anything, I just-"
"I get it, I get it." He took a sip of water. He understood what she was trying to say. "Believe me, I don't think you're trying to be mean. That does help, though, knowing I'm in good hands."
"Better to be good hands than in them," Akora muttered. "Relying on another's hands can result in you getting dropped."
Elvia shook her head. "Don't listen to her, I think she's just upset she can't go with you."
"It certainly doesn't help," Akora confessed with a laugh.
"Well isn't that sweet," Nixie teased. "You're gonna miss him."
Akora sat back and crossed her arms. "He'll be back. I know he'll be."
Kyle picked at a biscuit on his plate. "Well I'd still like it if I could say bye to you guys before I leave."
Elvia started to twiddle her thumbs anxiously. "I'd prefer 'see you later', but it's up to you."
He smiled. "Then I'd like to say, 'see you later', before I leave."
As they prepared to embark on their journey, Sean questioned the location of the assignment. "Why are they sending us to a new planet? For all they know, the atmosphere will blow our heads up."
"We only send you to planets we know won't blow you up," Vince explained. "All of our students come from planets with very similar atmospheric conditions."
"And what if the atmosphere is too different?" Sean asked, sounding a bit annoyed.
"They go to a different school," Vince replied. "Look, it'd take too long to explain everything all at once. It's a very long history full of trial and error but trust me, you won't blow up."
It was at this time that Zach joined them. He had Sheena by his side, rather than in his pocket, for the first time in a long while. "Assuring another scaredy-cat their head won't explode?"
Sean let out an annoyed grunt, and Vince simply replied with, "Yup, the usual."
Zach pushed his way to the front of the group. "Well, let's go. I've got other homework that needs to get done."
Kyle looked down the hallway. The others had yet to arrive. He wondered if they thought he had been joking.
Vince tried to regain control. "Before we leave, does everybody have everything? Nobody has to go to the bathroom? Nobody - ah, c'mon, Zach's left already. Well I'm going to make sure he doesn't wander in alone, you two catch up when you're ready."
Sean saw Nixie approaching, and walked down the stairwell with Drake at his side.
Kyle felt a smile creep across his face. Right behind Nixie was Elvia, and a pace behind her was Akora. The group, though small, filled the hallway (Nixie's half-horse and Akora's tiger occupied most of the space). Elvia rushed ahead and teedled, "We're not too late!" She threw her short arms around Kyle and gave him a mighty squeeze. "Come home safe!"
Nixie was the next one in the group hug. When she arrived, she hoisted the two into the air.
"Put us down!" Kyle laughed. "Your hand's hurt, remember!"
She acquiesced, but still hugged the two.
Akora was a bit confused by the display. "What's this you're doing?"
The group extended their arms. "Join and find out!" Elvia urged.
Akora approached, and allowed them to put their arms around her. She was tense. "You are some strange creatures."
"By the end of the year, I guarantee you'll love these!" Elvia promised.
Vince poke his head back through the doorway. "Sorry to break this up, but it's time to go. We'll be back, don't worry."
The group hug disbanded. Fledermaus nuzzled everyone as they said their see-you-laters.
"We'll be waiting for you to get back," Elvia said. "We might be in our classes but we'll be looking forward to seeing you again!"
Nixie shrugged as she backed away and said, "I might even just skip class and wait for you."
Akora took a different approach, and offered, "Remember, you are your own best hands."
Kyle started for the door, but turned around before he descended. "I'll see you later!"
The group waved. "See you later!"
He shut the door and started down the stairs. He could see the light of the rainforest on the other side. He had a spring in his step, and the sight of what lay just beyond took his breath away.
Towering trees blanketed the sky with their leaves. There was not an inch of organic landscape without greenery. Some of the plants had the most vibrant flowers, some so full of color that they looked more like gleaming jewels than petals. The sound of a crashing waterfall echoed from nearby. All around them were sounds of different animals, birds, and insects, calling out to one another, talking about the strange beings that just came from a tiny hut below. The air was hot, and humid, but the surroundings were so beautiful that Kyle did not care.
Vince shut the door behind Kyle. "Be sure you close the door when entering or exiting a new location. While we're only sending you to planets like your own, that doesn't mean we can have foreign species coming back with us. That happened once." He shuddered, and muttered under his breath, "Never again."
"You let us go to foreign worlds," Sean argued.
"I can tell you to stop what you're doing," Vince rebutted. "I can't tell some wild animal to stop what it's doing."
The group stood on a bridge made from a yellow stone - possibly a kind of sandstone or limestone - that led to the temple. The temple was constructed like a pyramid of boxes, the biggest on the bottom and the smallest on the top. It reminded Kyle of Aztec or Mayan ruins, but had its own differences. The temple was overgrown with an entire ecosystem of vegetation, ranging from creeping vines to hardy plants with enormous leaves, whose tough roots burrowed through the stone like it was the softest of soil.
"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this is it," Zach said. He tried to sound unimpressed, but there was a hint of awe in his voice. No matter how many amazing things one sees, there will always be something else to take their breath away.
Vince nodded. "Yep. Here she is."
The group approached the temple. A fat, grub-like creature slinked around one of the outer walls.
"I'm guessing that's what we have to chase away?" Kyle asked aloud.
