Forlot: Monster Protector - Book One {Completed}

Chapter Forty-Six

"Lean?" I said in disbelief. "Is...is it really you?"

"Yep," she responded. "In the ghostly flesh."

"But...how? Mr. Hawk told me that you were gone."

"Girl, I can never be gone."

"I...I was waiting for you to come out of the factory..." I looked down. "...but you never showed up. I thought...I thought that I killed you."

She giggled softly. "Well, does it look like you killed me?"

I looked back at her. "No. Now that I see that you are alright." I then noticed her eyes. Something was different about them. There was still white in her eyes, but in the center, I noticed black pupils that were staring directly at me. "Lean, your eyes..."

"I know, right?" The ghost flashed me a smile. "My eyes are back where they belong, and it is all thanks to you, Margie."

"Me? I am not the person who retrieved your eyes. That was you." I sighed. "I was more of a problem."

"Problem? You were never a problem."

"I—" I was going to state how I was the problem, the fact that she had to do surgery on me, and how I was at fault for causing the factory to explode, but she interrupted.

"You were the only one who saw me suffering on the inside. You had a desire to help me, when no one else did. And through the ups and downs, you kept pushing. You never gave up on me or even on yourself. That is a true hero in my book. Somebody who will not stop, even if the journey becomes difficult as time passes. And now that I have a clear vision of you, I can safely say you will be a great Monster Protector. Remember that, Margie."

"Margie. Margie!"

"Huh?!" I opened my eyes - and saw Scarlett, Sarah, Mr. Hawk, and his friends staring at me.

"Man, you are a heavy sleeper, Margie," Tippy spoke. "We thought that you would never wake up."

"Told ya," Scarlett whispered.

I sat up and rubbed the back of my head. "Why does my head hurt?" I questioned.

"It may be because of the fall that you took," Zeke stated.

"Fall?" I gasped, suddenly realizing what he meant. "Dr. O'Connor throwing me into the air?"

Zeke nodded. "That was quite a fall. I do not know why he was willing to do that, except for the fact that he is crazy."

"We will not have to worry about him anymore," Mr. Hawk jumped in. "Neither him nor Mabel. I have them both locked up in the basement. Stanley, Tippy, Skippy, Tappy, and I will turn them over to the police in the next town over as soon as I figure out to reverse the effects on Mabel." He put a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "I am truly sorry for all of this, Sarah. I bet it was hard for you. Being related to an evil doctor and friends to the Monster Protector."

Sarah nodded. "It was." She was hiding her injured arm behind her back and turned to me. "I am sorry, Margie," she apologized. "I am sorry for stealing your crossbow, pushing you off the edge of the hill, and acting like a traitor. It is just...my grandfather said that if I did not do those things, then he would punish me...and I was scared."

Without thinking, I pulled her into a hug. "I had a feeling that you did not mean to," I admitted.

"He said that he was not going to hurt you or Scarlett, but when he announced that he was planning to and about to kill Scarlett, I had to act fast. So I shot him using your crossbow and arrow before he could shoot Scarlett."

"And I am very grateful for that," Scarlett cut in, joining in the hugging. "By the way, Sarah, how did you get ahold of Margie's crossbow?"

"The night before our trip to Forlot, I snuck into your guys' house and stole her crossbow. I got it again after Margie went tumbling down the hill."

"Wait, how did you get in our house?" I asked.

"Simple. I snuck in through your open window, Margie."

"...oh." I felt a little embarrassed.

My sister smiled at me. "Margie, you are so funny."

I glared at her with a weird look on my face. Was Scarlett not mad at me anymore for lying?

Scarlett rested a hand on top of my hand. "Do not worry, sis. I forgive you," she said as if she read my thoughts. "Just do not lie to me ever again."

I nodded in agreement. "I promise."

"Now that the apologies are out of the way, I say that we should celebrate," Mr. Hawk told us.

Everyone cheered.

"Cake and ice cream!" Lin exclaimed excitedly.

"Of course, we are going to have to propose a toast for Lean Share," the man added.

"For coming back?" I wondered.

Immediately, everyone turned to face me with confused looks.

"Lean is gone. Remember?" Tappy informed.

"No, she is not. I saw her."

"When did you see her?" Leen asked.

"After Dr. O'Connor threw me, Lean grabbed me."

Stanley crossed his arms and shook his head. "That cannot be right," he cut in. "I caught you."

"What? No! I saw Lean with my own two eyes. She was there. We chatted!"

"You must have been seeing things," Scarlett said.

"I was not seeing things! I saw her!" I was getting frustrated.

"Sis, calm down."

"I know what I felt and saw! Lean was gripping me by my wrists! I felt somebody grab my arm! Twice! Heck, there was somebody at the factory named Dr. Maxwell!"

Mr. Hawk raised his eyebrows. "Dr. Maxwell?" he questioned. "Dr. Hugo Maxwell?"

"Yes. Do you know him?"

"Know him?" He walked to a window and stared out. "Hugo...he is my brother. But that is a story for another day."