Kyle & Lucy — Chapter 6 [Rewrite] 🐱😈 · 4:55am Mar 19th, 2023
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Since the Bay had a new arrival, I thought it only made sense to show Lucy around one of its top highlights: Silver Shores. The silly demon’s ever-growing fascinations possessed her to go on a squee-ing rampage. She wiggled and waved along with the swaying palm trees scattered across the beach. She made sloppy, horned sand angels left and right. The calmly dribbling waves of the crisp blue ocean caught her full attention; its splashing waves roped Lucy into a back-and-forth chase between trying to admire its refreshing look, and taking cover behind me in terror as it sloshed onto shore.
Unfortunately, my harmless tour was shaken by the jokers known as seagull security, who only allowed us to cut through under the piers to not “disturb the peace”, and all that nonsense. Nothing was worth a flock of those brutes ganging up and squawking my ears off, so I threw my paws up in defeat and moved Lucy through our minor detour.
The sand was cooler in the shade. It was a soggy mess of seaweed throughout, and the stench coming from the infestation of barnacles clinging to every beam supporting the pier was overwhelming. Lucy, however—like said barnacles—ate it all up, spinning and swinging along the poles with a swish in her tail.
“Wait, you got in trouble for dumping honey in the water?” she giggled, wiping her lips. “For fish made of candy?”
“It made perfect sense at the time!” I signed.
“That’s nothing! Back home, there was an all-you-can-eat at McReynold’s. I sort of took it as a challenge and… things got ugly. Sure, I can only have my drench fries brought to me at the reasonable distance of fifty yards, but at least it helped me create my list.”
I tilted my head.
“Oh yeah, I have a list. Lucy’s Lessons for World Demonetization... I think is the correct word. It sounds fiendish enough to me. Anyways, I have tons to live by. Ooh, like Lucy Lesson #12: Dirt Naps. Soil is surprisingly refreshing to go sleepy-bye in. Personally, I go seven feet under because I like to go one step beyond!”
Lucy’s rules reminded me a bit of Milton’s unofficial “Points of Procrastination”, like Point #1: I’ll Tell You Later.
“There’s also Lesson #20: Don’t Try This at Home,” the demon continued. “That’s when you do it somewhere else instead. Or Lesson #6: 666 Jokes. That’s the cheap route to torturing others—I do not recommend that.”
While listening to my talkative tourist gab on, I found myself more at ease around her. Despite her charm, I felt unsure about her after she settled in with us. Whether Gram's choice was smart or not, it was just nice to have someone in the Bay who also looked on the bright side of things. One who—despite claiming to have loads of “evil” in store—would truly steer clear of the horrible things in the world. The powerful fishy odor might have been unbearable to journey through, but at the end of the day, Lucy was having the time of her life. That was good enough for me. Looking past the rocky start, our day out on the town went rather smoothly.
Snap!
Then, I remembered she was still hanging out with me.
On the topic of horrible things, I felt a pair of eyes—eight to be exact—peering at us. As if the noisy waves had become dead silent, the echoing sounds of snapping fingers rang in every direction. The further we walked, the closer it sounded. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap.
I wanted to believe it was a traveling act of Pesticide Story, but the four dark figures darting swiftly about in the shadows debunked such wishful thinking. Four slippery dark figures that each dragged a sleek, ringed tail that zipped through the scattered rays of light poking from the cracks in the pier.
I grabbed Lucy’s hand, rushing for the bright exit stretched between the forest of pillars. As expected, a hulking shadow shuffled in front of the opening, blocking out the light. We took a sharp right; a shorter one—about our height—blocked that direction. Our remaining escape routes were cut off by two taller, skinny figures as all of them loomed closer until we were boxed in.
“Can we stop with the snapping, Ricky?” one of the skinny shadows whined, clicking his fingers. “Mis dedos se van a incendiar!”
“Intimidation, mi amigo,” the other one purred, brushing his low slicked hair back with a paw. “Pull it together, Rate.”
With a slimy snicker, the figure stepped into the shreds of light that illuminated his dark gray fur, a toothpick clamped between his toothy grin. The center of the menacing mask-like fuzz across his eyes wrinkled as he looked us over, fixing the collar of his brown fleece jacket.
“Wait a second,” he uttered, holding a laugh. “Stitch Boy? Hermanito, Stitch Boy here roughed you up?”
A sting of guilt washed over me as the short shadow popped into view beside us. He wore a messy white tank top and a baggy, tattered pair of blue jeans. The sun’s glow highlighted a freshly healed scar across his left eye, barely hidden behind his scruffy mop top.
“Don’t fall for it!” he snarled, kicking sand at my shoes. “It’s a fake cad!”
“I think you mean a ‘façade’, Randy.”
The scrawny figure stepped in next to Ricky, sporting a tropical blue robe and a dapper pair of purple hippie shades with well-kept dreadlocks that draped over them.
“Horatio Racceau,” he greeted, giving Lucy and I a polite handshake. “These tontos call me ‘Rate’, so whatever’s comfy for you.”
“We call you that ‘cause you’re smart, bro.” Ricky shrugged, leaning against a pillar.
