Hey guys. This is the final chapter of the "City Banter" series. And in this chapter, you will find out something that will get us closer to an escape than ever before.
According to my beta reader, it might be a bit sad.
I won't spoil you anymore. I hope you like this chapter.
City Banter Part 4
Written by: Alica123[]
Brittney's face was pale. Were her eyes playing a joke?
No.
It didn't take long until they took notice of her, and they seemed shocked that she had seen them too.
“...Britt? It's not what you thi-”, SC tried to say, but without a word, Brittney, with more fear in her eyes than she ever had before, turned around and ran away.
“WAIT!!”, Aron shouted, but she didn't listen and disappeared in the pouring rain.
As the door was opened, it was Jessica coming in. Her eyes showed Alica that she was surprised.
“What the heck are you doing here?”, she asked. She looked tired.
“...In the end it's my room too, right? So, in other words, It's none of your business.”
“...Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
“Agh Alica. I really don't feel like arguing I swear if you don't go now...”
“Then what?”
In this moment Jessica ran up to Alica and pushed her, and they started fighting.
Reason found a letter on the kitchen table of his apartment. He looked at it.
“Go to Yoshi's room. Don't make a noise, and look what you find”, it simply said. He had no idea what it was supposed to mean, but after a few minutes he decided to follow it, and headed out.
“What the heck are you guys doing?”, Candy asked, standing at the door.
They stopped fighting.
“I see, you're 'being mature – Alica and Jessica style' again”, she groaned.
At the same second an envelope fell from a cupboard and landed on the floor all of a sudden.. Candy took it. „What's that?“ she asked, and opened it. Big, handwritten letters were on it. They said “BRACE YOURSELF”.
“What the heck”, Alica whispered.
Then there was a blast.
An image appeared in front of them.
“Well now, wasn't that a blast?”, the guy in it said. “Oh, I'm TenCents by the way.”
“WAIT, you're not here?” Jessica asked, surprised.
“I know right?”, TenCents replied.
“But, why?” Alica asked.
“If he replies with 'I know right' it's kinda obvious he doesn't know himself, smart one”, Jessica stated.
Alica groaned.
“Out of curiosity, which one of you is who?”, TenCents asked.
“I'm Candy, and those two fighting chickens are Jessica and Alica”, Candy answered. “Anyway, I don't think you called us to have a happy chit-chat.”
“Very true. Listen, I've got a message, and I've only got a few moments to tell you.“
“Okay, hurry”, Jessica said.
“I figured out a way to get you guys out of Wikia Hell. But you need to listen to me very carefully. You're basically in another dimension, right? “
“Right. What about it?”, Alica asked.
“Well”, said TenCents. “It's not so much a dimension, it's...” He paused. “Is that SFG!?”
SpencerFanGirl had walked up behind them.
“I'm sorry, I was just walking by and saw this weird thing of an image or something and decided to watch...”
TenCents turned to look offscreen, looking shocked.
All of a sudden, a shovel hit him on the head.
“WHAT THE HECK!?”, Jessica shouted
Someone looking exactly like SFG appeared behind the screen.
Alica's eyes went open wide. “Mother of...”
Then the other SFG looked at the image and slashed her shovel through it. It dissipated.
“WHAT JUST HAPPENED??”, Candy asked, knowing exactly what did. It was just too hard to believe.
“I think we almost got the information for a way out, and then someone or something looking exactly like SFG stopped us”, Alica replied simply, shaking her head in disbelief.
“This is... Horrible”, SFG said.
Candy looked at the envelope and turned it around.
“Find the activator to open the portal on the terrain between Etamar and the city”, she read loudly all of a sudden.
“What activator?” Jessica asked after a few seconds.
“I don't know”, Alica replied.
Candy looked at SFG. “What are you even doing here?”, she asked.
“Oh, I wanted to throw balls at Chunt and Jon. They're a couple - and I really don't like that. They're down on the street right now, and I sneaked in here to throw balls at them. I left the balls at the window in Candy's room now... Oh well, whatever. I should go now, I guess. Later guys!”
With these words, she left. Everyone looked after her until she was out of sight.
“Are you sure you have no idea about an activator?”, Jessica asked Alica.
“Nope. No single idea”, Alica replied.
“...But I think I do”, a voice said. It was Evan. He came in.
