Janet and Jane: The Case of the Targeted Heiress: Part Six

     Alright, Janet. You shouldn't freak out. What was the worst that could happen to her? She was pretty strong from what I saw. There wasn't any worry. I could just find her and tell her what was up.

     "Janet, what are you doing here?"

     I jumped up high and looked at who said that. It was Mae. Well, at least I found her, though it was more like she found me. The white Usul had a weary look on her face and a glass of water in her hand. I assumed she went to get a drink from the bathroom in the bedroom.

     "Sorry. I'm just on edge," I apologized.

     "That's understandable, but that doesn't explain why you're in my room."

     "I know. Mae, you're in a serious amount of danger right now."

     Mae tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

     I sighed. She wasn't going to like this. "The Neopet that's after you is in the Neohome and he's not alone."

     She began to hyperventilate. I was worried that she was going to pass out. Just in case, I stepped away from her.

     "What do you mean he isn't alone? And how did he ever get in?" Mae asked.

     I sat on her bed and said, "He hypnotized Xavier, Natia, and Jane. As for he got in, I left the window in my window open when I went downstairs to check on something."

     Mae's fear turned into anger. Her hands began to glow a vibrant blue. Instead of something random in the room floating (like every other time I saw her do this), I actually began to float over the bed. I was naturally freaked out. I was picked up a number of times in the past, but nothing like this.

     "You let him in?" Mae asked angrily.

     "Yes, but it was a complete accident," I replied. "I was just getting some fresh air when I thought I saw something. It wasn't like I wanted this to happen!"

     "Likely story." Mae seemed to realize something. "How do I know you're not under hypnosis?"

     "I could say the same about you," I informed. I tossed the book I was still holding onto the ground. "If I was under hypnosis, why would I come here to ask you if you could stop it?"

     "Hmm..." Mae picked up the book that was on the floor while still keeping me suspended in midair. "Makes sense." Her hands stopped glowing blue and I plopped onto the bed. "I'm still keeping an eye on you, though."

     "I expected as much," I sighed. "Well can you fix everyone? Please say yes."

     "Well, I have good news and bad news with that, Janet."

     "Of course there is."

     Mae began to go through the pages of the book. "The good news is that I may be able to reverse it."

     Happiness swelled inside me. "Yes! That's wonderful!"

     "Hold on, Janet. I said I may be able to reverse it. It's a possibility, not a guarantee. Now the bad news. I can reverse it with a certain spell, but it's complicated and it's been a while since I last used it. Not to mention that it's a little risky."

     My happiness went away. "So I guess it's a no?" I asked.

     "It's not a no -- I can still do it -- but I may need a little bit of practice."

     "Alright, I see no harm in that."

     "That's because you have no idea what I'm going to test on," Mae responded with a giggle. I gulped. Yeah, I knew she was going to test it on me. Mae smiled brightly and placed the book on the bed. She began to monologue. "Most hypnoses can be fixed by the voice of the hypnotizer saying they are to be no longer under their control."

     "Like we could get Shadow to say that," I muttered.

     "That's what he's called?" Mae quickly glanced at me, then back to her book. "Never mind. You can fill me in later. And I said the voice of the hypnotizer. There's a spell in here that alters one's voice. If I was to alter one of our voices to Shadow's--"

     "We could get everyone out of their hypnotic state," I finished.

     "Exactly."

     "Now what about these risks? I don't want to be stuck with two tails or anything like that."

     Mae laughed at what I said. "Relax. The risks are mild, if anything. The worst that can happen is a case of Ugga Ugga or Kikoughela. You know, sore throats. Now stay where you are. I'll start off with my voice."

     Mae began to whisper chant something. After, her hands glowed purple, a beam shot at me. I wouldn't move even if I wanted to. My feet were firmly planted to where I was standing and wouldn't move if someone was going to attack me. That was how scared I was about this. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, though. I felt myself being embraced by the purple light. It actually felt nice.

     "Did it work?" Mae asked. "Say something."

     "I don't know what to say," I replied. I instantly covered my mouth. I sounded exactly like Mae! "Oh, this is awesome!"

     "It's good to see that I still got it. Now does your throat feel funny?"

     I shook my head. "No, I feel fine. You have no idea how many Neopets I could mess with." I recapped what I just said. "Oh, I'm beginning to turn into Natia."

     Mae laughed. "Now we have one more obstacle to take care of, and it is a big one."

     "What is that?"

     "Hold on a sec. I feel like I'm talking to myself." The Usul chanted again, her hands glowed purple, and she shot the beam at me. "There we go. Back to normal. Like I was saying, I have to know the voice I'm imitating, and since it was a while since I last heard him, I have to hear him again."

     "Now that is going to be a problem."

     "Yep. It's going to be a little risky, but once we hear it, we won't have to get anywhere near him," Mae comforted. "Now let's get going and hope that we don't run into anyone."

