SquidgeWorld Archive

Mark was in his room typing an extremely long assignment that Mr Chesborough had given him despite the fact that it was supposed to be the school holidays when his phone rang. He got up to answer it, thankful for the distraction.


"Hello?" he said.

"Hey, dude!" his best friend Chuck said. "I just got the best news!"

"What is it?" Mark asked.

"My cousin is coming to visit! She's cool, but I gotta warn you. She's blind, but she doesn't like people trying to help her with every little thing. It really makes her mad! So if you think she might need help with something, ask before you try to help!" Chuck said.

"Okay," Mark said.

"Anyway, can you maybe hang out with her while I'm working?" Chuck asked.

"Sure. But you haven't even told me her name yet!" Mark said.

"Oh, sorry, dude! It's Kelly."

"When's she coming?"

"The day after tomorrow. She's staying for two weeks. I managed to get the day she comes off, but I really have to work the rest of the week! The boss'll fire me if I don't!" Chuck said. "I'm only working for the mornings mostly, so we'll be able to hang out in the afternoons."

"Cool. I should be finished this assignment by tomorrow. I can't believe Chesborough gave us an assignment over the school holidays!" Mark groaned.

"Yeah! We aren't supposed to have to think about school over the holidays! I finished mine, but it's bad, dude!"

"Mine's looking that way as well," Mark said. "I'd better go and try to finish it and hope Mr Chesborough is in a good mood when he reads it."

"Put a $50 note in it and he'll be happy!" Chuck said.

"I don't think so! Bye, Chuck," Mark said.

"Bye, dude!" Chuck said.

Mark put down the phone and went back to typing his assignment, wondering if he should try Chuck's suggestion. Knowing Mr Chesborough, he'd take the money and fail them anyway.

****

The next day, Mark went to the Thunder Tower to see how Ace and Sparx were going. He found Sparx and Ace using paper balls for target practice. Ace was throwing them and Sparx was hitting them with bolts of lightning from the Sword of Jacob.

"Hey, guys," Mark said.

"Hey, Mark!" Ace said. He stopped throwing. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. How are you coping with your human emotions?" Mark asked.

"Well, its hard sometimes, but not all human emotions are bad," Ace said. "I'll figure it out. Nothing will stop me from defeating Lord Fear and Kilobyte!"

"Good," Mark said, relieved that Ace wasn't going totally crazy on them yet. "Listen, Chuck's cousin is going to be visiting tomorrow, and she's going to be hanging around with us, so it might be hard for us to help you if anything happens. So try to keep a low profile?"

"Sure, kid! But it would be good if Chuck's cousin was a Lightning Knight!" Ace said.

"Yeah!" Sparx said. "If we had more Lightning Knights, Kilobyte wouldn't stand a chance! And Chuck's a Lightning Knight!"

"I don't think so. You see, Chuck's cousin is blind," Mark said.

"What do you mean?" Ace asked, confused.

"She can't see anything," Mark said.

"How come?" Sparx asked.

"I don't know. Chuck never said."

Ace thought for a minute, then said, "Don't underestimate people, Mark. You didn't think you could be a hero or a Lightning Knight, but you are one. Chuck's cousin could be a lot more capable than you think. I've learned that humans are very unpredictable."

"You've got a point, Ace, but I don't want anyone else finding out about this, if that's possible," Mark said.

"We'll just see what happens," Ace said. "We'll try to keep a low profile, but I can't guarantee anything. Lord Fear could strike at any time!"

Mark looked at his watch and saw that he had twenty minutes before he had to meet Kat so they could go to the movies. She'd kill him if he was late. She had a habit of overreacting about things.

"I've gotta go," he said to Ace and Sparx.

"Bye, Mark!" Ace said.

"See ya! Now start throwing, Ace!" Sparx said.

