Nan Madol
an excerpt

The Epic Finish

“I’ve got to confess something,” Theodore said, breaking the silence.

Rachael looked at him. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ve been lying to all of you. I’ve been deceiving everyone, especially you, Rachael,” Theodore began.

Rachael merely stared at him, wondering what Theodore was refering to.

Theodore turned around to face Rachael directly. “I don’t really love you.”

Rachael’s bottom lip trembled upon hearing his words. “Wh.. wha.. what do you mean you don’t love me?”

“It’s pretty simple to understand. I just don’t love you. I never did. Ever.”

Theodore’s cold words stung at Rachael’s heart. “You... you... never... never loved me?”

“How long does it take for you to understand that?”

“Then what were you playing at this whole time?” Rachael began to choke up.

Theodore smiled evilly. “I created a plan before coming here.”

“A plan?” Rachael squeaked. “What... what sort of plan?”

“A plan to kill you,” Theodore replied calmly.

Rachael felt her heart skip a beat. She couldn’t breathe and was frozen to the spot. Time had seemed to slow down incredibly.

What does he mean a plan to kill me? How could he? How can he kill me now after all we’ve been through? I can’t believe what Theo just said. He has to be lying... This is all some sick kind of joke of his. What reason would he have to kill me? Does he hate me? Is that why he wants to kill me? But then, why does he hate me? I’ve not done anything to him that would give him reason to hate me. Yes, I would understand before when I was with Ethan on the beach... but that was only for an hour or two. Then, I found out who Ethan really was and that’s when Theodore told me he loved me. He seemed so sincere. He couldn’t have faked all that. Can he? No, he couldn’t have. But then... what is Theodore talking about when he says he has a plan to kill me? I just don’t understand what in the world he’s talking about. I don’t want him to kill me! I don’t want to die. I love Theo and want to be with him forever... But why is he acting like this? Why did he just deny his feelings for me? Why did he say he never loved me? Why? Why?

From the corner of her eye, Rachael saw her brother rush forward at Theodore, with his fist steady in the air.

“You’re not going to touch my sister!” Daniel yelled at him.

Daniel brought his fist down but just as it was going to hit Theodore’s jaw, Theodore dodged it. In a moment of confusion, Theodore kicked Daniel to the ground.

“Now, it is time for the plan to be set into motion,” Theodore uttered.

Theodore reached into his pockets and everyone held their breath to see what he was pulling out. He retracted his hand which was in a closed fist. He outstretched his hand in front of him. He then slowly opened his fist, his palm facing upwards. In his hand was a small keychain with a silver frying pan attached to it.

“A frying pan keychain?” Jack asked, clearly confused and scared.

“This is no ordinary keychain. And this is no ordinary frying pan,” Theodore told them.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Daniel inquired, spitting the blood out of his mouth.

“Just watch and see.” Theodore grinned and threw the keychain far up into the air. “Interesting! Peculiar! Odd! IT! Frying pan, oh, frying pan! Listen to my call! Obey what I say and expand!”

Rachael, Daniel, Jack, and Victoria watched the small frying pan fly up in the air. As it began to descend, the frying pan began to glow pink. By the time Theodore had grasped the frying pan in his hand, it had expanded to twenty times its original size.

“Now what do you think?” Theodore chuckled.

“Theo, what’s gotten into you?” Rachael demanded, backing away slowly.

Theodore’s eyes flashed red. “Nothing has gotten into me. This is how I’ve always felt.”

“That’s not true, Theo. I’ve seen how you looked at Rachael and you loved her,” Victoria said, holding tightly onto Jack’s hand.

“How many times do I have to repeat myself and say that I never, ever loved her?” Theodore raised the frying pan into the air, ready to strike someone.

“Theo, you’re starting to scare me. Just put down the frying pan,” Rachael told him. “The joke’s over. Stop it.”

“This is no joke.” Theodore took a step towards Rachael.

Rachael instinctively took a step back. Her brother was kneeling on the ground off to her right and both Jack and Victoria were far off to her left. Theodore continued to slowly approach her. Rachael tried to move her feet to run away but it seemed that she was glued to the ground beneath her.

Why can’t I move? I want to move. I have to get away from him. But my legs don’t want to work. Why won’t they work? I need to get away. Theo’s got a crazy look in his eye and I think he was telling the truth. This isn’t a joke. He really does want to kill me. He wants to kill me! Run, Rachael, run!

Rachael’s eyes widened as she saw Theodore take one more step and then he was right in front of her.

“Rachael! Run, run!” Daniel called out to her.

“You’re not going to go anywhere, Rachael,” Theodore whispered.

Theodore raised his hand holding onto the frying pan as far as it could go. He gave one last evil smile at Rachael and then brought the frying pan crashing down onto Rachael’s head. The frying pan made a loud crack on her skull that resonated throughtout the islet. Rachael instantly crumpled up and fell to the ground, dead. The red blood began to ooze from the broken bone fragments of her skull. Theodore stood over her body, letting the blood slip from the frying pan down onto her lifeless body. Drip, drip, drip.

For a minute, a full sixty seconds, Jack, Victoria, and Daniel stared at Rachael’s body, in complete shock and disbelief of what just occurred.

“Rachael!” Daniel cried out, breaking the silence and rushing over to his sister’s body.

Daniel knelt down beside Rachael and sweeped away her bloody, matted hair. He pulled her up and held onto her.

“Rachael...”

Daniel began to sob into his dead sister’s shoulder. “You can’t be dead, you can’t be!”

“Oh, but she is, Daniel, she is,” spoke Theodore.

“What did you have to kill her for, Theo?” Victoria cried out, burying her head into Jack’s chest.