“All I did was make the perilous task of picking up a book. You can do that too, yes?”
“Never!” Randy added.
“You’ll have to forgive my brothers. They’re all… going through a phase of some sort.”
“It’s nice to meet everyone!” Lucy cheered innocently. “I’m Lucy, and this is Kyle.”
“I have heard stories about this gatito. ‘Gato Mavaldo,’ Randy would label him. Acting like he faced a jaguar.”
“Weird. He’s my good kitty though.”
“I’m sure he is, which is why we came by to resolve any bad blood peacefully. Right, Randy?”
“Do you not see this mark on me?!” the kid hollered, pointing at the scratch on his eye.
“Well, you probably did something to deserve that.”
“We came to throw fists, not pixie dust! Rob!”
Finally, the hulking figure loomed over us from behind. I looked up, committing the foolish choice of making eye contact with the beast. The long, brawny arms that touched the ground, the unreadable stare of his lemon yellow pupils, the fluffy white turtleneck sweater with a happy baby bee on it hugging his thick figure tightly; true conflicting horror.
“What the fridge is this?!” Randy groaned, tugging at his hair. “Rob, I told you to wear something scary! What’s so frightening about that?”
The buff raccoon pointed at the happy bee on his sweater with a matter-of-fact moan.
“I think it looks spooky on you, Robert,” Lucy bowed. “Not a fan of them myself, though I’m kind of jealous of their ferociousness.”
Rob's cheeks lit up under the turtleneck, fiddling his fingers as he looked around with a pleased sway.
“Pardon me for prying,” Rate said, squinting in the shade. “But may I ask what you are exactly?”
“Oh, I’m a demon.”
“Yeah, right,” Ricky scoffed, lighting a match for a better view. “No demon’s ever been seen around here before—sweet Ela, it’s a demon.”
Lucy happily licked the flame off like a lollipop as the brothers take in the discovery.
“Told you he was trouble!” Randy wheezed, shoving my chest with a bleached oar. “First, he attacks me, now he’s brought up a loca diablo!”
Ricky raised a paw, his smirk expanding. "Hold up now. This might be the opportunity we’ve been waiting for… ”
“Brother,” Rate cut in. “You better be thinking of a dad joke.”
“Relax, mi mapache. I’m not gonna do anything loco. Say… how much—hypothetically speaking—are demon wings worth these days?”
“Richard!”
“Again, hypothetically! I’m speaking your language: hypo-the-tic-ally.”
“Ugh… well, by my knowledge, I can guarantee that a pair of demon wings in today’s market would be approximately worth… a lot.”
“See? Genius. I can settle for that. Randy, hand me the scissors.”
“You can’t take my wings!” Lucy gasped. “They’re sensitive!”
“Unless Stitch Boy has the gold, those babies are coming off.”
My guest’s safety was worth more than some tangy, delectable, succulent frozen fruit pops. I reached into my pockets to hand over my money pouch.
“That all?” the greedy mammal asked.
All I had left on me was one of many handmade coupons Gram had made for me.
“Coupon for One Free Cuddle Session?” Ricky read, disgusted. “Do I look like I need a hug?”
“I do sense a lot of anger in you,” Lucy stated. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.”
“Darn. Guess that’s all the development we’re getting in this chapter.”
“Pity.” I signed.
“Rob, piñata time.”
With a glum moan, the tender giant delicately plucked the squiggling girl by the wings. Randy slapped me to the sand with the oar before proudly strolling past me with silver scissors. My heart pounded into the dirt. I took deep breaths as I watched Lucy being held at the mercy of those sharpened shears.
“There’s got to be a less rash solution to this!” Rate snorted. “There are better, less ignorant ways for coins.”
“Such as?”
“You know, like… jobs?”
“No time for jokes, bro.”
“You shame yourself.”
“Shoot! Do I need to change my pants?”
“Kitty, help me!” Lucy wailed, kicking at the clicking tool.
It was as if all my options were blown away before my eyes. Every step I tried to take, every breathing technique I attempted, ended with a swing of the oar and sand coating my throat. The throbbing head pain, my booming heart, and my guest’s helpless screams drowned out everything coursing through my mind. As I was shoved down into biting my own tongue, I found the tips of my teeth were more on the pointy side. An overwhelming chill caressed my back once I spotted my claws jabbed deep in the damp ground. I prayed my soul out to every level of existence, begging for another way out—but it was no use.
He was coming.
Imagining someone being this way—so cruel, so hateful—only seemed like a horrible fairytale to me. For every second I tried to take all this rage on the cheek, the bully’s muffled laughter and sickening whacks only poked and prodded the tiger out of its feral slumber. Flashes of red enveloped my eyes as everyone became fuzzy, distorted black blobs looking over me with hollowed eyes. I felt a foul presence inside peeling me away from my senses. My heavy breathing vanished, like it had just drained from my body. Control of my limbs grew numb, leaving me stranded in the chilling sensation of drifting in an empty void. I tried closing my eyes, but he was calling the shots. All I could do was watch and drift.
