Forlot - Books 10-12

Chapter Forty-Six

I was over the moon that I was no longer alone in this and pleasantly surprised that Lean had come to my rescue.

Ever since that the other main characters and I were discharged from the hospital, I had not seen the ghost girl or even gotten a visit from her. You might say that she was rare!

"Lean!" I proclaimed as loud as I could. "Help me! This psychopath is forcing me to be his daughter!"

I had hoped that Lean would give a response or say a choice of words to Dr. Maxwell, like a death threat. Okay, maybe not a death threat. However, she did not say a peep. She just floated there with her ghostly arms to her sides.

I suddenly felt a lump in my throat and wrapped my thumb and fingers around my throat. I gave my neck a quick and gentle massage until I swallowed. The lump was gone, but the statement lingered in my brain.

Lean Share and the other creatures are only part of my vision.

Was that true? Were my rescuers nothing but a dirty prank set up by a vision of mine? It would answer why Lean never spoke.

My eyelids lowered halfway in disappointment. What was I thinking? Who would come to save me? I am fully aware that there are people - and monsters - out there who truly care for me. But I never told any of them where I was going or even why.

I facepalmed. I felt like a complete idiot. No. I was an idiot. And what made it worse was that...I left Margaret. I was supposed to help her! Help her face her fear of being rejected!

No, Margie. No. Do not let the guilt get to you. Your mom and dad needed help all along. You are not selfish.

I blew away strands of my hair and sighed.

Thanks, my conscience.

Just as I was going to accept my fate, accept whatever Dr. Maxwell had in store for me, my hopes were restored.

The Creature From Beyond had passed me and Dr. Maxwell and was charging at Lean and her friends. It leaped into the air and was coming down on the group.

Lean reacted quick. She clenched a ghostly hand in a fist and floated up to the creature. She slammed her fist into its stomach, and the creature roared and landed on its side. It whimpered and kicked with its paws.

"Pfft! Come on, Creature From Beyond!" Oberious said. "Do not act like a baby in front of the pathetic heroes. You are a monster. Act like it!"

Dr. Maxwell stared at my friends as he wrapped his arms around me and slowly walked back, forcing me to do the same.

"Let her go, Maxwell," Lean ordered.

"Never," Dr. Maxwell said. "She is mine, and I plan on getting away with my crimes here in Forlot. I will not go to jail!"

An idea, a brilliant idea - came to me. Why did I not think of it sooner?

Quickly, I raised my foot and kicked my leg back. Kicked him in where the sun does not shine.

"Yow!" Dr. Maxwell immediately released me and hissed in agonizing pain. He crumpled to his knees and exclaimed, "Daughter!"

"You are crazy!"

I hurried to Lean and the other good monsters and wanted to hug my ghost friend ever so tightly. However, I did not get the chance to.

Oberious grabbed me by the waist. "Where do you think that you are going?" he teased. "If Maxwell indeed desires you, he will indeed have you!"

"Not so fast!"

It was Len, Lean's son. He came floating to the evil shadow.

"Leave her alone, you dumb shadow. She is Mommy's friend. And anyone who is a friend of Mommy's is a friend of mine!"

The ghost boy began pounding his ghostly fists on the shadow, and Oberious snarled.

"Darn kids," Oberious mentioned. He pushed the poor boy, and Len fell on his ghostly bottom and tail and teared up.

"Hey! Nobody does that to my son!" Lean said.

"Same here!" Ironic added. He glanced at the ghost girl, and his robotic cheeks changed to pink.

Lean giggled softly, and her ghostly cheeks changed to red. "Silly robot." She turned her attention back to Oberious and cleared her throat. "On my command. One...two...three...charge!"

The good monsters either flew or rushed to their targets. A few went to the Creature From Beyond. Some were going after Dr. Maxwell. The rest were attacking Oberious.

Lean hurried over to me and pried Oberious' shadowy grasp off me. She dusted off my clothes and asked, "Are you okay, Margie?"

I was unsure how to answer that. So I said, "I am traumatized. But psychically alright."

A yawn escaped from me, and a wave of tiredness washed over me. But I could not go to sleep!

"No..." I yawned again. "...I...my..."

"Do not fret, Margie," Lean reassured me. "I will get your parents out. I will free all the people from the tubes."

"Go...good..." My legs gave way, and I would have met the hard floor if not for Lean catching me.

"Before you fall asleep, Margie, I need to tell you something important. It is about Margaret."

"What...what about her?"

"Do you remember when Jorgie fell ill? She has kidney failure. Or should I say, had it."

"She...she will be fine?"

"Jorgie will be making a full recovery, and it is thanks to Margaret."

"M-Margaret...is she doing any better?"

"Yep. She made a full recovery too. Two full recoveries."

I became confused. How could Margaret make two recoveries?

"Margaret overheard that Jorgie would die if she did not have a new kidney. One of them was failing. So Margaret asked the doctors if her kidneys were a match. Turns out, they were, and Margaret willingly allowed the doctors to take one of her kidneys and give it to Jorgie."