“But, I needed to, Victoria,” Theodore replied.

“What do you mean you needed to? You didn’t have to kill her!” Jack exclaimed.

“If I wanted to return to my true form, then I needed to kill Rachael,” Theodore explained.

“You’re... you’re true form?” Victoria stuttered, holding onto Jack.

“What the hell is going on?”

Everyone, except for Theodore, turned around to see Ethan running towards them. Theodore merely bellowed out a loud laughter. They all gasped as they saw Theodore raise both his arms toward the sky, still holding onto the frying pan. He began to glow a bright red and a red light shot straight up into the air from where he was standing. A loud buzzing noise began to fill the air and everyone quickly brought their hands over their ears to try to block out the sound.

“What’s going on?” Ethan yelled, his hands still firmly placed over his ears.

Victoria shrugged to Ethan in response. Before they can exchange any other form of communication, Theodore began to emit a bright white light. Within seconds, the light disappeared as quick as it had appeared. Where Theodore had stood was now standing a tall, red man. The frying pan that Theodore had been holding onto had become part of the right arm of the beast.

“What the hell are you?” Jack yelled at Theodore.

“Don’t you recognize me?” Theodore inquired.

“Victoria, where’s Rachael?” Ethan asked her.

Victoria moaned and quickly pointed in the direction of where Daniel was, still holding onto Rachael. As soon as he saw her, Ethan gasped.

“Is she... dead?”

Victoria nodded, gulping. “Theodore killed her.”

Ethan stared at her in confusion and then looked at the beast before him. “You killed Rachael?”

“But of course I did. I needed to so I could transform into this. And to get my full powers back, I’m going to need to kill someone else. How about you, Ethan?”

Ethan felt his mouth go dry.

What in the world has gone on here? What happened to Theodore? He’s a complete wild beast...

“You’re not going to kill me,” Ethan replied.

“Are you willing to bet?” Theodore licked his lips. “How about a battle to the finish?”

“You want to fight?” Ethan repeated.

“To the death,” Theodore stated.

“Ethan, you can’t fight him!” Jack said. “He killed Rachael as if it was the easiest thing in the world. And that was before he became this... this... beast.”

“Well, I’m going to try. I’ve accepted the fact already that I’m likely going to die. While I fight him, you’ve all got to escape while he’s distracted,” Ethan told them.

“Ethan... are you sure?” Victoria inquired.

Ethan nodded slowly. “Yes, I’m sure. Go now before I chicken out though.”

Victoria looked at him with tears in her eyes. “Why are you doing this anyways, Ethan? You’ve been so mean to all of us these past few days.”

“I really don’t know why I’m doing this. I just feel like some unseen force is making me do this,” Ethan replied.

Victoria nodded. “Thank you, Ethan, and good luck.”

Jack and Victoria walked behind Ethan and over to where Daniel was. He was in complete shock, still holding onto his dead sister. When Victoria kneeled down and looked into Daniel’s eyes, she saw that his mind was far from the situation at hand.

“Daniel? Can you hear me?” Jack placed his right hand on Daniel’s shoulder.

Without saying anything, Daniel slowly turned his head and looked at Victoria and Jack. It was clear that Daniel was heartbroken and that he couldn’t function properly anymore.

“Daniel, we’re going to leave now,” Victoria whispered to him. “Ethan is going to distract Theodore so we can escape to safety.”

“Rachael,” Daniel mumbled, looking down at his sister.

“Jack will take her,” Victoria responded. “Come on, Daniel, we’ve got to go.”

Jack carefully lifted Rachael’s body into his arms. Victoria then took Daniel’s hand and pulled him up.

“And what do you three think you’re doing?” Theodore yelled, just noticing what they were doing.

“Don’t concern yourself with them. Right now, you have to focus on fighting me,” Ethan shouted at him.

“Oh, don’t worry, I will fight you soon enough. But first, I must deal with these three,” Theodore told him.

Theodore raised his right arm, with the frying pan as a hand, and made a sweeping motion towards Victoria, Jack, and Daniel. Even though Theodore was far away from them, the frying pan created a strong enough wind that knocked the three of them over and to the ground.

“Leave them alone!” Ethan shouted, rushing at Theodore with a basalt log in his hand that he had just picked up from the ground nearby.

Before Ethan could even get close to Theodore, Theodore made another sweeping motion with the frying pan and Ethan went flying backwards into the air, falling hard onto the ground.

“What the fuck, children!”

“Ashlynn...” Victoria coughed. “Ashlynn Clarke?”

Ashlynn Clarke hurried over to where Jack, Victoria, and Daniel were. “Yes, it’s me. What the hell is going on? What happened to Rachael? And where’s-?”

Ashlynn Clarke fell silent as her eyes glued onto the red man standing quite a distance away. “Is that Theodore?”

“Yes. And he... he...” Victoria couldn’t manage to continue as she began to cry.

“He killed Rachael,” Daniel said flatly.

Ashlynn Clarke gasped, turning around, and looked at Rachael’s limp body on the floor. “What do you mean he killed her? She’s... dead?”

Jack nodded. “He killed her right after he told her that he never loved her. As soon as we finished lunch and got on this islet, he changed into a completely different person. And after he killed Rachael, he turned into this large, red beast with a powerful frying pan as a hand.”

Ashlynn Clarke turned back around to look at Theodore. “And what about Ethan? He ran off a couple of minutes ago without any explanation.”

“Ethan was going to distract Theodore for us so we could escape from him,” Victoria explained.

“But Ethan hasn’t gotten up yet,” Ashlynn Clarke said.

“I think we’re all screwed,” Jack muttered.

“Do not give up hope, Jack,” Ashlynn Clarke told him.

