Part 2: A Knife in the Back

~~

“And maybe it’s behind you… RIGHT NOW!” With a sudden hiss Jamie lurched towards Squeak, pulling his hands up to his mouth like a snarling monster. The gray mouse gave a spluttering squeal and flattened himself on the ground, his eyes slammed shut.

“Or maybe it isn’t,” Jamie shrugged with a smirk on his face, pulling away. The second Squeak realized he wasn’t in imminent danger, he gave a gasp of anger and scrambled after Jamie, who took off towards the front of the group.

“Why did we even bring AEs on this mission?” Danie sighed, rolling her eyes as Squeak shifted into a human to furiously shout at Jamie. “I mean, we’re literally trying to save our mysteriously memory-wiped friends from a giant black monster.”

“I don’t really mind having them here,” General Waffleson replied, glancing over at Danie. “I mean, it’s good to have more people on our side than less.”

“I guess…” Danie said, though she still looked dubious. “I guess—it’s just hard to imagine that this could happen. I thought the Admins would at least know about it, or something…” General Waffleson’s brow creased in a frown for a moment as he contemplated Danie’s statement, until his eyes snapped wide open and he slammed face first into the jungle floor.

“Ack!” Danie spluttered, scrambling to help him up. “Did someone just punch you in the back or what?” General Waffleson shook his head, his press-patterned suit covered with leaf scraps.

“No, it was—ahh!” With a sudden shriek he shoved himself away, now drawing the attention of all travelers gathered. Danie rolled her eyes and helped him to his feet as he fixed his clothes, shaking a bit.

“Come on, you’re making a scene,” she hissed, glancing down at where he had tripped. “It can’t be all that bad aaaand that is a gun.” Awkwardly she froze, staring down at the weapon with wide eyes. “What on earth is it doing in here?”

“Hey, it’s not just that one!” another AE called out, and Danie turned to see Anna staring down at a thin, coiled rope that was draped over a log, next to a thin silver machete blade.

“What are all these knives and stuff doing here?” Starseeker whispered, her black scales glimmering in the slanted light. With a nervous murmur Starseeker tried to shuffle her bulk away from the scattered weaponry, her wings fluttering anxiously, but with a yelp she knocked over a violet bottle, which spilled into the earth and withered the grass.

“Oh, wow…” Quill murmured, her eyes widening at the sight of the assorted tools. Every eye turned to her, and she quickly gave a flustered response. “It’s just that—I’d heard of it before, but I didn’t think I’d actually ever see it. I’ve never been this deep into the Pudding Forest, so… er, all of this, it’s the remnants of ski lodges. I mean, everything the killer ever uses has to go somewhere… and here’s where it’s all dumped.”

A cold silence fell over the group as everyone shuffled away from the weapons, staring down at them in a new light. Danie furrowed her brow as General Waffleson leaned down towards a sleek silver knife with a bright red handle, hesitance on her mind. Somehow, she felt that this wasn’t a safe place to be… maybe it was just being surrounded with all of the weapons that gave her shivers, but just as she was about to tell General Waffleson to stay away from the knife, his hand closed around it and tightened with a sudden fierceness. “General?” Danie asked, confused.

General Waffleson began to cough, at first just a dry rasp. However, within rapid seconds it turned into a stuttering hack, and with a roar he spun around and lunged at Danie, slamming her backwards into a tree. Danie let out a shriek as the red-handled knife bit into the bark of the tree, tearing at her shirt. “What the heck?” she shouted as the group burst into chaos, some people surging forwards to drag away General Waffleson and some scrambling away from the slashing knife. As she heaved herself out of the way, the madman behind her panting in exhiliartion, she only had a second to see his face before he attacked again.

His eyes were red.

Almost out of her control her hand shot forwards and slapped the knife from his hand, sending it spinning into the grass. General Waffleson gave a choked splutter as green-flecked gold dwarfed out the red in his eyes, his hands clutching desperately as leaves.

