chapter 7 sea of memories

The bell echoed throughout the building, its chime signaling not only the end of the day but also the start of a life-or-death fight. I tried to catch my breath from training, barely managing to finish. Madison hovered over me, her face flashing with worry. "Are you okay?" she asked, handing me a water bottle. I struggled to sit up, grabbed the bottle, and chugged it. I swallowed hard, threw my head back, and nodded at her, feeling refreshed.

"Do you feel better prepared for tonight?" Mrs. Dean asked nervously, leaning against the door with her arms crossed. "I'm not sure, to be honest," I admitted, "but I'm confident I'm better than I was when we started." She sighed at my answer and walked closer, her gaze softening as she stared down at me. "I will accompany you into battle," she said with a reassuring smile. Her words made my anxiety slowly fade away.

"I'm coming along too," Madison chimed in, her expression fearless. I turned to her, worried. "Madison, don't you only have healing magic?" I asked. She paused, her eyes swelling with tears. "I mean, yes, but if you and my dad die in this fight, I'll..." Her voice trailed off as she grabbed my hand. We stared at each other, concern for each other's well-being heavy on our minds. "I would rather die with you in battle than live under the landlord's tyranny," she declared. I listened and agreed. She was right—I didn't want to fight alone. It was comforting to have allies by my side.

"Let's go," I uttered bravely. We marched headfirst into the gym. It was dark and cold, the atmosphere tense upon entering. The sound of rain hitting the gymnasium roof echoed, and lightning danced across the night sky, its flashes providing the only source of light. As I mentally counted the flashes—1... 2... 3—a long, dangly figure appeared seemingly out of thin air. All the hairs on my neck stood on end, chills vibrating down my spine. My breathing became labored.

"Welcome, my little puppet. It's been so long," JoJo hummed in a whimsical, eerie manner. His red eyes glowed in the dark, and I began to shiver at the sound of his voice. "Why don't we hit the lights? We don't want you to die too quickly," he said. The building illuminated, and we could see him in all his terror. He floated and laughed menacingly. "Three against one isn't very fair. Why don't we even the odds?" He raised one hand, smiling as he conjured a spell. "CIRCUS MAGIC! ROAMING PERFORMERS!" His hand turned blood red, and palms burst out of the ground. Soon, the room was filled with undead people.

Madison slipped behind me in fear, while Mrs. Dean and I pulled ahead of her. "This is it. Remember your training," Mrs. Dean said. I nodded nervously. This was it. I tried to calm my shaking hands and steady my breathing.

The undead charged toward us. Mrs. Dean wasted no time in retaliation. "THREAD MAGIC! BINDING COIL!" Her hands glowed deep purple as a barrage of threads shot out, wrapping around all the zombies. Within seconds, they were immobilized. "You did it!" Madison cheered from behind us. I exhaled in relief. If we kept up this pace, we might stand a chance. Jojo, however, didn't seem fazed. He just continued to hum creepily. "La la la, da da da, hmmm... what to do? What to do?" he mocked.

"You can start by giving up and returning Mr. Stone," Mrs. Dean boldly declared. She sent magic through her strings, decapitating the zombies. They fell to the ground, motionless. Jojo started to clap at her skill. "Not bad. Let's increase the difficulty a bit," he said mischievously.

Breaking my silence, I glared at him with newfound composure. "We don't have to play by your rules. Where is Mr. Stone, Jojo?" He laughed and pointed behind us. We turned around to see Mr. Stone unconscious, with a girl dressed in a clown outfit holding a knife to his throat. Madison screamed and tried to run to him, but I grabbed her arm. The girl pressed the blade harder, drawing blood.

"Release him!" Jojo commanded. With eerie calmness, she dropped him and stepped back. The girl jumped over us, landing a few feet in front of Jojo, staring us down. "FATHER!" Madison rushed over, yelling for him. She began to tear up. "HEALING MAGIC! SOOTHING PALM!" Her hands glowed white as she placed them on his neck.

"Looks like you lost your bargaining chip," I said confidently, only to be laughed at by Jojo. "Giving him back doesn't mean you'll all make it out alive... unless I allow it," he said, his voice tinged with annoyance. "Let's continue our fun." He snapped his fingers, and the girl charged at us with her blade.

Mrs. Dean's hands erupted with crackling violet light as she roared, "THREAD MAGIC! FIBER WHIPS!" Dozens of glowing threads surged from her fingertips, twisting into barbed, serpentine lashes that sliced through the air with a shrill hiss. The clown girl didn't flinch. Her painted smile stretched wider as she cartwheeled backward, her limbs bending at unnatural angles to evade the onslaught. Mrs. Dean gritted her teeth, sweat dripping down her temples as she combined the whips into a single colossal tendril. It thrashed like a living thing, tearing gouges in the gym floor as it hurtled toward the girl. She stands still as the attacks stretches towards her "may I my lord?" the girl asked robotically

Red magic surrounded her, and I felt her grow stronger. Without missing a beat, she deflected the whip with a single swift kick, sending it crashing through the ceiling. Rain began to pour in as the spell disappeared. "She smacked it away like it was nothing," Mrs. Dean commented, shocked. I started to sweat nervously again.

muffled laughs from behind the girl fill the room until his laughing turned to pleasurable moans "As entertaining as you are, I came here to play with you" Jojo said, pointing his bony finger at me. Every eye fell on me. "Our last encounter left me unsatisfied," he grimaced. I frowned in confusion. "I think you have me mixed up with someone else. I don't know you."

