Starlight's Story Chapter 9

"So how's your day been?" Starlight asks sitting on the soft plush stomach of the large teddy bear.

"Pretty good aside from Reala not getting off my back about not getting much ideya lately." Jackle answers in his normal tone, resting his invisible behind on the oversize Jack-in-the-box while sipping a cup of tea.

Today Starlight is hanging out with Jackle in his room, of course. She told NiGHTS she is going to Pure Valley for some cake the Nightopians fish. Jackle and her have played many games again today and decide to rest for a bit before playing any other games. Today is an ordinary day for them. Jackle offered her tea but her teacup broke when they were playing a game that involved a now wet and deflated ball.

"Sorry for that." Starlight softly says bowing her head.

"Nah. It ain't your fault. Reala is just mad because Wizeman scolded him for not catching NiGHTS again today." Jackle shrugs it off. "What about you?"

"Same old, same old. Nothing new. Owl lectured me again for leaving the Night Dimension without his or NiGHTS' permission. NiGHTS is worried again because I left without telling him or letting him guide me around. I played with Visitors and Nightopians earlier and I sent some the third-levels nightmaren back to nightmare with NiGHTS." Starlight tells him what goes on for her today. Surprisingly they gotten along much faster then either of them suspected. "Sorry for that."

"No problem. Those guys are pea-brains anyway, I'm not surprised much. And hey if you ever get tired of them you can always come over to our side." Jackle shows his signature insane grin.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm happy being in Nightopia." The young maren smiles happily looking at her lap with her hands folded.

The insane maren just shrugs, "Well our side is always open." His grin never fading.

Starlight just giggles happily. Jackle sets his now empty teacup and they start to play a game of hide and seek. Starlight hides and Jackle counts to 30. Jackle is about at 25 when his door suddenly opens and Reala is standing where the doors were.

"R-r-reala what in nightmare are you doing here?" Jackle asks with worry in his voice and his eyes scanning the room.

"I came to remind you, you've barely gotten an ideya this week and Master Wizeman is getting angry with me because of it." Reala narrows his eyes at the taller maren.

"Why?" Jackle asks confused but still looking for any sign of Starlight.

"I don't know he just is and wants me to help you gather more ideya." Reala's eyes notices Jackle's fidgeting and that his eyes are darting all over the place."What's wrong with you, now?" Reala's mouth turns into an annoyed snare.

"N-nothing." Jackle says a bit to quick and just makes Reala even more suspicious. Now Reala's eyes wonder a bit around the room.

Jackle's eyes finally rest on the Jack-in-the-box. Starlight is very fund of it and when they play hide and seek before he often found her in there.

Reala's eyes also rest on the Jack-in-the-box when the madmaren stops looking around and looks at it like it holds a bomb. "Is there something your hiding from me, Jackle?"

"Hide from you? No, no, no. There's nothing I hide from you that you don't already know." Jackle tries to grin insanely but just can't under the stress and only manages a nervous grin.

"Then you won't mind that I play with your little toy, do you?" Reala spat at the word 'play' and walks away from the door and over to the Jack-in-the-box, eyes completely locked on the mad gambler.

"W-w-why would you want to play with that old thing when you can play with my-" Jackle looks about for anything that might get the general of nightmare away from the box, "puppets!" He flys over to the blood spattered string dolls. "They have real blades and other deadly things to them." He picks them up and holds them out.

"No, I think I'll play with this." Reala's lips turn into a smirk as he grabs the crank and turns it slowly.

The song plays as the crank moves, all the while Jackle just holds his puppets tightly as Reala continues to play with the oversize toy box. As the song reaches its end Jackle shut his eyes. The lid springs open at the end of the song, but as Reala look no one comes out and no one is in the box. Jackle open his eyes slowly and is relieved and surprised as well.

"What was in there?" Reala struts over to Jackle with a glare upon his face.

"Nothing apparently was in there." Jackle grins.

"I mean what are you hiding from me." Reala's tone gets darker.

"As I said earlier there's nothing I'm hiding from you that you don't already know." Jackle speaks happily, "I was just looking for something I lost."

"Honestly?" Reala's eyes and mouth just turn into a nasty look.

"Do you really want to know what I do when no ones around?" Jackle asks questionable.

Reala just looks at him for a short while, but backs away. Not saying anything.

"Let's go." Reala says in a sour tone.

"Well first I have to find something, as I stated earlier." Jackle grins insanely.

"Fine. Just be ready to leave. I'll be waiting outside." The red and black maren says and leaves the room, closing the doors behind.

When the doors closes Jackle's grin disappears and his eyes scan the room again. He flys over to many oversized things and moves them out of the way. The madmaren moves a giant teddy bear that rests against the wall and finds a green female maren behind said teddy bear.

"Your brother is really scary." She says in a quiet voice.

"Yeah I know. But right now he is outside the door so you have to leave now." Jackle says in a soft voice with a smile, holding her shoulders. Starlight nods and flys to a little secret passage.

"See ya later, Jackle." The little maren says in a soft voice before opening a hidden door.

Jackle waves to her as she goes through the hidden door and closes it behind her. The madmaren just grins insanely and flys outside to the where the nightmaren general waits for him.