“What?...” he murmured, glancing around as the group gazed at him with wide eyes. “What happened?”

“You, um…” Danie began. “You tried to, uh… kill me.” General Waffleson squawked in surprise.

“What? No, why would I do that?”

“It was because of that knife,” a voice called out, and both CBers turned to see a girl with a curling brown hair speaking, her AE close at her side. “Maybe it’s cursed—it has to be. Why else do you think there’s so many killers at ski lodges?” With that ominous statement hanging in the air, the group tried to shake their heads laughingly, the danger seemingly passed. But it could be noticed the way a slight space cleared around General Waffleson, and the way everyone’s footsteps twitched out of the way of the weapons. Only quiet mutters were exchanged as they fought through the thick undergrowth, wary shapes weaving through the leaves.

No matter how hard she tried, Danie couldn’t stop her heart from pounding, a thumping reminder of the harrowing experience she’d just gone through. If only she could just!--

She didn’t have to think about that long, however, as the next second she glanced up and saw a dark shape ahead in the jungle, tangled vines obscuring her vision. Before she could question others of its presence, Elementgirl gave a start of surprise at the head of the group, seeing the structure before others did. “What? What is it?” MewFour called from behind Danie, sounding annoyed per usual.

“It’s…” she said, her voice whispering. But she never finished, her mouth gaping with surprise. Snorting, Danie pushed her way through the crowd, her eyes quickly scanning the elegant building, with ornate gold and silver draping over its frame like glittering icing and two towering doors made of pearly white marble.

“ ‘Masquerade SI’?” Danie breathed in.

~~

I… this part has been so hard for me to put out, and I’m not particularly proud of it. It’s definitely not the best thing I’ve ever written, but I hope you enjoy it anyways. I didn’t have many ideas for this part but the next one I have much more for.

Yep, that sounds like me! Trying to gracefully, unobtrusively move away and instead knocking a very dangerous chemical over. Keep writing! This is fantastic!

~Starseeker 

Part Three: Invitation to the Ball

~~

Silence fell thick over the jungle, the group hesitantly staring the ornate structure. Its roof was sloped and thickly draped in all shades of gold, silver, and copper, sparkling the diamonds in the half-light. There were columns reaching down from the roof that were etched out of white marble, their speckled surfaces polished and smooth. And most noticeable of all, in large black letters that were spelled out above the white doors, was the phrase ‘Masquerade SI’.

“An SI?” Cilantro murmured, raising an eyebrow. “I haven’t seen one of those in a while!” Rae glanced over at the AE, her mind whirring. “And especially not so far out here…”

“Well, I think we should just go around it,” Zoey said, tossing her hair. “An SI is the last thing we need while trying to find someone who’s disappeared. Come on, let’s not waste any more time on this.”

“Think again, hotshot,” a voice echoed from above the group, and a purple reptilian shape stared down at them with an annoyed expression. “There’s a whole fence around this building, stretching for who knows how long.”

“A fence? That’s ridiculous!” Zoey exclaimed, marching up to the side of the SI building with a determined look on her face. Spyro shrugged, spiraling down to the ground. As he landed, gold wings folding in, Rae noticed a pale burn along his side, and though it was healing fast, it was definitely there. Hesitantly, the lone CBer called out to Zoey, who had nearly reached the place where Spyro had been.

“Zoey?” she shouted, though the AE didn’t turn. “I think the fence might be—” But she spoke too late, as the next second there was a yelp of pain, and Starseeker’s AE danced away from the invisible fence with her hands pressed to her face. A thin column of smoke was winding up from beneath her palms, fading into the sky. Starseeker gasped and moved towards Zoey, her dragon’s features melting into a human’s as she walked. “—electric.”

“Stupid thing burned me!” Zoey complained, removing her hands to reveal a black smudge on the tip of her nose, her bright blue eyes glaring down at the wound. Ashlee sighed and walked up to the front of the SI building, turning to face the rest of the group, none of which had moved from their clumped position.  

