Episode 11

Slippery Icicle

I sat on the ground next to the puddles of sick, feeling queasy myself. Despite what had just happened, we needed SD. She was probably the only person on the team keeping us alive. B.F returned from his barfing session in the bathroom looking pale. I could understand. He had never been dumped before, especially not that way. And I could tell-he REALLY liked SD. I mean, you know what I’m talking about, this wasn’t just some stupid crush that fifth graders giggled about on the phone. He wasn’t playing with her. I could relate. That’s what it was like with me and Speedy. If he dumped me, even calmly, I would about die of grief. That was probably what B.F was feeling right now. That’s when I looked over at him.

His body had started to glow. He was hovering a few inches above the ground and still rising. I could see sharp teeth poking out from his mouth again.

I jumped to my feet and hid as the transformation happened again. He let out a shriek. Fortunately, that girl with the clipboard, Silly, ran over and waved some garlic in his face. He gagged for a moment before turning back to himself. Now that he wasn’t chalk white (well, the part about me being too scared to get near him might’ve helped) I could see him. He no longer looked sick. He looked angry. Really, really angry. His whole body was shaking with fury, his face was red, and sweat was dripping down his front. He gripped Silly’s hand so hard she let out a little yelp. “Don’t,” he snarled. Von Garlic walked in. “I’m sorry for that, my boy. But we had to. It appears now that every time you’re feeling a very strong emotion-particularly rage-your transformation will happen again.” He shrugged. “Nothing we can do about it except keep a couple cloves of garlic in a bag for your friends.” He tossed a stinky bag to me. I gave it to Bard, who seemed unfazed by the fumes. He stuffed it into a hidden compartment behind his large mechanical eye and looked expectantly at all of us. “Well?” he asked. “Let’s go!” Speedy seized my hand and we followed Bard. I glanced back at B.F, who was still fuming, but hesitantly stalked after us. I gave him a thump on the back. He gave me one in return. I walked back up to Speedy with my back aching like nothing else. I gave myself a mental note: NEVER get B.F mad. You will regret it. Of course, he soon regretted that when he calmed down and I put Jell-O in his shaving cream. Heh. Funny. We clambered over each other into the jet. A lump appeared in my throat as I saw the empty seat normally occupied by SD. Oh, god…what were we gonna do without her? I swallowed the lump down. No, SD would be back. She would have to be. She would miss my brother, and me. Right? I looked around. Right?

I caught B.F’s eye. He only looked for a sec, but afterwards I saw him shake his head. Kay, I thought Bard was the one that was part mind reader. Oh, great. Now I’m making cheesy uncle jokes. Like Aunt Grumpy.

And talk about weird. As Bard and Speedy veered us off left and B.F was sulking, my phone rang. Everyone looked at me as I talked to Aunt Grumpy. In retrospect, I probably should’ve left my phone behind. Someone could hear us if we were hiding. And that’s when the truth hit me. THAT was how this masked dude was tracking us! My phone and B.F’s phone! “Gotta go, Aunt Grumpy,” I said hastily. I hung up my phone and stuffed it in my pocket. I turned to my brother. “Hey, can I borrow your phone for a sec?” I asked him. He looked suspicious but forked over the phone. I pretended to study it for a second, then pulled my phone out of my pocket and chucked them both out the window.

B.F’s mouth dropped open. “WHY’D YOU DO THAT??!!!” he demanded. I slapped him. He recoiled. I had accidentally slapped him a little too hard. I could see my handprint across the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry,” I told him. “I didn’t mean to hit you that hard. It was an accident.” He nodded and fidgeted with his peg leg a little. I put my arm around his shoulder. “Look, bro…” I said. “I had to do that. These phones are how that masked dude is tracking us.” His mouth dropped open. “That fits!” he hissed. He seemed to have forgotten his breakup with SD. We hit a spot of turbulence. As we did, Bard made a funny noise and twitched his head a little, but he seemed fine. I looked at him a little bit.

Despite how much he had helped us, I was still suspicious. You know that old phrase? A leopard doesn’t change it’s spots? I wasn’t really trusting this guy who had once kidnapped a princess and tried to take over the galaxy. Excuse me, but still. A little spark flew out of his neck and his red eye turned a little darker. He suddenly flew off to the left. Speedy looked at him funny. “Um, Bard? Aren’t we supposed to be going to Monster Carnival?” he asked. He looked at Speedy. It almost looked like a dark shadow crossed his face. But soon it was gone, and I decided I must have imagined it. “It’ll help with the mission,” he said, and with no further explanation, pulled up the landing gear and touched down in a field. The air pressure made my ears popped and I passed out. Before I passed out, I heard the thump-thump of B.F and Speedy’s bodies hitting the ground (somehow I could tell). And I froze right as things went dark. Why didn’t Bard pass out?

I woke up in a strange room. Large bush creatures that looked dead were stuck to the wall. I looked around. Bard stood in front of me, and B.F and Speedy sat tied up next to me. “Bard!” I said weakly. “How did you escape the ropes? Save us!” He let out a large smirk. “There will be no reason for that, Ms. Icicle,” he said. I stopped dead. His voice didn’t sound like his. It sounded…deeper. Almost like it was coming from far away. “Tonight you die.”

He snapped his fingers. A burning smell filled my nostrils. Almost…acidic. I looked down, afraid to see what was going on. Acid gushed out of pipes at the bottom. And to top it off, B.F started to change.

And I sat there, tied up next to my boyfriend, in front of a possessed cyborg and a vampire ready to kill me.