     Mae led me out of her room. I used my glowing Miamouse as a light. The black Alabriss flew besides me. I just kept my composure.

     "I didn't know you and Xavier were part of the Order," I said, breaking the silence like a hammer hitting glass.

     Mae seemed to get a little uneasy. "I do. I didn't want to mention it just in case you were part of another faction like the Seekers."

     "Oh, we are not part of any faction. The closest we've ever been to a faction is figuring out a case with the Thieves Guild."

     Mae was about to say something, but someone said something from down the hall. It was hard to make out, but I could manage, "I heard them from down here." I wasn't scared, but more angry at the sound of his voice.

     "Got that?" I whispered.

     "You bet I did," Mae quietly replied. "Now let's get out of here before that guy finds us."

     "I heard them!" we heard Xavier shout.

     So that's who he was talking to. At least Mae knew that I was telling the truth (to some extent, at least). Mae looked at me strangely. I gulped again. I had a feeling she was going to cast another spell on me. Before I could detest, she quickly muttered that spell from earlier and placed the effects on me.

     "Jane," she whispered as quietly as possible. I assumed that was the voice that I have now. "Go after me when you lose them."

     We were by an intersection of hallways. I really didn't like the idea of luring Shadow and Xavier away. Mae ran down one hallway already, so I guess I couldn't change the plan. I ran halfway down the hallway just as the two Neopets met the intersection. Thank Fyora they didn't see me.

     "Which way did they go?" Xavier asked. "I know I heard them."

     Now was my time. "Shadow! Xavier! Help! Janet and Mae!" I shouted in Jane's voice. Once I finished, I quickly found a hiding spot (under a table (again)). Thankfully, they didn't notice me. I waited a few minutes before I ran off to find Mae.

     Was it me, or did I hear footsteps behind me? It was probably just me. I stopped hearing them after a while. When I first saw Mae, she was running really hard. I guess she thought I was either Xavier or Shadow. I placed my hand on her shoulder to stop her, and she totally freaked out. She smacked me and pushed me to the ground (and that was just an accident! I would hate to find out what she would do to me if that was on purpose).

     "I'm sorry, Janet," the Usul apologized. She held out a hand to help me up, which I quickly grabbed. After I was on my feet, she said, "I thought you were one of Shadow's workers."

     "I understand," I replied in Jane's voice. "To be honest, I would have done the same."

     Mae muttered that spell that I knew so well and she casted it on me. After the spell was done, my throat was getting a little dry. I coughed a little.

     "Mae, I think two times was enough for me," I informed. "My throat is beginning to feel funny."

     The Usul began to frown. "Are you sure you can't do one more?"

     "I don't know."

     "Come on. Please? I can't cast the spell on myself."

     I heard those footsteps again. I looked behind me. Though it was a little hard to make out, I believed it to be Xavier. Yeah, that was not good.

     "We can argue later," Mae said as she grabbed my wrist. She began to drag me away from her brother. "Trust me. You don't want to be near him when he's mad."

     "How do you know he's mad?" I asked. "And what does he do when he is?"

     A vase went flying in between us. It hit the floor only feet away from Mae and me. We stopped before we stepped on the shards of ceramic. The Vandagyre was closing in, so we just stepped, practically hopped, over the broken shards.

     "Mae, what do we do?" I asked, since I really had no clue.

     "I know what to do," she replied. The Usul's hands glowed light purple again, though she never said a word of that spell.

     "I said I didn't want that to happen to me again," I said firmly.

     "Well too bad."

     The purple light went to encircle me, even when I tried to run away from it. After it caught up to me and it took its effects, I stopped running away from Mae. I stopped running period. I turned to the Vandagyre and looked him straight in the eye.

     "You are now no longer under my control," I said firmly in Shadow's voice.

     Suddenly, Xavier stopped in front of me. The blank look in his eyes washed away when he blinked three times. Did it work? Was he out of his hypnotic state? If he wasn't, what was I supposed to do?

     "Janet, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to do any of that," Xavier finally said. I guess it worked. He appeared fully aware of what he did when he was under hypnosis, which I did not expect.

     "It's okay," I replied. I coughed a little after that.

     Xavier looked at his sister. "You used the spell, didn't you?"

     "What was I supposed to do? It was the only way for you to get out of hypnosis," Mae informed.

     "Yeah, and now my throat is getting sore," I informed. I gave one big cough, then I said in my normal voice. "This is the third time she did this to me."

     "Three times is not good. You are not doing that again," Xavier said to Mae.

     "Then how do we get Jane and Natia out of that state?" the Usul nearly shouted. I had a feeling that we wouldn't be the only ones around for much longer. "I don't know any other way to snap them out of it."

     "Luckily for all of us, I do." Xavier looked at me creepily. I had the feeling that another spell was going to be put on me.

     "No more spells are going to be put on me," I stated hoarsely. "Not again."