****

The next day, Mark was waiting at the park where he had agreed to meet Chuck and Kelly. Chuck had called and said that Kelly was going to unpack some of her things before they came. Mark silently prayed to whoever was listening that Lord Fear and his evil minions would not pick this day to come after him, especially Rotgut, who had been stalking Chuck lately. Apparently, he liked Chuck because Chuck had called him "dude". He now wanted to make Chuck into a zombie.

"Hey, dude!" he heard Chuck's voice yelling. He looked toward the sound and saw Chuck and a girl who looked about their age walking toward him. She had sunglasses on and was tapping the ground in front of her with a cane. Mark hadn't seen anyone in Conastoga Hills with one, but he had seen some people in England who used them. The girl was tall and had shoulder-length dark hair. She was wearing jeans and a white shirt.

"Hi, Chuck!" Mark called.

Chuck stopped when he reached Mark and he and the girl Mark assumed was Kelly sat down.

"Kelly, this is my best friend Mark, and Mark, this is my cousin Kelly," Chuck said.

"Hi," Mark said, wondering if he should ask Kelly more about her disability. He decided not to, at least not until he knew her better.

"Hi, Mark," Kelly said.

"We were going to get some pizza," Chuck said. "Wanna come?"

Mark didn't really feel like pizza, but he decided it would be a good idea to go so he could talk to Kelly.

"Sure. Let's go," he said.

****

When they got to the pizza shop, Chuck and Mark ordered their pizzas and sat down at a table. Kelly said that she'd have some of Chuck's pizza.

"So, Kelly, where do you live?" Mark asked.

"It's a little town, kind of like this one," Kelly said. "There's no way I would move to the city. My parents wanted to, but they figured it would be easier for me to get around a small town, at least until I got used to being blind."

"How long have you been blind?"

"About seven months now. I'm slowly getting used to it. Anyway, what sort of stuff do you guys have around town?" Kelly asked.

"Well, not much. The most interesting thing is probably the carnival," Mark said.

"Cool! Can we go there later?"

"I guess so," Mark answered.

"Maybe we could take a walk around town first? I haven't had a chance to learn my way around," Kelly said.

"We can always go to the carnival tomorrow and spend today just walking around," Mark suggested.

"Sounds like a good plan, dude!" Chuck said. "Hey, our pizzas are ready! About time! I haven't had anything to eat all morning!"

"Remember, Chuck, half that pizza's mine!" Kelly said.

"Oh, well. Can I have some of yours, Mark?"

"Sure, Chuck."

"Thanks, man!"

****

When they finished their pizzas, Mark and Chuck walked around town showing Kelly where everything was so she would be able to walk around on her own if she wanted to.

"Most people here are pretty good, so if you need help, just ask them," Chuck said.

"I know," Kelly said.

"I'm going to be working for most of the week, so is it okay if Mark hangs out with you while I'm gone?" Chuck asked.

"That's fine. It'll give us a chance to talk more."

"Great! Just don't go to the carnival tomorrow without me!"

"Don't worry, we won't," Mark said. "So, Kelly, what do you normally do on school holidays?"

"Well, I used to go to the movies a lot, but that's pretty pointless now. I've started reading more, because the library I normally go to has a lot of books on CDs and cassettes. We sometimes go on holidays and visit everyone. Mum and Dad had to work this time, so that's why I'm here on my own."

"Cool. What sort of books do you read?" Mark asked.

"Anything. I'm not very fussy."

"Chuck and I normally play computer games."

"I know," Kelly said. "Ace Lightning, right? Chuck's always talking about it."

"It's an awesome game!" Chuck said.

"Hey, Mark! Chuck!"

Mark and Chuck turned around to see Kat waving at them. She was sitting on a bench with Heather.

"Come over here!" Heather yelled.

"All right!" Mark answered. They started over, Kelly tapping the ground with her cane.

****

No one noticed an ice-cream truck parked not too far from where Chuck, Mark and Kelly had been standing.

"I wonder if they've got a new Lightning Knight? Better tell Kilobyte about this!" the Rat said. "Get driving, Duff!"

"Uh, sure thing!" Duff said, starting the engine.

