The Chaos Chronicles/ Chapter Seventeen

As the Harvest Moon approaches, Rose's birthday party goes from bad to worse.
==Included Characters==
Thorn the Fox
Rose the Hedgehog
Kyle the Squirrel
Honey the Cat
Midnight the Echidna
Noon the Echidna
Nails the Bat
Cocoa the Dog
Daisy the Dog
Aurum the Dog
Quartz the Dog
Topaz the Chameleon
Nightshade the Fox
Chester the Squirrel
Jason the Squirrel (Hallucination)
==Chapter Seventeen: The Dead Don't Stay Dead==
Rose was asleep in her bed. She was dreaming.
Rose stepped onto the field outside the G.U.N. Fortress.
A crowd of admirers were greeting her, yelling "We love you, Rose!"
Rose smiled, waving at them.
Suddenly, a brown fox in the crowd began to scream. She pointed behind Rose. Rose turned around, and saw Nightshade. Nightshade knocked her to the ground. The ground opened up, and Rose fell into a pit. The pit closed up around her.
Rose opened her eyes, and found Nightshade staring down at her.
"I can't leave you yet." Nightshade said. "I'm not all here."
"The Harvest Moon is perfect for my plans because the darkness is lessened." Nightshade said.
"Darkness?" Rose asked.
"Ah, yes. A shadow you have met before." Nightshade said.
"Now, how shall your birthday go?" Nightshade asked.
She showed Rose three visions, one where everyone was dancing and having a good time, another where everyone lied dead. The third vision showed all of the party guests staring at her.
Rose's eyes widened in fear.
"If I don't follow your demands...everyone dies..." Rose said.
"Yes," Nightshade said.
Rose shot awake screaming.
"Rose!" Daisy exclaimed. She tried to comfort her.
The next day, Midnight, Quartz, and Aurum were training in hand-to-hand combat.
"I need to protect you all from the Jinn." Midnight said.
"We don't need protection!" Aurum exclaimed.
"We can take care of ourselves." Quartz agreed.
"Fine..." Midnight said.
Daisy was researching healing techniques in the library.
"What are you doing?" Cocoa asked.
"I'm researching healing techniques for Topaz." Daisy said. "I'm really worried about him."
"Since when did you care about Topaz?"
"Since I saw him throwing up black goo." Daisy replied.
Thorn and Kyle went into Nails' office.
"So how's it going?" Kyle asked.
"I'm working on it. The bestiary says the Jinn are creatures that live between life and death." Nails said.
"So..they're like the Netherworld of mortals?" Thorn asked.
"In a way, they're a cross between mortals and angels, if you believe in that sort of thing." Nails said. "The Jinn died though."
"So...our Jinn is someone who's dead?" Kyle asked.
Honey was walking with Rose.
"You know, you didn't send out any invitations for your party." Honey said.
"My parents booked Club Rouge in Central City. I'm sure everyone is going to be there." Rose told her. "Everyone always comes to my parties."
"Maybe this year will be different..." Honey said.
"Wanna help me pick out my dress for tonight?" Rose asked.
"Sure." Honey replied.
They went into Rose's room.
Daisy walked up to Topaz in the hallway.
"Are you going to Rose's party?" Daisy asked.
"I don't think she would want me there." Topaz said.
"Look, I know we've only just gotten together, but I think-" Daisy began.
"I'm not going." Topaz said. "It's not a good idea."
"Topaz..." Daisy said.
He grabbed her arm. She recoiled, frightened by the look in his eyes.
"I'll see you there." Daisy told him, walking away.
Topaz's eyes flashed in anger.
That night, Rose's parents flew Omega Squad back to Central City for Rose's birthday party.
They all went into Club Rouge. It was a nightclub in the Casino District Night Babylon of Central City.
Music blared throughout the club as they walked in.
Thorn, Kyle, and Honey sat at a table together.
"I'm sorry about us fighting earlier." Thorn told Honey.
"Me too." Honey said.
"So...who do you guys think is actually coming?" Kyle asked.
"Truthfully, I have no idea." Thorn said.
"I guess Chester might want to come..." Kyle sighed.
"Let's see if we can round up our contact lists..." Honey said, taking out her phone.
Rose was giving everyone glasses of punch.
Cocoa and Daisy arrived through the door. Cocoa brought a huge present for Rose.
"Aw, thanks Cocoa!" Rose told him.
"No...no problem." Cocoa said.
Daisy hurriedly looked through the crowd for signs of Topaz.
Quartz and Aurum walked into Club Rouge.
"Hey guys!" Rose said. "Have some punch!" She handed all of the guests glasses of punch.
