The Invisible Zest

by mayorlight

Chapter 7

After an evening of feasting, gaming, and staying up late to explore the new tablet computer she got with her tickets (three hundred thousand), Lemon Zest was more than content to sleep in the next morning. She was in the middle of a very vivid dream wherein she was treading across a slippery ice bridge when she was roused by a knock on her door. Still half-asleep, she trudged over to the door and opened it to find Sugarcoat standing outside.

"Good morning, Lemon," Sugarcoat greeted in her usual impassive tone. "Can you spare a little body wash?"

At least she always gets right down to business, Lemon thought to herself. "Just a moment." She went into her bathroom and returned with a near-empty bottle of her watermelon-scented body wash. "Go ahead and take it. I've got another."

"Thank you," said Sugarcoat as she accepted the bottle. "Late night last night?"

Lemon managed a lazy grin. "Just another Friday night at Gabe and Chester's."

"That is what Saturday mornings are for. See you around."

Lemon waved her classmate off then went back to her bed where she would doze until ten o'clock. She was still in her pajamas, grooving to her easy-listening playlist at eleven when she received a text message from Indigo suggesting that they go to the corner diner for brunch. Lemon quickly responded and got dressed in her casuals. Half an hour later, she met Indigo downstairs.

On their way out, they spotted Principal Cinch leading a trio of men in rather rumpled business suits toward the cafeteria. One of the men carried a peculiar handheld device that had a pair of antennae protruding from it.

"Looks like Cinch called in some experts," whispered Indigo.

Lemon snorted. "Probably the same quacks Upper Crust's family consults."

They strolled out the Academy's front doors into the midday sun. A gentle breeze offset the heat as birds warbled in the trees. As luck would have it, they were retracing the same route Lemon had taken when she had initially planned to dump the powder. Lemon could not help but curse herself for losing some of it when she tripped. Of course, had she not done so, she would have never witnessed the pigeon pecking at the powder and turning invisible. What a waste it would have been if she had actually tossed it!

"We should do something outside of the Academy," said Lemon.

"That would be fun," Indigo pondered. "The problem is finding a safe place to stash our clothes."

"Yeah, that is true."

Outside the Academy, the possibility of getting caught on camera was even greater. In a worst-case scenario, even if they somehow managed to avoid getting arrested for streaking, there were other dangers that could befall them. Nowadays, just going out without a smartphone, identification, or currency (physical or otherwise) was risky.

At the diner, they each ordered a hearty omelet packed to the brim with cheese and vegetables. After their meal, they returned to the Academy to play some foosball in the Rec Room (the closest, Lemon once quipped, that she would ever come to beating Indigo at soccer). They were in the middle of their third game (Indigo having won twice in a row) when they heard a familiar trio of voices out in the hall.

"I'm telling you, it's just a trick with magnets," said Sugarcoat.

"And I'm telling you, it's the real deal!" exclaimed Sour Sweet.

"If you actually believe that, you're even more gullible than Upper Crust."

"I will say this," said Sunny Flare. "My aunt would not have called those parapsychologists if she thought what happened yesterday was just another prank."

Lemon and Indigo glanced up from their game as their classmates walked into the Rec Room. Sour was carrying a large wooden board under one arm.

Lemon's curiosity was now piqued. "Hey, gals, what's up?"

"Indigo, Lemon, check this out!" Sour said as she held up the board which was inscribed with the entire alphabet and the numbers zero through nine - an Ouija board. "Tonight, Sunny and I are going to contact the ghosts that are haunting the Academy!"

Indigo managed to keep a straight face as she gave Sour a skeptical look. "With a toy?"

"I kid you not, this thing actually works!"

"We're gonna set up here at eight o'clock tonight," added Sunny.

Sugarcoat crossed her arms. "Do what you will. You already know my answer." With that, she walked out of the room.

Sour turned back to Lemon and Indigo. "How about you gals? The more people we have, the more energy we'll have to attract the spirits!"

"Sorry," said Lemon without missing a beat. "We're catching a movie this evening."

Sour half-smiled as she shrugged. "Well, have fun!"

Sunny put her arm around Sour as they left the room. "Guess it's just you and me tonight!"

Lemon and Indigo exchanged mischievous smiles as they returned to their foosball game. Although crashing Sunny and Sour's seance was a step down from punking Principal Cinch, it was another opportunity for them to play the part of the Academy "ghosts." With the ball rolling as it was, why not give it another nudge? This evening promised to be entertaining!

