CHAPTER VI
what a gruesome.
Somewhere by the bushes, Y/N, Jim, Toby and Claire hides as they await for the arrival of Blinky and Aaarrrgghh.
"Museum of Arcadia." Y/N read out loud. In the corner of her eye, she saw two figures approaching them. By their structure, she could tell that they are here. She nudges Jim to get his and the other's attention, nodding her head to the figures who are closing in on them.
"Ah Master Jim," says Blinky, stepping into the light, Aargh following right behind him.
"Blink, did you go to Rotgut's?" asked Jim.
"Did I ever?" Blinky replied. "Feast your eyes on this!" he boasted, an ordinary looking stone, but a deadly once it activates.
"Alright, more stone," said Y/N, full of sarcasm.
"A rock?" Toby butted in.
"Not a rock. Dwärkstone." Blinky corrected.
"A whaaaat?" The (Hair Color) headed female asked.
"Dork-stone?" Jim attempted.
"Dwärkstone." Blinky repeated.
"Dork-stone." says Claire, but in a different pronunciation.
"Close enough." Aargh pointed out.
Blinky then explain, "Dwärkstone is incredibly rare, highly volatile, and the only guaranteed way to expel a gruesome."
"All I heard is dork-stone," Toby commented.
"It's not dork-stone, it's Dwärkstone," Y/N corrected. The perfect pronunciation of the word made Aargh be taken by surprise, as he gently nudges her and clap.
"However you pronounce it, how does it work?" Claire ask Blink.
"A firm shake will activate it, but once it begins glowing... run." he advices.
"I am not carrying that thing. I'm actually really clumsy, and I do not look forward on seeing Satan just yet." Y/N claimed.
"Neither am I. I'm far too young to die!" Toby agreed.
Blinky hands the explosive and dangerous stone to Jim, who hesitantly take it from his grasp, "Now, very delicately tuck it away and make sure it counts." Blinky guided. Jim tuck the stone away as Blinky had just instructed: By putting it inside his backpack.
"Come on. Let's go rock this rock show!" Toby interrupted, as a small chuckle erupts from him.
･｡ﾟ★:*.✦ .*:★.
The four made their way inside, expecting more people to attend, but to their surprise, the museum is almost empty, resulting Toby to chuckle.
"This should be easy. There's only six people here," Claire states.
"I know. Crazy turnout!" says Toby. He then pulls out his phone and started taking pictures with the baby flour.
"Well, not all people would find a bunch of fossils fascinating," Y/N commented.
"Okay, let's fan out and find this thing. Tobes will be coming with me. Y/N and Claire, you two are searching together." Jim instructed. When the teams were about to separate to begin the search, a familiar voice stops them before they can begin.
"There you are T.P.!" the sound of Darci's voice shouted.
They all look back, finding Darci running up to them. "Oh, hey, Darce! What are you doing here?" Toby asked, a bit agitated.
"Well, the footbag tourney ended. I thought I'd join you and little Sir Isaac." she explains, taking Sir Isaac out of Toby's grasp.
Toby looks at the other three with *what are we going to do!?* kind of look, but all signaled him back with a: *we have to get moving.*
"You know Darce, I think Sir Isaac needs to rest. You can take him home." Toby tells.
"No, he's fine. I thought we'd stay and check out the show with you. To spend some family time." Darci responded.
"It's fine Toby, go on with her." Y/N told him. Jim and Claire nods their heads seemingly agreeing with her decision.
"Then allow me to introduce you, to the wonderful world of quartz." Toby says, escorting Darci.
"I'll take the North wing. You guys check the South." says Jim.
･｡ﾟ★:*.✦ .*:★.
Going to the South wing, Claire spotted someone, or something familiar and went to it.
"Hey ugly," she called out, putting a hand on the man's shoulder.
"Uh?" says the guy, utterly confused of the situation.
"Oh, sorry! I thought you were someone... uglier," she apologized, Y/N chuckles at her mistake. "You're fine. You're beautiful."
