Skyline Gang

Chapter 16

Three challenges have been set. Three challenges have been won. The teenagers have a good enough advantage. If one of them wins another then it'll be a more guaranteed win. It was quite a bit of pressure when they thought about it long enough.

That's why when everyone finished dinner, they all decided to turn in early for the night. After tidying up, they said their goodnights and started to regain their energy. The more they had, the better prepared they would feel for the next challenge. Candi shouldn't be any different. However, she wasn't curled up and peacefully asleep in bed. She was instead buried inside a pile of pink plushies that came with her room. She would do this at home too whenever she couldn't sleep well. It always gave her comfort. She had woken up about an hour ago. She wanted to go back to sleep, but even snuggling up in the mountain of pink plush toys wasn't working. It was starting to stress her out. Why can't she relax already?!

I just...need to keep everyone smiling. When people smile, they have hope. We're getting closer to going home. But when?

Candi thought long and hard about this. She's happy because she wants to make other people happy. Aside from Dawn, everyone else has been relatively happy. Sure they missed home, but they got happy when a challenge was won. Then there would be worry and sadness over the ghosts showing up. Mimi's reaction was more than enough to show how saddening it is. It took her ages to calm down after that. Sprout and Pip seemed to be okay themselves, but Candi always had a sixth sense when it came to people being sad. And there was also the stress of wanting to go home. There truly was no place like home after all.

Candi's stomach suddenly grumbled a little. Being awake this early made her feel hungrier than normal. She had the urge to snack on something to satisfy her stomach until she can have a proper breakfast. This suddenly turned a light bulb on in her head.

"Maybe a big breakfast for everyone will make them feel better. Have to make sure that everyone is still smiling." She pondered, slowly sitting up. The plushies around her cascaded off of her, giving the illusion that she was right in the middle of a crater. "Might not be able to do much right now, but at the very least I can bring everyone's spirits up."

Candi suddenly felt rejuvenated. She rushed to her feet and got dressed so quick that it felt like one second. She was about to gab her sweater, but decided not to. The shorter the sleeves, the more clean she'll be while she's cooking. Candi nearly burst out of her room but immediately stopped herself. She recalled the rooms being sound proof, but she knew that one person kept their door open. Being as quiet as she could, she opened the door. She looked down the corridors, seeing that the rooms were undisturbed. She beamed wildly as her plan was working perfectly already. Everyone was asleep and they won't suspect a thing until they wake up. As Candi closed her door, Rainbow suddenly poked his head out of Dude's room. Since Dude keeps his door open a little for the dog to get in and out as he pleased, he picked up the sound of someone leaving their room. He spotted Candi and barked quietly.

"Rainbow, shhh. Let's not wake up everyone else yet." Candi shushed quickly. She peeked in at Dude's room, her eyes landing on Dude. He shifted in his sleep, but thankfully didn't wake up. Candi sighed in relief, and focused her attention back on Rainbow. "I'm going to make a nice breakfast for everyone. Would you like to help me out?"

Rainbow was still for a moment. He tilted his head a little. Then his tongue flopped out of his mouth and he bounced a little. His tail wagged so fast that it was a blur of orange and white. He stayed as silent as he could so that Dude wouldn't wake up. Candi grinned silently before she crept down the stairs and to the door, with Rainbow right behind her. They went to one of the larger kitchens so that Candi would have more than enough room to move and prepare enough food at once. Not to mention so that Rainbow can move out of her way when she asked of it.

Now what to make?

Something that everyone will like and nothing that was too complicated.

Let's see...

Pancakes! People love pancakes!

Candi may not be the smartest, but she can observe things quite well. She's noticed that everyone can eat dairy products just fine, and she noticed that they don't have any allergies to the ingredients she'll use. This was going to be a nice surprise for everyone. Some pancakes with the option of different berries, bananas and syrup will be just perfect. Maybe some additional stuff like bacon and eggs will be a nice touch too. Nothing too fancy, and nothing too simple. Just something right in the middle of both. This was going to be just lovely!

Candi set to work. She immediately grabbed an apron and was prepared to search the kitchen for the ingredients. If needs be, she'll go to the other kitchens and supermarket to find additional items. However, Rainbow suddenly growled. Candi shivered a little. She slowly turned around. Her heart stopped as Dawn was standing in the kitchen. She stood tall enough to be slouching a little, just to ensure that her head didn't bang on the ceiling. She wasn't glaring, but her emotions were clear enough to anyone.

"Good morning! Would you like anything?" Candi beamed, trying her hardest not to tremble. Just keep smiling.

"I'm trying to dispose of you all. And yet you offer me food?" Dawn asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Doesn't hurt to offer." Candi smiled encouragingly. Keep smiling, keep showing kindness.

"You truly are a nuisance." Dawn grumbled, her long fingers massaging her head.

"No, I'm just trying to make everyone happy." Candi encouraged brightly.

"Then you're an idiot if you think that I fall into the category of needing to be happy." Dawn glared, floating closer to Candi. Candi had to give herself credit in not trembling. She was surprised that she hadn't run away yet. Rainbow helped make her more brave by standing between her and the tall woman. He growled more as a warning.

"I think that even you can have a little bit of happiness." Candi tentatively said, still trying to offer an olive branch. She kept as sincere as she could. She didn't know if her words would have any affect, but it couldn't hurt to try. "I mean, you must have had it once in your life."

Dawn suddenly faltered. She stopped glaring for a moment. Her stance was less stiff and defensive. Her skin looked less grey, becoming a slightly pinkish colour. Her hands and nails started to become regular sized. For once her eyes were no longer cold. They were warm, but solemn. They seemed a little misty eyed, as if she was remembering something important. Something that she had once that she held dear. Even the darkness around her seemed to have faded a little. Her height also shrunk a little as her hair became less gravity defying. Candi watched in awe. She wasn't expecting this kind of reaction. She expected threats and the cold to become more harsh.

However, as Candi was about to say more, Dawn snapped out of her state. She shook off the warmth that she displayed. Her skin became grey once again. Her nails and fingers grew in length, her nails becoming sharper than ever. Her face became hard as her eyes became cold and harsh. She stood tall, still leaning a little to keep her head from hitting the ceiling.

"Don't speak to me like you know me!" Dawn yelled, her voice echoing around the kitchen. The darkness around her came back, and appeared to be more cruel and cold. Candi flinched back, her smile being wiped clean from her face. She stared up at Dawn for a moment. She really honestly believed that she was doing some good. She believed that she was getting through to her captor and convince her to let them go home. She really hoped that she reached the slither of humanity that Dawn had left in her. The change that Dawn had went through, even if it was for a few seconds, was proof of that. Candi had the small urge to try again, but decided not to. It was best to not tempt fate right now.

"Sorry. If you change your mind about not wanting food, please come and see me." Candi sighed, trying her best not to cry. Sniffling a little, and with Rainbow parking himself right beside her, Candi went back to doing food preparations. Dawn lingered, but she tried to ignore her. She felt exposed being watched like this. She'll have to keep ignoring it and focus on her original task. However, despite the excitement that she had earlier, it was all gone, dried up. Emotions can be confusing sometimes, so can people.

Why can't everyone just be happy?