“So, the teacher finally arrives at the scene,” Theodore shouted.

“Theodore, I want you to stop this right now. You have no right in hurting all these people and you definitely had no right in killing Rachael!” Ashlynn Clarke yelled, slowly advancing toward him.

“I had no right? I have every right in the world!” Theodore replied. “Now, stay away as I kill Ethan so I can become even more powerful.”

“I will not let you do any such thing. Return to your human form and leave immediately,” Ashlynn Clarke instructed him, now standing in front of Ethan.

“Do you honestly think I will obey you? I am more powerful right now than anyone on this island. You cannot stop me. No one can. Now get out of my way and you might have a chance at escaping,” Theodore said.

“I will not run away from you, Theodore,” Ashlynn Clarke told him.

“Get out of the way.” Ethan had managed to stand back up.

Ethan lightly pushed his teacher out of the way and then picked up another basalt log at his feet.

“Are you going to try the same thing again, Ethan?” Theodore inquired, an amused smile splashed across his face.

“Yes, and I will keep trying until one of us is dead,” Ethan replied.

“Well, then, this will be quick. One more attack at me and you shall be dead,” Theodore muttered.

Ethan took a deep breath and then charged at Theodore, the log raised in his arms. As he was running, Theodore elevated his own arm, the frying pan ready to strike. When Ethan got close, Theodore brought the frying pan crashing down onto Ethan, just as he did when he killed Rachael.

“Ethan!” Victoria cried out, watching the scene as she held onto Jack.

Silence fell onto the islet. Ethan dropped the basalt log onto the ground. He had managed to stay standing up but now his body began to sway. A second later, Ethan fell sideways. The thud resonated in everyone’s ears. Theodore had killed Ethan.

Theodore smiled and let the blood drip off his frying pan and onto Ethan’s lifeless body. Moments later, Theodore began to emit another white light which didn’t last as long as the last time. When the light disappeared, Theodore clenched his left fist.

“I can feel the power. And I like it.” Theodore licked his lips.

“I can’t believe this is happening to us,” Victoria mumbled.

“And it’s not even finished yet, Victoria,” Theodore told her. “I’ve saved the best surprise for last.”

“What are you talking about?” questioned Jack.

Theodore smiled. “I have a little secret.”

“What secret, Theodore?” Ashlynn Clarke asked.

“See, that’s the thing. I’m not really Theodore.”

Victoria stared at him and exclaimed, “What? What do you mean you’re not really Theodore?”

“It’s simple, really. I’m not Theodore because I’m actually Ethan.”

“But Ethan’s right over there,” Victoria said, pointing to Ethan’s dead body. “You killed him just minutes ago.”

“I didn’t kill Ethan. I killed Theodore.”

Everyone gasped as they instantly turned their attention to the dead body on the ground. The red beast snapped his fingers three times. Both himself and the dead body began to glow a light blue. Ashlynn Clarke, Victoria, Jack, and Daniel shielded their eyes as the light enveloped the whole islet.

When the light vanished, everyone took a look first at the dead body laying on the ground and gasped in unison. What was before Ethan’s body was now Theodore. The red beast now looked like Ethan.

“Theo!” Victoria ran over to the lifeless body and fell to her knees.

“Ethan was Theodore this whole time?” Jack inquired.

“Yes, he was. After you, Ashlynn Clarke, passed out the lunches to everyone, I performed a spell to make me and Theodore switch bodies. I then cast temporary confusion onto Theodore so he wouldn’t ruin my plans by telling anyone who he really was,” Ethan explained.

“So, this whole time, Theodore was in Ethan’s body and... and... he died trying to save us...” Victoria erupted into tears, throwing her arms around Theodore’s body. “Oh, Theo. I can’t believe you’re dead. How could I have ever thought you didn’t love Rachael and kill her?”

“What’s going on?”

“Get the hell away from here Lyra and Jasmine!” Ashlynn Clarke shouted.

Lyra and Jasmine had just arrived in the clearing of the forest and were stunned at the scene before them.

“Oh, goodie. More people I can kill!” Ethan clapped his hands together in glee like a small child.

“K... kill?” Jasmine uttered, choking on her words.

“More people? Who have you already killed?” Lyra asked, controlling her voice to the best of her abilities.

“Rachael and Theodore,” Ethan replied, smiling. “And in about five seconds, I can add both the names Lyra and Jasmine to that list.”

Before Lyra and Jasmine could register what Ethan had just said and run away, Ethan raised his right arm, stretching the frying pan high into the air, and ran towards where Lyra and Jasmine were standing. In one quick motion, Ethan brought the massive frying pan down, hitting both Lyra and Jasmine. Ashlynn Clarke, Victoria, Jack, and Daniel watched in horror as Lyra and Jasmine fell to the ground, dead. Again, Ethan let the blood drip off the frying pan and onto the dead bodies at his feet.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Victoria cried out. “Why do you keep killing everyone?”

A white light flashed around Ethan again. “Because I keep getting more powerful each time I kill someone. And I thought you were the smart one, Victoria.”

Victoria gripped onto Jack’s arm, scared again.

“We’ve got to get away from here before he kills another one of us,” Jack whispered.

Victoria nodded, already pale in the face.

“How pathetic you all are,” Theodore said. “Daniel is still in shock over his dead sister, Victoria is scared she’s going to die next, Jack’s devising a plan to escape that ultimately just won’t work, and our dear teacher, Ashlynn Clarke, has no idea what to do. And Rachael, Theodore, Lyra, and Jasmine are all dead. My goodness, today is just perfect!”

No one responded since they didn’t know what to say. Ethan chuckled at the scene before him.

“You think it’s funny that you’ve killed all these people?” Jack snapped.

