Skyline Gang

Chapter 11

Breathe in.

Brush.

Breathe out.

Brush again.

This repetitive motion did its job for now. Mimi felt like she was relaxed. Sitting in front of her were various make up and hair products on the vanity. A large mirror that was lit up was also in front of her. It was creepy to think that this vanity and mirror were almost identical to the one that she had in her home. Even the limited edition perfumes were all there. It was very unsettling. Mimi will have to put up with it though if she wanted a peaceful sleep and have energy for the challenges.

Mimi kept this thought in mind when suddenly her door burst open. In the mirror's reflection, Bud was seen at the open doorway, stumbling a little.

"Hey! Have you heard of knocking?" Mimi exclaimed, turning around to face Bud properly.

"I have been knocking on your door for the past minute." He stated, looking a little annoyed himself.

"I didn't hear you." Mimi argued. Bud opened his mouth, but then closed it again. He glanced at the door, and then back at Mimi.

"Hold on." He said, closing the door as he stepped out of her room. Mimi sat there. She didn't understand what was going on. Whatever Bud wanted to see her for originally, he thought that it wasn't important enough to suddenly vacate her room. She was about to go back to doing her hair when Bud opened the door again. This time more gentle and he seemed to be out of breath. "Did you hear me?"

"No...?" Mimi muttered quizzically.

"I just screamed." Bud stated. That would explain why he was catching his breath.

"Bud, I didn't hear you." Mimi insisted, standing up from her chair.

"Rooms must be soundproof. That could be a problem." Bud mused. Then he shook his head so hard that his glasses threatened to fall off. "That's not important right now! Dawn is setting up another challenge!"

"Why didn't you say so in the first place? Come on!" Mimi shouted, dashing out of her room, dragging Bud behind her. She didn't think her feet would move so fast. She was not one for doing much running, if any at all. However, when it comes to Dawn, who seemed pretty unpredictable at the start, it would probably be best to not keep her waiting. Both got down the stairs and over to the stage as the challenge was still being set up. A black cloud was already blanketing the stage. The only thing that seemed to be made out clearly was another living shadow. Or "Shadow Man" as Sprout started to call them. The others were standing in front of the stage again, just like they had yesterday. Dawn was seemingly nowhere but she could be backstage for all they they knew.

"What happened to you two? We were starting to get worried." Pip asked as the two latecomers approached.

"We came to the discovery that the rooms are soundproof." Bud panted, hands on his knees.

"Which might be a problem if someone is in their room without knowing what's going on." Mimi panted too. Her hands automatically started to wring through her hair again. Whatever was detangled started to get little knots again. "All this worry is starting to make me stressed out again."

"Don't get your tights in a tangle, Mimi." Sprout chuckled. His smile was brimming with confidence for what lies ahead. "We're already one step ahead here."

"So, you all think that this is a game?" Dawn challenged as she appeared on the stage. Everyone watched as she formed right there and started to float down the steps.

"Well, mine felt like one!" Sprout grinned, making it seem that he might have a death wish.

"Silence!" Dawn barked. Sprout suddenly yelped by that command, ducking behind Dude. Dawn composed herself as she drifted past the teenagers. She approached her throne as it appeared in front of her. "Choose one to do this challenge. And no, HE can't do it again."