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Adventure Fantasy Teens & Young Adult

This story contains themes or mentions of substance abuse.

Ginny Mack spoke to the angry men in the kitchen, “Don’t blame the gun for a wayward bullet.  A measured mark always hits the bullseye.  Y'all are family.  Work it out.  Only together will we succeed during this difficult time.”

The two determined men brushed past Emmy Castillo as she darted into the kitchen holding a wrapped square box.

“I thought those two were about to strangle each other.” Emmy said to Ginny,  "Men; you can’t live with them…”

“And can’t shoot them with a 45.” Ginny pulled her pistol, swirled it around her trigger finger, and holstered it. “You heard all that?”

Ginny leaned against the marble island and smiled.  Todd, Ginny’s uncle, and Mario, Emmy’s husband, had vehemently disagreed about how to extinguish the active volcano plaguing the town.

“I think they heard it in the next county. That was some great mediating, cousin.  I like the shooting analogy. Was it a saying from your dad?”

“Nah.” Ginny smirked. “My Ma.  She could shoot the fleas off a scorpion’s hide at three hundred yards.”  

“I’ll assume that is good.” Emmy said.

“Anywho, dealing with hostile friendlies is required training in the Bureau.” Ginny scratched inside a medical cast on her left foot.

 Emmy said, “How are you feeling?”

Ginny chuckled and reached for her pain medications on the counter. 

“I hate this stupid cast.  My head and ankle are better but my heart is struggling.  I trusted Tammy and she betrayed us all.  She then stole my boots and destroyed my hat. That’s sacrilege!” Ginny snapped a pill in half and swallowed it. “Doctor’s orders.  How’s Mario hand?”  She filled a glass with water and drank.

“Better." Emmy said, "He’s complaining about phantom pain.”

“Bert feels just awful he had to cut off the pinky.  Have you heard from your Ma?” Ginny said. 

Emmy said, “I never want to see her again. My mother can go to hell! She turned Tammy against us and not to mention…”

Ginny said, “Listen. We all know about it. Let sleeping scorpions lie.”

"You really hate those creatures?"

"You have no idea."

Emmy said, “The important thing is we’re all alive and here.  I can’t think about her or I will plot some revenge.”  

Tears formed between the cousins.  Ginny rubbed Emmy’s back. 

“We all got issues with our parents. At least your dad is awesome. Thankfully, my folks are dead.”

Emmy laughed and wiped tears away.  She handed the box over to Ginny.

 “I have something for you.  It came this morning.”

Ginny embraced Emmy and then meticulously removed each piece of tape before folding the wrapping paper.  Emmy rolled her eyes. The sharpshooter opened the square lid and cheered louder than her first rodeo. 

“Yeehaw!  My Stetson!” Ginny secured the hat and danced an unbalanced two step.  “Fits perfect. Thank you. It’s an exact replica. This is beyond great.”

“I ordered it directly from Oklahoma along with new boots.  The Stetson website is quite extensive.”

“When are the boots coming?” Ginny asked.

Emmy grinned and displayed her smartphone.

 “Two days.  I’ll show you.”

Mario and Todd entered the kitchen, kissed Ginny on the cheek, returned cleaning supplies, and moved back to the living room.

Todd paused at the door.

“While we cleaned up, we came up with a viable plan. Come on.”

Ginny hobbled and Emmy helped her to the parlor.  Dudley, Ginny’s brother, had restarted the meeting and gave the history of Castle Doorf and how it applied to the prophecy.

“‘When the Rocs lay in ruins, and the Ruins rise again’ is the seventh line in End of Days oracle. The first six lines have been literally fulfilled either through the earthquake or the volcano.  In three hundred years, we had many visitors from other worlds, but not all four kingdoms at once…”

Knock, knock, knock.

Emmy had reclined closest to the white front door.  She moved to answer it, but strained to hear Dudley’s lecture.  She opened the heavy oak door without looking through the peephole.

“Good evening, how may I help you?” Emmy said.