****

Mark, Chuck and Kelly walked over to where Kat and Heather were sitting.

"Hi, guys! Who's your friend?" Kat asked.

"This is my cousin Kelly," Chuck said. "She's visiting for a couple of weeks. Kelly, this is Heather and Kat. They're friends of ours from school."

"And I'm Mark's girlfriend!" Kat said.

"Hi," Kelly said.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you blind?" Kat asked.

"I don't mind, and yes I am," Kelly answered.

"Why don't you have a guide dog?" Heather asked.

"I'm going to get one, but until then, the cane is enough."

"Must be hard to get around using that. Doesn't you're arm get sore? And wouldn't you get confused about where things are and where you're going?" Heather asked.

"I have a really good memory. And my arm used to get sore, but I've gotten used to using the cane, so it doesn't really hurt anymore," Kelly said.

"Cool. Hey, what are you guys doing today?" Kat asked.

"Nothing much, Mark said. "We were just showing Kelly around town."

"Well, we're going to go to the movies in a minute. There's supposed to be some good new movies out. Do you guys want to come?" Kat asked.

"I'll go! If you guys will tell me what's happening in the movie," Kelly said.

"Sure," Kat answered.

"I'm coming! I want some popcorn! They have the best popcorn there!" Chuck said.

"I'll come, too," Mark said.

"Great. I hope you guys have enough money, because I'm already paying for Heather," Kat said.

"I left my money at home," Heather explained.

"I've got enough for me," Mark said.

"I've got plenty of money," Kelly said.

"I've got heaps, dude! I used up some paying for the pizza, but I always bring lots of money in case I go to the carnival. I just can't resist all that junk food!" Chuck said.

"Then let's hurry up so we can see what's on!" Heather said.

****

During the movie, Heather and Kat whispered to Kelly what was going on in the movie. Chuck just ate his popcorn. He wasn't really paying attention to the movie. Mark was kind of bored. It just wasn't the kind of movie he liked. It was one of those boring, soppy ones. He figured the girls would probably like it.

When they came out, Kat said, "That wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but it was all right."

"It was pretty good. I haven't been to the movies in ages!" Kelly said.

"You should go more often. Just make sure you've got someone with you who can tell you what's going on," Kat said.

"I didn't like it much at all," Heather said. "It was too soppy."

"I kind of agree," Mark said. "I don't usually like movies like that."

"I don't even know what happened, dude!" Chuck said.

****

In the Haunted House at the carnival, the Rat was telling Lord Fear what he'd seen.

"A new Lightning Knight? You'd better take care of this, Rat!" Lord Fear said.

"Why me?" the Rat whined. "And we don't know if it is a Lightning Knight yet! Shouldn't you tell Kilobyte?"

"You haven't been doing much to defeat the Lightning Knights lately! And I'm not taking any chances! There are too many Lightning Knights already! Take care of the new Lightning Knight and it'll be one less problem we have to deal with! Besides, Kilobyte's plans have just gotten us defeated! We may as well do this ourselves," Lord Fear said. "At least then we might succeed."

"Uh, okay, boss!" the Rat said.

"You know what's going to happen if you fail, Rat!" Lord Fear's staff said.

"Don't worry! This'll be a piece of cake!" the Rat said.

"It had better be!" Lord Fear said.

This is not going to go well, he thought as he flew away. There was really no way he could change Lord Fear's mind. He just had to hope that this Lightning Knight wasn't as strong as the others. Or that it wasn't a Lightning Knight at all.

****

Mark hung out with his friends for a while longer, then said his parents wanted him to come home early. He was really going to visit Ace and Sparx, to see if Lord Fear and Kilobyte were up to anything.

When Mark got to the Thunder Tower, he found Ace and Sparx playing chess.

"Hey, guys!" he said.

"Hi, Mark!" Sparx called.

"Hey, Mark," Ace said. "Did you know that the Rat was spying on you today?"

Mark was surprised, and worried. "No."

