"Don't Be Next!"

- Chapter 16 -

A Few Minutes Earlier...

FWhip watched Pearl leave the room. He sighed and hugged his sister close. He heard the door to the attic close. 

Gem's head snapped upwards. "Did you hear that?" She asked, looking around.

"Hear w-" FWhip stopped when he heard a creak on the stairs. 

The twins shared a look of excitement and fear, and ran over to the stair set. "Hello?" FWhip called, clearly not thinking. Gem slapped him gently.

A strange hissing noise came from the bottom of the stairs. Gem had to hold her brother, who was trying to run down the stairs shouting "ADVENTURE!", back.

The hissing became louder. FWhip eventually got loose of Gem's grip and somewhat fell down the stairs. Gem ran after him. A Watcher. There was a Watcher about to kill her twin brother.

Present Time...

"...And I ripped the mask off, look!" Gem said, holding out the Watchers mask. 

"The Watcher turned out to be Iskall under some sort of spell." FWhip said happily.

Pearl shivered. "That's terrible." She said. "I didn't know Watchers could change someone's mind..."

"He-" Gem started, motioning to Iskall.

"They." Xisuma corrected.

"Huh?"

"Iskall uses they/them pronouns."

"Okay then... they tried to kill FWhip. So I... uh..." Gem looked down at her hands and opened the clenched fists. A soft red light came from them.

"It was crazy, you should've seen Gem fighting!" FWhip added cheerfully. "It was like Xornoth was controlling her, but not! She controlled herself! I think!" FWhip wrapped an arm around his twin happily. Gem frowned and looked at her feet. "I miss Sausage," She whispered. 
"I know, I do too." FWhip said sadly.

"What, is Sausage like, your third cousin?" Joe asked.

"Oh hi Joe-" Cleo murmured.

"Third sibling, actually." Gem said. "We're triplets."

Grian let out a gasp of pain as he sat up. He clutched his stomach tightly and looked around. He was in the attic... when had he gotten to the attic?

"Good morning?"

Grian shrieked in fear and nearly fell off the bed. Once he calmed down and realized who it was, he said, "Oh, hi Mumbo."

Mumbo looked a bit frightened himself. "Er- yeah-  Do you remember what happened?"

"NooOHMYGOSH WHAT THE-" Grian caught sight of the unconscious Iskall and the mask.

False coughed from nearby. "So. That's happened. Grian, you're awake and not dead, so Joel, give me five bucks." Joel grumbled and handed over a five dollar bill.

"You were betting on if I was dead or not?!" Grian burst out.

"Joel, I bet you someone's gonna die soon." False said, ignoring the parrot man.

"I bet two people." Joel said back.

"Ten bucks."

"Twenty."

The two shook hands.

Grian groaned and face-palmed.

Pearl stay crouched on the ground. She gazed at the Watcher mask with curiosity. It seemed to be pulling itself closer to her... or was she moving closer to it? Pearl shook her head and stood up. "I'm going to the kitchen," She said quietly. Xisuma heard and nodded.

Pearl slipped out of the room. She headed down the hallway, with no real place to go. She put her hands in her pockets and pulled something out of one of them. 

Put me on, put me on... the Watcher mask was yearning. Do it, do it...

Pearl felt the urge to. She wanted to know what would happen. Pearl slowly lifted the mask up closer to her face. As if by magnetic attraction, the mask suddenly covered her eyes and Pearl screamed. 

Five Seconds Earlier...

Pearl left the room. Gem sighed. She looked down at Iskall and the empty spot where the mask was. "Wait- Guys? Where's the mask?!" She asked, panicked.

Xisuma looked around. "It was here seconds ago!" He exclaimed.

A scream came from the hallway.

Everyone bolted out of the room, Grian and Cleo a little slower than before since they had been laying in their beds for a while.

Pearl was at the end of the hallway. Tears streamed from the mask she was wearing. And around her in a semi-circle were Watchers dressed in black robes.