The Poisoned Beatle 2

Just Chilling

While her husband is at work, Amanda invited the Russos to hang out in her room. Normally they'd be up to something big, but they decided to just chill out and chat.

"Hey, you guys wanna hear about the time Derek, Odette, and I befriended someone who was actually evil?" Asked Amanda. "Whoa, really?!" Asked Alex in shock. "This should be good, go ahead." Said Justin. "Okay, the three of us and our chef, Ferdinand, were in the village of another kingdom called Trumbeau to get some new plants, but they were already going to be sold to Count Antonio of Borromeo." Amanda said. "Is that when you found out he was evil?" Asked Max.

Amanda giggles. "Not quite, Max, lots more happended before then. Another king said he knew mine and Odette's father, revealing his life was once saved by him." She said.

"William saved that king's life? Man, now I wish I could've met him!" Justin said. "He was a kind man, that's for sure. Anyway, Derek stepped in a small puddle while Odette and I were still talking to the other king. But it wasn't just a puddle, there was a trail of water heading towards us. Derek went to see where it was coming from, and that's when he saw the dam was about to break." Said Amanda. "Oh no, I hope you were able to save everybody!" Max said. "We did, even Count Antonio helped out, earning our trust as a result." Amanda said. "I hate to jump to conclusions, but that guy seems fishy." Alex said.

"Believe it or not, Alex, I was actually skeptical about him as well, but I didn't tell Derek and Odette." Amanda said. "Why not? You said they always understand if you're not feeling right about something." Said Max. "I wanted to wait for the right time." Said Amanda. "Good point, sometimes it's best to wait until the time is right." Said Alex. "Back to the story, once the dam broke, it created a flood, destroying the entire village. So we all worked together to raise money to rebuild the village and the dam." Amanda said. "Awww, I'll bet everyone in Trumbeau was grateful for your help." Said Justin.

"That they were, Justin. But things got way out of hand when Uberta fell in love with Antonio. And before you say anything else, this was years before we found out Maximillian was still alive." Said Amanda. "Did he fall for her back?" Alex asked. "In front of our faces, yes. But behind our backs, he revealed he didn't really love Uberta. Alise told me she overheard Antonio talking to his assistant, Bruno, saying it was all one big setup to steal all the money we collected to rebuild Trumbeau's village and the dam." Amanda said. "You were right about him being fishy, Alex." Justin said. "The nerve of that guy, stealing money from those who needed it most!" Max said with his arms crossed.

Amanda sadly nods in agreement. "Not to mention the fact that his partner, Marquis Nicollo, gained possession of my father's sword." She said. "Grrr, we should've been there to give those idiots what for!" Growled Justin. "We didn't know each other at the time." Said Amanda. "Yeah, but still." Said Max. "When did you finally confess to Derek and Odette about your suspicions of Antonio?" Asked Alex. "When we saw all the gold was gone." Amanda said.

The Russos gasp. "He actually stole it? Oh no!" Max said. "After I told them I was suspicious about Antonio from the start, and how I was nervous to say something right away, these were Odette's exact words, 'Don't be afraid to tell us what's bothering you'. Then I mentioned how I was worried they wouldn't believe me." Said Amanda. "Gee." Alex said. "How did Derek respond to that?" Justin asked. "He said, 'You shouldn't feel ashamed, it's not your fault we were all blinded by his true colors'. There you have it." Amanda said.

"See? Your siblings always have your back." Said Alex. "And so do we." Said Justin. "I sure hope you gave that liar a piece of your mind." Said Max. "Oh, I did! Even Uberta wanted revenge for when he lied about falling in love with her. Derek and Antonio broke into a swordfight at one point, and it was a lot more intense than when he fought against Clavius, the villain who kidnapped Uberta on her birthday years back." Said Amanda.

Justin pats the swan princess on her back. "Maybe next time you can tell us that story." Justin said. "Yeah, I can do that. Anyway, Alise and Lucas were the ones who did some spy work to figure out what Antonio was up to, but Lucas broke his leg when things got climatic." Amanda said. "Ouch!" Max said. "But we welcomed him into our kingdom after hearing about how he helped Alise." Said Amanda. "Whatever happened to that liar afterwards?" Alex asked. "He sailed away, and that was the last we ever saw and heard from him. That is, until rumors about his return began going around." Amanda said.

"Did he ever come back? For real, that is." Said Max. "Nope, I saw where he was in my mind. He wound up on Bogg Island, and the boggs ate him." Said Amanda. "I think I'm gonna be sick." Said Alex as she held her stomach. "But I didn't see them chow down, I only saw they were cooking Antonio and figured I saw enough." Amanda said. "Good, I wouldn't wanna see people get eaten anyway." Said Justin.

"Hold up. Amanda, didn't you say you were once on that island?" Alex asked. "I was, during the summer Derek and Odette were away." Said Amanda. "And you told Max and I to steer clear of that place when we mentioned how there's a beach in Chamberg." Justin said. "Uh-huh, those boggs stop at nothing until they have their stomachs full of 'pink bellies'. Geez, I hate saying that." Amanda said with a shudder. "Why do they even use that word?" Max asked. "I don't know, Max, I really don't know." Said Amanda.

Even the Russos shudder at the mention of the word, pink bellies. "Aside from that, thanks for sharing another story. We love hearing about your adventures down there." Said Justin. "Anytime." Amanda said.