Chapter 23: In Bloom

Wall didn't think that his boss could look any angrier than he had before. But he was wrong. "What is wrong, Sir?"

Mario set the paper down and swiveled back and forth in his chair. "Did you put the scorpion in the critic's food?"

"I did indeed, Sir."

"And you watched him eat it?"

"He ate the scorpion, Sir."

"Then why did they get a good review!?!" Mario began ripping up the paper. "A good review from the Cowboy is supposed to be impossible! I have some of the best chefs in the country, but he gave me an average rating! What happened?!?"

"I do not know, Sir."

Mario stopped ripping the paper, and folded his hands again. "No matter. We're going to think of a better plan this time. One that makes the other plan look like a get-well card."

"Very nice metaphor, Sir."

"I don't pay you for compliments, Wall."

"Actually, Sir--"

"Enough talk! Get to work!"

Wall left, and entered his study.

He had an ultimate plan to think up for the mastermind.

***

"Ein, Ein!--Wake up!"--Ein awoke to find Chucky standing beside him in his room.--"I finally figured out what's going on with me, I'm not sick, it was during the grand opening, and-"

"Chucky, what are you doing in my room?" Ein sat up.

"I'm trying to explain, it was during the grand opening, and I found some really high readings, and that's when I felt the strange tingling all over, and I started forgetting things, all the trouble started because I think I was--"--Chucky trembled all over.--"I was uh…pondering my love for Daisy, so I thought up this whole Dante thing. I came here to admit to it. And apologize. Yes."

Ein still hurt inside with Daisy out of his reach, but it felt good to hear Chucky admit to it. "Chucky, I--"

"No, no!"--Chucky shook his head.--"That's not why I came here, that's not it, Ein, I've been possessed--"He trembled again. "--possessed by the spirit of giving. I would like to give you this as a token of my good will." Chucky reached in his pocket and took out a computer mouse. "Here." He held out the mouse, then pulled it back. "No, you have to listen to me, Ein! I've been possessed!"

Ein sighed. "I told you before, Chucky. I'm tired of your excuses. Alternate personality, amnesia, spirit--it doesn't matter what lie you use. The only thing that'll help you now is the truth."

"But, Ein, I am telling you the truth, I--" Chucky shook his head. "I must apologize for barging in like this and blabbering on. I apologize for my behavior, and I'll swiftly take my leave." And with that, he swiftly left.

Ein wasn't quite sure what kind of game Chucky was trying to play now, but he didn't like it. But he didn't have time to think about not liking it right now. He had other things that needed to be taken care of. He needed a new plan.

***

Sunflower was finishing up some paperwork when Ein stepped into her office.

"Do you have a minute?" he said.

She nodded.

"Vincent hasn't been coming to work because he has a problem," he said.

"What kind of problem?"

"I don't know, but he needs to talk to you. He says it's important."

"Thank you for telling me."

"Are you gonna go?"

Sunflower was silent. She wasn't sure about leaving the restaurant. But she decided that it was just a business trip. She could go because she was simply trying to get an employee to come back to work. Nothing more. "Yes, I'll go."

***

Vincent looked up when Old Hobo Joe tapped his teeth together to get his attention.

Old Hobo Joe motioned outside.

"If that's Ein, send him away crawling."

Old Hobo Joe shook his head, and made a motion like he was smelling a flower.

Sunflower? She was here?

"Let her in."

After a moment, Sunflower stepped inside his castle.

Vincent sat up straight and tried to wipe the sadness off his face with two hands. "Hello, Sunflower. What brings you here?"

"Ein told me you had something to tell me."

So…this was Ein's doing. He should have suspected. "I…I just wanted to tell you that I'm still ill. It isn't a normal flu. I might not be able to work for quite a while."

Sunflower nodded. "Ok. Don't worry about it. Is there anything else?"

"Uh…" That stupid Ein should have figured out that Vincent could have talked to Sunflower if he had anything to say that would change anything, but he didn't have anything to say. "Nothing. That's all."

Sunflower stood there for a moment, not saying anything, then she said, "Hey, what's that?" She reached down and picked up--

A photograph!

Vincent was king of his castle, but at this moment, he realized just how utterly powerless he really was.

"Who is this?" she said.

Vincent couldn't breathe.

"It's me." Ein said, entering. He must have been spying. "I left some pictures here of me as a kid.

"Is this you taking a bath in caviar?"

"Yeah," Ein said. "You should try it. It works wonders on your skin."