“Don’t piss him off, Jack,” Victoria whispered from the corner of her mouth.

“Better take her advice, Jack,” Ethan said and then winked at him.

“You... you heard me?” Victoria squeaked.

“You really aren’t that smart, are you? I keep telling you that I keep getting more powerful as I kill people and it’s not just my strength that’s increasing,” Ethan explained. “I think if I kill one or two more people, I’ll then be able to read minds as well.”

“Read minds?” Jack uttered.

“That would be correct. Now, who should I kill next?” Ethan wondered out loud. “Should it be Jack or Victoria?”

Victoria let out a low moan and held onto Jack even harder. “Jack, I don’t want to die.”

Jack wrapped his arms around Victoria and hugged her tight. “I’m not going to let you die. Not here, not now.”

“And how do you expect to stop me, Jack?” Ethan questioned him, a gleam in his eye.

Jack closed his eyes for a moment, sighed, and then lightly pushed Victoria off him. “Victoria, please stay with Daniel. I love you, Victoria.”

Victoria, as if in a trance, walked over to Daniel, never taking her eyes off Jack. “I love you too, Jack.”

Jack took a deep breath and turned around to face Ethan, the red beast.

“It appears that you don’t have a plan, Jack,” Ethan commented. “Or are you trying to form a plan right now before I attack you? If that’s the case, then I suggest you think very quickly because you will be dead within a minute.”

Jack racked his brain, trying to find something that could help him escape death and save everyone else. Nothing came to him. He merely watched as Ethan slowly approached him, the bloody frying pan looking extremely menacing.

“I’m going to assume you don’t have a plan. You’re going to make this all too easy to kill you.”

Jack stood where he was as Ethan got closer. When he was close enough, Ethan raised his right arm and smiled.

“Say goodbye to your girlfriend,” Ethan whispered.

Jack slowly turned his head, looked at Victoria, and mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’ to her. Before Jack could even turn around to face Ethan, the frying pan came crashing down upon Jack’s skull, knocking him to the ground.

“Jack!” Victoria cried out, rushing over to his crumpled body.

“V... Vic... Victoria...” Jack mumbled, coughing up blood.

“Jack, don’t die, please, don’t die. You can’t die. You have to stay alive. You have to protect me. You can’t leave me now.”

“I... I love you... Victoria...” Jack stuttered, shutting his eyes.

Tears streamed quickly down Victoria’s cheek as she leaned over Jack and sobbed into his chest.

“How sentimental,” Ethan mumbled.

Victoria glared at him. “You killed him! You killed Jack! And you’re making jokes?”

What am I going to do now? Jack is dead and he can’t protect me anymore. Everyone’s dying. Rachael’s dead, Theodore’s dead, Lyra and Jasmine are dead... and now Jack is too. Daniel still hasn’t recovered yet from Rachael’s death so he’s not thinking clearly. I just have to stay calm... I can figure something out. I have to get away before he kills me as well. I have to escape, I just have to. For Jack.

Ethan smiled and bent down until his head was level with Victoria’s. “You’re not going to escape.”

Victoria screamed and fell backwards.

“Now, what’s wrong with you?” Ethan asked, amused.

“You... you... read... my mind...” Victoria stammered.

Ethan laughed. “Yes, I can now read minds. Thank you, Jack, for that.”

Victoria began crying again, unable to control all her emotions.

“Oh, don’t cry now, you’ll be with your boyfriend soon enough,” Ethan told her.

Victoria whimpered. She didn’t know what to do. Ethan raised his right arm and smiled.

“Say hello to everyone, will you?”

Ethan brought the frying pan colliding into Victoria’s head. Victoria fell over silently, right beside Jack. She was still holding onto his hand. Drip, drip. The blood fell from the frying pan onto Victoria’s lifeless body.

“Six down, two to go,” Ethan said.

Daniel stared down at the two dead bodies of Jack and Victoria. He looked to his left and saw Lyra and Jasmine. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Theodore and his dead sister, Rachael. He felt all alone in the world.

“It’s sad, isn’t it? You’re the only student left to die,” Ethan told him.

Daniel remained quiet, unable to process everything that had happened since Rachael was killed.

“You really loved your sister, didn’t you?” Ethan inquired, cocking his head to the side.

Daniel closed his eyes tight, trying to prevent the tears from falling.

“Oh, don’t cry now, Daniel. You shall be with your sister soon enough. And all of her friends as well,” Ethan informed him.

Without saying a word, Daniel walked back to his sister and sat on the ground beside her.

“Giving up, are we?” Ethan asked. “Your death will be easy as the last two were, then.”

“You are not going to kill anyone else, Ethan.”

Ethan, shocked by the other voice, turned around. Ashlynn Clarke was staring at him with a straight, expressionless face.

“What do you want?” Ethan questioned her.

“You will not hurt anyone else,” Ashlynn Clarke stated.

“And you’re supposed to stop me?” Ethan laughed. “You didn’t stop me before when I killed Theodore, Lyra, Jasmine, Jack, or Victoria. Why have you decided to stop me now? Is it because you’ve realised that all your students have died and you finally want to do something about it? Newsflash, teacher, you’re a little too late for all that.”

“I’m not too late. I can still stop you,” Ashlynn Clarke muttered.

“And how are you planning on stopping me?”

“You’re not the only one with special powers, Ethan.”

Ethan paused, unsure of how to proceed. He hadn’t expected his teacher, or anyone, to say that. “You have magical powers, do you? And what exactly are they?”

Ashlynn Clarke smiled at him and pulled a chocolate chip cookie out of her pocket. She held onto the cookie in both hands and slowly brought it up to her mouth, taking a bite. As soon as she was finished eating the cookie, Ashlynn Clarke began to expand and turn blue. Ethan was surprised at what now stood in front of him. Ashlynn Clarke had turned into the blue cookie monster.