Vince nodded. "Yep. Those things."
The grub started to crawl down towards the base of the temple. It lost its grip and fell towards the water. Kyle expected it to land with a soft splash, but before it even reached the water, something cut the thing in half. He stood bolt upright, shocked by what he had seen. The two halves hit the surface, and a swarm of silver spade-shaped fish attacked. The water churned and splashed until the grub was reduced to nothingness. Then, the surface of the water regained a serene façade, as if nothing had happened. Kyle felt sick to his stomach.
"Were those piranhas?" Zach gasped. "I don't do piranhas!"
Vince let out a soft snicker. "Then I suggest staying out of the water." He entered the temple through its wide open doorway. His horn let out a glow that illuminated the dark halls. "These things shouldn't be too hard to spook. A little tedious, but not too difficult."
The three and their Familiars followed Vince. While it was darker inside the temple than outside, there were little windows that allowed some light to get in. Grubs lined the walls. They fled the moment anyone drew too close. The hallway was easy to clear.
The next room was a large square. Against the wall opposite to them was a statue of a deity with three pairs of arms and a stern yet welcoming face. Grubs and bugs crawled across the statue, while pupae lay idle in its hands and lap.
"Disgusting," Vince grunted. As he approached the statue, his light made the bugs clearer. They looked almost identical to their larvae, but they were larger, more solid, had long antennae on their heads, and their mandibles dripped with - hopefully - saliva. "Get outta here, you creeps!"
The grubs fled from the light. Some crawled from the statue to the wall, others instead crawled behind the statue. A few, already on the walls, escaped through a hole in the center of the ceiling. Sean watched them as their fat bodies rolled over one another and disappeared into the hole. He grimaced. "You sure we're not here on an extermination mission?"
Vince nodded. "Oh, we are, but we're not doing the exterminating?"
Kyle sighed with relief.
Vince pulled something from his bag. It was large and ovular, dark green and bumpy, and bulged here or there every moment or two. It was a giant egg. "This is."
"What is it?" Zach asked breathlessly.
The demicorn continued, "It's an egg sac of the tar spider, an endangered native to this jungle. There was one in here once, but it died. We're going to put this in the statue's lap, and when it hatches, the babies will take care of the rest." He approached the statue and did just as he said he would. Not a moment later, there was a small rip in the "shell", and the biggest juvenile spider any of them had ever seen crawled out. The baby took awkward steps across the sac, then stumbled onto a pupae. It stuck its fangs into the husk of the dormant being and began to suckle at the goo that oozed out.
Kyle had to turn away. "Oh, the birth of life is so beautiful," he sighed, his voice heavy with sarcasm.
More babies started to crawl from the egg sac. Vince stepped away. "Let's start heading out now. The babies will make a meal of us if we let them."
The group started back down the hall from whence they came. Less light was coming through the windows. Less light was coming through the door. They all walked faster, though none of them acknowledged the strange change, until they made it to the door and saw that the way out had been blocked. Coating the doorway was a thick, slimy webbing so tightly bound together it had formed a mesh. The drippings from the strands smelled repulsive. Vince knew he could have cut it with his horn, but there was no way he was putting his head anywhere near that mess. "There are other ways out," he announced. "No need to be alarmed."
"You saying that makes me more alarmed," Sean replied.
Vince said nothing, and started back down the hall. Without his light, the hall was much, much darker. The three boys and their Familiars were quick to follow along. All three beasts whined uncomfortably. Their bodies were low to the ground, and Fledermaus's tail curled between his hind legs, giving him the resemblance of a terrified dog. When they made it back into the statue room, the spiders had already taken over. Webs covered one wall, and the pupae were now shriveled husks.
"Wow, they work quickly," Kyle said with a nervous laugh.
"They sure do." Vince started towards the statue. He led the group behind a statue, where another doorway was hidden. Webs had bound the statue to the wall, so they all had to take very cautious steps. A few baby spiders watched them, rubbing their mandibles together in anticipation. Vince waited by the doorway for the others. Though the spiderlings were interested in the group, they were too skittish to approach the light.
Zach was the first one into the next hallway, with Sheena at his heels. He walked with his hands held out in front of him like a zombie. The others could hear his palms patting against the wall. Sean was next, and had to duck in order to fit through the threshold. Kyle, too anxious watching the spiders to pay attention, had gotten a few webs caught on his clothes. Fledermaus was the same, except he had accidentally bound his wings together.
"You're not looking where you're going!" Vince scolded. "That's how you become a meal!"
Kyle frantically brushed the webs off of himself. He let out a disturbed noise, which Vince also nixed.
"And keep your cool! Now, come along." He passed through the threshold into the next hallway. Kyle and Fledermaus hurried in after.
The hallway was short, but dark. It let out into a massive room with a high stacked ceiling. There were numerous pillars reaching up to the ceiling and holding it up. There was a small hole in the center of the ceiling, allowing light to shine down on an altar in the middle of the room. The altar was adorned with offerings, ranging from food to pottery to gold and jewels, but most of it was worn with age or eaten by the bugs. Speaking of bugs, this room was full of them. They crawled across the altar, over the floor, on the walls, and in and out of other doorways. Their feet scraped the stone and echoed throughout the room. A few of them gnawed at the pillars. There were egg pods in the corners of the room, and a few of them had started to hatch. It looked like a blob of toothpaste squeezing itself out of the tube. It was revolting.
