Party To Go, Volume 2

by Maruchan

"Oh, my god, now I understand! Hell is other people!"

--Jean-Paul Sarte, "No Exit"

Maruchan awoke to the sound of heavy pounding. Groggily, she sat up and looked around. She was lying in the grass on someone's lawn. The pounding was coming from the house; the door was open. Maru thought she should go inside the house. She stood up shakily and walked over to the door.

There were a lot of people in the house. Maru had no idea what was happening or what she was doing. [Who are all these people? What the hell are they doing here? And why am I wearing this skanky little dress?] Perhaps she should try to find someone she knew. Yes, that would be a good idea. Maru wandered through the crowd in her platforms, trying not to fall down. She recognized a few people from school. So she was somewhere in her home town. At least she had some idea of where she was. Around her, people were beginning to stare. It was the dress, Maru imagined, and pulled the hem down as best she could without pulling down the top too much.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder. Maru spun around and automatically reached for her Vibro-spork. Unfortunately, her skanky little dress didn't have anywhere to hide a Vibro-spork. Maru backed away instead.

"Wow, paranoid, huh?" It was Kevin.

"Oh... hi Kevin." Maru was relieved to find someone she knew. "Listen... where am I?"

"Party... hey, what are you doing here? I didn't think you were the type to come out to a party... and I've never seen you wear a dress before."

"Umm... no. I mean yeah. Uhh, I gotta go somewhere... where's the door?" Maru asked in her usual eloquent way.

Kevin pointed past her. "There," he yelled, as Maru yelled goodbye, turned, and ran off, stumbling in her platforms.

Maru began running. Past the stereo, past the ridgy chips, past various people in spike heels and Spice-Girl dresses, towards the door. Reach for the doorknob. Turn, and...

There was nothing on the other side of the door but darkness. Maru looked back to a room full of Bad Music[tm] and Girls In Skanky Dresses[tm]. Maru looked back at the darkness, then back at the party. She knew what she had to do.

As she tried to lift her platformed foot over the doorjam, she tripped.

She fell...

Maru awoke in another clump of grass. This time, she could hear two people yelling.

"Accidentally? How the hell do you do something like that accidentally?"

"Look, I..."

"Hey!" Maru sat up in her grass clump.

Theseus and Calculus looked down. "Oh... Hi Maru," Theseus said, sounding somewhat surprised. maybe almost shocked.

"What are you two doing? There's an army around here, something's going to hear you."

"Army?"

Maru told them about the watchtower. "Red suspects that there may be an army around here. I was supposed to come back and warn you, but I must have fallen asleep or something."

Theseus winced. "You didn't fall asleep."

"What are you talking about?" Maru raised her eyebrows.

Theseus explained about the spell.

Maruchan sighed. "So, you thought I was a sponge, and you put me in another dimension."

"Kinda..."

"But it's gone now, right...?"

"Wanna walk through and find out?" Maru responded with a dirty look.

"Sorry..."

"You should be." Maru grinned slightly. "I thought I was in hell."

"Well... now that you mention it..."

"Thes?"

"Yeah?"

"You'd better tell me exactly *what* you did..."

Maru had just finished telling them of her Adventure In Heck when Bryn walked up, looking annoyed and slightly confused.

"Does anyone know where Red is?"

Maru shrugged. "I figured he'd come back with you. What can I say?"

Bryn looked worried. "Great... so Red is out there, alone, possibly with a hostile army around? This is *not* a good situation."

Calculus nodded. "I think you're right. It's dangerous to him to leave him out there. We should organize a search party. Brynhild, Maruchan, you were out there with him on the watchtower scouting... you two go. While you're at it, take Theseus with you, just in case."

Maru nodded and shouldered her pack. "Let's go." The other two nodded; and the rangers left to find Red.

-TBC-

Disclaimer As with the first seg, this writing does not totally reflect real life...all of the "bitter little girl" stuff is for character development. Just so that nobody tries to help me sort out my "inner turmoil".