“Wha... what?” Ethan stammered, shocked for the first time since he got on the islet.

“You weren’t expecting this, now were you, Ethan?” Ashlynn Clarke asked, eating into another cookie.

“N... no, I wasn’t,” Ethan replied. “What are you going to do now that you’re the cookie monster?”

“Well, I just ate my last cookie and I’m hungry. And you shall be my first victim.,” Ashlynn Clarke told him.

“You’re going to eat me?” Ethan uttered, taking a slow step back.

“That would be correct.”

Ethan looked down and saw his right arm and the frying pan. “You won’t be able to eat me. Not while I have this magical frying pan. If you get near me, I’ll just hit you with it and you’ll be the next to die.”

“Why don’t we try that theory out?”

Ashlynn Clarke took giant steps to where Ethan was standing. She bent down and picked Ethan up in one hand as if he was the lightest object on the planet. Ethan hesistated for a split second and then smiled. He quickly raised the frying pan and brought it down as hard as he could onto the cookie monster’s head. Ethan only felt the frying pan vibrate his arm.

“You didn’t die!” Ethan exclaimed, beginning to worry for the first time.

“What a surprise. Now, please stop squirming as I begin to eat you,” Ashlynn Clarke instructed.

With her free hand, Ashlynn Clarke reached for Ethan’s right arm with the frying pan and pulled it right out of its socket and began to chew on it in her mouth. Ethan was screaming as the blood began to ooze out of where his arm had been.

“You’re not very tasty,” Ashlynn Clarke noted, breaking off Ethan’s other arm and popping it into her mouth.

Ethan was losing too much blood and he felt himself losing consciousness. Slowly, part by part, Ashlynn Clarke ate Ethan until there was nothing left of him. As the teacher ate him, she continued to expand until she was bigger than the islet.

As Ashlynn Clarke was eating Ethan, Daniel backed away slowly so the teacher wouldn’t notice him. He wasn’t sure if Ashlynn Clarke would ear him too and he didn’t want to take any chances.

“I’m still hungry,” Ashlynn Clarke grunted after she finished eating Ethan.

Ashlynn Clarke, the cookie monster, looked around and didn’t see anyone else alive on the islet. She looked back up instead and focused her gaze on the island of Pohnpei.

“I smell people.”

The cookie monster inside of Ashlynn Clarke took over and she could no longer control her own actions. She began marching towards the shore of the island. Since she was so big, it only took a few seconds as she knocked down the walls on her way.

Daniel carefully avoided her as she walked so he wouldn’t get stomped on. When she was out of sight, Daniel walked back to Rachael and sat down. He stroked her arm absentmindedly as he looked around him.

Ashlynn Clarke headed towards the closest populated town. As soon as she arrived, she began grabbing nearby people and eating them. As she consumed more people, she grew bigger and bigger. The inhabitants of Pohnpei were stunned at the sight of the cookie monster before them and they didn’t know what to do. Soon enough, Ashlynn Clarke didn’t even have to chew the people but just swallow them whole like pills.

“More! I want more!” Ashlynn Clarke cried out greedily.

Ashlynn Clarke headed to the next town and ate all the people there too. She continued to do this until she had been through the entire island. Her hunger still hadn’t been fulfilled. At this time, the cookie monster was bigger than any skyscraper in the world.

Meanwhile, from the islet of Peinkitel, Daniel watched in disbelief as Ashlynn Clarke continued to grow bigger. He had heard the distant screams and shouts from the mass of people in each town. He shut his eyes and clamped his hands over his ears to block out all the sounds.

When Ashlynn Clarke had finished eating all the people on Pohnpei, she bent down and began to eat all the houses and buildings and anything else she grabbed.

Ashlynn Clarke was so large now that people on other nearby islands were able to see the cookie monster. Soon, helicopters and small planes were flying around her. If any of them got close, Ashlynn Clarke would snatch them out of the air and eat it. Frightened, the people flying in the helicopters and planes kept a safe distance away from the cookie monster’s reach.

No one knew how to control the cookie monster and take it down safely. Various ways were tried, such as guns, but nothing affected it.

It didn’t take long for Ashlynn Clarke to get so huge that the island below her feet was unable to withstand her weight anymore. While objects flew around her, she bent down and broke off pieces of the island to eat. Seconds later, parts of the northwestern region of the island began to crumble away. With nothing under her feet to support her, the cookie monster fell into the water. Ashlynn Clarke began to sink into the depths of the ocean because of her sheer hugeness.

“Help me,” Ashlynn Clarke gurgled, thrashing her arms all around her in the water.

Ashlynn Clarke began to lose hope until she saw something red and green flash past her.

“We’re here to save you. Don’t be afraid.”

Ashlynn Clarke looked at where the voice had come from. Before her was a mermaid with a green tail and red hair and a small red crab. The mermaid touched her and, not knowing what was happening to her, Ashlynn Clarke transformed from a cookie monster back into a human. With another touch by the mermaid, Ashlynn Clarke became a mermaid so she could breath and swim underwater. Ashlynn Clarke stared down at her purple tail and magenta fins. She had on a green seashell bikini top.

“Thank you,” Ashlynn Clarke said.

“You’re welcome,” the mermaid bowed.

Ashlynn Clarke stared at the mermaid and the crab. They both looked oddly familiar to her. “What are your names?”

“My name is Ariel and this is Sebastian,” the mermaid told her.

“Ariel? Sebastian? Like from the movie ‘The Little Mermaid’?” Ashlynn Clarke asked.