Drifting… drifting…
It was all a wild blur until I suddenly found myself snapped back into the moment. I sucked in much of the salty air as I fell to my knees. Scraping the crunchy sand off my tongue, I ducked, awaiting another harsh hit. What hit me was the soothing sound of ocean waves. Hunched over, I eventually noticed a long wooden rod held tight in my shaking paws. It was the oar, its wide blade snapped clean off.
My stomach churned. Seeing the stunned looks on everyone’s faces said enough. It was so quiet. I was too afraid to see the damage I did, but… I had to. Randy was a bully, but nobody deserved to spend a fleeting moment with that brute. To my horror, I found the raccoon face-down in the sand, the missing blade resting delicately against the gnarly knot in his temple.
Ricky gulped. “What was that?”
I wish I had an explanation. Even Gram, for all her wisdom, couldn’t explain a thing about it. We called him VYLE, because everything about him spelled that. The prickly fur, the razor-sharp fangs, the tiger-like claws, the barbaric strength, and the blank, emotionless stare of his skinny pupils that stretched over his blood red eyes. The anti-me.
It would take a lot to make me truly angry, but seeing Lucy in pain, in danger… I just couldn’t handle it. Nevertheless, a million apologies poured into my brain as I tried to check on the downed kid.
“Hey!” Ricky growled, digging a barbed claw into my shoulder. “Back off, Stitch—”
A nasty THUMP grazed my ears. Looking back, the rough thug was at my feet, squirming and cursing on his side clutching the center of his stomach. My soul was grated like cheese as I spotted the other two brothers cautiously backing away, Rob setting Lucy down gently. My trembling paws stayed in tense, stiff fists that refused to open.
Let me go, I shouted in my head, sweat dripping down my chin. Just let me go!
“Get him, bro!”
Randy’s vengeful voice had my heart dropping like an elevator, more so than the thick baseball bat soaring in to say hello.
They just wouldn’t stop. They had every chance to do so… but no. Ricky’s stubbornness went too far. That redness—that monstrous vision—held my attention on the spooked teen as my sharp claws squeezed his wooden weapon until it splintered in two. A deep, intimidatingly low growl rattled in my throat; I knew what was coming. I tried my best to look away somehow, but Vyle was generous enough to give me a front row seat to witness him slash a serious cut across the raccoon’s right cheek, snipping every whisker clean off.
Ricky fell back on his ringed tail, covering the fresh wound in despair. “Freak,” he strained to wheeze out. “You’re a freak.”
“I-I think we should take our leave now,” Rate mumbled, tugging at his collar. “Rob, let’s—”
“NO!” the giant cut him off, scooping him and Ricky in his bulky arms before galloping for the light at the end of the pier.
After that monster dumped me in another wonky state, something shiny that landed in the sand caught my attention: a tiny bottle filled with a sparkling rainbow liquid that danced gracefully in otherworldly swirls. I moved to see who it belonged to, but the gang was long gone.
That whole experience left a dreadful taste in my mouth, worse than the gritty sand. I felt disgusted, ashamed… unclean. The image of everyone’s fear burned into my eyelids, leaving a sharp pain in my body.
“Psycho!” Randy huffed, pushing past me and limping after his folks.
“Kitty?”
I couldn’t bring myself to look at her. What did she think of me after that? Was she afraid of me, too? If so, was she going to immediately leave the bakery because of me? It was hard enough to process any of it when the same word haunted me since it was said.
Freak. Freak. Freak. Freak.
For a while, it did feel wonderful knowing someone like Lucy saw me as a good kitty. I was on the edge of thinking so myself… but who was I kidding?
“Kyle, come back!” I heard my guest holler.
I regretted running off on her like that, but my world was spinning like a top and I didn’t know how much more pain I could take.
I needed to be alone…
Wowzers, added tons of extra personality to the Raccoons! This chapter was full of heart and interesting turns for the characters. A few small parts I had to read slowly, but above all it's written with love and humor, the finger snaps part had me laughing soooo much.
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Heh, I figured some sentences might've been too wordy or something.
Appreciate the thoughts though 💞🥰
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It's a wonderful and more serious chappie, always awesome to see.
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I won't let you down! 😊
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You never do!
Aw, poor Kyle...
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Heh, was wondering when you'd pop in UwU
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But it's an interesting development here, though poor Kyle clearly needs to be set straight - he's not a freak
Been busy all weekend, sorries
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Don't you worry, Lucy will take care of it 😇
5718944
Oh, good!
Excellent, this is more of the Fantasy pace with a intriguing and small conflict given to our heroes. It sets up future stakes with him lisjng himself to anger, and shows us the more dubious side to this world. This was very fun, as I said maybe two trimmed but larger opening chapters, possibly a big chapter paired with a Prologue, then boom, we also get this adventurous little rumble. Fantasy is a hard landscape, you want those strong character moments but you can't forget the big impact of fantastical and engaging moments like this.
Not a freak at all, this was interesting escalation. I loved how things picked up!
Wow, this got way more sad now. Poor little kitty.
Aww, poor Kyle. This was a great chapter full of tons of moving parts but excellent characterisation. He's no freak, but a wonderful story protagonist and interesting hero.