---

At eight o'clock, Lemon and Indigo once again came to the former's room where they disrobed. By now, they had practiced it so well that they could do it quickly. Had they been wearing their full Academy uniforms, they could have completely shed them in less than a minute. After taking their synchronized dose of the invisibility powder, their second to last, they strode out into the hall. The entire dormitory was especially quiet with most of their classmates off spending the weekend with their families.

The invisible girls arrived at the Rec Room which was darkened save for a pair of candles at a table near the rear which had been covered with a dark burgundy table cloth. Between the candles was the Ouija board. Sunny and Sour sat on opposite sides of the table, each with a hand resting atop the planchette in the middle of the board. Both of the wannabe mediums had their eyes closed, as though they were meditating or trying to put themselves in some sort of trance. Lemon and Indigo quietly circled their classmates, patiently waiting for one of them to ask a question.

Nearly three minutes passed on the Rec Room wall clock before Sour earnestly asked aloud, "Is anybody there? If you are, please give us a sign."

Sunny and Sour kept their eyes closed as they waited. Nothing happened at first, but a moment later, they glanced down at the planchette when they felt it suddenly tremble.

"I am not doing that," said Sunny.

Keeping their hands on the planchette, they watched as it slid over to the word "Yes" on the board.

Sour looked up into the darkness as she asked, "With whom do we speak this evening?"

Again, a moment passed before the planchette began moving back and forth across the alphabet letters on board, spelling out S-O-M-B-R-A.

Both girls shuddered ever so slightly. Sunny asked the next question. "Salutations, Doctor. To what do we owe the honor?"

The planchette moved again, spelling out L-E-G-A-C-Y.

"Of whose legacy do you speak?" asked Sour.

No answer came for several moments. Sunny and Sour both scanned the darkness as if expecting some frightful wraith to appear. Suddenly, both of the candles flames were snuffed out by some unseen force, leaving the light from the hallway the only illumination in the room. The table then began to slowly levitate inches off the floor.

"Now!" cried Sunny. She and Sour each reached under the table cloth to pull out a plastic pitcher. They backed away as they scattered the pitchers' contents - two full quarts of all-purpose flour - through the air in wide arcs. Their eyes widened as the table dropped back to the floor and a pair of humanoid figures became visible in the cloud.

Sunny and Sour screamed, as did Lemon and Indigo. The flour-covered "ghosts" grabbed the cloth and threw it over the "mediums," scattering the Ouija board and the candlesticks.

Lemon and Indigo beat a hasty retreat out of the Rec Room, frantically scrubbing the flour from their bodies. Foregoing all stealth, they rushed back through the residence hall, hoping that nobody heard the ruckus. Once they were back inside Lemon's darkened room they slumped against the door. That was when they were suddenly bathed in light. They shrieked as they futilely tried to shield their eyes with their invisible hands.

"I thought so," said a familiar voice.

Once their eyes had adjusted to the glare of the flashlight, Lemon and Indigo found themselves staring at Sugarcoat, who held the flashlight in one hand and her smartphone in the other. They both yelped again when their hands became visible once more, shooting their arms down to cover their flour-lined bodies as Sugarcoat snapped a burst photo on her phone.

"S-s-sugarcoat," stammered Lemon. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," said Sugarcoat.

"H-how did you know?" asked Indigo.

Despite both of them standing half a head taller than their bespectacled classmate, Lemon and Indigo found themselves backing up against the wall when she stepped forward.

"I didn't suspect anything until the Library. During your escape, one of you stepped in the coffee Upper Crust spilled when she bumped into First Folio. That bare footprint on the floor was my first clue that we were dealing with something tangible. Then there was your cafeteria performance, which clearly showed two culprits at work. According to the volunteer schedule board, you, Lemon, were helping Mr. Crimson clean the auditorium earlier that day, giving you access to the wardrobe, which is where you got the sweaters and the legwarmers."

As she spoke, Lemon and Indigo stole glances at the dresser, specifically, at the top drawer where Lemon had stowed the invisibility powder. Right now, they could only hope that Sugarcoat had not already searched the room and found it!

Sugarcoat continued. "And then there's the fact that you, Lemon, are the only person in the Academy I know who uses a watermelon-scented body wash." At this, she pocketed her phone and pulled out the bottle of body wash Lemon had given her earlier that day. "I caught a whiff of it when you were in the Rec Room and in the Library. To top it all off, neither you nor Indigo was present during any of the 'ghost' sightings."

Indigo blinked. "So wait, earlier in the Rec Room, the seance..."