"Let's get out of here," Vince gagged. He took the lead through the room yet again.
Kyle looked around the room as he and the others followed Vince. The bugs lifted their heads and stared at them. Their mandibles snapped together. A thick liquid dripped from their mouths to the floor. Bugs above, bugs on the right, bugs on the left all had their eyes on them. The group walked from the doorway at the south side of the room to the doorway at the west side. A few bugs followed them. He wished that he had asked Akora if he could borrow her dagger; it would have made him feel much safer. Anything in that moment, as a matter of fact, would have made him feel safer, like maybe a baseball bat, a golf club, a slingshot, or a big stick, even a rock. A nice, big rock would be like a soft, warm security blanket then.
One of the bugs crawled up to Sheena. It stared her down, less than an inch from her face. She hissed at it, which made the disgusting creature slink away. While they were becoming bolder with the group, they were far from brave enough to try anything.
Zach leaned forward and practically propped his head on Vince's shoulder. He asked in a whisper, "How do you know this will get us out?"
"I studied the map," Vince whispered back. "I know how to get out."
Then Zach added, "Well how do you know it's still available?"
That was when Vince admitted, "I don't."
Sean, much to the dismay of everyone in the room, overheard this. "So ponyboy's gonna get us lost!" he exclaimed. "Oh, whoopdy, friggin' doo!"
"Sean, shut it," Vince warned.
Kyle watched as the bugs became more agitated.
"Oh, so I can't be angry you're gonna doom us all?"
Zach turned around and walked backwards so he could face Sean. "Sean, you need to shut your mouth."
Sean began to walk faster, peeling off from the group and heading to the eastern doorway with a reluctant Drake by his side. "Know what? I'm gonna do an investigation of my own! I'll meet you on the other side but if I don't, I'll be sure to send someone after ya!"
"Sean, don't!" Kyle called. He watched as a few of the bugs started following Sean and Drake. He started to go after Sean, not aware in the slightest of his movements, until Zach grabbed his wrist.
"Give him a minute," Zach advised. "He's gonna need to come back on his own."
"Are we really in the dark here?" Kyle asked. He trusted Vince not to get them lost, but he still had fear within him.
"All the passages lead out eventually," Vince assured him. "But I'll be honest, I'm not sure what could be between us."
The group entered the hall. There was a small hole in the wall that let in a beam of light. Vince paused to investigate it. The hole was uneven, with varying thickness in the stone. It did not look like it was cut, but instead chewed. "The damn things are eating the wall..." He muttered.
"They were chewing on the pillars," Kyle noted. "Why would they do that, though?"
"My guess is a lack of food or even just nerves," Vince replied. "I'm going to go with the former. I don't know what these things normally eat, but I have heard stories of them eating villages. Not villagers, the villages themselves." He started walking again. "I know it's going to be tough, but just try not to think about it.
The hallway let out into another large chamber. It was too messy for anyone to discern what it was in its prime. There was a mess of eggs, both hatched and unhatched, more of that sticky web substance that coated the main entrance, and long, slender things that connected at something that lay under an absolutely massive bug. It looked like all the other bugs, but it had grown to fill the room. Its eyes were unfocused, and its jaw was drippy but still. It appeared to be resting, which was an absolute blessing for the group. The wall by its head had been chewed a bit, but not enough for any significant light to enter.
Kyle's gaze was drawn more to the long, slender things. There were eight of them, and they each bent dramatically at their halfway points. He followed them back to the bug, but knew that they were not part of it. They looked like spider legs.
They were spider legs!
"I think that thing ate the spider," he whispered to the others. He reached down to stroke Fledermaus, but he was not there. He looked down at his sides, then right behind himself, then back down the tunnel. He listened closely. He heard the faint signs of a struggle, but how could they be so muffled? Without saying another word, he rushed back down the hall.
"Kyle, wait!" Vince hissed. He had seen the doorway beyond the sleeping behemoth, and was ready to get out. He could not leave without all the students, though. He and Zach chased after Kyle.
Kyle had stopped not far from where he began. Another mesh had appeared in the doorway, but he did not see it in time. He struggled forward, the stinking slimy threads working to hold him back. He threw fistfulls of the stuff on the ground at a time, always leaving a few threads clinging to his fingers. Now that the mesh had been removed, however, the sounds were free to echo throughout the room.
One of the bugs had bitten Fledermaus, and that made the little dragon angry. With one swift motion he decapitated the bug, whipping his tail through its armor like a hot knife through butter. This made the remaining bugs furious. They attacked him, and so he fought back, wave after wave of horrible slinking nightmares. To keep him from leaving, the bugs sealed the exits, including the hole in the ceiling. To even the playing field, some gnawed at the base of the pillars with intent to cut them down.
"They're going to bring the temple down!" Kyle cried out. No sooner than he said this did a chunk of wall fall out at his feet. It was a small chunk, small enough to fit in his hand, but big enough to make him worry. He saw Fledermaus fighting the bugs. He picked up the bit of wall and hurled it at the fray. Fledermaus dodged the piece of wall, but one bug was less fortunate, taking the full force of the stone right in its ugly face. The bug died instantly.