"You hurt my feelings, playing ignorant, little girl?" he huffed. "Unless..." He moved his hand in a waving motion toward me. His magic engulfed me, and my head started pounding. I dropped to my knees in pain. "Dominique!" Mrs. Dean shouted in worry. She dashed toward me but was blocked by the girl.

Memories flooded into my head, overwhelming me. Tears fell as it all came back to me. "I... I remember," I said dejectedly. "What do you say when someone does something for you?" Jojo mocked. "It seems they placed a sealing spell on your mind, but I graciously removed it." I ignored him, trying to collect my racing thoughts. "I caused this. I brought him here," I declared shamefully.

Madison and Mrs. Dean looked at me, shocked. I turned away in embarrassment. "I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!" Madison erupted in anger. I turned to face her. Mr. Stone had regained consciousness and sat up. "I don't believe it either. He's a liar and a manipulator," Mr. Stone said. I glanced at them with pleading eyes, my guilt eating at me. How couldn't I blame myself?

"He is an evil being. Look, I don't know what you've been through, Dom, but..." Madison paused, clasping her hands to her chest. "The time I've spent with you... I can confidently say, without a doubt," she continued, her voice rising to a yell, "YOU'RE NOTHING LIKE WHAT HE TOLD YOU YOU WERE! YOU'RE GOOD, DOM!" Mr. Stone chimed in with words of encouragement. "Don't ever take the words of this monster to heart." Lastly, Mrs. Dean added, "I can tell your eyes and soul are beautiful. Please don't fall for his lies." Finally, they all yelled in unison, "WE NEED YOU!"

I began to sob harder, my vision blurry from their words. Madison stood up, her voice calm this time. "Your presence in our lives is valuable." With her words, it felt like the darkness in my heart melted away. My shoulders felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted. The words I had wished to hear all this time—from anyone, from somewhere—I finally got them. I felt wanted.

I stood up, wiping my tear-filled eyes, and relaxed my mind and trembling body. I turned to Jojo with newfound resolve. "Thank you for giving me my memories back, Jojo." He frowned, his gaze unsure. "I promise, Madison, I will never lose heart again," I said, awkwardly raising my fist to fight. From now on, I would fight for the life I wanted and deserved. No longer would I allow anyone to mentally, emotionally, or physically abuse me.

"Come at me," I challenged. JoJo snapped his fingers, and the girl rushed me. She was fast, kicking me in the stomach and sending me flying. I gasped for air, but I didn't lose my spark. I stood up again, raising my hands. I hear the sound of water on the floor from the rain. My hands glowed a deep blue, and a magic circle burst forth. JoJo's eyes widened in surprise as the whole room lit up from my magic.

The rainwater gathered into a large stream. I moved my hands, and the water followed. (I see—it follows with my hands, just like in the tub.) I chased the girl around the gym with my magic. She dipped and dived out of the way, growing frustrated. I thought of the stream getting bigger, and as if sentient, it collected more rainwater and grew. My hands trembled, but the rainwater pooling at my feet responded, rising in shimmering ribbons that coiled around my arms like liquid serpents. "Flow," I whispered. The water obeyed, glowing cerulean as it surged toward the clown girl in a roaring wave. She sprinted up the gym wall, her limbs a blur, but the water split into dozens of needle-like projectiles. They harried her, slicing through the air with a sound like screaming wind. She flipped backward, "if only i could hold her in place" i muttered I clenched my fist—the water hardened into icy shackles around her ankles. Allowing me to overtake her Caught in my trail of water, I lifted her into the air, trapping her. (I don't know what to do other than drown her.) Guilt crept in, but I shook the thoughts away. It was our lives or hers and i doubt mercy was on her mind. She thrashed, her clown makeup bleeding into grotesque streaks as the liquid invaded her lungs. "I'm sorry," I choked out, watching her go limp. The water fell, drenching the floor in a cold, guilty rush all eyes turned to JoJo, who hadn't moved this whole time. He groaned angrily. "Interesting... Interesting... INTERESTING!" We all stood still, aside from the pitter-patter of the rain. It was quiet.

"I knew I felt something strange from you, but I never would have guessed you were a legendary guardian," JoJo said. I swallowed hard, fighting him leaving me shaking in my ankle boots. "If I had known what you were prior, I wouldn't have held back." Mrs. Dean ran to my side, along with Madison and Mr. Stone. They all placed their hands on my shoulders in support.

JoJo chuckled, unfazed. "In a show of respect, I'll retreat to prepare for our next bout." He burst into maniacal laughter. "The next time we meet, I will kill you... and then I will skin and wear your face." JoJo's laughter slithered through the gym, wet and gurgling, as if his throat were filled with worms. His skeletal frame hovered inches above the ground, his crimson eyes glowing like embers in a corpse pit. When he moved, his joints clicked like disjointed puppetry, his neck craning too far to the side. "Do you taste it, Dominique?" he crooned, licking cracked lips with a blackened tongue. "The fear in your veins... saccharine." Chills exploded throughout my body as he started to disappear. I stared him down with a fearful gaze, and he returned mine with a psychotic grin. Then, he was gone.

As the tension melted away, we all huddled up and hugged each other, comforting our shaken bodies.