Later on, Topaz arrived.
"Hi, Topaz." Rose said. "Here, let me give you some punch."
She put punch into more glasses. There were belladonna petals floating in the bowl, and someone had spiked it with alcohol.
Honey had just finished her second glass of punch when she saw a hooded figure at the party. The figure approached her with a crossbow drawn.
"Help!" Honey yelled.
The figure shot a bolt into her gut.
"Ah.." she cried. Honey tried to stop the blood pouring from the wound. Honey looked up at the attacker, and saw herself.
"You're pathetic. Yelling for help like that, as if you couldn't take care of yourself." her hooded doppleganger said.
She aimed another bolt at Honey's head. Honey closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she was still sitting in her chair as if nothing had happened.
Chester walked in to Club Rouge. He accidentally knocked into Topaz.
"Sorry mister!" He said, walking past him.
Topaz's eyes flashed in anger, but then turned to glee.
Kyle had finished his third glass of punch.
His father, Jason, appeared in front of him. He held a bottle of liqour.
"I just came from her funeral!" Jason yelled.
"Dad, what are you doing?!" Kyle asked.
"It's your fault!" Jason yelled at him. "All your fault your mother's dead!"
"When I took care of her in the hospital, where where you?! Off playing games with your friends!" Jason cried.
"You're a hyperactive little kid who can't stay out of trouble. You killed her and now you're killing me!" He threw his liqour bottle at Kyle, who ducked.
Kyle cried, closing his eyes.
"Hey, you okay?" Chester asked.
Kyle was sitting in his chair and there was no sign of his father at the party.
"Yeah...yeah I think so." Kyle told him.
"Good. Cause I just saw a pretty orange hedgehog and she seems really nice and-" Chester said.
"Chester," Kyle said, "thanks for coming."
His brother beamed at him.
Daisy met up with Thorn on the dance floor.
"Hey," she said. "Have you seen Topaz?"
"Uh, looks like he's that way." Thorn said.
Topaz was heading up the stairs.
"Thanks!" Daisy said. She eagerly followed him.
Daisy caught up to Topaz at the top of the stairs.
"Hey, I thought you weren't gonna make it." Daisy said.
Topaz grinned as she ran to him, kissing him.
Thorn was looking for Rose.
"Have you seen Rose?" Thorn asked Cocoa.
"Yeah, she just went outside." Cocoa said.
"Why?" Thorn asked.
"I don't know." Cocoa replied.
The Harvest Moon began to rise as Rose walked in a daze through Central City.
"Chaos Control..." she muttered.
Rose teleported away.
Midnight was guarding the Master Emerald on Angel Island. The Harvest Moon was rising higher in the sky, and the air around Angel Island grew electric.
"Something's happening..." Midnight whispered.
She texted Noon.
He and Nails had arrived at Rose's party.
"Where's the birthday girl?" Nails asked.
"We brought presents." Noon said.
"That's what we're all wondering." Thorn said, meeting them at the door.
"Well, there is the owner's loft upstairs." Cocoa said. "Maybe she went up there?"
Noon got a message on his phone from Midnight.
"Um, I have to go." Noon said.
He kissed Nails on the cheek and left.
"What's that about?" Thorn asked.
"I wish I knew..." Nails said.
Thorn, Nails, and Cocoa went up to the loft.
Daisy ran into them, distressed.
"I don't know what happened! One minute we were kissing, the next he was gone!" Daisy exclaimed.
A flash of light came into Midnight's view, blinding her.
"Rose?" Midnight asked.
Rose walked in a daze towards Midnight. She blew a purple powder into Midnight's face, knocking her out.
Rose dragged Midnight to the Master Emerald. She drew a complex pattern of runes around the altar, and placed Midnight's hand in the center of them. The Harvest Moon was in the center of the sky. The runes around the Master Emerald glowed purple and black.
A black arm with claws reached out of the runes. It grabbed Midnight's hand.
Kyle, Honey, and Chester were walking him home.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Kyle asked.
"I'll be fine." Chester said.
"Call me if you need anything." Kyle said. "I love you, bro."
"Bye." Chester said.
As he was about to go inside, the Jinn grabbed his shoulder.
"It's...you?" he asked.
Midnight's eyes flung open. They were glowing lavender, and the black hand with claws grabbed her hand with a fierce grip.
Nightshade emerged from the runes.
"I see you are indeed my Waker." Nightshade smirked.
Rose broke out of her daze.
"Thank you for the help, Rose." Nightshade said.
She disappeared into a flash of purple light.Category:Sub-pages