Between Us, Rings - Chapter 40

Myrtle slammed her house phone onto the receiver. Her mom made some complaints and told her to be more careful, but the words barely reached her ears. Sam had just called her and told her what she was supposed to do. If she had felt guilt at any time in her life, it was now. Gaining a concerned look from her best friend Gigi, she ran to her room.

“Sorry!” She yelled to her mom, but secretly also to her friend.

Laying in her room, with her head deep in her pillow, her legs kicked back and forth in the air as she tried to figure out exactly what she was doing in her life. Am I really capable of doing that? The soft pitter patter of paws could be heard coming from the hall, and Myrtle wished she had closed the door to her room. Normally I wouldn’t give it a second thought. Am I really questioning being friends with Sam?

She recalled to a time a few days before.

After hula practice, which had stopped being fun after breaking off with her old friends. Teresa, Elena, and Yuki had all approached Myrtle outside by the road. It had seemed like they wanted to talk to her, maybe even try and make amends after what had happened. Hoping that they were finally going to apologize to her, she stopped to hear what they were going to say.

Before they had a chance to even say a word, Sam and the rest of the gang had driven up in Jen’s car.

“Hey, Myrtle!” Sam yelled from the window. “We thought you’d just gotten out. We tried to call you.”

“Sorry. I was in practice.” She said halfheartedly. She was interested in why they had called her, but first she needed to hear from her old friends.

“No worries.” Sam shot a glare towards the three girls. Unseen by only Myrtle. She had to do her best to keep Myrtle in her control until she was fully theirs. Not caring that Teresa was clearly trying to say something, she continued talking to the orange haired girl. “Anyway. We’re going to get something to eat and then do some shopping. Hop in. Food’s on me.”

“Excuse me.” Teresa finally stepping forward, utterly annoyed at the girl’s rudeness. “Can you give us a moment? We were having a conversation.”

“Wow. Aren’t you a rude one?” The girls in the car snickered at her comment. “C’mon, Myrtle. You don’t want to associate yourself with this riffraff.”

Elena looked down at herself then over to Yuki. “Riffraff?” She mouthed, to which Yuki just shrugged.

Teresa was fuming. “The only riffraff I see around here are you snotty, no good bullies. You think you’re so high and mighty but in reality you’re just sad. Really sad and pathetic.”

Sam had gotten what she wanted. For one of the girls to show a meaner side. She looked back to Myrtle, faking a hurt look. “Are you just going to stand there and let her insult us?”

Myrtle looked between Sam and Teresa, both wanted her to take their side. She hadn’t considered Teresa a friend since their falling out, but they had been great friends before. However, Sam had welcomed her into her gang, and was her ticket to finally beat Lilo.

Teresa was still upset over how Myrtle had been acting, wanting to at least try to amend things. Despite the way things were between them, she hoped that Myrtle would have their back in this at least. She was hurt, but also unsurprised when she saw her old friend turn away from her.

“I’m sorry, Teresa. I won’t stand for someone insulting my friends.” Myrtle started as she opened the car door. “You should apologize.”

“What? Me apologize? To her? Why should I?”

“You were being really rude.”

“So? She started it!”

Myrtle let out a sad sigh. She had hoped for a bit better from Teresa. “I’m going to go hang out with my friends. I’ll talk to you guys some other time.”

“Really?” Teresa’s tone stung Myrtle. “You think you’re actually friends with them?” There was an awkward silence. The thought that the girl would snap back to her senses didn’t come to fruition. “I just hope you remember who your real friends are before its too late. C’mon, guys.”

With the memory of Teresa, Elena, and Yuki walking away from her fresh in her mind, she sat up in her bed. She cuddled her pillow for dear life, taking little comfort in its soft and warm feeling. Was she right? Myrtle questioned as she laid in her bed. Would a friend ask me to do something like this? She replayed her orders over and over again in her mind. It didn’t take long for her to realize it was too late to do anything. I have to do it.

As if to play with her conscience even more, Gigi silently walked into the bedroom. She hoped onto the bed, eyes asking what was wrong. She nuzzled her nose against Myrtle’s leg, giving a soft whimper.

Myrtle looked down at her pet, her friend, her companion. She saw the care that was in her eyes and face. It was something she didn’t get to see too often. “Its okay, Gigi. You can talk.”

The dog like experiment knew how Myrtle felt about being normal. In all her years after the battle, she only spoke when given permission, or in emergencies. It was no problem to her, she loved being a dog. She especially loved being Myrtle’s dog. Despite what Lilo might think of Myrtle, Gigi had seen the loving and caring side of her ever since she was activated. She truly loved the girl and would always be there for her.

“What’s wrong?” Gigi asked, cuddling up against her friend. “It’s not like you to run off like that. What happened?”

“It was nothing, Gigi.” Myrtle lied. I can’t tell you. I can’t let you know what I’m going to do.

“That’s a lie. I’ve been with you for years now, I can tell when something’s bothering you.”

“Really, Gigi.” She placed a hand on her dogs back, gently petting the entire length. “Just got some surprising news. That’s all. It’s really nothing important.”