Kyle felt a pang of guilt for this. They were just bugs, they didn't know any better. He and his group were invaders in their home, and they were paying for it. "Fledermaus, come on!"
The dragon heard the command and rushed to Kyle. The bugs' stubby legs were too short to carry them as quickly as Fledermaus's could. When Kyle and the others started back down the hallway leading to the giant bug, he followed.
The commotion had stirred the great bug. It was looking around lazily, lumbering about on its fat little legs, and was more perplexed than agitated at that point. When Kyle and the group entered its chamber, it stared at them with confusion rather than hostility. However, it had plopped itself right in front of the door, and so they ran right back down the hall and into the main room. It became tired and fell right back asleep after they left.
Back in the main room, it was Sean's turn to attack the bugs. While Drake chose to hang back in the threshold of the east hall, and a few bugs continued to gnaw at the pillars, most of the living creatures in the room had made the decision to flee. Sean showed the bugs no mercy. He punched and kicked at them with a vengeance, leaving some to limp away on four legs instead of six. The bugs gnawing at the pillars chewed so quickly their mandibles were a blur. They wanted to chase away the intruders, and if meant destroying their nest, then so be it.
"Get the bugs away from the pillars," Vince ordered.
The three dispersed and began trying to do just that, but the frightened beasts were glued to their posts. They looked for another way to remedy the situation, and came to the same decision at once.
"Sean, stop!" the three boys shouted. Even Fledermaus and Sheena made strange noises that sounded like, "Just stop!"
"Why should I?" he shouted back. "You said we gotta clear these bastards out, so I am!"
"They're going to bring the temple down on top of us!" Vince called. "We gotta get out!"
Sean clearly did not believe them. He snickered, and started coming closer with Drake a few paces behind. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," he taunted as he kicked aside an insect corpse. He made it to the altar. "What did you say?"
Vince took a deep breath, and shouted so loudly the gods in the skies above could hear him. "I SAID -"
But it was too late. Three pillars gave way and came crashing down before he could say another word. The ground shook so violently everyone, their Familiars, and yet another pillar toppled over. The remaining insects scurried away, some into the room with their queen, some into the room occupied by baby spiders, and some into the other unknown hallways. There was a rush of dust from the ceiling above. Everything in the moments following was a blur.
The ground stopped shaking. Dust continued to fall, cascading from the remaining crumbling pillars and ceiling above, a suffocating waterfall bent on drowning its victims and trapping them in its history. Kyle lifted his head looked around frantically. A pillar had blocked the path from which they came, but the hole in the ceiling was bigger. He could see the azure blue of the sky, and felt a sensation of hope burning within him. He stood on wobbly knees. He turned his gaze from the hole in the ceiling to what lay directly below it. The altar was destroyed. The first three fallen pillars had formed a sort of triangular gap, and in the center of the gap was Sean. The temple quaked again and another chunk of ceiling fell. It would not be long until the whole main room - and likely other parts of the structure - were reduced to rubble. Kyle and Fledermaus rushed to the criss-cross of pillars. Sean was pure white, coated with dust. He moaned. Drake nudged Sean and let out a pathetic whimper.
"Sean, get up," Kyle urged. "We need to get out of here."
Another pillar fell. He could hear Zach and Vince shouting from somewhere in the room, saying things like, "Where are you!" and "We have to get out of here now!"
Kyle searched for the two but the dust was too thick. He grabbed Sean's arm and started to pull. The air filled with the most blood-curdling shriek Kyle had ever heard. There was a mighty pop, and Kyle fell back. He knew at once that Sean's arm had become dislocated. He reached for Sean again, but froze once he laid eyes on Sean. Blood oozed from his shoulder. Where arm should have been, there was nothing. Kyle's heart started to race. He looked down at his hands. Sean's fingers were still clamped around one of his wrists. He started to shake.
Sean's arm had popped right off in his hands.
Kyle screamed and shook his hands, throwing the arm away in the process. Vince ran to him, following the screams. Vince saw Sean and started to push the pillars away, successfully budging one about an inch.
Zach ran to the group. He saw what had happened and gagged. He managed to snap himself out of it, however, and started pushing another pillar along with Sheena.
Kyle felt helpless. His hands shook and he was too shocked to move. His thoughts raced. He could only think of how he killed Sean, and how he and the others were next and it was all his fault. If he had only gone after Sean this wouldn't have happened. Akora had told him, "You are your own best hands." Well, his best hands successfully doomed everyone. The thought repeated. "You are your own best hands." Yes, and now they'd all die. "You are your own best hands." Fear and guilt turned into drive. "I am my own best hands!" He threw himself at the pillar on top of the mess and forced it out of the way with all his might.
Vince and Zach jumped back, gasps of amazement escaping their lips. Kyle could not hear them. Between the blood surging in his veins and the words repeating, nothing was able to get in his ears. When he was free, Vince plucked Sean from the rubble and started running towards the north hall. Zach grabbed Kyle's hood and pulled him along. Sheena and Fledermaus - who was now the size of a Clydesdale horse - charged along after.
The group entered the stony north hall, only to find that part of it had given way and crashed into the river below. They backtracked into the great room, and hurried to east hall. Another pillar collapsed onto the threshold before them. Vince turned to Fledermaus. For a moment, his jaw dropped.