"All staged," Sugarcoat said as she dropped the bottle. "We decided to dangle an easy target in front of you, and sure enough, you just couldn't resist. We picked the Rec Room since it was near the residence hall. Your room is the safest place you can leave your clothes, and since neither of you can carry a key in your invisible state, you would have to leave your door unlocked."

Lemon's cheeks flushed. "You dirty little sneak!" At that moment, both she and Indigo were very tempted to just overpower Sugarcoat and make off with the last of the powder. They could have easily done it! But then what? For all they knew, Sunny and Sour were probably already waiting outside the door. Furthermore, the photos Sugarcoat took might already be uploaded to an Internet drive - hopefully, in a private folder.

As if sensing Lemon and Indigo's intentions, Sugarcoat kept the flashlight trained on them as she crossed the room. Lemon and Indigo felt the sweat beading on their brows when she stopped at the dresser. Relying on her sense of touch, she opened the top drawer and probed about inside. Lemon and Indigo both winced helplessly as she pulled out the milk can-shaped tin.

"Gimme a break, both of you kept looking in this direction," Sugarcoat said as she held up the tin. "Now, what is in here?"

Lemon sighed. It did not make any sense to even try holding out anymore. "It's a powder I found in Twilight's old laboratory while I was helping Mr. Crimson - probably an experiment she forgot about. I didn't know what it did until watched a bird peck at it and disappear!"

"And?"

"One heaping teaspoon makes you - your body - invisible for fifteen minutes," added Indigo.

"And?"

"There's enough left for two doses," said Lemon. "After that, it's all gone. I swear to you, that's all there is!"

Sugarcoat's face remained unreadable. Still keeping her eyes on Lemon and Indigo, she set the milk can tin on the dresser, opened it, and fished out the bag of powder. A small part of each of them died as she slipped the bag into her blazer pocket. They now looked like a pair of toddlers who had been caught shoplifting candy.

"It's not like we hurt anyone," Lemon said sheepishly. "Well, maybe Jet Set, but that was an accident!"

Sugarcoat softened her gaze. "I give you both credit for taking him, Upper Crust, Suri, and Cinch all down a peg, but you have wreaked enough havoc here."

"So what now?" asked Indigo.

"Now, you two get cleaned up and go to bed, because tomorrow, you are giving one final performance. Meet us at The Drip at nine A.M. We'll give you the details then. You complete your mission, I delete the photos and we bring this whole 'ghost' business to a close. Bonne soiree."

With that, Sugarcoat left the room. Lemon and Indigo hung their heads as they slumped to their knees. It was fun while it lasted, but now, their time as the Academy "ghosts" was truly at an end.

Author's Note:

At last, the long-awaited confrontation! For the full effect, try reading that scene with the Phoenix Wright Cornered theme playing.

Lemon's dream at the start of this chapter is a warning against her overconfidence.

While doing my research for this chapter, I learned that the term "Ouija" is, befittingly, a trademark of Hasbro!

In my headcanon, Sugarcoat is physically the smallest of the Shadow Five, and even without speaking a falsehood, is still capable of being sneaky (much like an Aes Sedai from the Wheel of Time series).

Comments

[Sunset_Shimmer83]

I knew I smelled a trap

[Jedi Wolf]

Busted!

[Scholarly-Cimmerian]

Haha, wow. Sugarcoat got them GOOD.

One "final performance," eh? I'm curious and worried. XD

[Cesar Choque]

¡Sugarcoat jodida L! Es impresionante como ella fue descubriendo cada pista y concluyendo sobre quienes fueran las fantasmas con tanta seguridad al final, y eso de planear su trampa fue ingenioso y a la vez simple como las hizo caer ¿Qué será esa última actuación? Estoy a la espera. Por cierto, no discutiría con que Sugarcoat es la más pequeña, es hasta gracioso sumándole lo inteligente de aquí, buen headcanon.

[mayorlight]

10432170
The only missing were the box and the stick!

[mayorlight]

10432484
That expression always takes me back to my days playing Narc in the arcades!

[mayorlight]

10432868
I can say this much: it’s gonna be one heck of a swan song!

[mayorlight]

10437995
Admito que podria tener un poco de sesgo, ya que Sugarcoat es mi Shadowbolt favorito. Tal vez sea porque lleva gafas.

I admit I might be a little biased since Sugarcoat is my favorite Shadowbolt. Maybe it's because she wears glasses.

[Pr1deM0rn1ngstar]

Indigo managed to keep a straight face as she gave Sour a skeptical look. "With a toy? "

That is not by any means a toy, one shouldn't even have those things they are evil and not to mention once you start messing with those things who knows what will come out of that door