Ten Years: A Decade-Long Struggle

15
A Prequel to “Ten Years”

After the defeat of Mask of Fire, everything finally seemed to fall back into place. School was the most they had to conquer everyday. The growth of Charlie and Violet Potato was what preoccupied them most of the time, aside from avoiding their parents’ quarrels...until one day, when Emily had to show up again.

“I want to speak to Zick and his father,” she declared upon entering the door. In defense of his son, Zob had a private conversation with Emily in the living room for almost half the morning. Then after heart-stopping madness, she met Greta in the greenhouse and asked for Zick. Panic overcame her, but she didn’t show it. She fought back with wit, and it won her the battle, for now. But the war wasn’t over. She arrived in the living room and found Zob conscious but...incapable of speech, and most importantly, he was incapable of using his powers. His conscious mind no longer processed voluntary work—only the really vital processes: heartbeats, breathing, and others.

Meanwhile, Zick was excused from class the rest of the day and was asked to come home. He found out what happened after two takes of Greta’s story, and was still not able to believe half the things she said. But eventually he had to face the truth, and once he did, he was unable to take it in as well.

Elena came over after class and discovered what happened. She of course had offered anything she could help with, but the family was too deep in shock. The loss of Zob once more! Timothy, however, proposed a solution. He brought Charlie out into the garden (with difficulty with asking Elena’s parents), and the Quix revealed himself, the same old imaginary Charlie in a tiny baby’s body. Hopeless, Zick had told Charlie everything that hit him the past two hours. Also dying for attention, Elena nearly snatched away her baby brother, but seeing Zick’s expression, she left them alone.

Guilty, Zick also left, for a walk, somewhere, anywhere but there. Elena wouldn’t understand. He broke into a run and bumped a large, fat figure clad in red formal wear, with a bonier figure with thick spectacles. Stunned, he was easily captured by the social worker, knocked out and put in a sack, where he was contained until they had gotten to Emily’s dark, damp, underground laboratory.

After he awoke (in a large metal cage), she demanded for his powers and cooperation. His answer was a steady no, not fearing the noisy machine in the room with them. Connected to it were countless tubes, which Emily threatened to use if he wasn’t willing. :“If not your powers, innocent blood will do,” said the social worker, “any innocent blood.” They revealed to him a smaller, wooden cage covered in a thick curtain-like cloth...

Elena!

The social worker finished plugging the tubes into her, and it extracted her blood until she was paler than the dirty white floor tiles. As they waited, the social worker explained, “It’s a project against all Tamers. We Anguanas will rebel against the Tutors soon. Although your powers would have more likely increased our chances of winning, the blood of this little, meddling girl, who most interestingly followed us, will do just as fine.”

Infuriated, Zick had shot them a ray of Energy, disintegrating his cage, and called for backup using the Teletone. But the Tone had no effect on them; they were Anguanas, humans.

However, Emily was ready. She took a remote control from her pocket and, with a single press, the cave began to collapse. She was instantly outside with the social worker and  Elena’s blood.

Greta, Timothy, and Jeremy came at that moment, accompanied by the Thaur family and their guardian, Marylis-Mis. They managed to stop Emily and free Elena in time for the gigantic explosion that occurred before the final collapse of the cave. They escaped nearly unharmed—except for Elena.

She was lifeless. There was no color, no breath, no pulse. Zick couldn’t believe she was actually gone, she being the tough and always ready to take on anything, even the monsters she couldn’t see. He had never had the courage to actually embrace her all this time (partly because she had warned him not to a few months back). But now...it was too late.

Why wasn’t anyone worrying? Why wasn’t anyone comforting him? Everyone disappeared after the rush of the battle. He remained outside the cave’s opening, cradling her lifeless form. By some outlandish thought, he realized she was more than his sidekick...she was the brains behind nearly every mission, she was his moral support—in many ways she was his best and only friend.

A paw came into his view. It was Marylis-Mis, approaching. “It is annoying to know that most Tamers are uneducated about ancient ways!” she said, looking more irritated than comforting. “There existed a myth about a universal Cure that healed all wounds, all illnesses—but not death. But for a Tamer, the Cure can act in unexpected ways. There, there’s the Cure, it never fails. Just keep doing that.” And she left.

Keep doing what?! Alone but for the trees, he yelled, “You can’t leave me, Elena, you can’t leave me here!” It was true. He had always been desperate for any sort of friendship, and here she was, on the line between life and death. What Cure was she talking about? If it works, why isn’t Elena waking up?

 Then darkness. Clouds. The first fresh drops of rain. It perfectly masked his tears, but not his irregular breathing, not his reddened face. If there was a time to let her go, it was now. The wind was picking up speed. Just before he released her...her eyes fluttered open, she gasped for air, and clung to him for warmth.

“Elena?”

“Zick!”

He embraced her tightly, without any intention of releasing her. In that fleeting moment, for the first time in his life, he felt real peace. To his surprise she didn’t fight back, or ask to be free. And he helped her up, and brought her home.

An hour later: with the exceptions of Elena being in the hospital and Aunt Emily missing but clearly watching and waiting for vengeance, everything was resolved. The Cure worked wonderfully for Zob, relieving Greta as well. Then everyone (clearly, everyone in the Barrymore detention oasis) filed out to the hospital to see Elena.

They never foresaw how her parents would react. Julie was cried uncontrollably, asking, pleading, for any sane reason as to why something that horrible could happen to her daughter. They had no choice but to explain everything to them. Harvey had since forbidden Elena to see Zick. But Elena gave a tough word fight. She wouldn’t allow that to happen, not after his sacrifice for her. Not after his gift of new life—and sight! She was thrilled that she could see them now, she could see everyone around her. Everyone. Zob requested that peace be kept between their families, and that their knowledge of the monster world remain secret. Defeated and confused, they changed their minds.

Three days passed. The Council of Most-High Tutors visited Zick, and all other Tamer families, to hand out Freedom Privileges: privileges to roam around, and to come to the suspended city. They were no longer confined to their detention oases thanks to the work of the Zick and Thaur family in getting rid of Magnacat, and more recently, Emily.

Then Teddy burst in saying that a large army of those witches were assembling outside the lab. But now they had the blood, and they had the machine still with them. What more could they want? While two families live out their happy ending, the Anguanas would have to wait.

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