“Wait, you've been listening all this time?” Jessica asked angrily.
He just raised and lowered his shoulders. Then he continued talking.
“Well, anyway... There's this weird... Thing.. On a cloud you can stand on in the sky. It has something like a button you could switch on and off, but as much as I tried, it didn't work. Maybe TenCents now did somehow activate it – like, activate in a way it can be activated.”
“..And why should we trust you? TenCents mentioned the terrain between Etamar and the city. Not some fairytale cloud in the sky.” Jessica asked.
“...Why would he lie?”, Alica threw in all of a sudden.
“On what side are you even on?”, Jessica groaned. She had multiple reasons to list which explained why he would lie, but she didn't want to say them.
“If this is a possibility for a way out then we should use it”, Alica simply answered.
“Yeah, and if it's a suicide mission I guess we should too?”
“...Argh, just shut up. If we stay here it's just as much a 'suicide mission'. It won't take long and Doranor will kill us all, just like SC and Aron.”
After a few seconds, Jessica's facial expression changed. She was thinking of what Hihi had said before.
“Fine. But if he's lying and we run in a trap I'll never forgive you.”
“Yeah, cause I so care.”
A minute of silence passed.
“I'm coming with you”, Candy simply said.
“It's dangerous”, Jessica replied.
“And for you it isn't? I'm older than you, I think I can have my own decisions. I heard what happened in Simiria and Etamar. And if I can do something against it, I will. Accept it.”
All of a sudden, a girl was standing in front of the door, breathing heavily. Everyone looked at her. Her clothes were wet, and her face was pale and indescribable fear was almost... readable in her eyes.
It was Brittney.
What Reason saw was unbelievable. Yoshi and Jerky were making out. Just the night before, him and Yoshi had gotten together. He felt heartbroken. No sound came out of his lungs. His breath escaped. His heart felt cold. Being stabbed by a million knives wouldn't have hurt as much as the feeling he had at this moment.
In that moment, Yoshi looked to the door for a second.... And saw him.
He stopped kissing Jerky. She noticed that, and when she followed his look, she saw Reason too. At first there was a small smile on her face, but then she changed her impression to a shocked, afraid look.
“...Reason...” Yoshi slowly muttered.
Reason shook his head and ran out.
“REASON, WAIT, IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!”, Yoshi shouted and got up and wanted to run after him.
Jerky looked at Yoshi until he disappeared out of her sight.
Quietly, and with a sad voice, she said: “..If it's not what he thinks, then what is it then, Yoshi?”
SLH came home. She walked inside the apartment, just to see Cartoonprincess waiting for her.
“Is something wrong?”, she asked, surprised. She hadn't expected that.
“No, no. Nothing at all. Where were you?”, Cartoon asked, trying to hide her anger. She didn't do very well, but SLH didn't seem to notice much.
“I left you a note saying I'd be away”, SLH simply said.
“Yeah, I didn't ask you if you left, I asked you where you went”, Cartoon replied.
“How does that matter?”
“Oh, it matters a lot when you go running around with MAK and don't even have the nerve to tell me...”
“You were following me?”
“...That's not the point.”
And with these words, Cartoon left the apartment and walked down the stairs as fast as possible just to leave the building.
“Wait!”, SLH exclaimed, but Cartoon ignored her.
Yoshi tried to follow Reason, but the heavy rain made it almost impossible to see anything. He slipped multiple times, and his knees were sore from crashing against the hard cement. He knew, Reason could be anywhere now.
His nervousness, his fear, his regret... It all made him dizzy, and he kept shaking. It was almost impossible for him to move fast because of that. But he had to, and he knew it.
As soon as Brittney had arrived, she... Broke down.
Before she could fall on the floor, Candy had caught her.
“What... What's wrong??”, Jessica said. Evan, Alica and her had ran up to them.
Britt stayed silent in her hug for a few minutes.
Then she let go.
“I... I...”
“What??”, Jessica asked.
“Let her talk!”, Alica said.
“Agh then shut up too.”
“But you're the one who--” “SHH!”
“I went to the graveyard to look after... Aron and SC... Y'know, a last prayer...”
“..What happened?? Did someone attack you?” Candy asked.
“...Aron and SC... They.. They... They were there!”