     "Relax, Janet. It's not going to be put on you."

     It wasn't going to be put on me. That meant that there was a spell, but I wasn't the tester or user. At least that was good news for me, but I wasn't sure what would happen to Jane and Natia. I wanted to ask, but to be honest, I was worried about the answer.

     "And that is..?" I ended up asking.

     "It's a long shot, it might work," Xavier answered.

     "That didn't answer my question."

     The Vandagyre looked at me accusingly. I assumed he was getting to it. He took the book from Mae's hands and began to go through it. "Aha, here it is." He then read out loud, "'Being under hypnosis is like sleepwalking. Waking up is a similar process, like saying a code word can break the state.'"

     "So how do they 'wake up'?" I asked with air quote around the last two words.

     "Do we just put them back to sleep?" Mae added.

     "Pretty much," Xavier answered. He began to flip through the pages once more. "There's a pretty easy sleep spell in here with no effects on the one it's cast on."

     "I wish we knew that earlier," I muttered through my scratchy throat. "Ugh, I'm going to need something for this after we're done."

     "You have bigger issues than a little sore throat." Xavier began to walk down the hallway. "Now let's find them and give them what they deserve."

     That comment didn't help me settle my nervousness. If anything, it increased it. I actually began to worry if he even was out of his hypnotic state. If he wasn't, what was I supposed to do? Not to mention that I couldn't just say, "Hey Mae! Xavier is still under hypnosis!" That type of stuff is what gets Neopets into trouble.

     Still, I needed to let Mae know of my suspicions. I looked ahead of Mae and I. Xavier was a good distance away. If I whispered, I'm sure that he wouldn't hear me. Alright, might as well let her know now. I pulled Mae aside and whispered, "I don't think Xavier is out of hypnosis."

     Mae let out a silent laugh (I guess she liked laughing) and said, "I don't think that. You broke it, remember?"

     "I remember it, but I don't think it worked."

     "What makes you say that?"

     I looked around. I noticed one trap that wasn't ours again. Xavier just walked right passed it like nothing was even there. Was it Shadow's? Why didn't Xavier warn us about it?

     "See that?" I whispered to the Usul and pointed at the trap. "Why didn't Xavier warn us if he walked around it?"

     "I-I don't know," Mae replied nervously. "Maybe he forgot?"

     "I think he didn't." I took off one of my slippers and threw it into the net. It sprung and my slipper was then hung from the ceiling. Xavier looked back at us.

     "Are you alright?" Xavier asked from afar.

     "Why didn't you warn us about that?" I asked without answering his question. "You walked around it. Couldn't you warn us?"

     "I'm sorry." Xavier seemed to get a little more nervous. "I just forgot."

     "Then it's lucky that I noticed it before Mae and I got trapped in it." As he got more nervous, I got surer of my theory.

     "Yes... Lucky..."

     I glanced at Mae. My point was being made. I whispered to her, "Do the spell."

     "But what if he isn't still hypnotized?" Mae asked quietly.

     "There's no harm in just putting him to sleep, is there?"

     Mae sighed. "I suppose there isn't."

     I think Xavier heard us. He began to walk a little faster. Was he trying to escape? If he was, why didn't he try to put us to sleep? I was glad he didn't, though. Mae and I decided to go after him. There was no doubt he was going to find Shadow. Hmm, maybe he could lead us to him so we could take care of him.

     My theory ended up being correct. Soon after the simple follow turned into a full sprint, I saw Shadow. Xavier stopped and stood by him. Why didn't he run away? I didn't think Shadow knew what we were going to do.

     I heard something behind us. I quickly looked behind me. It was Jane and Natia running towards us. Oh, so he just wanted to surround us first. I see. Not a bad idea, but Mae could handle this (or I at least hoped she could).

     "Have you reconsidered our offer? Will you join the Sway?" the stealthy Blumaroo asked.

     Mae seemed to get nervous. Out of the corner of her eye, I saw her hands were glowing. Oh, things were going to go flying and something was going to happen to us during the chaos. I would rather not find out what would happen to us during said chaos.

     "Does this answer your question?" Mae asked.

     Mae quickly kicked my legs out from under me. I went down to the floor with a thud. I was going to ask why she did this when she quickly said a spell. Maybe her hands weren't glowing because she was nervous. From what I could see from the floor (not the best viewing point, by the way), I saw Mae send out a ring of energy (at least I think that was what she did). Next thing I knew, those who were around us fell to the ground as well. I took a closer look to see that they were asleep.

     "Not a hard spell to memorize," Mae said to herself. She grabbed my hand and pulled me up. "Sorry I had to do that. I didn't want you to fall asleep with them."

     "Its fine," I sighed. "I'm just glad that all of this is over."

     "Do you think you can handle taking Shadow in by yourself? I want to make sure everyone's alright."

     I looked at the sleeping Blumaroo and smiled. "I think I can manage."

     The End.