The tall visitor wore a dark green cloak and a hood which shadowed the face.

“I believe I’m lost.  I was looking for the Tasanaris.  Is this the place?”

“It is.  Do you need help?  Who are you?”

Emmy’s ears rang with a familiar sultry chuckle.

Chills zipped down her spine and froze Emmy to the floor.  She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.  Her bulging blue eyes darted back and forth. The person removed the hood.

“My love, I can’t believe you don’t recognize your own mother.”

Joselyn Castillo stepped past Emmy into the foyer.

“Close your mouth, dear, flies.”

She removed her cloak and revealed a stunning red Versace dress.

Josie said, “I hope I’m not late to the meeting.  I despise being late.”

She tramped to the living room and tossed her wrap into Emmy’s paralyzed arms.  Josie snapped her fingers and her daughter revived.

“Come along, sweets, they are waiting.”

The visitor entered the unaware parlor while Emmy chased after her. 

“Buonasera a tutti.  Good evening, everyone.”  Ms. Castillo greeted the shocked crowd.

Emmy stopped at the entrance.  All eyes followed the alluring beauty as she danced smoothly from one area to another.  Josie’s brilliant blue eyes captivated her audience while she addressed each person.

“Mr. and Mrs. Tasanari, sorry for the intrusion into your lovely home.  I believe I left on unfortunate terms last time.”

Mrs. Tasanari responded, “You attempted to seduce and kidnap our son and then destroyed the third floor.  You are not welcome here.”

“My apologies, but the elf witch also had a part in that.” She spotted Mario next to Todd, “There’s my son in law.”

The mother in law waved to Mario.  He waved back, but Emmy glared at him and his hand vanished.

“I hope our brief encounter has not haunted your dreams.” 

Josie blew a hypnotic kiss to the young man.

Emmy said, “Mother! What are you doing…”

Josie ignored her and moved to the vibrant purple ogre in the room.

“You must be Vuthbert, dagger brother to Will.”

She greeted him in an elaborate sign language sequence and pounded her chest twice.  Bert slapped his chest twice, raised an eyebrow, but gave no verbal reply.

“Ms. Castillo,” Ginny asked, “how did ya get past the mystical barrier?”

“You, my dear, must be Virginia Mack, Emmy’s cousin.  Love the accent.  Nice to finally meet Todd’s protege.  You are more lovely than described.  Impressive job on the barrier, but still a bit elementary.  I found a weakness and exploited it. ”

The visitor spun away and addressed Dudley.

“Dudley Featherstone; the son of the Founder of Flatgap, Ginny’s little brother.  Amazing.” She walked up to him and touched his cheek. “The family resemblance is uncanny.  Even how you part your hair. You have the same mole on the base of your neck.” Her red index nail grazed the birthmark.

Dudley shuttered, shuffled his feet, and cleared his throat.

“Madam, I did not know you were acquainted with my father.”

“Clever choice of words, Dudley.”

Josie grinned and messed up his immaculate hair.

She greeted the other visitor from Between.

“You must be the mayor-elect, Andrea Elfstone Miner, congrats on your victory.  A woman in power is good for all mankind.  Why are you here?”

Andrea replied, “Lord Todd asked me to help with…”

“Lord?  Don’t know enough about him?” Josie said. “Did you ever get that java juice with our man?  I believe you still have the hots for Todd.”

The mayor turned bright red.

“No need to be embarrassed, dear.”  Josie replied and stared at her former flame. “He is quite a catch and desirable. There is something intoxicating about married men.  Delicious forbidden fruit.”

She smiled and strolled up to Todd.

“Hey lover, miss me?”

“No.”

“You seem so tense.” She whispered, “Where is the perfect little lady? Out of town? Marital problems so soon?  Maybe I can help with that?” Josie placed a hand on his chest. “Assassins are so hard to get along with.  Me, I’m easy.”

“Yes you are.” Todd stepped away from the temptress.  "Now that you have insulted everyone here.” Tood said, “What do you want?”