Ariel nodded her head. “Yes, it is us from the popular Disney movie. Would you like to follow us to the underwater Kingdom of Atlantica?”

“You just saved my life, so of course I will,” Ashlynn Clarke replied.

Ariel smiled and began swimming in the ocean. Sebastian held onto Ariel’s tail.

“What are you thinking, Ariel, inviting a human to our kingdom? King Triton will definitely not be pleased,” Sebastian whispered to Ariel.

“Stop being like that, Sebastian. I’ll just explain everything to daddy. I’ll make him understand,” Ariel whispered back.

“Um, I think I’m going to need some help!” Ashlynn Clarke cried out.

Ariel stopped swimming and looked back. Ashlynn Clarke hadn’t moved. She couldn’t get the hang of swimming with a tail and fins. Ariel went back and took her hand, helping her the whole way to the kingdom.

“Ariel, who’s that?”

Another mermaid joined them as they reached the outskirts of the kingdom.

“Hi, Yired Yoo. This is...” Ariel trailed off because she didn’t know her name.

“Hello. My name is Ashlynn,” Ashlynn Clarke said.

“I haven’t ever seen you around, Ashlynn. Are you from a different region?” Yired Yoo inquired.

“Yes, she’s from a faraway region,” Ariel replied. “I passed by her before when I was out for a swim. She’s going to be visiting the Kingdom of Atlantica for awhile.”

“I hope you enjoy it!” Yired Yoo smiled and waved goodbye.

“Was that one of your friends?” Ashlynn Clarke asked.

“Yes, she is one of my good friends,” Ariel responded. “Now, let’s go the palace and meet my father, King Triton.”

Ariel swam with Ashlynn Clarke and Sebastian. When they entered the palace, they went directly to the throne at the back of the large room.

“Hi, daddy,” Ariel chirped.

“Hello, Ariel. Good afternoon, Sebastian. And, who’s your friend, Ariel?” King Triton questioned, looking at her suspiciously.

“Daddy, this is Ashlynn. I swam into her while I was out before. She’s from a faraway region and she’s going to stay in our kingdom for awhile,” Ariel explained to her father.

“Which region?” King Triton asked Ashlynn.

“Um... uh...” Ashlynn Clarke stumbled, not knowing what to say.

“Don’t you know where you’re from?” King Triton inquired, getting up from his throne.

“I’m from the Pacific Ocean,” Ashlynn Clarke blurted out.

“The Pacific Ocean?” King Triton faced his daughter. “Ariel. Who is she? Tell me the truth.”

Ariel glanced at Ashlynn and then began to fiddle with her hands. “She’s a human, daddy. But, please, before you start shouting, let me explain!”

“Ariel! You brought a human into the Kingdom of Atlantica! You showed this human merpeople! What were you thinking?” King Triton yelled at her, his voice bellowing throughout the palace.

King Triton grabbed his trident from its resting place on the throne and aimed it at Ashlynn. The trident began to emit a glowing light. Ariel swam in between Ashlynn and the trident. King Triton immediately retracted the trident.

“Please, daddy, don’t hurt her because I brought her here!” Ariel exclaimed.

“Get out of the way, Ariel,” King Triton ordered her. “She is a human and can’t be here in our world.”

“If she can’t be here, then neither can I,” Ariel told him.

Ariel grabbed onto Ashlynn’s hand and began to swim as fast as she could out of the palace.

“Where are we going?” Ashlynn Clarke asked.

“My secret grotto,” Ariel replied.

When they arrived at the grotto, Ariel pushed a boulder out of the way and they swam through the entrance.

“This is beautiful, Ariel.” Ashlynn Clarke looked all around her at the different artifacts on the shelves.

“I’m sorry my father tried to banish you.”

“It’s alright. You saved me. Again. And I thank you.”

Ariel swam up to Ashlynn Clarke and swept her blonde hair from her face. The red-haired mermaid smiled and closed her eyes, leaning into Ashlynn Clarke. Both mermaids shared a passionate kiss in the secret grotto.

* * * * *

“Wait, you’re going to have to repeat that. She turned into a what?”

“A blue cookie monster,” Daniel said.

As soon as Ashlynn Clarke sunk into the ocean, aid was sent to the barren island of Pohnpei. The only thing that remained was the southeast part, including Nan Madol. Emergency workers found Daniel, the only person alive on Pohnpei, sitting beside his sister. Police officers, sent from another island in the Federated States of Micronesia, were questioning Daniel on what had happened since he was the only one that could tell the whole story.

“A cookie monster?” repeated the other, shorter police officer. “As in the Muppet one from Sesame Street?”

“Yes, that would be the one,” Daniel replied.

“Okay, and then what happened?” inquired the tall police officer.

“She ate Ethan. Ethan Tyler,” continued Daniel.

“Hold on, she ate someone?” questioned the tall police officer.

Daniel nodded his head. “Yes, that was the first person she ate. While she was eating him, I backed away just in case if she wanted to eat me too. After she finished, she headed to the shore of Pohnpei and began heading from town to town, eating the inhabitants.”

“How did you know she ate them if you were here the whole time?” the short police officer asked.

Daniel looked into both of their eyes. “I heard them all screaming.”

The tall police officer paused and looked down at his notes on his pad of paper he was holding in his hand. “And then what happened?”

“She had become really big. Everytime she ate someone, she got larger,” Daniel explained. “I couldn’t really see, but it sounded like she was breaking off pieces of the island and eating on that. And that’s when I saw the cookie monster fall into the ocean. And I’m assuming you know the rest.”

“Alright, thank you, Daniel,” the tall police officer said.

The two police officers turned around and began to head back to shore.

“Wait!” Daniel called out. “What’s going to happen to me? And my friends?”