"Whatever you say." Sunflower gave the picture to Ein. "I've got to get back to work. I'll see you guys later." And she left.

Vincent stood from his throne, and didn't understand the feelings crawling inside him. "You saved me, Ein."

"It was my fault she was here. I couldn't let her know that--"

"I could have lost everything, but you saved me." What were the words he was searching for? Oh yes. "Thank you."

Ein stood silent for a second, then said, "Hey, what are best buddies for?"

***

Ein only had time to say a short goodbye to Vincent before running off to his new class. He didn't have to expect the worse, since he'd already experienced the worst with Mrs. Kyoto, and the probably of having two worst classes in a row were as likely as Ein's chances of finding a hat that fit his giant head.

Princess, now free from her mother's clutches, wasn't in the class. Ein understood why she wouldn't want to, but he still felt alone with no one there he knew. He sat down and waited.

Then Princess entered the classroom and took a seat beside him.

"I didn't think you were gonna come."

"I almost didn't." She peeled an orange with her teeth. "I know this was my mom's idea, but it's still a good one. It'll help the restaurant if I know something about advertising. Plus I get to spend more time with you."

Ein smiled.

"That reminds me," Princess said. "Did you see the newspaper?"

"No."

"The Cowboy's review came out today, and it's great. Also, he pretty much commanded the whole town to come to the Eating Contest."

"That's great."

"Yeah, and it's all thanks to you."

"Well I…"

The Professor entered the classroom and everyone quieted down. She wrote her name on the board. Mrs. Apple. She was the most normal-looking person Ein had ever seen. It was almost as if she blended into the background, like she belonged there, like there was no other place that she could be. "Hello, class. Welcome to Advertising 101." Her voice was normal too. She kept talking, and the words were perfect in Ein's ears. He knew that she was married, and had 2.5 children, and lived in a house with a picket fence. Finally, here was an adult that Ein could look up to.

But he was also terrified at the same time. The thought of talking to her made his head inflate instantly. He didn't want her to know that he wasn't like her. But at the same time, he wanted to talk to her desperately. She could be his greatest ally against his life's woes. Still, how could someone like her ever understand? She couldn't. So Ein stayed silent.

***

Ein headed home, and he found Vincent waiting in his driveway.

"What are you doing here?" Ein said.

"I am returning your bike." He hopped off and gave it to Ein.

"You going back to work tomorrow?"

"No. I'm still ill."

"I see."

"There is something I wanted to tell you, however. It's what I was going to tell you before, about what happened when I went to see Daisy."

Ein promised himself he wouldn't get too mad at Vincent, even if the news were bad. "What is it?"

"I asked her if she would like to have a get-together with you. She said yes."

"She did? What about Chucky?"

"I don't know, but perhaps the bond between her and Chucky isn't as strong as you think. Perhaps you still have a chance."

Ein swallowed and stared at his bike.

"I thought you would be happy," Vincent said.

"I am, in a way. But I'm also afraid that she'll just tell me that she likes Chucky; that she doesn't want to be with me. If that happens, then it's over."

"Shouldn't you still try?"

"I know I should. But…I don't know if I can."

***

Ein went online to check his grade for Mrs. Kyoto's class. Good, he passed. She'd given him the grade that he'd earned, otherwise she could get in trouble. Ein knew that she was evil, but she wasn't stupid.

Right as he was about to click the X out of the internet, a tiny pixelated pixilated girl appeared on his screen. "Bine, don't sign off! I need to talk to you!"

"Samantha, how did you get on my computer?"

"With the internet, I can go anywhere."

"What do you want?"

"Rine, I came here to tell you that there really is something wrong with Chucky. He isn't himself. He has someone else inside him. He keeps trying to tell me something, something about a ghost. At first I thought he was just sick, but now…now I know it's more than that. I think he really is possessed."

"How can you be sure?"

She looked down at her square feet. "Chucky programmed me not to be able to fall in love with him. He knew I would always be trapped here, and he would always out there. He wanted to prevent me from feeling the pain…the pain I feel now. Chucky is not Chucky anymore. He is both Nante and Chucky, and they are not the same. You have to help him. You have to get the ghost out of him."

"If Chucky were to get back to normal, wouldn't your love go away?"

"Yes, it would."

"And you still want it to happen?"

"Nine, I will never be able to hold Chucky in my arms. You, however, have a chance is Jaisy. I want to make love bloom in this world. Even if it's not mine."