“If we can’t go around it, and we don’t want to just give up and turn back, then we have to go through it,” she said, the faintest sound of orchestral music rising to her ears from inside the SI.

“I… guess,” Elementgirl said, though she didn’t sound very excited for it, and honestly, Rae had to agree with her. Normally SIs were one of her favorite things to do, and they could be a lot of fun for all involved, but right now it just seemed like a pain. Only Anna seemed truly excited for the SI, her dark curls bouncing on her back as she trotted up to the door. As Ashlee checked to see that everyone had gone in, not wanting to leave a member of their group behind in the jungle, she saw MewFour hesitantly hanging at the back of the group, his nose wrinkled in disgust.

“Oh, bother…” she muttered. “Come on, get in!”

“An SI?” he hissed, violet gem on his wrist glowing. “This is really what we’re going to do? What if someone’s lost in there? What if someone never gets discovered?”

“What if puppies rain from the sky?” Ashlee said in exasperation, her temper nearly reaching its limit. Honestly, she had no idea how Cloud dealt with this AE on a daily basis, or what Quill saw in him. “There’s no other option,” she said, trying to soften her tone a little bit. Catch more flies with honey… “Don’t you see? This is for defeating the beast prowling Chatterbox. This is for your brother.” At the mention of 8-Piece, MewFour’s irritated visage slacked, and with a sweep he brushed past her and entered the building, though not without throwing back a glare. Ashlee rolled her eyes and followed him into the building, the door slamming shut behind her.

Blackness swallowed Ashlee’s vision as she entered the building, though she could still see each of her limbs, splayed out besides her. A cool voice whispered in her ears, one she had heard many times while entering SIs. However, this time it seemed more of an ominous whisper than a calming purr. Yet she didn’t have to listen to the words, as she knew what to do. A Masquerade SI, huh? Ashlee thought, perusing her imagination. Well, at least I have an idea in mind… Ashlee snapped her fingers in one quick, clean sound while summoning her desired mental image, and in less than a second she crackled into existence in the middle of an elegant ballroom, her detailed garb matching the surroundings.

Ashlee had been in Chatterbox for quite some time now, and she knew the ins and outs of SIs. Simple, really, she thought as she glanced around with vibrant hazel eyes, her auburn hair knotted up in a bun. Get guessed, and you were you again. Never get guessed—well, you’d just be there awhile. Reaching out with a white-gloved hand, Ashlee took the palm of a tall man wearing a grey suit and having shaggy gold hair and electric blue eyes that seemed to pierce her soul. “Greetings,” she murmured, taking up dance along to the soft shrill of the strings playing along with them.

“Hello,” he replied, hesitating for a moment. “You might’nt be Elementgirl, Anna, Danie, or Quill, could you?” Ashlee shook her head, her feet sliding across the marble floor as her green dress brushed it.

“No, but I know one of the people you just mentioned,” she said, looking up at him. “Are you Jamie or Spyro?” The man shook his head, though his eyes flashed as she spoke the names. Ashlee’s mind latched onto the clue as the two swirled around, her mind working frantically. Spyro, Spyro… he hadn’t come on the mission with his CBer, hotairballoon, and Jamie only had one CBer. “General Waffleson?” she said, and his eyes lit up. In a puff of smoke the gold hair and blue eyes and grey suit flaked away, revealing the uniform-clad CBer underneath.

“Ah, that’s better!” he grinned, patting himself down. Then his smile slipped and he looked up at her, narrowing his eyes. Ashlee stood there awkwardly with a grin plastered on her face, her hands clasped over the front of her ballgown. “Could you?... hints?...” he prompted, to Ashlee’s jolt. “I really wouldn’t like any to have to stay here longer than they should.”

“Of course!” Ashlee said, thinking for a moment. As much as she’d just like to say her name, it was against SI law. Hints only, nothing too obvious. “I… I’m good friends with Cloud.” General Waffleson put his hand to his mouth, thinking hard.

