Hellfire On The Other Side

Chapter 9

   Clara got off the bus. It was ten at night, it took half an hour to get here. She saw Tiana's Palace. If anyone knew where Shane was, it would be Charlene and hopefully she would be here. Going in, she realized no on was there except a teenage girl cleaning up. Clara readjusted her hood some and made sure her dagger was at the ready in her cloak just in case. "Sorry, ma'am. We're closed. Come back tomorrow," said the teenage girl. "I'm looking for a girl named Charlene, do you know her or where she is?" Clara asked not noticing her dagger slightly showing. The teenage girl noticed the dagger, then immediately recognized. "You're Clara Frollo, aren't you? Charlene told me about you. She and Shane ran into you in Paris," she says. She walks over to Clara and says, "I'm Tina. Charlene's best friend." Clara put her hood down. "Tiana's kid? Not surprising. Where is Charlene, I need to talk to her!" Clara's body was tense. Tina puts her hands on Clara's shoulders. "Settle down, now. She's at her place. It's not far. Just look for the big, pink building." she says. Clara backed away, she didn't like strangers touching her. Clara sighed, put her hood back up, hiding her face her in the shadow of it, and left. She quickly found Charlene's house. She knocked on the door, put the dagger in her hand and behind her back. She had forgotten to shove it in the duffel bag before knocking and she didn't need police called. A large man in a white suit answers the door. "Uh, Charlene? I think it's for you," he says. Clara tensed more. She was so close to finding Shane. Her stomach was in knots. What was she going to say? She had forgotten. She shouldn't have come. She should have gone to Sydney! She had to leave but she had already been spotted. She had to take a deep breath so she didn't have a panic attack. Charlene runs to the front door, grabs Clara, and says, "Come with me." She runs to her room while Clara follows not far behind. After entering Charlene's room, Clara closes the door. 

   "Charlene, I don't know if Shane told you, but..." Clara took her dagger and put it back in it's strap in her cloak, "Look, I need to find him, something happened. I was stupid, please, where is he?" Clara asked. She was trying to hold back tears. Charlene twirls her hair. "Shane is actually on his way to Paris. He left about an hour ago. Said that something is wrong in the Soul Realm." "NO! He can't be in Paris! If he sees him..." Clara started pacing and fidgeting with her dagger she took out. "If he sees Shane, he could hurt him, he'll know I'm here, he'll come after me! No! No! No! Please, Charlene, please have a way to contact him and get him back! He can't go to Paris!" Clara was starting to shake. "I'm sorry, Clara. But he doesn't have a phone. But Big Daddy has a private jet. We can take that!" says Charlene. "I can't go to Paris! I just left and it taken ten hours and thirty minutes to get there! Plus I don't think me and Shane seeing each other for the first time in four months in Paris is a good idea. Oh Shane, why now?! Out of all the days, you go today! I am so dead..." Clara was now wiping tears from her eyes. "We have to get there fast, or somehow get to Shane before Paris. And if we do get to Paris... may the Lord help us..." Clara said before turning around and muttering under her breath, "Father is going to kill me if he sees me..." Suddenly, Charlene gets an idea. "Would you be willing to try anything?" she asks. "If it keeps me out of Paris, and Shane away from Paris, fine." Charlene's smile fades, "I was thinking I use my makeup, hair, and fashion skills to make you unrecognizable to everyone in Paris," she says. Clara frowned, "Fine, but absolutely, one hundred percent, NO pink. But how are we going to get there fast enough?" Charlene grabs her makeup and hair equipment. "Well, Big Daddy's private jet can get us there in six hours. But I don't know if that's very discreet," she says, "Wait! My charm! I think I can communicate with Shane with it!" "Oh! Now you say that! Sometimes you so called, heroes or good people are so not there in the head, no offense..." Clara groaned. Charlene laughs. "It's not a hero thing. It's just a family thing. I'm not exactly the brightest star in the galaxy. I focus more of this," she says. "But let's test this out." Charlene grabs the skull charm and takes a deep breath. Clara felt the knots come back in. She found herself praying in her head. "Please don't be in Paris, please don't be in Paris..." Her grip in her dagger tightened, she was anxious and maybe, even just a bit, afraid. "Shane? Shane can you hear me? Huh? Oh, yes! I knew these were more than charms! Are you in Paris yet? Oh, okay. Stay out of trouble. Hey, can you put a shadow portal in my location? Voodoo Emporium? Where's that? Alright.Bye," says Charlene. "To make this clear, if I get caught, I'm blaming you," Clara growled. Charlene snaps her fingers. "Okay. Enough chat. Let's disguise you before we look for the Voodoo Emporium. Shane put a portal right in front of it," she says. "No pink!" Clara took off her hood, her left arm seemed almost weaker than her right, like her right arm had a bit more muscle. "Oh, choose something I can hide my dagger with please. If you know any defense things, get what you need, otherwise stay behind Shane at least, or me. But probably Shane is a better idea." Charlene cracks her knuckles and says, "Let's get to work. This shouldn't take to long." After only thirty minutes, Clara got her new look. Her hair is curly with makeup that makes her unrecognizable to everyone except Charlene. "Done! Now, let's get Ti, prep ourselves, and find that portal!" Clara rolled her eyes, hid her dagger and followed Charlene.