“Okay…”

Gigi didn’t believe her, but she also wouldn’t question her. If Myrtle wanted to talk to her about it, she would. Every time something happened, she was the first to know. So Gigi sat in silence, keeping herself as close to the girl as she could. A constant companion and friend, there whenever she was needed.

“Gigi…” Myrtle’s tone became somber. She was truly torn about what she needed to do. “You’d love me no matter what. Right?” She was almost in tears. It wasn’t often that she was reduced to crying. Gigi was the one person in the entire world she didn’t want to hurt. Her biggest fear in the whole world was losing her.

“Of course I would.”

“Really? Truly for real?” She needed to know that her friend wasn’t just saying it.

“Yes really. I’ll love you no matter what. Always.”

Those words warmed Myrtle’s heart. She truly hoped that they were true. Wanting nothing more than to still here those words after all was said and done, Myrtle smiled. “Thank you.”  


A warm breeze filled the air. The smell of the sweet tropical flowers, as well as the salty ocean filled the beach from end to end. There was no escape from the beautiful scenery, not even by entering the shaded forest could gave reprise from the islands beauty. The sound of laughter and the soft click of cameras were all around them. Mr. Kawea had an idea for a special project for the club to do together. With little preparation, the seven of them found themselves on a deserted beach, right near the edge of the forest as well as the beginning of the mountains. It was a beautiful disconnect from the usual school walls they saw every day.

Everyone was busy running around taking photos. Victoria found a nice little patch of sand filled with sea shells. She instantly snapped a picture as the water quickly washed them away. While Lilo and Stitch kept to the inside of the forest. Normally the beach wasn’t a problem, but Stitch had just had a bath, and didn’t want to be around any more water for a while.

Lilo brushed away a large leaf, revealing Devon, silent as ever, setting up for a shot of the mountains. What he didn’t see was the twins slowly sneaking up behind him. Lilo was about to shout out to them, not wanting them to cause any trouble, but was surprised to see them politely ask about what he was doing. With a sigh of relief, Lilo joined back with Stitch. They were on a search for an ‘I’iwi. It was the only forest bird she hadn’t yet managed to get a photo of.

“Have you seen it?” She whispered to Stitch, loud enough only for him to hear.

“Naga.” He kept his eyes to the view finder of his own camera, not paying attention to where he was waking. “I hear it though.”

“Yeah. I do too.” Lilo kept her ears peeled, trying her best to focus on the soft sounds of the bird. All around her the world was filled with life, her determination to find this single orange bird took her mind away from her surroundings. “If we find this one, our collection will be complete.”

Lilo stopped suddenly when she heard a soft rumbling sound. “Wait. What’s that?” Stitch reacted too late, walking right into her causing them both to fall. All the birds in the trees above instantly flew off at the sound of the crash.

“Ogata.” Stitch said as he got up shaking his head. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Lilo giggled. “Gotta watch where you’re going, silly.” She petted him on the head before getting back up and readjusting her backpack. “But did you hear that rumbling sound?” Before Stitch could answer, his stomach began to growl. Lilo stared at him blankly before bursting out into laughter. “I guess its lunchtime, huh?”

Stitch’s face grew bright red, giving off his own embarrassed giggle. He nodded his head, and let Lilo lead him back to the others by the beach.

“H-hey, Lilo.” Daniel waved at the two as they emerged from the trees. “Where’d you go off too?”

“The forest.” She said simply, smiling as she always did. “We were looking for a bird. Not much luck on that part. So we decided to come back because we started getting hungry.”

“You’re hungry?” He asked a little eagerly before continuing. “I kind of brought too much lunch. We could share if you like.”

Lilo was flattered, but kindly declined. “Sorry. My aunt made us both a lot of lunch.”

“Oh. It’s no problem.” Daniel laughed it off. “Maybe someone else would like some.” After a moment of silence, he walked off. Stitch kept his eye on the boy the whole time, only leaving him once Lilo pulled out there lunches to enjoy together on the beach.


“The doctor will be right with you.”

The nurse left Lea and Myrtle in the doctor’s office. Myrtle could feel her heart beat louder than it ever had before. Her knuckles turned red as her grip on her bag began to tighten. She wiped a small bead of sweat from her forehead as Lea asked if she knew what to do.

“Y-yeah. I-I know.” She didn’t even sound confident to herself, gaining a look of worry from her partner.

“Are you going to be okay? We can’t have any screw ups now that we’re here.”

“I-I know.” She repeated. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry, I can do this.” In reality she wasn’t going to be fine. She felt like the room was on fire, dreading the moment the door would open. You can do this. You can do this. Myrtle tried to calm herself as best as she could. The entire car ride over was a struggle. She continued to walk through the plan over and over again in her head. It was really simple. Can I actually do it though?

After what felt like a lifetime, the door to the office opened, and the Doctor, accompanied by a small rabbit like experiment appeared. >i>Please don’t hate me, Gigi.</i>

Monochrome instantly recognized the girl she had just seen days before. It took her a few moments, but she soon recognized Myrtle as well. It’s cousin Gigi’s friend! Feeling safe with the two girls, Monochrome stood close to where they sat, as the doctor began his usual round of questioning.