"I think I know how we're getting out of here!" Zach exclaimed. He grabbed Sheena with one hand, causing her to shrink, and jumped onto Fledermaus's back. He tucked his tiny Familiar in her favorite pocket and urged, "Let's go!"
As Vince clambered on with Sean, Kyle was a bit too stunned to move. "Fl-Fledermaus!" he gasped. "What happened!"
"You can admire him later!" Zach shouted over a crumbling wall. "Get on!"
Kyle nodded. Drake stood beside Fledermaus, staring at Sean. Kyle attempted to put his hands on the Familiar, but was met with hostility. Drake snapped his jaws and hissed loudly, baring his teeth and claws. Kyle jumped back and told the beast, "We're getting Sean out of here. You need to shrink so we can take you!"
Drake would not listen to reason, and instead continued to snap.
Kyle sighed and turned to the others. All of them looked desperate. He saw how dire Sean's situation was, and looked Fledermaus in the eye. "Get these guys to safety, I'll deal with Drake."
"Kyle, are you insane!" Vince shouted.
But Kyle stood his ground. I am my own best hands. "I'll be fine! Fledermaus, go!"
And for once, the dragon listened. He jumped into the air and beat his wings, launching through the ever increasing gap in the ceiling like a rocket. He disappeared, heading in the direction of the hut from which they came, all the while Vince screamed, "Stop! No! Kyle! KYYYYYYYLE!"
Kyle tried once again to put his hands on Drake. The drake snapped again, and turned to face Kyle rather than show the sides of his body. Kyle responded by speaking very slowly and very calmly. "We need to get out of here," he said. "Sean is safe. You need to trust me and follow me."
Drake lurched forward, sending Kyle back a step.
Kyle held out his arms, palms open and facing his adversary. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you," he assured him. "I'm gonna get you out of here so you can be with Sean."
Much like the boy he was made for, Drake would not listen. He stayed on the offensive, trying to keep Kyle away long enough to figure out how to escape.
There was another lurch in the ground. The entire room collapsed and started to sink. Water rushed in through the cracks in the wall. Their feet were submerged in moments. Kyle threw himself down on Drake, wrapped his arms around the beast's body, and braced for impact. The rushing water pushed against him, and with it came disoriented piranhas and corpses of slain bugs. Drake scratched and bit at him, but he could not turn his claws or head far enough. Water came up past his knees. He held Drake tighter. The water ate his hips. The flow began to slow. The water was up to his sternum. Drake continued to squirm and thrash, and the water made his smooth scales slippery. Kyle's feet were lifted from the ground. He looked up and saw Fledermaus circling above. The temple settled at the bottom of the river with a mighty thunk. The water settled. Kyle looked around. The water was nowhere near high enough to reach the hole in the ceiling, at least not yet. The sloshing water poured in through the ceiling by bucketfuls at a time. The water on either side was having some difficulty getting in, but it was able to find a way. The doorways were submerged by now. There was a strong current flowing in through the doorways, but he thought he could manage it.
He slogged against the current, using his tiptoes to push against chunks of debris in his path. He could see the silvery piranhas floating, still disoriented, but their eyes still searching. He came to the east doorway. Another piranha floated by. He took a breath and dipped beneath the water. Drake continued to thrash. He held the beast tighter with one arm, and used the other to pull himself through. He tried to keep his eyes open. Though the current made it difficult, and the water was an irritant to his eyes, he still was able to see the silvery silhouettes of the piranhas spinning around. Their motion slowed, and they started to regain focus. Once he was free of the current, he motioned to secure Drake once more. Drake saw the hand approaching, felt the pressure around him lesson, and used that to wriggle around and slash at Kyle's face.
There was a plume of blood from Kyle's brow. He rushed to turn Drake around and secure him. As he rose from the water, he saw silver spades turn to him. He wanted to keep an eye on them, but the pressure in his chest was building and he had to break through the surface. He emerged, coughing and sputtering, taking deep breaths. He looked around. The spades were rushing towards him.
Kyle kicked his feet and rushed to the shore. While there was a dip between the solid ground and the water, there was also an overgrowth of roots and vines. Getting ashore would be no trouble at all, if not for Drake and the feeding frenzy closing in. He desperately threw Drake at the vines. Drake did not cling, and fell back into the water. Rather than try to climb out, he turned around and started swimming towards Kyle.
"No, Drake!" he scolded.
"Oh thank the gods!" Vince shouted. He appeared on the shore and held out his arms. "Kyle, Kyle! Come here!"
"But what about -"
"JUST COME HERE!"
Kyle swam towards the shore, Drake and the predators still on his heels. He grabbed onto a vine and began to climb out of the water, and extended an arm towards Vince.
Then he felt a storm of needles in his leg.
He yelped. He clambered out onto the shore himself. He turned to look at his leg and saw at least five hungry fish scraping at his calf through the denim of his jeans. He started to thrash his leg, and kick at them with the other. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Drake climb ashore, a piranha on his tail. He whipped the fish away, losing a bit of flesh in the process, then charged at Vince. The fish started to fall from his leg, one by one, but one of the bastards would not release its grip. Kyle shut his eyes and gave it a firm kick. The fish was wounded, and retreated to the water. Kyle crawled to look into the water, and saw the stubborn piranha bleed. The others swarmed, and one-quarter of a second later, its skeleton floated to the water's surface. Then, there was a wave of silver rushing into the submerged temple, maybe with the intent of feasting on the fallen bugs, maybe investigating their new home, or, most probably, a combination of the two. He sighed with relief. He was safe.