The short police officer looked around at the dead bodies. “We’ve gotten your information and your story. You will be sent back to the United States of America. Some crime scene investigators will be arriving shortly and they will be taking pictures of the bodies and removing them off the island.”

“I’m not leaving without my sister and her friends,” Daniel told them.

“Then, you’ll be here for a very long time,” the short police officer replied, turning back around and leaving.

Daniel walked over to his sister and sat back down on the ground. “I’m so sorry, Rachael.”

“Don’t touch the body!” yelled a man.

Daniel turned around and watched as a man came running towards him. “This is my sister! I’ll touch her if I want to!”

“You don’t have the right to touch her. This is a crime scene. There are dead bodies and you’re a possible suspect.”

“What?” Daniel shouted in confusion. “How am I a suspect? What reason would I have to kill my sister and her friends?”

“That will be determined. For now, you have to stay back. I was informed that you were being flown back to America. I suggest you do that.”

“I’m not going anywhere without my sister!” Daniel screamed.

“Look, it’s not your choice if you stay here or not. You’re leaving and you’re going to go without your sister. Suck it up.”

Daniel clenched his fists and then punched the man, sending him to the ground. The man yelled and the police officers began running back. The tall police officer restrained Daniel as the short one attended to the man.

“You’re going to have to come with us now, Daniel,” the tall police officer told him.

“Let go of me! I told you I’m not going anywhere without my sister,” Daniel said, trying to escape from the police officer’s grip.

“Medic!” the police officer yelled.

Another man appeared on the islet with a bag in his hand. When he arrived, he put the bag down on the ground.

“This man needs a sedative to calm down,” the police officer told the medic.

The paramedic rummaged through the bag, finding the sedative. When he found it, he stood back up and approached Daniel.

“Don’t get anywhere near me with that! I need to be with Rachael. I don’t want to go back to the States without her!” Daniel exclaimed, thrashing all about.

The paramedic ignored him and held onto Daniel’s right arm. When he found a spot, he injected the needle. Daniel tried fighting the drug, to stay awake, but within minutes, he was asleep.

When Daniel opened his eyes and looked around, he didn’t know where he was. He was lying in a single-sized bed and the pale blue room he was in barely had any furniture in it. Daniel looked to his right and saw a huge window. He watched as snow fell from the white sky and piled up on the ground.

“Ah, you are finally awake, Mr. Havenwood,” said a man who entered the room wearing a white coat.

“Daniel, call me Daniel.”

“Alright, Daniel. My name is Dr. Cameron. And how are you feeling?” the man asked.

“Where am I?” inquired Daniel, ignoring the man’s question.

“You’re in Massachusetts General Hospital and-”

“I’m in Boston?”

“Yes, you’ve been in Boston for awhile now,” replied Dr. Cameron. “So, how are you feeling?”

“Where’s Rachael?” Daniel demanded.

Dr. Cameron paused for a moment. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

“Of course I do. I was on the island of Pohnpei on a field trip with my sister and her friends. And then, this guy, Ethan Tyler, killed them all. And the teacher turned into a cookie monster and ate everyone on the island. I was the only survivor. Then someone gave me a sedative and the next thing I know, I’m waking up here.”

The doctor stared at him for a couple of seconds and then scribbled something down on his clipboard. “I’ll be right back.”

Daniel stared at the doctor as he left the room, leaving the door open. He stopped the first nurse that passed by.

“I need a MRI scan scheduled for this patient as soon as possible,” the doctor told the nurse.

What do I need a MRI scan for?

“Right away, Dr. Cameron,” the nurse answered.

The nurse quickly hurried off and the doctor returned to to the room. Daniel glared at him.

“Enlighten me, Dr. Cameron, and tell me why I need a MRI scan?” questioned Daniel.

The doctor sighed. “What you told me before, that story, isn’t real. It never happened.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Daniel shouted.

“You never went on a field trip to Pohnpei,” the doctor explained.

Daniel stared at him, unable to comprehend what the doctor had just said. “So, if I never went to Pohnpei, then... then is my sister... is Rachael still alive?”

“Yes, she’s alive, along with all her friends,” Dr. Cameron replied.

Daniel was stunned to hear that his sister was still alive. “I want to see her!”

“I’ll go see if she’s available,” the doctor told him, leaving the room.

Minutes later, although it felt like hours to Daniel, the doctor entered the room. Rachael walked in right behind him.

“Rachael!” Daniel exclaimed.

“I’m so glad you’re awake, Daniel,” Rachael said, approaching his bed.

“So am I, Rae.”

Daniel noticed something odd happen to Rachael when he called her by her nickname.

“So, how is Theo, Vicky, and Jack?” Daniel asked, looking at her suspiciously now.

“Oh, they’re all fine. They came with me here and they’re all sitting in the waiting room,” Rachael responded.

“And how’s Ethan?” Daniel inquired.

“Ethan who?”

Daniel raised his eyebrows. “Ethan Tyler. The guy you’re always talking about at home.”

“Oh, yes, right, him. He’s doing great. He’s in the waiting room as well.”

“Really? But you and your friends have despised him for ten years now,” Daniel said, watching Rachael closely.

Rachael hesitated for a second. “No, no, Daniel. You must have misunderstood me. He’s not with us. He’s in the waiting room because his mother’s in surgery.”

Daniel looked at the doctor and then at Rachael. He knew the person standing in front of him wasn’t his sister, Rachael.

“Who are you? And where’s Rachael?” Daniel shouted.

“Daniel, calm down. It’s me. I’m Rachael, your sister.” Rachael looked over at the doctor. “How hard did he hit his head?”

“I’ve already scheduled for a MRI scan.”

