Hidden Close (Jr. Year)

Chapter 44

Part 44 Of The First Draft

We didn't question her. Perry gazed at her, and after a brief moment, we made for the door that would normally lead to the office of Mister Paulson. We made a grave mistake here, as the door clicked behind us letting us know that the Carlita look-alike had locked us in. A menacing man with a shaved head and cool blue eyes, wearing an expensive suit sat in the chair, but there was one thing that was off. I stepped forward, asking him in a very forward manner,

“You aren't Mister Paulson, are you?”

The man threw his head back, laughing in an evil, hysterical fashion, and then stood up. He was over six and a half feet tall and a good 300 pounds. His face was ugly and old, and he commented as he cracked his knuckles loudly,

“Him? No, he's been dead a very long time.”

Renee wasn't in the mood for games.

“This is his office. Are you not him?”

The man laughed again, and took one big step towards us. He related, in a dangerous and casual tone,

“You see, I was him, until I died. Now, I am Ignitro, the proprietor of this club. Now please, get the heck out of my office, before I make you.”

None of us dared to argue with him, save for me. I took a sorrowful tone, and asked him sincerely,

“Please, Ignitro, stop attacking my family and friends.”

Ignitro became furious, and yelled,

“How about you give me my secretary’s twin sister back, and then we will talk. You are not in the position to bargain with me. There's one other thing, too...”

He stepped near Becky, and pointed at her, saying in a dire tone,

“You made a bargain with me. I expect you to return to your duties also. I'll give you until next week. Turn over dear Rebecca and Carlita, and I won't kill both of your families. The way I see it, you'll be here with both of them before you know it. Your hands are tied.”

The door behind us clicked again and opened, and as if we were under a spell, all of us left The Weekend Freak quietly. As we all piled into Perry's car, Becky started to cry. She pled with us, begging,

“Don’t give up on me. I don't want to die. He'll kill me if you leave me alone with him.

I reassured her,

“We don't abandon friends, Becky. We'll find another way, I promise you, or die right there by your side with you. You have my word.”

Renee added,

“Ignitro....what a weird name for a vampire. Is he really a bloodsucker, Becky, or something else?”

Becky’s voice became furious, and she spat,

“He’s not a vampire. The only thing that he can be called is a demon. He's a sick and vile man who only cares about money and the pain that he causes to people.”

A demon, hmm. I'm not sure if Becky is being figurative or not. The name he used, the way he yelled...I don't know. It seems like each day that goes by, I find out that there is something new in the world that I previously thought was fiction. Unfortunately, I don't think that angels are real, too, because gosh, right now I need one. This situation went from desperate to hopeless. If we can't subdue Ignitro together, then how can we fight him and all of his various supernatural minions? Either way, we have to think fast. He gave us a week, and I could tell that Ignitro keeps his promises, be them good or bad.

“Perry, take me home. I want to come up with a plan. Lana, will you help me research a few things?”

Lana smiled, looking more optimistic than any of us. She chimed, cheerfully,

“Of course, Mindi.”

It wasn't a few minutes before we arrived at my place. I kissed Perry goodbye, making the kiss count, as if we were lovers who would be separated by several countries for a long period of time. I rushed inside, with Lana struggling to keep up with me. I discovered that my mom and Carlie were still awake, each of them reading some of my mother's old books. I smiled, and tried to keep my despair undercover. I asked my mom, quietly,

“Mother....may I see you up in my room? I’m having girl issues.....”

My mother nodded, and followed me upstairs. Lana, me, and my mom all sat down, and in an amazing act of motherly intuition, my mom asked me,

“It’s not about girl problems, now is it?”

I shook my head no, and explained to her,

“It’s about Mister Paulson. He's some sort of evil demon monster. He says he’s going to kill us all if we don't return Becky and Carlie. I'm not willing to give them up. We need your help. Maybe you know this monster’s weakness? He calls himself Ignitro....”

She cut me off, and my mother's voice was both stunned and full of panic, her face becoming a pale white as if she had seen a ghost,

“Ignitro? How can this be?”

I held my mom's hands, trying to bring her back to earth. I asked her, wishing to know why the name had astonished her,

“Do you what or who Ignitro is?”

My mom tried her hardest to stay calm, and explained,

“Yes, it was a malevolent spirit that Carlie had accidentally summoned decades ago. We thought we had bound it in an underground cave. I suppose we were wrong...”

“So you can help us defeat him?”

My mom nodded, and gave us an impromptu speech,

“We vowed to our grandmaster that we would fix what horrible deed that we did so long ago. He's dead now, but I need to keep that promise to him, even in death. Ignitro was too strong for even him to defeat. Together, we might have a chance to beat what we had tried to seal away, so long ago. We either failed or Ignitro had found a way to escape. I know how dangerous he truly is. If he has found a body, he will be even greater than his already potent spiritual form. I will not let you and your friends fight him alone. I will convince Carlie to help, too. We will win or die trying.

She really is my mom.

“Mom, thank you. I always know that you will have my back, and I'm glad that I came to you. I love you.”

My mom regained the life in her eyes, and hugged me. She said to me, quietly and peaceful,

“Oh, Mindi, what a fighter you are. You've always known how to get yourself in trouble. The most amazing thing is how you always find a way to also get yourself out of whatever problem you stumble upon.”