"Wakey-wakey, gorgeous!" said a bright, cheerful male voice from behind me. "How you doin'?" When I didn't answer, said male shook my shoulders wildly until I couldn't take it anymore.
"Jesus H. Christ, Isaac! I was trying to sleep...ever heard of such a thing? It's a miracle of modern science, honestly. You should try it sometime."
He tilted my chin to make me look at him and he chuckled and said, "Sweetheart, I've tried sleep. It's nice, but not realistic. Besides, your two choices of the moment is either to stay here and be Dr. Queer food, or to get your butt in gear and make a getaway with me."
"What? Just you? Where's Jaden? She's...she's here, right?"
He smiled at me as if I was so stupid to ask such a thing. "Yeah, she's here. She's actually been waiting outside....for about two hours. Whatever Dr. Q gave you, it must have been pretty damn powerful. When I found you--like twelve hours ago--you were passed out cold. To be even more specific, you looked like you were halfway dead. I suspect the Creep planned it that way."
"The Creep?" I said, smiling against my will. "That's a pretty apt description. Do you know anything else about him? And about...about me being...the-"
"The Quiet Girl? Yeah. While I was waiting for you in here, I did some research on my iKnow and came up with some pretty interesting stuff. But first we have to get you out of here." He gave me a pair of jeans and his t-shirt, and shoved me towards a make-shift closet that was actually the boiler room.
I pulled on the jeans commando, since apparently I didn't have any undergarments with me and slid Isaac's t-shirt over my head. And then I realized Isaac didn't have another one. I shoved my feet into my sneakers which had somehow survived this whole ordeal and slipped out of the boiler closet.
"Tah-dah!" I declared, stepping out in all my glory. "Let's get out of here before the Creep notices me missing." I stopped at once, finally taking in Isaac's upper nakedness. "Ahem. Where is your shirt, mister?"
Isaac's azure irises flicked in my direction unconcernedly. "Are we really going to stand here debating the trials of traveling with me half-naked? Is it really that much of a problem, Amethyst?" he demanded, hands on hips.
"Unfortunately for you, yes, it is. I am not traveling with a naked guy friend! It is so not happening."
Isaac sighed melodramatically and walked closer. "Well, if you'd prefer, you can give me your shirt back and you can go naked. It's more awkward for girls, though." He gave me a boyish once-over and grinned wickedly. "'Course, I wouldn't mind all that much."
"You are such a pain!" I groaned, elbowing him in the stomach. "Whatever. Let's get going. We can pick up a shirt from some sketchy homeless guy if it's that much of an issue, I guess. Let's just hope it doesn't get to that point. Talking to hobos doesn't really make us that inconspicuous, if you know what I mean."
Then we heard a crash and a beautiful use of the f word coming from two rooms away and we simultaneously looked at each other and ran for our lives.
We got about as far as the stairwell before we were intercepted by a giant, terrifying...
Saint Bernard.
Well, not really terrifying...just surprising. I mean, the dog came out of nowhere, just popping out of the shadows and barreling toward us, paws on our chest until we tumbled to the ground, attacked by slobbery, overwhelming kisses.
"Okay, okay!" I yelled, trying to shove the dog off. The Saint Bernard wagged its tail expectantly and that's when I knew what it was asking.
"Oh no, puppy. No, no, no, no, no...we already have a mutated squirrel named Martin; we don't need a gargantuan Saint Bernard. Okay? Nice meeting you but we have to go." The dog gave me the sad puppy eyes and it took all my will not to wrap my arms around it and bring it with us.
"Come on, Isaac," I said, grabbing his arm, urging him to run. "We have to go! NOW!"
Isaac stood rooted to the spot, just staring at the dog. "I can't leave it behind, Am! It's homeless...and if we don't adopt it, it'll have to live with Creep for the rest of its life! Come on...please?"
"Not the puppy dog eyes on you, too!" I moaned, stomping my foot in frustration. "Fine! We'll take Mammoth the Saint Bernard. But. No. More. Pets! I've already got a mutated squirrel named Martin in my entourage. No more!"
Isaac nodded agreeably and I pulled Mammoth's collar and tugged him until he got the memo and ran with us. I knew we'd left just in time, because the doors closed behind us just as Dr. Quentin's "ARGGHHH!" rang out behind us.
"Nice work," I said to Isaac, high-fiving him and hurrying to meet up with Jaden at the top of the hill.
We. Were. Out. Of. Here!
"Where were you?!" Jaden yelled at us in frustration. "I've been waiting here forever! What were you, Amethyst, Sleeping Beauty who was force-fed a date-rape drug or something? You were like a dead person in there!"