“First, I am here to give my condolences to my family and friends in Between.  What a horrible catastrophe to happen to such a fine place.  Second, I want to make it clear, I had nothing to do with the earthquake and the volcano.”

“Sure, and scorpions make wonderful pets.” Ginny replied.

Josie sneered, “I appreciate that you respect my magical abilities and question my dubious motives, but I do not have the strength to move mountains.  I believe that is Lord Doorf’s category: ‘Faith of a mustard seed’ and all that.  Ask him.”

The friends turned to their leader.

“She could not have done it alone.  It was an act of God.” Todd resigned.

“Despite recent dealings with y’all.  I love Between and only want the best for my homeland. Which, of course, is me.” Josie continued, “Now back to my reasons.  Third, I have a problem which needs correction right away.  I need your help.”

Mr. Tasanari said, “You expect us to help you? Take a hike, witch.”

Josie ignored him and spoke directly to Todd.

“If you help me with my situation, then I will help you with the volcano.  You are probably considering a heroic plan to save Between or at least give you time to relocate all the citizens. When is the next eruption? One or two days?”

Dudley replied, “A week.  We don’t want or need your assistance.”

Josie glanced over her right shoulder.

“Uncanny.  Even that little scar on your left earlobe is a match.”

Dudley covered his left ear and quietly sat down.  Josie returned her attention to the Junkman.

“How about it, Todd?”

“Dad, no.  She cannot be trusted.” Emmy said.

Josie scoffed, “You are right.  I can’t be trusted, but we will all be in trouble if we can’t help each other.  Besides, you need my magic to stop the volcano.  That is why I brought tokens of good faith.”

She produced a gold pocket watch and handed it to Ginny.

“I believe this belongs to you.  Apparently, it only opens for Doorfs.  Sorry, I couldn’t retrieve the boots.”

Ginny accepted it and popped open the mechanism.

Josie spun and displayed the Oothbert Sword, a Doorf heirloom to Todd.  She placed it in his strong hands and stepped back.

“I had planned to use it to disembowel your wife, but plans changed.”

The blade rang true as Todd removed the weapon from the sheath.  He pricked his finger on the razor sharp edges. He replaced the sword into the case and hid it behind the armchair.  

“How did you get this?” 

“Tammy was a wonderful thief.  Sorry, lover.” Josie pouted.

Todd asked, “What is your situation?”

His followers protested, but they quieted when he lifted his left hand.

Josie moved to the bay window and pushed aside a curtain.  She spied outside and then turned around to explain.

“Last week, while I was a guest here, I teleported to New York to have a final conversation with David.  To be honest, I was going to drain all his magical powers and throw his carcass into the Hudson River.  However, McMasters had departed from the GEMS board meeting moments before and disappeared.”

Josie’s long black hair slid into her charming face.  She wrangled it around diamond studded earlobes.

“I did enjoy dismantling his underlings, but he is still at large.  I thought I had him under control.  He has never been able to regain his former magical strength.  David had been dependent on me for at least ten years for any of his power.  He has gone rogue.  He must have another power source.  My minions are searching for him.”

“Dr. McMasters is your problem.” Mario spoke up, “He is a threat to you, not us.”

“You are so cute, when you try to think.” Josie winked at him. “But you are wrong.  It was his idea to start GEMS, his idea to bring Emmy to Between, and his idea to retrieve Dragon to eliminate Todd.  I know now I should have been more hands on in my managerial leadership.  I am more of a ‘big picture’ than ‘day to day’ person.”

Josie walked to the center of the room.

“He loathes Todd for stealing his car, trapping him in the past, and having repeated love affairs with me.  In that order, he would ramble on for hours.  He resents I still love you.  His whole reason for living is to destroy Todd and all he loves.  May I please have a drink of water?  I am parched from all this speaking.”

“No.” Mrs. Tasanari said.

“I’ll get it.” Emmy said.

Emmy hustled to the kitchen and moments later returned with a full glass of ice water for her mother.