“Um- Starseeker? Or… or… Ashlee?” Ashlee let out a sigh of relief as her name was mentioned, the dress peeling away and the short russet hair paling, rolling down her back. “Ashlee!” General Waffleson exclaimed happily, hugging her. “Man, so good to see you! I thought I wouldn’t be able to guess anyone here!”

“I wish we could help others, though…” she sighed, pulling away. “Too bad we can’t stay past being guessed.” General Waffleson nodded, but couldn’t help a smile from bursting onto his face.

“But hey,” he said as they walked towards the exit, his Wafflesteel coat stiff after the time spent under a disguise. “At least I got some punch while I was at it. At least I think it was punch?...”

Secret’s hands twitched uncomfortably as she hovered near the refreshments table, a crystalline goblet in her hands as she rolled it back and forth, the wine-red liquid sloshing around inside it. She’d been the SI room for quite some time now, and she was beginning to think that she’d never be guessed. Her normally pale silver hair was notched to her shoulders in a dark blonde shade, her eyes a gold-flecked green, and her dress was a ruby red and long enough to cover her feet. Trying to calm her nerves, Secret took a sip of the drink and leaned back against the long feasting table.

Out of the corner of her eye, Secret spotted a tall male figure delicately picking his way through the crowd, a sleek black suit with kinked ends covering his body. Suddenly his head turned and his face met Secret’s, and she promptly flushed and looked away. But the next second she felt a presence behind her, and she turned to see the man standing there, his head dipped slightly as he offered his hand. Secret obligingly took it, and the two stepped out onto the dance floor.

Now that she was closer to him, Secret realized that his face looked rather odd for a CBer or AE—he wore a Masquerade mask that covered most of his face, shielding his eyes and nose from any viewer, but his mouth still happened to be visible. And, in fact, it didn’t seem to be a real mouth at all. A black smile stretched over a snowy-white expanse, and as Secret stared at it longer, she found that it was just painted on, an eternally happy grin. Is he wearing a mask… under a mask? she thought in confusion, but she quickly pushed the thought away and decided she’d better start guessing.

“Are you… General Waffleson, MewFour, or Jamie?” she asked him directly as they moved around two girls chatting amicably together. The man shook his head, his feet sliding over the ground, yet he didn’t say a word. Secret kept on thinking, but the next second she jerked slightly as the man leaned in. The AE’s face began to explode in red colors, and desperately she wondered if he was making a move on her, but instead of going for her face he simply whispered a thin, quiet phrase into her ear in a surprisingly sharp and cool voice.

“I happen to know a lovely secret,” he said, and Secret tensed as she heard her own name—or was it just information given only to him? “At the far left wing of this ballroom there’s a small crack in the wall, running up and down. All you need to do is push it, and you’ll find something special waiting outside for you. An old friend, perhaps…” With that he pulled away and let go of her hands, walking silently into the crowd of dancing people. Secret stood stock-still for a moment, before a thought blossomed in her mind. An old friend—what if it was 8-Piece, and this person knew where he was? If it really was a possible clue… steeling her determination, Secret whipped around and immediately began to head for the left wall, but on the way a friendly face appeared in her path. Secret scrambled to halt as a girl with dark, rich skin and black hair in a long braid, a short green dress covering her,

“Hi!” she greeted Secret cheerfully, though the AE would rather just discover what the man was talking about. “Crowd thinning out, eh?” Secret nodded, noticing that there were beginning to be less people in the ballroom. She grimaced as she realized that she’d have to grab someone and begin to help guess, or else she’d be stuck until she was able to reveal.

“Yeah, really,” Secret said back, trying to edge her way around the girl. “Really sorry, don’t have time to guess right now, gotta go!” She began to quick-walk towards the door, but stopped as something rose in her mind. Turning back to the girl, she added, “Oh, and if you get out before me, can you ask who had the ‘black-smiley-mask-thing’ on? I’m kind of curious. Okay thanks bye!” With that, Secret set off for the left wall, pushing through the dancers still remaining. Finally she reached the wing of the ballroom, feeling along the wall for the hairpin cracks.

