Flipside

Part 6, Part 1

PART 6: THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Marsha looked at her laptop and groaned. This one person wouldn't stop sending her this message and telling we to listen to it. She didn't want to.

She screamed in frustration as her screen lit up again.

NEVIN: my mixtape is so fire
NEVIN: you have to listen to this
MARSHA: Not now, Nevin.
NEVIN: marsha
NEVIN: marshmallow
NEVIN: marsha salamanca smith
MARSHA: Please leave me alone.
NEVIN: please

She sighed and put in a pair of earbuds, clicking on the video. She heard an array of random noises. But then, pictures started to flash in her mind.

"I've got a world to save!" She slammed the cover of her laptop down and dove into the pool. When she popped up on the other side, everyone was waiting for her.

"Took you long enough." Gemma smiled. Marsha got dressed and received her sword. She then sat down with the others in an awkward silence.

"That was a mess." Mallory said at last. Nobody looked at each other, in shame of killing the others.

"Yeah. I'm sorry." Marsha said, looking at her.

"Don't sweat it, Smith. I had it coming." She turned to Michael. "Let's start over, okay? What do you say, Mikey?" She held out a hand. He tentatively took it and shook it politely.

"Sorry for killing you, Marsha. I guess." Charles blushed as Gregory turned to him.

"I didn't fight hard enough." Gregory whispered.

"You're my best friend! I can't believe I did that!" Charles leaped into his arms.

"It's fine. You weren't thinking correctly." He patted his back, scratching behind his ears. Charles purred and snuggled into the other.

"Catfish. Catfish." Sasha chanted.

"I shouldn't have let myself get carried away. You should stay away from me." Charles murmured.

"No. I don't want to. I forgive you." Gregory smiled. Charles looked at him.

"Catfish! Catfish!" Sasha pumped a fist in the air. Charles kissed Gregory and she screamed excitedly. When they were done, Mallory looked over at a Nevin.

"Pay up, sucker. It's canon." She smirked. Nevin handed her ten dollars, and so did Pepper.

"I did say Charles would be the one to kiss though." Pepper said. The other two passed her currency as well. Gregory and Charles leaned in again.

"Kiss number two! Oh yeah!" Mallory and Pepper groaned and handed him twenty dollars each.

"Why is nobody apologizing for me death?" Sasha asked. "And Steve's." She cradled the chicken and glared at Charles.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry Sasha." Charles said in embarrassment.

"We need to get a move on. We still need to go to the old library place." Gemma pointed out.

"Right. I'll lead the way." Gregory stood up. "It's worth noting that the people where we're going aren't the nicest." He paused. "We could take a shortcut. Anybody have a vehicle?" Nevin raised his hand.

"Alright, Nev. what do you have." Mallory asked.

"A ride-on mower." He answered.

***

"This is the worst idea I've ever witnessed." Dante groaned. He was sitting on a toboggan that was being pulled through the mud by the lawnmower.

"We need a vehicle, no matter how... unusual of a choice." Gregory said, leaning off of the back.

"Hey, look. A van." Mallory pointed. Everyone turned to Nevin and he stopped the mower, hopping off. Charles shapeshifter his finger into a key and placed it in the car's ignition, turning it. He pushed his leg down, and growled in frustration.

"He's too short, isn't he?" Pepper sighed.

"Somebody get up here." He said in defeat, taping the ignition to keep it on while removing his finger as it shifted back to its original form.

"I'll drive." Mallory offered, stepping up to the seat. She pressed her foot on the pedal and the car started to advance.

"Why do you know how to drive?" Michael asked.

"I don't." She slammed her foot on the gas pedal and the car lurched forward. "Gimme the instructions, GPS!"

"SLOW DOWN!" Gregory screamed.

"Wrong answer, buddy." She smirked.

"Okay, uh... do you know where Silkspin Bridge is?" He asked.

"Yeah." She propelled forwards and headed along a mountain road.

"This is a good place to slow down." Marsha announced, staring at the canyon beside them.

"You only live once," Mallory shrugged.

"Exactly. That's why you play it safe." Michael nodded. Once they were off of the mountain road, everyone sighed in relief. She swerved through a birch forest until they reached a bridge with the label 'VEHICLES ONLY'. A woman crawled up from below the bridge and stood in front of the car. Mallory rolled down the window.

"State your purpose." She said, holding up two arms. One had a notepad in it, the other a pencil.

"Saving the world." Mallory answered.

"Noted." They rolled their eyes and held up a camera with a... third arm?

"WHAT THE HECK?" Nevin screeched.

"Arachnae," Gregory told him. "Human-spider hybrid."

"Is that an aquian? Gregory shrunk back in his seat. "Sorry, fishsticks. We don't allow your kind here after you took over our water cave." The lady scowled.

"I'm really sorry, I had no part in that. If you let me over the bridge, I'll request an audience with the court." Gregory said quietly. The lady nodded and let them pass. Mallory drove down to a beach after instructions from Gregory, and stopped in the sand. Marsha stepped out onto the beach and Gregory started sifting through the sand.

"What are you looking for?" Charles asked.

"You'll see." He answered, scooping sand away from a rock.

"A rock. I'm so excited." Sasha frowned. Gregory scooped away more sand and found a handprint shaped depression. He placed his hand in it and twisted it ninety degrees. She sand blew out of the way as a gust of salty air blew from the stone, revealing a flat grey surface in a perfect circle. There was a wave-shaped line on it, which then split and opened into a spiral staircase.

"This is the place." Gregory announced.