As Claire left to continue looking, Y/N turn to the man that is now looking at her. "Sorry about that," she apologized, before following her cousin. "Well, that was embarrassing."
"Tell me about it." Claire mumbled.
･｡ﾟ★:*.✦ .*:★.
After about an hour of searching, the two gave up and went looking for Jim to see if he has any luck of finding the creature.
"Ugh. Where is Jim?" Claire sighs frustratedly. The sound of explosion caught the twos attention.
"Must be him," Y/N pointed out. The two run over where the sound came from: the boy's bathroom.
"Where's the gruesome —" Claire gasp upon noticing flour sprinkling down like a soft snow on a winter. "Did you just blew up our child?"
"Well, there goes your grade." Y/N told. Claire shot her cousin a glare before rerunning it back to her boyfriend.
"I'm sorry, but she did not die in vain. The flour in the air, it hurt it," Jim explains, "We need more flour."
"But we only have one." Claire replied.
"Not with us: yes, but someone else has one." Y/N hinted.
"SIR ISAAC GLUTEN!" both Claire and Jim gasp.
･｡ﾟ★:*.✦ .*:★.
"Where's Claire and the others?" asked Darci.
"I don't know, but we should go," Toby replied.
Pushing his girlfriend away from the museum, Toby heard his walk-in talkie beep.
"Tobes, where are you?" spoke Jim through the device.
"Once second Darce, I gotta take this," Toby informed. He walks away from Darci, then, talked to the walk-in talkie, "Did you get it?" he asked.
"The gruesome's hurt, and flour can kill it. We need your baby." Jim told him from the other side of the line.
Sending a quick glance at Darci who sent him a warm smile while holding their baby flour: Sir Isaac, Toby replies, "No way! Darci needs the passing grade. If I give it to you, she'll never speak to me again. You ask too much."
From the other side of the line, Claire snatches the walk-in talkie from Jim. "What do you think she'll say when she meets a gruesome?" she reasoned.
Toby sighs, "good point."
･｡ﾟ★:*.✦ .*:★.
"So, how did it go?" Y/N asked, getting back after using the girl's restroom.
"He's on his way." Jim answers.
･｡ﾟ★:*.✦ .*:★.
After searching everywhere for Toby, the three finally found him hugging his knees and shaking in fear.
"Tobes!" shouts Jim, taking Toby by surprise, "You killed it!"
"Oh, it wasn't me. It was Sir Isaac," Toby explains and sighs, "Now to break the news to his mother."
Out of the corner of her eyes, Y/N caught a glimpse of something on the floor along with two figures sneaking away.
"You guys can go ahead, I'll just check on something." she told them and walk away. As the other three went out of the rock exhibition, Y/N started making her way to the unidentified object. "Huh? What is Sir Isaac doing here?" she ask to the non-talking object before picking it up. Tempted to follow the two mysterious people who sneaked out in secret, she decided to shrug it off and head out of the museum.
"Y/N!" Claire yells as soon as she saw her cousin come out. She then looks at what is in her hand, "Woah, is that Sir Isaac?"
"Yeah, weird right?" Y/N said, prior to when she heard her phone ring.
Mom:
Hey sweetie. I just wanted to let you know that we're gonna be home soon :)
Y/N:
Alright mom, see you soon.
"Claire, we have to go, ASAP!" she said.
"What" Claire asked.
"Look, our parents are on their way home, we need to get home before they do if you don't want to get in trouble." Y/N explained to her.
"Alright. I'll just say goodbye to Jim, then I'll catch up with you." Claire told.
"Alright. Here's Sir Isaac, give him to his father for me will you." in a hurry, Y/N hands Claire the baby flour before running off, hoping to get home before her mom do.
･｡ﾟ★:*.✦ .*:★.
That night, Claire got home a few minutes after Y/N, and making it back before her parents do.
'Good thing she has that shadow staff of hers, it really saved her from an hour of lecture from aunt Ophelia.' Y/N thought. Then again, deep down inside, Y/N feels like there's something oddly familiar about that staff. Deja vu?