Kyle stood and headed towards the hut. Vince had already gone, but Fledermaus, Zach, and Sheena remained, surveying the damage before them. Kyle joined the group. Somehow, the four sections of temple off the center room remained. In the south room, the room they had first entered, were the statue and the baby spiders, some of whom had crawled out to investigate the commotion. In the western room, of course, was the giant bug, who had stuck her head through the hallway and seemed just as confused as ever. In the east room was something that only Sean had seen. In the north room... well, they did not know. A few grubs and bugs peered out of its hall, so it was likely that the room was, at the very least, full of bugs.
Zach turned to Kyle. "Vince is taking Sean to the nurse," he said plainly. He let out a sigh. "I... I don't know what to think. About any of this."
Kyle nodded. "I know how you feel." He wiped his brow and saw the red on his hand. "Maybe I should go also. Or, at the very least, find someone with a bandage."
Zach put a hand on Kyle's shoulder and started pushing him through the door. "Yeah, go to the nurse. Don't know what's in the water."
As soon as Kyle opened the door at the bottom of the stairwell, he was greeted by Aoife, Elvia, and Asim, as well as Akora, who was running to the scene. Their Familiars were there, of course, so when he came through the threshold he received on massive group hug.
"I saw Vince and Sean coming through," Asim said.
"We were on our way from class!" Elvia and Aoife chimed in, in perfect unison. "I saw Sean," Aoife added, "and we knew..."
When she fell silent, Elvia finished the thought, "...we knew that something happened."
Akora joined the group. "I came from Leichenbestatter's. It's bad."
Kyle's heart was in his throat. He was responsible for this. He just knew it.
Zach tried to push his way past the group. "Alright, back up. You don't know where he's been."
Kyle nodded. "Yeah, I'm kinda full of germs right now."
Asim handed Kyle a small bottle of hand sanitizer. "Here, this should help some of them."
Kyle looked at the bottle. "ALCOHOL-BASED" was printed clearly on the front. He grimaced. "I guess it's better than nothing." He unscrewed the cap and put a dollop in his hand. He pressed it on his forehead and winced.
"That's probably not the best thing," Zach said with a strained face.
"Oh, now you tell me," Kyle grumbled as he screwed the cap back onto the bottle. He gave it back to Asim and wiped his forehead, making a low groan as he did so.
Akora leaned into Asim and whispered, "I don't get what's going on."
Asim noticed she had a papercut, and put a dollop in her palm. "Rub your hands together, see what happens."
Akora did as she was told, and immediately felt the horrible burn. She yelped and shook out her hand. "You fiend!"
Zach shut the door, sealing away the stairwell, and grabbed Kyle by the shoulders. "My grade is really gonna suffer if this kid dies, so if you all don't mind, we're going to the nurse." He pulled Kyle along with Sheena in tow. Fledermaus seemed more interested in playing with the other Familiars.
The group followed Kyle and Zach. None of them had anything else to do (except Akora, who was actively skipping a class), so they decided to follow to make sure their friends were alright.
The group followed a trail left by Sean's bleeding shoulder. Drops of blood lined the path Vince had taken. When they made it to the nurse's office, they saw that Nixie was already there. She threw her arms around Kyle when she saw him, but prevented him from going any further.
"Leichenbestatter says more time is needed," she explained. "Privacy is a must."
"But I need to apologize to Sean!" Kyle argued. "It's my fault he's in there!"
Nixie folded her arms. "You don't think I've already tried? He's not awake right now, we'll have to come back later. I get that you're upset, but give it time."
Kyle was indeed upset. He, too, folded his arms, and started tapping his foot impatiently. "Well then what are you still doing here?" he demanded.
She drew a deep breath. "I need to talk. Just saying sorry won't be enough."
Zach came forward. "Kyle needs to see someone," he said. "He could have contracted something."
Nixie sighed and stepped away from the door. "Mr. Tian will help you, but don't bother Leichenbestatter."
Kyle nodded at her. "Thank you." He entered the office, and was overwhelmed at once by the stench of blood and all the chemicals used to clean the wound. He shut the door behind himself, and used it to keep from falling. He saw a white curtain that had cut off a massive portion of the office, and heard Leichenbestatter's voice, "Mr. Tian, be a lamb and go see who that is."
Mr. Tian then emerged from behind the curtain. His eyes lit up when he saw Kyle. He came forward, then picked Kyle up and set him on an exam table. Then, he just stared.
Kyle waited. Mr. Tian, understandably, said nothing. It is quite difficult to speak without a mouth. Kyle decided to tell him what happened. "We were on a mission, and-"
Mr. Tian held up his hand to silence him. He turned and walked back behind the curtain. There was some muttering on Leichenbestatter's part. Mr. Tian came back around a few moments later with a clipboard in his hand. He studied the clipboard, then collected a bottle, a box, and the lollipop jar from the shelf. He set everything beside Kyle. He treated Kyle, squirting drops in his eyes, cleaning his wounds, and giving him a shot to prevent the spread of anything that could have gotten into his blood. When finished, he gave Kyle a lollipop and a pat on the head, then disappeared behind the curtain once more.