I squinted at her. "How would you know? You were out here!"
Jaden blinked furiously and her face paled considerably, her gaze flickering over at Isaac and then settling on the ground. "Um. Yeah. I was out here. I was just...making up situations to pass the time. Yeah, that was it."
"You have always been a terrible liar, Jaden," I said, rolling my eyes and smiling at her. "C'mon now. What happened?"
She pointed to Isaac and said, "He happened. He took pictures of you and sent them to me while we were both waiting for you to wake up from the Land of the Dead. But seriously, Am...you were like the Sleeping Dead."
"Yeah...I figured as much." I spun on Isaac. "And you! What did you think, you were going to post my dead-person images on LoudBook? Not. Cool. Mister! You should be ashamed!"
"Holy Mother of God, Am! Calm down! You're going to have a cardiac arrest before you've even hit seventeen. You're not that old yet. Don't start acting like a mom until you're at least twenty-one, okay?" Isaac said, nudging me until I finally nodded exasperatedly.
"Okay, then. Stop being difficult, Icky, and maybe we can actually get something accomplished today. As in, get out of here. As long as we're in a five-mile radius of Dr. Quentin's laboratory, we're not safe."
"How do you know?" asked Jaden, squeezing my hand. But whether for my benefit or hers, I didn't know. Luckily, it was working its magic on me. I was beyond frightened at this point.
"While the Creep was going on and on about my immense value, I noticed he had tons of security cameras and a huge satellite tracking disk on top of his laboratory. Actually, it's sort of bothering me that he wasn't able to apprehend us."
"Why? You want to go back and be a lab rat for another couple of eternities? Yeah, sounds like fun, huh, Amethyst?" Isaac said, that smug smile resting itself on his lips.
I glared at him and he shrunk back. Ha. As you should, jerk. "No, actually, it was because that whole time you were waiting for me to get dressed so we could go, there were about five security cameras all angled in the room he had me in. He should have been able to see me...which leads me to believe he let us go. It shouldn't have been that easy. So obviously-"
"He has other plans for you in store," Jaden cut in, finishing my sentence for me.
"Spoiler alert!" I shouted, sliding her a sideways glance. "But yeah, you're right. Our escape was practically handed to us on a silver platter, and that's not normally how villains operate. So that means we have to get moving." I looked back at Isaac and saw him checking his iKnow. "Find anything interesting?"
"It's all quite interesting," he said, his eyes never leaving his phone. "But unfortunately, it more falls under the 'mystery' category than the 'helpful information' category. It seems most of it is classified."
I nearly coughed up a lung. "Did you just say 'classified?' That's...that's straight-out weird, man. I've never heard of any information being classified."
Isaac cut his eyes to me, his expression giving nothing away, which was something I especially hated. "Yeah. It seems to me the Quiets are very rare and unknown in their origin, and apparently someone wants to keep it that way. So now we look for answers elsewhere."
I paused, stopping short, and as I did so Mammoth the Saint Bernard slammed into me, almost knocking me over. Luckily Jaden was behind me and was able to steady me before we could have another 'Fainting Amethyst' episode. I wasn't real anxious to repeat the experience.
"Sounds like a great plan, Isaac. Only problem, what is 'elsewhere?' And how do you suppose we go about finding this 'elsewhere?' Under rocks? In the branches of trees? In people's basements? No offense, Icky, but you're going to have to be more clear."
Isaac sighed exasperatedly and rolled his eyes at me. "Sorry, Am, but you're on your own with this one. I'll supply ideas, but that's all. How we get these ideas accomplished is completely up to you, love."
I narrowed my eyes into slits. "Excuse me? Did you just call me love? I don't think so, mister. Sorry, but no. Nice try but next time try using my name. Most people are smart enough to call me Amethyst...but apparently it didn't pass on to you now, did it?"
He glared back at me and I knew we were both only inches away from clawing each other's throats out. At least, I knew I was, and as much as I hated him at this moment in time, I didn't really want to strangle him, either. I thought it'd be easier to just let it ride.
"Oh Jesus H. Christ, guys!" Jaden said, her eyes going wide with alarm. "They're coming! They've located us and they don't seem too happy, by the way."
"What? How?!" I screeched, my heart stopping for the longest five seconds of my life I've ever experienced.
"As I've come to understand, Dr. Quentin helped the City of Loud along in the process. I think we've just found out why he let you go. He knew putting the City of Loud on your heels would be a lot more effective. And...and I'm pretty sure he told them everything else and more. I'm not even sure if we can get away. Unfortunately, there's really no way to get off the grid in this god-awful place. God only knows what's going to happen."