Midsentence, Lea began to cough uncontrollably. “I’m sorry.” She managed to get out. “Could you get me a glass of water?”

The kind doctor gave her a caring smile, wrinkling his soft face. “Of course. Would you excuse me for a moment?”

Once the doctor was out of the room, Lea stopped coughing. Monochrome titled her head in confusion, wondering how the girl had recovered so quickly. The two girls shared a nod and before Monochrome knew what was happening, she was enveloped in the bag that Myrtle had carried.

“Gaba?” She squeaked, completely helpless. She struggled in the bag, but despite her effort, she couldn’t break free. Monochrome wasn’t designed for strength, speed, or stamina. Her abilities were utterly focused on her effect on others. The only way out, was for her to be let out.

Oh my God. Myrtle moved as fast as she could. The plan was originally to stay in the office and wait for the doctor’s return. Then after a few pleasantries leave. However, the moment she had the experiment in the bag, her legs began moving on their own.

“What are you doing?” Lea asked in a hushed tone. She gave a light smile and waved to the woman at the front desk as they hurriedly walked by and out of the clinic.

“I don’t know.” Myrtle shot back, trying her best to keep Monochrome from moving or making sound. “I just started moving. We’ve got the exp-the animal, that’s all that matters.”

Lea noticed the slip up that Myrtle had made. She wondered what it was that Myrtle was about to call the creature. Perhaps there’s more she’s not telling us. Flinching from the suddenly blinding sun, they looked around for their escape vehicle. Sam wasn’t explicit when saying where they would meet, only that they, “would know it when they see it.”

Lea scoffed once she spotted where they were to go. “Really? That’s subtle.”

When asked, she pointed down the road. Jen and Abby were blocking the entrance to an alley. They made sure that whoever walked by wouldn’t enter by any means.

Once in the alley, followed close behind by the strong girls, they saw Sam sitting on the hood of Jen’s car. The alley met an abandoned parking lot on the other side of the buildings, once used for employees, but discarded as the city continued to develop. Myrtle instantly noticed the cage that sat beside their leader. It looked just big enough for Monochrome to fit in.

“You’ve got it?” Sam asked as they approached, to which Myrtle and Lea nodded. “Good. Lea take the cage.”

As she was ordered, Lea grabbed the cage and opened the door. Sam took the bag from Myrtle and tossed Monochrome into the metal prison. With their prize obtained, Sam commanded everyone to get in the car. Lea gave the cage to Myrtle, who was now forced to stare at their prisoner. Monochrome stared back at her with fear filled eyes. The only sounds she made were whimpers, tears staining her fur. Myrtle wondered if the experiment she held was also able to talk, but realized that in the end it wouldn’t matter anyway. Nothing could make up for her current actions. She released a heavy sigh before entering the vehicle.


Click steadied himself against a shelf. He was standing on a display for music players when he found himself thinking about Monochrome again. It was getting harder and harder to keep himself in control. No one knew that his living space in the back of the shop was almost in complete ruin. Come on, Click. Keep control. For her… Above everything, he wished he knew why he was feeling this way. Why he felt something inside him turn and change. The only thing he did know, was that if he didn’t figure it out soon, he wouldn’t be able to keep control much longer. The only reason he hadn’t destroyed everything in sight and rush to Monochrome’s side, was he wasn’t as physically strong as some of his other cousins, and because he wanted to stay good for her.

Mrs. Jefferson saw that Click was having troubles again. She made her way over to him and placed a warm hand on his back. He slightly flinched at her touch, but didn’t move away. “Are you doing okay?”

She could feel him shake beneath her hand. He shook his head. “Naga.”

“You’re still not sure what’s causing it?”

Click shook his head again. He tried his best to keep what was happening to him a secret from his family. As time went on it became more and more difficult to keep it hidden. Eventually, Mrs. Jefferson figured it out on her own. As for Click’s wishes, she kept it hidden from her son, Click’s best friend.

“Meega soka.” He strained to even say these few words. He bawled his hands, making slight marks in the wood of the shelf that supported him.

“Don’t worry.”

It amazed Click at how kind she was. Even though he didn’t know many people, he still knew he was lucky to have such a caring family. He gave her a weak smile, finally starting to feel better. Everything seemed to be going well until he saw something that turned his blood to ice.

Monochrome?

A black car drove by. Normally he wouldn’t pay attention to the traffic outside, but something made him feel drawn to it. He only caught a glimpse, but a glimpse was enough.

Monochrome?

Click didn’t see who it was that was driving the car, and he didn’t pay attention to the other four passengers. What drew his eye was the cage that he saw inside the vehicle. Within the cage was the love of his life. His boojiboo.

“Monochrome!” He shouted, not even realizing what he was doing. With a large growl that didn’t sound like his own, he jumped from the display. Without giving it a second thought he crashed through the window, shattered glass flying everywhere. Click could feel the sting of small cuts, but paid them no mind. All that mattered was getting to the car, by any means necessary. “Monochrome!”