After a few moments, Kyle got up and left the office. The others were still waiting.
"I see you're all cleaned up," Asim said. "Do you want to tell us your side of the story?"
Kyle looked at their eager faces. He took a deep breath and said, "It started when we got to the temple."
Sean woke up right around the time Kyle's story had finished. He was still pale and groggy, but it was clear he would survive. He was quite confused about what had happened, and where he was. He lacked the energy or capacity to react when he saw that his right arm was missing. Leichenbestatter told him to just rest for the time being. As he started to wake up more, as the day continued on, he began to realize what happened. He started getting angry, and had to be restrained to keep from getting up, as doing so could aggravate the wound. When he was finally allowed visitors, he was still in no mood to talk.
Nixie was the first to try and talk, but he would not hear it. He was also hostile towards Vince, who had gone so far as to give blood to keep Sean alive. He gave the others the silent treatment, except for Zach and Kyle. He had some very choice words for those two, especially Kyle.
"Why didn't you save my arm!" Sean demanded. "You had it and you threw it away!"
"It was an accident," Kyle assured him. "I'm-"
"Well now I gotta live the rest of my life without an arm!" Sean snapped. "I was right-handed! How am I supposed to play sports or do anything else without my arm?"
"Sean, I didn't mean-"
"You've ruined my life!"
Leichenbestatter stepped in at this point. "Sean, the debris had already dislocated your arm and tore all kinds of muscles, ligaments, skin... everything, really. It was hanging on by threads as it was."
"Doesn't give him the right to cripple me!"
They sighed. "It was unintentional. Not everyone handles well under stress, especially not you."
Sean groaned and turned his head to look away. "Shove it, ya freak."
Then Leichenbestatter put their foot down and allowed their voice to fill the room. "Hey, it was an accident, accidents happen!" they boomed. "And I would suggest you keep in mind I'm the one keeping you alive, and if I were you, I'd think twice about disrespecting those who have helped me."
Sean was silent after that.
In the days following this, Sean was cold and distant from everyone, not just Nixie. He spent all his time alone in the school gymnasium (which Kyle had yet to find), trying to shoot basketballs into the hoop with his one arm. He missed every shot, not coming close even once. He was angry, and on edge. His grades started to suffer. There was a concern among his friends and teachers that he would have to be removed and sent back to Birchwood. His teachers even started concocting the story, deciding that his mother's new job - the whole reason why they "moved" - had not gone well, and that they were moving back when they got into a car accident that resulted in Sean losing his arm. The group had heard about this, and so they decided to try and talk to Sean. Even Vince, Mr. Tian, and Mr. Efeta joined.
They went down to the gymnasium. Drake had hidden on top of the bleachers. Sean dribbled the ball, struggling to keep it under his control. He aimed for the hoop and missed. He groaned, anger and hatred seeping from his clenched teeth. Elvia and Asim both took a step back. He paid no mind to the group, and acted as if they were not there. They waited for almost a minute, waiting for him to acknowledge them, and when he said nothing, Nixie stepped forward. "Byrne! BYRNE!"
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" He threw the ball at her, but missed.
"Ooh, not even close," Vince muttered.
Nixie took a step closer. "We need to talk."
"About what?" he spat.
"About everything!" she replied. Her voice was very stern and unyielding. "Your grades are suffering, you're about to fail out of school, your relationships are suffering, and I get that this whole thing sucks, but you need to get back in the game!"
He shook his head. "You seem to think you're my mom. You're not, just thought I'd let you know. Now someone throw the ball back!"
Mr. Efeta grabbed the ball and held it firmly in his claws. "You listen to the girl first, then maybe you'll get the ball back."
Sean growled again. "Whatever, I don't have time with this."
She took yet another step closer. "I get it's hard losing your arm, but would it kill you to at least make an effort?"
"Yes it would!"
Mr. Efeta passed the ball to Vince, then approached Sean. "Listen, boy, I know how you feel."
"You got both arms, lizard," he barked.
"I used to be a turtle!" Mr. Efeta said. "Efeta isn't even my real name! It's what Mr. Connolly started calling me!"
Mr. Tian approached Mr. Efeta, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It was a long time ago," Mr. Efeta continued. "There was a great battle. We fought back the enemies, pushing them off our turf, then they got my shell! Thought I'd never be the same, thought I'd fall to my next foe!" He held out his mighty claws. "My line of defense was gone. Over time, however, I realized that I could no longer go on the defensive, but maybe I could go on the offensive. I could still defend myself, but I'd need to figure out a new way to do it. So, I sharpened my claws, bettered my bite, and learned how to fight."
Vince came forward next. "I believe you used the word 'freak' earlier this week. Well, do you think I find much acceptance?" He tucked the ball under one arm and gestured up and down his body with the other. "I have a horn, Sean, a horn and no hooves. I can only blend in at conventions."
Elvia peered out from behind the others. "You're going to need time to calm down, maybe talk to someone about it."
"Mrs. Veda has a psychology degree," Vince said. "You could talk to her if you need to."