“What the hell is going on here?” Daniel yelled, grabbing at the needle in his own arm and pulling it out.

“Go get back up, Tiffani,” the doctor said quickly.

The person that looked like Rachael nodded and rapidly walked off.

“So, are you really a doctor?” Daniel asked, jumping off the bed.

“It would be best if you get back into bed, Daniel Havenwood,” the doctoer told him.

Daniel shook his head. “No way.”

Daniel heard loud footsteps echoing from the hall.

I have to get out of here right away.

Daniel looked around the room and spotted a metal chair beside a small table by the window. He dashed over to the chair, picked it up and threw it with all his might at the glass window. He covered his eyes as the glass shattered. Without looking back, Daniel climbed through the window as fast as he could. He began running, barefoot, through the cold, white snow as he heard shouting from behind him.

What the hell have I woken up to? Who were those people? Why did they want me to believe that nothing at Pohnpei really happened? I need to get to a safe place as soon as possible. And I need to get shoes and warmer clothes.

Daniel sprinted through the snow, trying to figure out where he should go to get help. He soon came to a complete stop and looked all around. He had been to the Massachusetts General Hospital before and knew what the surroundings outside were.

The doctor must have lied to me. I wasn’t at the Massachusetts General Hospital. All I can see is snow. I should have seen buildings and roads by now. Where the hell am I?

Daniel continued to walk through the snow, rubbing his hands up and down his arms.

I won’t be able to go on much longer like this. It’s too cold out here and I’m not wearing any shoes and all I’ve got on is this skimpy hospital gown. But I can’t see anything! There’s only snow.

Daniel heard yelling and turned around. He saw a group of people running towards him.

“Sh*t!”

Daniel started to sprint again. He didn’t know where to go as there was nothing to see for miles.

“Give up! There’s nothing out here!”

“They’re getting closer,” Daniel muttered to himself.

“Just stop running! We’re going to catch up to you eventually anyways!”

“You won’t be able to last much longer! It’s too cold out here!”

“I will never give up,” Daniel shouted back at them, continuing to run as fast as he could.

How am I supposed to escape from them? I can’t hide anywhere. But I can’t give up either. Who knows what they’ll do to me now that I know they were all lying. I wish someone was here to help me out...

“Daniel...”

Daniel hesitated for a second. He heard his sister’s voice. He blinked and saw a wispy image of Rachael floating in front of him. She was dressed in a simple white dress and had wings sprouting from her back.

“Rachael?”

“Daniel, it’s me. You’ve got to let me help you. You can’t escape from them by yourself.”

Daniel stared at her. He didn’t know if she was real or not. He didn’t know if this was some other manipulation from those that lied to him at the hospital.

“Please, Daniel, just trust me.”

Daniel saw something familiar in her eyes and instantly knew, somehow, that this was really Rachael.

Daniel nodded. “Okay. How are you going to help?”

“Grab onto me.” Rachael outstretched her pale, thin arms.

Daniel looked back once more and realised how close the group of people were. He quickly held onto his sister. Rachael beat her wings and they shot up into the air.

“Where are we going?” Daniel inquired.

“Some place safe,” Rachael replied.

Minutes later, Rachael began to slowly descend. Daniel hadn’t noticed but they were no longer in snow. They were heading down into a forest. When Rachael landed, Daniel let go of her. Rachael took her brother’s hand and began to lead him through the forest. It seemed familiar to Daniel.

“Where are we?”

Rachael didn’t respond but continued to walk. A clearing in the forest was coming up. Daniel was slowly starting to realise where they were. Daniel quickly spotted six bodies laying on the ground. And then he saw three other wispy figures ahead.

“I’m back at Nan Madol,” Daniel stated.

Rachael nodded. She let go of Daniel’s hand and joined Theodore, Victoria, and Jack.

“Hey, Daniel,” Theodore said.

Daniel waved, stunned that he was looking at the four of them before him.

“What happened to you guys?” Daniel asked.

“We’re not quite sure but we think we’re angels,” Theodore replied. “Although, I wish I didn’t have these white, girly wings.”

Victoria rolled her eyes. “You should just be happy, Theo, that you’ve got wings.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You could very well be in Hell right now,” Victoria replied.

“Whatever.”

“Rachael, do you know who those people were or where I was?” questioned Daniel.

“No, I didn’t know who they were. After we were killed, we all became these angels. We watched as everyone was killed by Ethan. When Lyra and Jasmine were killed, they both instantly went upwards. But for some reason, we four stayed here. We saw Ethan eaten by Ashlynn Clarke and when she fell into the ocean. That’s when we saw those police officers talking to you and give you a sedative. I tried to follow you when they took you away but, for some reason, none of us could depart from this islet. Then, about an hour ago, I felt very cold. I heard your voice in my head. I heard you call my name and the next thing I knew, I was in front of you.”

“Well, thanks a lot, Rachael. I thought they were going to catch me,” Daniel mumbled.

“I’m glad they didn’t.” Rachael smiled.

“So, what are we supposed to do now?”

“No clue,” Theodore responded.

All of a sudden, Daniel could no longer see anything in front of him; it had gone all dark. He rubbed his eyes and then blinked a few times. He then saw Rachael, Theodore, Jack, and Victoria standing in front of him, as humans, and staring at him. He looked around and noticed that he wasn’t on Peinkitel anymore but Nan Douwas instead, right in front of the prison.

“Daniel, are you okay?” Rachael inquired. “You’ve been zoned out for quite awhile now and we couldn’t wake you up.”

“It wasn’t real?” Daniel asked out loud to himself.

“What isn’t real?”

“I just had the weirdest dream,” Daniel told them.

*End of the crazy plot twist! :D Thanks, Kelly for some of the ideas!*