“There!” she said out loud, grinning in success as she felt the splinters in the wall. Sucking in a deep breath, Secret slammed her shoulder against the faint door shape, shoving as hard as she could. The opening gave way more easily than she expected, and with a rising yell she tumbled out, her face smacking into the muddy earth. “Eww…” Secret moaned, staggering to her feet with dirt coating her dress. “That’ll take forever to get—”

But she never finished her sentence, the words catching in her throat. Cold sweat began to break out over her skin, icy terror washing over her body. Secret took one shaky step back towards the ballroom, but it seemed that her legs no longer took orders from her brain anymore.

Standing in front of her, its massive and hulking shape blocking out the dimming light of the evening sun, was a black beast, the only discernible feature on its body the luminescent, glowing white eyes. Secret made an gagging sound, like she was about to scream for help, when the beast lunged towards her, its jaws closing over her head with a resounding snap.

Rolls of fabric flickered from existence, red and orange and blue sheets rapidly fading from sight. “Ahh!” Leafpool sighed, letting out a breath of relief as she felt down her normal body. She’d taken on such a drastically different image in the SI that it almost felt alien to be back in her own skin. Jarnen stood beside her, stretching out his arms in exhaustion. He glanced up at the sky, and Leafpool saw the stars beginning to appear in the indigo heavens.

“Night’s falling,” Jarnen murmured, though Leafpool was watching it along with him. In front of the two, Ashlee was moving around the CBers, counting each of them to ensure that everyone was had safely gotten out of the SI.

“…Quill, MewFour, Anna, and Elementgirl. Good, that’s everyone!” Raising her voice, she addressed the whole group more clearly. “Alright, guys, since it’s nearly night, we should find somewhere to sleep until daybreak! Does anyone know Pudding Place well?” Rae’s hand shot up, but just as she was about to speak a nervous voice interrupted her.

“Ashlee?” Squeak said, balking when he saw all eyes turn to him. “You… you didn’t call everyone.” Ashlee raised an eyebrow, staring at the gray AE.

“What are you talking about?” she asked him, gesturing to the rest of the group. “All sixteen of us are here!” Squeak shook his head, looking more miserable than ever.

“It happened again,” he whispered. “I didn’t see it—no one saw it, but it happened. There… there were seventeen of us in this group, not sixteen. Secret’s missing.” Worried murmurs coursed through the crowd as people began to talk to each other.

“Who’s Secret?” Cilantro called out, making her way to Squeak’s side. The mouse peered up at her, swallowing uncomfortably.

“She—Secret was your friend,” he said as Cilantro’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know her well, at all really, but I know she came in the SI with us and didn’t come out. The—the monster must still be nearby.”

“Nearby?” Jamie squawked, his fists clenching. “Well, we can’t sleep here, then! What if it eats us in our sleep?” A shadow had fallen over Ashlee’s, and her tone shook with hidden fear when she spoke again.

“Then—” she gulped. “Then we can’t stop and sleep. We have to keep moving, and everyone be on the lookout. You see it, you call us. We—we can’t have anyone else forgotten by their friends.” Everyone nodded, but daunted expressions remained on each member’s face, and with careful steps they began to fight through the denser parts of the Pudding Forest, leaving the SI ballroom abandoned and empty.

No one noticed the red sweatshirt laying forgotten at the side of the building, a ragged opening letting light from the SI room into the night.

Secret opened her eyes in a white oblivion.

Her head throbbed painfully, like she’d been beaten with a stone, but oddly enough… she was alive.

Yet she had no idea where she was.

Where was the group? Where were her friends? Where was Cilantro?

That’s when she saw him. Pale brown hair, white shirt, gray dog ears…

With a flash of shock both AEs spotted each other, speaking in the same moment.

“I’m not alone?”

~~

Woooh! Finally!! I’ve been so excited to write this part, you don’t even know. The mystery and plot are thickening, what could be happening here… hmm…

Coolio! Wow, this is amazing!