Twisted Wonderland 2

A Twisted Bunch

You and the boys make a mad dash into the rides area of the park. Your group runs towards Whale Escape, parts of the ride is brightly colored in lights. The water is lit up a bright orange and a red light shines from the whale's mouth. A dark shadow casts over the majority of the large whale, making it look more monstrous than ever. You and the boys pause by the ride, taking a moment to catch your breath.

Cater glances towards the direction of the bungalow. "We've been running for a while now... And Leona still hasn't caught up."

Ortho holds his arm. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but saying, 'You go on ahead; I'll catch up later,' is basically flagging yourself for almost one hundred percent certain doom."

"Yikes..." Ace rubs the back of his neck. "I'd better make sure to never say that."

You look to the ground, thinking back on what Leona told you. It was as if he was saying goodbye...

Noticing how downhearted you look, Ace wraps an arm around your shoulders and holds you close. You smile softly to him, grateful for the small comfort.

Kalim guilitly rubs his arm. "Was leaving him behind really the right thing to do? Maybe we should've worked together."

Vil scoffs, placing a hand to his hip. "Do you really think he's the kindhearted, self-sacrificing type? Leona wouldn't do anything so pointless. He's more indolent, snide and pragmatic than anyone else I know. If he decided to stay behind and have the rest of us go on, then that was the best option we had." He folds his arms, looking the the ground. "As loath as I am to admit it, he wasn't wrong when he said he was smarter than the rest of us."

"Yup, pretty much." Floyd rubs his shoulder. "After all that posturin' he did, he'd better be doin' his job."

Ace lets out a breath. "True enough. I guess our goal is still the same, we have to find Ernesto. Let's split up and search the area. Oh, and just to be clear: we better be more vigilant and mindful of our surroundings this time around."

Floyd laughs. "Maybe you're smarter 'n a fish after all."

You look to the ride. "This is a big place to search..."

Ace nods in agreement. "This rollercoaster's really long, though. And it's a big area. If he was hiding somewhere here, it'd be really hard to figure out exactly where..."

Cater grins. "Oh, if that's the trouble." Magic starts to build up around him. "I am he, and we are they. Split Card."

With a flash of light, multiple copies of Cater pop up.

Kalim steps back in surprise. "Whoa! Look at all the Caters!"

"Rad." Floyd chuckles. "Your lookalikes are so identical, they put me 'n Jade to shame!"

"What do you think?" One of the Caters says. "This is Split Card, my signature spell"

"Oh, yeah!" You smile brightly. "I remember seeing you use this spell before. When we had to paint the roses."

Cater smiles to you. "Aww, my little princess remembered! And just like before, I'm sure my copies will help."

The Cater copies all nod.

"We'll be happy to help, me!"

"This should cut down on search time, right?"

Ace grins, pumping an arm in the air. "That's a huge help! Cater, your signature spell is seriously handy! You rule."

"Aww, Acey." Cater smiles teasingly, playing with a strand of his hair. "Flattery will get you everywhere!"

Vil places a hand to his hip. "All right. Let's search for Ernesto, but don't go too far out. We should all stay well within earshot of one another. If anything happens, shout for help."