Jovial Memories

Chapter 36

Both Mandy and Roy froze, frightened to death. The guards standing next to the woman quickly shut and locked all doors and stood near them, weapons at hand. The woman, meanwhile, crossed her arms in front of her chest, unhappily staring at both of them.

Mandy sat there at the computer screen, unsure of what to say. There was no way to defend herself, and it was obvious they were trapped. Roy hovered near her in a protective manner, his eyes still fixated on the woman.

"We were--" Mandy began, only to be cut off by the woman.

"Oh, I am aware of what you were trying to do, Amanda Wells, and I am ashamed of you, myself, and your agent for letting this happen."

"Who are you?" Roy asked quietly.

"I should be questioning you since you have no right to be here. While you may have some right, Amanda, you have overstepped your boundaries. My name is Jacquelyn Holloway, and I am the leader of the agency."

"You're the leader?" Mandy asked.

"Playing dumb, are we? What you have done or attempted to do, nevertheless, has violated several codes and rules. Oh, I can't imagine how severe the punishment will be for you and your friends, Amanda. I believe I will enjoy every minute of it," she explained in a malicious manner.

"Friends?" Roy questioned.

"Your other friend—Iris, was it—has already been taken care of and imprisoned. I must say, I'm impressedwith your progress. You made it quite far. Unfortunately, your friend decided to activate the alarm that signals the admittance of intruders. It made for a good distraction, but in a way, she almost set you up for failure."

"What did you do with Iris?"Mandy spoke through gritted teeth.

"She is in a prison cell for now, which both of you shall be placed in shortly. I would tear you apart right now if I could, Amanda Wells, but unfortunately I do not have the authority to do so."

"What are you going to do to her?" Roy asked.

Jacquelyn turned her cold eyes toward him.

"That is of no importance to you. I would fear more for yourself and the fate that awaits for you. Never before has an event like this occurred, and I will make sure you suffer for it, Amanda—you and your friends."

Mandy gulped and watched as Roy tensed beside her.

"You don't understand. I never meant any harm. I was only trying to--"

"Attempting to bring those from the Year Dimension into reality is, first of all, a complicated act which I am sure you could not have completed and is also incredibly dangerous. It could mess with reality and time itself. If we had not caught you, I am not sure what would have happened to our world."

There was a brief silence asMandy pondered what to say.

"Now, in a few moments, we'll be directing you to your cells..."

Roy grabbed Mandy's wrist, and in that swift moment, she realized he was conveying a message onto her. She quickly stole a glance at him and caught his eye before turning away. His plan was a stupid one, but she couldn't settle for this. She had no idea what punishment was intended for her and her friends, and her stomach became queasy just with the thought. Roy and Iris did not deserve what was in store for them.All of this was her fault, and now, her friends might suffer because of her selfishness.

Roy slowly unraveled his fingers from Mandy's wrist, and Mandy immediately sprung up and hurled herself at Jacquelyn, her hands grasping right around the woman's throat. Jacquelyn was quick, however, to respond, and she easily tossed Mandy aside, throwing her onto the ground.

Mandy let out a yelp as her body collided with the cold, tile floor, and pain spread throughout her shoulder.She slowly sat up, but before she could stand, she was seized by the guards. 

"How dare you hurt her!" Roys pat, now launching himself at Jacquelyn. The woman had been caught up in laughing at Mandy's pathetic attempt to seize her that she was thrown off guard by Roy and shrieked as his fist landed in her abdomen.

She let out a low grunt in pain, and not a moment later, the remaining guards had seized Roy. While Mandy remained still, her shoulder still stinging from the impact with the ground, she watched Roy in disbelief. He was outraged, furious. She had never seen him so angry before. He struggled to break free of the agents' grasp. If he had been able to get free, Mandy supposed he might just kill Jacquelyn.

"Deal with him," Jacquelyn said to the guards.

Mandy watched as one of the guards slapped his hand against Roy's head in a swift motion. Roy tumbled to the floor, motionless, causing Mandy to screech. She wasn't sure what emotion she felt—terror, fear, sorrow. Something seemed to break inside her as Roy fell to the floor, and as he lay there, she feared he was dead.

"Stop! Stop! Don't hurt him!"she screeched, tears stinging her eyes. At that moment, she perceived Roy to be dead, and her mind filled with memories they had spent together. Guilt flooded through her, and she wondered if the same fate would be in store for Iris.

She was relieved, however, to see his chest rising and falling. Furious at Jacquelyn now, she too struggled with the guards and attempted to break free from their grasp. She hurled herself forward, shouting nonsense at Jacquelyn while the woman stood there smiling as if she enjoyed seeing Mandy in pain.

Something collided against Mandy's head suddenly, and she watched as Jacquelyn and the room slowly sank to the floor and disappeared into darkness.