“...What??” Jessica said with an open mouth
“They were there, I swear. They were making out...”
“...Are you sure you weren't hallucinating?”, Jessica asked.
Alica turned around. She was reminded of her dream.... Could it be? Was it really “not just a dream”?
“No! I tell you, I saw them, my heart skipped a beat, I, I...”
“Shh”, Candy said and hugged her again.
Jessica looked to Alica.
Alica looked back.
“Wanna pay that graveyard a visit and see if Doranor's playing a game again?”, Jessica asked.
“Heck yes”, Alica replied. “With weapons, just in case.”
Jessica nodded.
“I'm coming with you. This could be dangerous”, Evan said.
“I want to come too”, Britt said, much to everyone's surprise.
“But...” Candy wanted to protest, but Brittney cut her off. “I need to.”
Candy nodded. “I'm in too.”
“Do you guys even have weapons?”, Alica asked.
“Did you even look at the carriages Doranor gives us?”, Jessica asked. “They all had weapons.”
“I meant if they had them with them... I know that there are weapons in the carriages. That's why I have a bow AND two swords.”
Candy nodded. “Alica, both Brittney and I live in this apartment. Originally you were supposed to live here too. We have our weapons in our rooms.”
“Okay, okay”, Alica replied. “Do you guys know how to fight?”
“Not really, but it's not like you do either, right? We're all just swinging our weapons. It kinda worked in Etamar”, Jessica said.
“Well, I had a great teacher”, Alica said, pointing at Evan. “I think we should all practice anyway.”
Jessica had a weird thought, but she didn't say anything.
How were Evan – and Jack – able to fight so well with medieval weapons?
If Evan was just an ordinary boy who was trapped randomly just like them, that was almost impossible.
Maybe he's just a nerd with a rich father who arranged people to give him lessons. Same about Jack, she thought. But she was sure herself that her answer was incorrect.
She knew, saying something about it might upset Hihi and Alica.
So she stayed quiet.
Britt, Candy and Jessica got their weapons (Alica and Evan already had theirs), and they all left, heading to the graveyard.
Cartoon and Slappy hugged.
He could read the sadness in her eyes.
“What's wrong?”, he said in a soft tone.
“...Nothing...”
“You don't look like it's nothing. Tell me.”
She let go of the hug and looked him in the eye.
“...SLH. She's been meeting Mak. In a... Romantic way.”
Slappy looked away, but didn't say anything.
“..Do you have any opinion?”
“Toon?”
“Yes?”
“Be honest. Do you have feelings for SLH?”
“What?? No!”
“..I'm not an idiot, Toon. I have eyes. I can see the way you look at her..”
“...”
“Maybe you're with the wrong person, don't you think?”
“...”
“You should stop torturing yourself then. I understand it, Toon. You should maybe tell SLH your true feelings.”
“Maybe. But that might destroy our friendship.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, you have to. Staying silent is not solution, and you know it.
I love you Toon. I will always love you. Okay?
But maybe this love wasn't meant to go the way it is now. And this is why I'm breaking up.
You should do what your heart tells you, not your brain.”
“Woah, that sounded cheesy.”
“I know. I'm hungry now. I'm gonna get some pie. Want some too?”
“Nah, thanks. I'm good.”
“More for me.”
Yoshi arrived at Reason's room.
He wasn't there.
Worried, he looked around.
And then he found it.
A note. It was written quick, with a pen that was still on his desk, just like the note.
“Dear Yoshi,
I knew you would end up here.
I felt the need to leave. I just packed my stuff, if you can call what I have here 'my stuff', within minutes - and left.
I'm sorry if that makes you bad in anyway.
It shouldn't.
I just wished I can find peace somewhere in this... Wikia Hell.
No, I'm not committing suicide if you think that's what this is.
It's not a suicide note.
No, not at all.
I wish you all the best.
Don't follow me.
Reason”
Broken, Yoshi put the note in his trousers' right pocket.
No.
He wouldn't let him go.
He knew what had happened to Aron and SC.
Wikia Hell was a dangerous place.
Especially alone.
He had to find him.
And get him back.
Now.
Even though Reason said it wasn't his fault, he knew it was.
He ran down the stairs of the building.
Nothing.
The graveyard was empty apart from Candy, Britt, Alica, Jessica and Evan.