"Well, he was in the ice-cream truck with Duff. They went to the carnival after you met up with those friends of yours," Ace said. "They probably think that Kelly is another Lightning Knight, like Chuck."

"I hope not. I'd hate to think of her in a fight with Lord Fear," Mark said. "Can you keep an eye on him for me? Call me if he seems to be coming after us."

"We can do that," Ace said. "We've already been keeping a close eye on him. We managed to get Random Virus to help, but I don't know how long that will last. Let's hope he doesn't go evil any time soon."

"We're going to the carnival tomorrow, so if anything happens, it'll probably be then," Mark said.

"Don't worry! If Lord Fear tries anything, we'll stop him!" Sparx said.

""I know," Mark said. He was relieved knowing that Ace and Sparx would be around. "I've gotta go. I told everyone that I was going home early. "

"Bye, Mark!" Sparx called. "And Ace, you just lost the game!"

"Let's play again! And keep in mind that you lost three times in a row before you won that one!" Ace said.

"So? I'll still beat you this time!" Sparx said.

****

That night at Chuck's house, Kelly had just been on the phone to her parents. They had been really worried and had wanted her to call them that night to tell them how her day had been. They had been overprotective of her ever since she became blind. She had gotten sick of explaining to them that it was better to let her learn to do things on her own than do them for her. That was one reason she had wanted to visit her cousin. It gave her a chance to do more things on her own.

"Kelly!" Chuck's mother called. "We're getting dinner now!"

"All right! I'll be down in a minute!" Kelly called.

"Take your time!"

Kelly used her cane to make her way to the kitchen. When she got there, Chuck and his mother were there. Chuck was already eating. Chuck's mother led Kelly to an empty chair and put her hand on the back of it. She already knew what type of chair it was, so Chuck's mother didn't have to explain it to her.

When Kelly sat down, Chuck's mother put a plate in front of Kelly.

"There's potato, pumpkin, carrot and chicken here. Just tell me which ones you want," she said.

"I think I'll have some potato and chicken, please," Kelly said.

"Okay, you've got potato at twelve o'clock and chicken at six o'clock. That's not very much at all! Tell me if you want more!"

Kelly started eating, thinking that she should stay with Chuck's family more often. His mother knew how to help a blind person better than her parents did.

****

Kelly and Mark spent the next day hanging out with Kat and Heather. They went to Kat's house to watch some DVDs and then to the park to wait for Chuck. Kat had already agreed to go to the carnival with them, but Heather had promised another friend that she'd help her with the assignment Mr Chesborough had given everyone, so she left.

"Speaking of schoolwork, how do you manage yours? Do your teachers give you everything in Braille?" Kat asked Kelly.

"They do what they can. If they're writing something on the board, they give me a copy in Braille or get someone to read things out for me. It's annoying sometimes, but the school is really good about it," Kelly said.

Just then, Mark spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Oh, no, he thought. That looks like the Rat!

"Guys, I've just got to make a phone call!" he said. He got up from the seat they were sitting on and started walking. When he was sure Kelly wouldn't hear him, he got out his phone so he could call Ace.

****

The Rat was a little worried about being up against three Lightning Knights, but Lord Fear didn't want Kilobyte to know that there was another Lightning Knight, so he figured that it was best if he took care of this quickly. Plus, Ace and Sparx weren't there and he had brought along Rotgut as backup.

He noticed Mark moving away from the others. He decided that that was the best opportunity he was going to get.

"Come on, Rotgut!" the Rat said to Rotgut, who was hiding. "Get out here and let's go!"

****

Kat noticed Rotgut and the Rat heading towards them. That must be why Mark's making that phone call, she thought. I hope Ace and Sparx get here soon!

"Hey, Lightning Knights!" the Rat yelled.

"What?" Kelly asked, confused.

Great, how are we going to explain this? Kat thought. She looked to where Mark had gone and saw he was finished his phone call and was running over to them.

****

This should be easy, the Rat thought, heading for Kelly. Two humans and no Ace or Sparx. Plus, Rotgut was right behind him. The zombie could deal with the other human.