“Thanks, honey.” She drank half the glass. “Ahh, that was refreshing.  Was it lemon water?”

“Yes.” Emmy replied with a smirk.

“Josie, you want us to find David and eliminate him and you will help us control the volcano.” Todd said.

“Precisely.” She finished the water. “I will help with Between first, since it is imminent.  May I get some more?  Thanks, love.”

Emmy retrieved the glass, placed it behind her back, but made no move to the kitchen.

Todd asked, “One question, what do you know about McMaster’s plans with your old cabin?”

Josie yawned and covered her mouth. 

“The love shack.  I haven’t thought about that dump in twenty years.  Only to fondly recall our multiple secret rendezvous.”

The visitor stumbled and sat down on a lounge chair.  She deeply yawned and rubbed her neck.

“I am so sleepy all of a…” She yawned again. “…a sudden.”

“Mom, are you okay?” Emmy grinned.

“I’m fine, baby.  Do we have a deal?” Josie forced herself to her feet.  She reached her hand out to Todd.

The Junkman paused and looked around the room.  

He grasped Josie’s hand and she collapsed in his arms.  An unconscious Josie snored as he scooped her up.  Emmy giggled.

“Emmy, what did you do?” Todd asked.

“I crushed up some of Ginny’s pain meds into the lemon water.”

“What?” Todd barked. “How many!”

“I don’t know, three or four?”

“Four is lethal.  Ginny, get my medical bag.” He spoke to Emmy, “Your cousin only takes half a pill for pain.”

Emmy gasped and ran to Mario. 

“I’m sorry.  I just wanted to slow her down. I didn’t want to kill her!”

Ginny scampered out of the room, while Tood lowered Josie on the couch.  The beauty stopped breathing.  He gave her mouth to mouth.

“What’s happening?” Dudley asked.

Tood did chest compressions.

“Her heart, lungs, and brain are all shutting down at the same time due to the overdose.”

Emmy started weeping.  Ginny returned with the bag.

“Here you go, boss.” Ginny said. “Y’all get out of here.  It’s gonna get messy.  Mario, take your wife upstairs. Now!”

The Tasanaris and guests retreated from the parlor to the front stairs.

“Ginny, keep doing the compressions like I showed you and breathe into her mouth.  I have to find the adrenaline.  Where is the autoinjector?”

His niece responded immediately.

“Adrenaline?  Like from exercise?” Mario asked from the stairwell.

“Yes, but a concentrated dosage: 500 micrograms.  It will jump start her heart and then her lungs and brain.  Found them!”

Todd readied the long needle injector.

“Ginny, stand back, but be ready to pump her stomach.”

Tood stabbed the needle deep into Josie’s middle left thigh.

No one in the house breathed.

Emmy whimpered from the stairs, “Mom.”

Josie’s body jolted to life. 

Her sudden jump upright startled the medics.  An unearthly moan echoed from the victim’s perfect mouth and haunted their inner ears.  Pale blue eyes bulged and then crashed closed.  As she collapsed to the sofa, painful wheezes rasped from unconscious lips.  

Amidst remorseful screams of fear and chaos, Tood rushed to check the patient’s wavering vitals.  Emmy scrambled past Mario back to the parlor.  Ginny spotted her cousin and whipped out her sidearm. 

Ginny ordered, “Don’t take another step, Emmy.  You are under arrest for attempted murder.”

Emmy froze. “What?  I just want to make sure…”

Ginny cocked the hammer. 

“Get down on the floor with your hands behind your…”

Emmy said, “No.  She is my…”

The sharpshooter shot in the air which destroyed part of the ceiling.

Emmy conceded and lay on the floor.  Ginny jumped on Emmy and secured her wrists with surgical tape. 

Ginny said,“There is no way in hell, you are getting near her.”  

“Get off of me, you redneck!”

Emmy struggled until she heard kissing.  She paused and witnessed Todd crying.

“Dad? Mom!”

 Todd squeezed and kissed her mother’s limp manicured hand.

January 10, 2025 22:59

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