“...Are you sure you weren't hallucinating or something?” Jessica asked again.
“No! No!”, Brittney said. “I'm sure, I saw them, I'm sure!”, she said. Her voice was shaking, and she was in a bad condition. Before she could burst in tears, Candy hugged her again.
“It's okay”, Candy said. “We believe you.”
“Do we?”, Jessica asked.
“Yes, we do”, Alica said.
“How are you so sure?”, Jessica asked.
Alica just raised and lowered her shoulder.
She was sure. Aron was really still there. And SC was too.
He had appeared in her dream. It was really him. Brittney wasn't hallucinating.
Evan stayed quiet throughout the whole conversation. He looked interested though, looked around and was listening to everything they said.
“I think”, he started speaking for the first time since Brittney had appeared (apart from saying he was coming with them), “that we should focus finding the activator now. Whatever is up.. It didn't hurt Brittney when she saw it. And it isn't hurting us now, even though we're at it's source. It can wait. The activator can't. Doranor probably already knows about it – and he's gonna do something. We need to hurry.”
“What activator?”, Brittney asked.
Candy explained her everything as fast as possible.
“I'm coming with you”, she said immediately after Candy had finished.
“But..”, Candy wanted to stop her.
“I need to. What kind of person would I be if I let you go alone?”
Alica wasn't sure if 'you' was directed towards all of them or just Candy.
She found the latter thing cute though.
Candy wanted to protest again.
“Shush”, Britt said, and put her finger on Candy's lips.
“I'll be fine”, she said, with a smile.
Candy gave in and nodded slowly, though she still wasn't sure.
“So, just us?”, Jessica asked.
Alica nodded. “Just us.”
“But we should wait till tomorrow morning”, Evan said. “I don't think it's a good idea to go while it's raining and it's dark.”
“Says the guy who just wanted to hurry up or else 'Doranor would be faster'”, Jessica commented, sounding a bit annoyed.
He ignored it.
“I think that's a good idea”, Candy said.
“Then, tomorrow.”
Yoshi ran through the city in the heavy rain.
Without noticing, he accidentally ran into Becky.
Amythest, Tara, Poptart and Becky were all wandering through the city together – at this late time, in the heavy rain.
He apologized immediately.
“Sorry, sorry”, he mumbled, barely hearing himself.
He just wanted to arrive at his house. To get some weapons, a backpack with some stuff he might need, and follow Reason – before it was too late.
“Is something wrong?”, Tara asked immediately. “You don't look too well.”
“No, no everything's fine.. I gotta g--”
Amythest grabbed his arm immediately.
“You don't sound like 'everything's fine'. What's wrong?”
A tear escaped his eye, and he hoped the others thought it was just rain.
“Reason”, he said.
“He … He ...”
He gave them the note.
“I need to find him”, he said, almost whispering.
“...Then we're coming with you”, Becky said.
“You can't just go alone yourself. It's dangerous.”
“...But...”
“No but”, Poptart said.
“Thanks guys”, he slowly said. “But we need to hurry...”
“Wouldn't it be smart to wait till tomorrow morning?”, Tara threw in between.
“It's raining so heavily and it's so dark that you won't exactly see him until he's five meters close to you.”
“But till tomorrow he'll be too far away!”
“He needs to sleep too, Yoshi. Calm down and go to bed. We'll all meet somewhere tomorrow and look for him.”
He sighed. “Okay.. We'll meet at the beach in the south. I have a feeling he went there – the first time we met was there. He HAS to be somewhere near there. Prepare weapons and backpacks. We need to expect everything...”
Poptart nodded.
“Okay... Just... Try to get enough sleep now, okay? Shall we help you to your apartment?”
“No, no. It's fine... Thank you..”
And with those words, he walked slowly to his apartment. He almost tripped with every step.
Two adventures were waiting for the Wikians.
Author's Note
I chose the people in the two new MIWH adventures myself, except two contest winners and the "main character" (Yoshi in the second one).
Reason for that is, that we had too little contest winners, and that meant I had to choose random people - so I took people I know well enough to write about. I'm sorry if you're not in it, that doesn't mean I don't know you (that'd be ignorant). As I said, it was pretty random.
So, what did you think of the chapter?
Any thoughts? Complaints? Recommendations? Anything?
Comment :)