I scrunched my eyes together, took a deep, shuddering breath, and said, "No. We're not waiting for rescue or death. We're going to go as far as we possibly can, and if and when they catch up to us, we're going to fight. I didn't come all this way just to be kidnapped by an evil scientist, rescued by Mr. Prince Charming over here, and get detained and/or killed minutes later." I swirled on them and grabbed their wrists. "Let's go. We wait much longer and we're sitting ducks. We'll be dead no matter what."
"Okay, then. Stop being difficult, Icky, and maybe we can actually get something accomplished today. As in, get out of here. As long as we're in a five-mile radius of Dr. Quentin's laboratory, we're not safe."
"How do you know?" asked Jaden, squeezing my hand. But whether for my benefit or hers, I didn't know. Luckily, it was working its magic on me. I was beyond frightened at this point.
"While the Creep was going on and on about my immense value, I noticed he had tons of security cameras and a huge satellite tracking disk on top of his laboratory. Actually, it's sort of bothering me that he wasn't able to apprehend us."
"Why? You want to go back and be a lab rat for another couple of eternities? Yeah, sounds like fun, huh, Amethyst?" Isaac said, that smug smile resting itself on his lips.
I glared at him and he shrunk back. Ha. As you should, jerk. "No, actually, it was because that whole time you were waiting for me to get dressed so we could go, there were about five security cameras all angled in the room he had me in. He should have been able to see me...which leads me to believe he let us go. It shouldn't have been that easy. So obviously-"
"He has other plans for you in store," Jaden cut in, finishing my sentence for me.
"Spoiler alert!" I shouted, sliding her a sideways glance. "But yeah, you're right. Our escape was practically handed to us on a silver platter, and that's not normally how villains operate. So that means we have to get moving." I looked back at Isaac and saw him checking his iKnow. "Find anything interesting?"
"It's all quite interesting," he said, his eyes never leaving his phone. "But unfortunately, it more falls under the 'mystery' category than the 'helpful information' category. It seems most of it is classified."
I nearly coughed up a lung. "Did you just say 'classified?' That's...that's straight-out weird, man. I've never heard of any information being classified."
Isaac cut his eyes to me, his expression giving nothing away, which was something I especially hated. "Yeah. It seems to me the Quiets are very rare and unknown in their origin, and apparently someone wants to keep it that way. So now we look for answers elsewhere."
I paused, stopping short, and as I did so Mammoth the Saint Bernard slammed into me, almost knocking me over. Luckily Jaden was behind me and was able to steady me before we could have another 'Fainting Amethyst' episode. I wasn't real anxious to repeat the experience.
"Sounds like a great plan, Isaac. Only problem, what is 'elsewhere?' And how do you suppose we go about finding this 'elsewhere?' Under rocks? In the branches of trees? In people's basements? No offense, Icky, but you're going to have to be more clear."
Isaac sighed exasperatedly and rolled his eyes at me. "Sorry, Am, but you're on your own with this one. I'll supply ideas, but that's all. How we get these ideas accomplished is completely up to you, love."
I narrowed my eyes into slits. "Excuse me? Did you just call me love? I don't think so, mister. Sorry, but no. Nice try but next time try using my name. Most people are smart enough to call me Amethyst...but apparently it didn't pass on to you now, did it?"
He glared back at me and I knew we were both only inches away from clawing each other's throats out. At least, I knew I was, and as much as I hated him at this moment in time, I didn't really want to strangle him, either. I thought it'd be easier to just let it ride.
"Oh Jesus H. Christ, guys!" Jaden said, her eyes going wide with alarm. "They're coming! They've located us and they don't seem too happy, by the way."
"What? How?!" I screeched, my heart stopping for the longest five seconds of my life I've ever experienced.
"As I've come to understand, Dr. Quentin helped the City of Loud along in the process. I think we've just found out why he let you go. He knew putting the City of Loud on your heels would be a lot more effective. And...and I'm pretty sure he told them everything else and more. I'm not even sure if we can get away. Unfortunately, there's really no way to get off the grid in this god-awful place. God only knows what's going to happen."
I scrunched my eyes together, took a deep, shuddering breath, and said, "No. We're not waiting for rescue or death. We're going to go as far as we possibly can, and if and when they catch up to us, we're going to fight. I didn't come all this way just to be kidnapped by an evil scientist, rescued by Mr. Prince Charming over here, and get detained and/or killed minutes later." I swirled on them and grabbed their wrists. "Let's go. We wait much longer and we're sitting ducks. We'll be dead no matter what."
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