****

"Kelly, watch out!" Kat yelled.

Kelly could hear something heading for her and Kat. It was lucky there wasn't much noise. Whoever it was was giggling like a maniac and judging by Kat's reaction, it wasn't good. She listened carefully until she figured out exactly where the voice was coming from. Then she raised her cane and swung it towards the sound as fast as she could. The cane hit something and whatever it was was knocked away. Whatever it was must have been small.

"How did you do that?" Kat asked. "Uh-oh, there's another one!"

"What do you mean another one?" Kelly asked.

"Hey!" Mark yelled. "Leave my friends alone, Rotgut!"

Rotgut? Kelly thought, confused. Then she heard Chuck's voice.

"Hey, Rotgut!"

Then there was another voice. "Hey, pardner! I'm gonna make you the Walkin' Dead, just like Rotgut!"

Uh-oh, Kelly thought. That didn't sound good.

****

Okay, we can handle this, Mark thought. The Rat was knocked out cold and there was only Rotgut left.

"Hey, kid!" he heard Ace call to him as he landed. "Need some help?"

"Yeah, Ace!" Mark said.

Ace took care of the Rat by shooting it with a lightning bolt. The Rat disappeared. Then, he turned on Rotgut. Rotgut couldn't really put up much of a fight, so it just took a few lightning bolts to defeat him as well.

"You guys all right?" Mark asked Kelly and Kat.

"Dude, that was close!" Chuck said. "Hey, Ace, where's Sparx?"

"Fixing the Lightning Flash. It hasn't been working too well today," Ace said.

"Hey, Kelly, how did you hit the Rat? Was that a lucky shot or are you like Matt Murdock or something?" Kat asked.

"I heard it and figured out where the sound was. Other than that, it was luck. Now, do you guys want to tell me what's going on? I know what I heard, and that was not normal," Kelly said.

Mark figured there was no way out of it. If he didn't tell her, it wouldn't take her long to figure it out. Lord Fear was bound to try something else while Kelly was in town and Kelly had hit the Rat, so maybe she could actually be a good Lightning Knight.

"Uh, Ace, this is Kelly, Chuck's cousin," Mark said. "And Kelly, this is Ace Lightning." Mark then explained about the game and what had happened since Ace and Lord Fear had come to their dimension.

****

"Wow," Kelly said when Mark had finished explaining. She hadn't expected that! She wasn't sure if she should believe it or not, but decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.

"Man, hitting the Rat was really cool!" Chuck said. "Those canes are awesome!"

"Like I said, it was just good hearing and luck," Kelly said.

"We should all be careful from now on," Ace said. "Lord Fear and Kilobyte won't underestimate us again."

"Don't worry, Ace. We'll be fine," Mark said. "We've defeated Lord Fear before and we'll do it again."

"It's Kilobyte I'm worried about. Who knows what he'll try next," Ace said.

"Does he know that Kelly's blind?" Mark asked.

"I don't know, but we'd better assume he does," Ace said. "He'll probably figure it out, anyway. Like I said, just be careful from now on. I'm going to check if Sparx has got the Lightning Flash working again. If anything happens, call us." Ace flew off.

"That was interesting," Kelly said.

"It's always interesting around here," Mark said. "Probably a little too interesting."

"So, are we still going to the carnival?" Kat said.

"I don't think so!" Chuck and Kelly said at the same time.

"I agree. Let's do something nice and safe for the rest of the day," Mark said.

****

Lord Fear was not happy. Kilobyte had found out about Kelly when he'd questioned the Rat and Rotgut about what they'd been doing. He didn't think that Kelly was much of a threat, despite the fact that the last thing the Rat remembered about the fight was getting hit by a long red and white stick with a ball thing on the end. Personally, Lord Fear thought Kilobyte was underestimating the humans a bit, but that didn't matter. Once he got Kilobyte out of the way, Lord Fear would resume his quest to take over the world.

****

The End.

****