Book 2: The Search For Warnerstock

Secret's Out

~Rachel's POV~

(The next day...)

*March 6th*

We were up and early as we were traveling on foot. As I was walking, I was watching the other getting along with Aqua. I was glad that everyone was learning and growing from her. Even Rita, Pinky, and Carrie as well.

"It's a beautiful morning out today." Wakko said.

"More beautiful than I could've ever imagined." Yakko nodded her head.

"It surely is." Aqua nodded.

I smiled as they all agreed with Wakko. But I looked away from them as I knew that they weren't going to be in my life for much longer. As we were still walking, I smelled something that was very familiar to me. 'Hold up now, I've been here before. I think it's still here.' I thought to myself.

I looked over at the others and they were having a snowball fight. I started thinking to myself. 'I remember this place like I remember every other place. I've been through history and never grow old like my sister or anyone else.' I looked at the horizon ahead of us. "Hmm..." I said as I looked back at the others.

"Hey! You missed Wakko!" Yakko said as he threw a snowball at Wakko.

"Oof!" Wakko shook off the snow and laughed. "You're gonna get it!"

Dot laughed. "You're acting like kids again." she said as she pitched in.

I smiled to see them having fun. But I frowned and started walking ahead without anybody knowing. "Just like everyone else. They'll be born to live and live to die. And I don't want that to happen..." I said to myself as I felt my heart dropping.

As I walked in ahead to a familiar part of the woods, I saw a grave headstone. I looked at it and wipes off the snow covering it and it revealed myself on the stone. "Wow. You're still here." I said to myself as I saw my own headstone.

To be honest, they don't know that I'm actually dead. And that I can't age like other people. I've been 28 years old forever. And the only way for me to age again was to propose to the one I love and to get married. I was cursed back in my home planet and couldn't age. As I was still distracted, I heard footprints behind me. So I used my wings to cover my headstone.

"Hey sis?" Aqua said.

"Oh, hey sis!" I waved to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Pinky and Rita noticed that you weren't around and saw your paw prints. So I followed them here to you." she responded.

"You shouldn't wander like that." Rita said as she was snuggled up in Aqua's chest fur.

"You could've got lost, Narf!" Pinky said as he was sitting on the top of Aqua's head. "Hmm? What's that behind you?"

"Umm n-nothing!" I said as I felt my fur stand up. I couldn't let them see my own headstone.

"Can you let us see it sis? You're acting weird right now." Aqua said.

"It's nothing." I shook my head. 'I can't let them see my headstone, they'll be too shocked and ask me so many questions! And if the others see this, they'll ask me more questions as well.' I thought to myself.

As Aqua leaned to the right, I leaned to her right. And as she leaned to the left, I leaned to her left.

"I saw something gray behind her." Rita pointed out.

"Is it berries? I love berries, poit!" Pinky clapped his paws.

"First of all Pinky, berry bushes are green." she said to him and looked back at me.

"Uhh... yeah. They're berries!" I giggled nervously and felt my face getting a bit hot.

"Something strange is going on." Rita gave me a serious look.

"I still think it's berries!" Pinky wagged his tail.

"If you're planning on letting me see the berries, then move over. So I can see if they're ripe." Aqua said. "We could use those berries for our trip."

"No!" I shook my head.

"Rachel, you're acting like a child now. Move over I said."

I didn't want to argue with her, so I sighed and dropped my wings down. "As you wish..." I trailed off. Then I moved out of the way so she could see the headstone.

Pinky gasped. "Egad! That statue looks so much like you!"

Rita held her paw over her mouth, and I knew she was shocked as well. "I can see the resemblance."

"Sis, this is you? But how is this possible? You're not dead." Aqua shook her head.

I started tearing up and then started to cry. "I didn't want you to see it! You shouldn't have seen this!"

"S-See the statue? Why didn't you want me to see it?"

"Because... because I'm really dead."

Aqua gasped and pretty soon, the others heard my message and gasped too. I yelped a bit and looked away in total embarrassment.

"Babe, you can't be dead. You're still alive with me. With us, all of us." Yakko hugged me as he gave Rakko to Aqua.

"Sis, you need to explain yourself right now." Aqua said as she placed Rakko in her chest fur to keep him warm with Rita.

"Please please tell us." Wakko said as he was hugging Aqua from behind.

"The statue that you guys are looking at right now... is me. From the 1600's." I explained myself.

"What?" they all said as the same time.

"I'm cursed and... I can never grow old with you guys. I've been cursed since I first arrived on Earth. I've been the same age of 28 years old for hundreds of years..."

"So you've been stuck at 28 for so long?!" Aqua clenched her fists. "And I've been spending 10 years with you thinking you were 38 instead?!"

"Sis please, quiet down..." I was hushing her.

"You... You... You..." Aqua growled the loudest. "YOU LIED TO ME!" she shouted and it echoed all around her.

After she shouted out her message, I started feeling the rumbling from under our feet. "Oh no..!" I grew pale.

"Uhh guys..? Why is the ground shaking?" Wakko wobbled a bit and fell down.

I turned around behind me to see that all that noise Aqua made has caused an avalanche! "Oh my god!"

"AVALANCHE!" everyone said.

"Oh my god! I did this?!" Aqua gasped to herself.

"Yes you did!" I growled at her and pushed her.

"Hey! Don't push me!" Aqua growled and pushed me back.

"Girls! Stop fighting! We gotta go now!" Dot said as she started running.

Carrie shrieked. "Make a run for it!" she said as she started running for her life.

"Come on!" Yakko said as he held my hand tight and helped me run.

"Babe come on!" Wakko said as he was helping Aqua run.

((To be continued...))