"You're acting like it's the end of the world," Nixie said. "It's traumatic, it really is, which is why you should talk to her."
Sean took a deep breath. "I'll get to it in time."
Vince smiled and handed him the ball. "You wanna try giving it another shot?"
Sean took the ball and stared at the hoop. He took another breath, then jumped and took the shot. The ball hit the backboard, bounced onto the rim, and fell to the ground. He let out an annoyed grunt, but then smiled a bit and said, "Well, it's the closest I've gotten."
Drake poked his head out from the bleachers. He crawled down and took his place by Sean's side.
Nixie spread her arms out. "That's the spirit. C'mon, come here."
He seemed hesitant at first, but accepted the offer.
Elvia cried out, "Group hug!" She, Aoife, Asim, Kyle, and their Familiars crowded around Sean. Vince shrugged and joined in.
Mr. Tian looked down at Mr. Efeta, then awkwardly wrapped his enormous arms the once-turtle. Mr. Efeta smiled the best he could and grumbled, "You really love happy endings, don't you big guy?"
Akora waited for Kyle outside of his room. She saw him coming down the hall. "How'd it go?"
"Nixie took it over," he replied. "And Vince. And Mr. Efeta. Especially Mr. Efeta. Knew just where to hit."
Akora nodded. "Well he's bound to forgive you if they did the trick. If you ask me, he should be thanking you."
"You talkin' bout me down there!"
The two turned and saw Sean and Drake walking down the hall. Sean was holding a paper bag with a piece of paper stapled to it. He was walking to his door.
"Yeah we are!" Kyle replied, shaking his fist in a cartoonish and joking manner.
"You better believe it!" Akora added, sharing a vulgar gesture she had learned from Vince earlier that week. Kyle put an end to that quickly.
Sean made it to his door. "Well I'm here now, so you can stop." He went to tuck the bag under his other arm, but of course dropped it. He sighed, then started digging around in his pocket for his key."
Kyle stepped forward. "Need a hand?" He hid his face in his hands as soon as he realized what he had said.
Akora sighed and shook her head.
Sean looked down at Kyle. He graced his bandages and said, "Yeah, but don't worry, I got this." He unlocked his room and propped the door open with his foot. He reached for the bag, but Drake picked it up instead. "I think I know how I'm gonna be able to disguise this guy in the real world: service animal." He held the door open for Drake and was about to enter as well, but paused about halfway through. "Hey, Kyle?"
Kyle looked up through his fingers. "Yes?"
Sean turned to face him better. "Do you know if Nixie still likes Zach?"
Kyle shook his head. "I don't think she does. She seems to have like-liked him less and less since day one."
Sean nodded. "Good. I heard about an upcoming dance, and I was thinking about asking her."
Kyle scrunched up his face. "Well, that happened quickly. She was convinced you hated her until just a few hours ago."
Sean rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I get that, but I want to start over."
"Take it slow," Kyle advised. "This could turn really weird really fast."
Sean nodded again, this time slowly. "I think I see what you're saying. Well, maybe I'll talk to her about it. Or maybe I'll ask Aoife." He locked eyes with Kyle again. "Who are you going with?"
He shrugged in response. "I don't know. Don't know if I'll even go. I only found out about it just now and I'm honestly not that interested."
"I see." Sean looked up. "Oh, hey, Elvia."
Kyle and Akora turned and jumped in surprise to see Elvia standing right behind them. She was holding Skitter-scamp, stroking his fur lovingly.
"Hey guys."
Sean yawned. "Sorry, I can't talk anymore. Side effect of one of the painkillers, I'm exhausted all of a sudden. Well, goodnight." He shut the door and fell asleep before he even had his head on his pillow.
Kyle caught his breath. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough," Elvia replied. She sounded disappointed.
"Somethin' buggin' ya?" Akora asked.
Elvia nodded in response. "Yeah. Ya see, I just got back from letting Asim down. He's kind of upset, so watch out, by the way."
"Letting him down?" Akora repeated. "Was he stuck somewhere?"
"It's an expression," he explained. "It means she told him she's not interested in becoming his partner."
She nodded. "Oh."
"Anyway," Elvia continued, "I told him I was interested in someone else. He told me it was fine, because he's also interested in someone else. And Sean's interested in her, too."
Kyle nodded. "Oh. I understand."
"How can I compete with that?" she moped. "She's so strong and brave. She's only gonna want to be with other strong, brave people. She's not gonna want to be with someone who's small and meek."
"Don't be so sure of that!" he told her. "You won't know for sure unless you ask her yourself. I think your chances are just as good, if not better, than theirs."
She looked up at him. "Kyle, if I ask her out, could you go with me?"
He thought about this. On the one hand, it would make her feel safer and ensure that she actually did it. On the other, it would probably look weird, him just standing there. "I could, but I think I'd have to hang back. It might make her uncomfortable."
Elvia nodded. "I understand. I'm gonna need time to muster up the courage."
Kyle smiled at her. "Don't worry about it."
She smiled back. "Okay. Well, goodnight." She went into her room. She did not get any sleep that night.
Kyle let out a sigh. Akora shook her head. "Your friends and their customs are so strange. Does this happen often?"
"I'm not sure," he replied. "I was hoping it would never happen to me."