Forlot - Books 19-21

Chapter Thirty

While Cindy continued her search for Caleb, I started my own search for Diversity. I did manage to find her. I just did not know that she would be in my and Mary Sue's bedroom.

Our bedroom door was open wide, and I stood in the doorway and spotted Diversity looming over Mary Sue. One of her hands was in a fist, and Mary Sue was sitting on the floor with her back against the closet. Her eyes were closed.

Without giving it much thought as to how to react, I blurted, "The heck did you do?"

Diversity immediately turned her head towards me and had on a blank expression. She was not at all taken aback that I showed up.

"Ah. Ada. So...wonderful to see you again."

I stepped into the room. "Answer my question. What is going on here? What did you do?"

"If you really think that I knocked your friend unconscious, you are sadly mistaken."

"Did I accuse you of hurting my friend? No." I flipped my hair. "Not yet."

As I expected, her eyes landed on the cross necklace. More precisely, the cross. "Why the heck are you wearing that hideous thing?"

"This small town lets you do anything that is legal. Last time that I checked, wearing a necklace that symbolizes Christianity is not against the law."

"It is here at my school. You may represent any religion besides Christianity."

I tilted my head to the side and grinned. "Now why is that, Diversity? Do you use the religions to bend them to your will?"

"That is enough, Ada!"

Diversity grabbed ahold of the cross and yanked it off my neck. The back of my neck hurt like that you would not believe, for the string pressed itself against the skin. She was able to break the string, opened the only window that was in the room, and threw the necklace out. She returned her attention to me, and her face was as red as a tomato.

"I am too familiar with that necklace, Ada. Did my idiot cousin give you it?"

"You mean Cindy? Yes, she did. She is in the castle and looking for that Caleb guy."

"Ugh! I knew that you bringing him here was a bad idea." She pushed me. "What the heck were you thinking?"

"Do not put the blame on me. You knew that Caleb and Cindy are friends. I did not." I pointed a finger at her. "What I did is on you."

She became shocked. "Are you seriously blaming me, the greatest fictional villain, for a mistake that you did?"

"Yes. Yes, I am. It is what villains are supposed to do instead of being racist."

She raised a hand, and a blue and white ball formed in her palm. I gasped and took a step back.

"I was going to betray you this evening. But now that you have discovered the truth - and the fact that I cannot wait any longer - I will do you in."

She shot the power ball, and I cried out when it made contact with my stomach. I flew back, and my back hit the the hallway wall. I collapsed in a heap on the floor and passed out. But before I did, I overheard Diversity stating that she would take all of my powers.

I woke up at the sounds of pounding. It was Diversity. She was pounding on glass.

Glass?

Diversity and I were in another part of the castle. Both the floor and walls were grey, and I was trapped inside a glass case in the shape of a rectangle. I was lying on my side and sat up. I tried to move my arms and legs, but my wrists and ankles were covered by two handcuffs.

Outside of the case were Diversity and her gremlins. I growled at the sight of Diversity and slammed my hands against the glass. Diversity found my panics amusing.

"I do hope that you are comfortable, Ada. 'Cause this will be the last time that you will have any sort of relief."

I watched as her minions attached thin wires to both ends of the case. The wires were connected to a machine that Diversity was pressing buttons on.

"What are you going to do to me, you son of a—"

"You had better watch your language, Ada. These are your final moments before I wipe you clean."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Since that you will be taking part in this, I guess that I can tell you." Her wicked smile grew wide. "My school is just a coverup for my real plan. I offer villains from all around the fictional world to attend my 'school' so that they will learn how to defeat the heroes once and for all. They come, and I teach them things that even they do not question."

She paused for a moment, and then continued.

"What I actually do is watch their every move to see if they are worthy to join me. You ought to be lucky. I have chosen you to be my next victim. All your powers and strengths will be transferred over to me. The machine will take what I want, and then I will transfer the powers into me in the next room. But do not worry. You will not die from this procedure. You will just have the colors drained from you and be incredibly weak. Only then will you wish that you were dead."

"You will not get away with this!"

"That is what they all say. Yet I always—"

Bam!

Diversity was hit on the face by a shovel and fell down. Guess who had the shovel? Mary Sue.

"This is exactly why real worlders must perish!" Mary Sue exclaimed angrily. "People like you are the problem!"

"Mary Sue!" I called to her. "Get me out of here! Hurry!"

She ignored me and hissed at the gremlins. "Come at me! I dare you!"