>"You're Useless To Me"<

Balloon managed to find the mansion that Marshmallow left to, he opened the doors, nothing but dust, and a old fashioned grandfather clock ticking away.He shivered and closed the door behind him, surrounded by the still air looming around him.It felt so dull in here, so lifeless and profound. Yet so full of mystery's, of how this place manage to be in so much distraught. The creaking of the floorboards, echoing louder then the next. The dust that casually fell from the ceiling like snow. This place was so empty and uninhabited, it was sort of comforting, no one here to tell him what to do or what not to do... it felt fair, and homely.

He walked around, admiring the place like a untouched museum.Even if the place wasn't perfect at all, broken in most places but still full of life... he felt close to it, the place was just like him.He was inspired. But as he walked into the kitchen and saw what looked like ghost Bow drinking something.

They made eye contact instantly, and he stopped in his tracks, Bow immediately dropped the drink and screamed, him doing the exact same. As he stepped back more and more, he seemed to have bumped into something rather unusual, as he kept screaming with Bow, he turned his head and right as he saw Taco.WACK

He awoke rather quickly, tied to a chair in a dark room, he took the chance to quickly observe everything before anything else could happen. He could see a cabinet, and a boarded up window with no light coming from it, that meant there was a way of getting out of here. The hanging singular bulb above him flickered as deep footsteps were heard."This reminds me of the first time I trapped you in a room, you were so scared. I'm surprised you aren't the same anymore." Taco walked in, holding nothing in her hands. Balloon knew she had what she took from the lab, so he knows something here has to do with Bow.

"Hah, If you're here to ask for a favour, I'm not doing it."Balloon turned his face away from her, trying to act as casual as possible even if he knew his life was at stake here. "I'm just here to ask you about someone." Taco scoffed, and Balloon noticed the red stained bandage covering her arm. He chuckled in response to it. Taco rolled her eyes, growing impatient from his attitude.

"So.. OJ.. do you think he would fight me?" She asked."He could win, and have a pretty good fight." But Balloon could see it in her eyes — Taco knew what it was like to be afraid now. Whatever attack she had hurt more then just her arm; it had eaten away some of her confidence. The time she spent trapped in that shed probably hadn't helped either.

Balloon shrugged. "I guess you'll have to find out."There was a pause "No," Taco said. "I have a better idea."She smiled devilishly, even though that same fear loomed in those deep brown eyes. "You return to the Hotel and kill him before I get there""I can't do that!" Balloon cried. "I'm not even allowed in the Hotel. OJ would have me executed if I went back."He lied, trying to find a way of getting out of this, Taco asking him for a favour even if he just said no? What's gotten into her?"He can't have you executed if you kill him first." She said. "Well, I'm not going to kill him." Balloon said. "You can't make me. You can't make me kill anyone else for you. I'm not that kind of person anymore."

Taco's eyed narrowed. "Oh, Really? You think you've changed so much? I know you. You like killing people. You've always liked it. It's one of the things I can stand about you — none of the simpering, moaning guilt another person might have. You were born to kill you're enemies. And mine. Mostly mine.""I don't have to be," Balloon said stubbornly. "Suitcase says I can be whoever I want to be"He knew right away that mentioning her was was a mistake.

"Oh. That SUITCASE." Taco hissed, beginning to walk around him in circles in the dark room. "She wouldn't like it if I killed OJ," Balloon said, "She wouldn't like me at all if I did that.""But I won't like you if you don't," Taco pointed out. Balloon couldn't believe the stab of dismay that made him feel why he still cared, after everything Taco had done to him? Why did he feel suddenly horribly desperate to be Taco's favourite pet again?I don't care. Stop caring!

"Just one more person," Taco purred. "Kill OJ for me, and then you can go follow your aggravating suitcase. It's the least you could do after you wouldn't let me kill that flammable Fan."Balloon dug his nails into the chair underneath his palms. This could be a way to please Taco and perhaps save Suitcase as well. Could he bargain OJ's life for Suitcase's?Would Taco promise to let her live?But, for one thing, he couldn't trust Taco to keep his word, and, for another, Suitcase still wouldn't like it. Even if he only did it to protect her, he knew she'd be disappointed in him.

The last time they'd seen each other she'd been hopeful... she could see another possible future for him. He wanted to be that person for her.

"No," he said. "That's my final answer.""Then you're useless to me," Taco hissed furiously.

As she begun walking away, Balloon had to ask her a question. He could feel the grief on his shoulders weighing him down for the first time, he sighed. "Taco," He started. "Why did you do this. What do you want?"Taco stopped, holding one hand on the open door, she looked as if she was thinking deeply. Why'd she have to think so hard?But she didn't answer, instead, someone else did it for her.

"She doesn't know, she truly doesn't. She just wants the blood of her betrayers on her hands, even if some of them didn't hurt her."Who answered the question was Bow, and she was floating right in front of Taco as the door opened wider. Balloon was blinded as the light from the outer hallway entered the room.

"Unless, you want me to tell him."Bow floated passed Taco, towards Balloon, she grabbed the back of his chair and slowly rocked it."No," Taco's voice cracked. "He'll figure it out on his own."Balloon watched confusingly, straining his ears to listen to them.

"We'll, what has Bow got to do with this?"He heard Taco laugh, before turning around in one swift motion. "The only reason why I didn't win season one was because of her. So.. she's slowly paying off what she owes me"So that's what this is all about? The money?It would make sense since she asked about OJ, but luckily he didn't give her any good reason to hurt him. OJ's fairly strong, and wouldn't mind to snap her neck without a second thought. Not to mention he'd probably be glad to hurt Taco. But he also knew that on the other hand she's strong too, so he can't really do the math to know who'd win. If OJ won, everyone would be free. However, if Taco won, everyone in the hotel would be under her control, who'd know what she'd do to the cast.

The sudden thought of her being the new manager of Hotel OJ gave him chills. "So.. that's why you took the Bow-In-Nator?" He questioned, slowly trying to get his wrist out the tape. He heard Bow gasp silently, "You took what!? I thought you were going to let me go!" Bow screamed out.

"It's just if you try any funny business. Obviously." He saw that Taco had given him the stank eye. "Bow.. what are you doing to help her?"There was a long pause"You wanna show him? Or we could stay here forever." Taco laughed under her breath, pulling the Bow-In-Nator out her layers and started tossing it back between her hands.

That's when Bow came out from behind him and stopped in the middle of them, "Balloon?" She started."Yeah?""I... tried to warn you."

She lifted her arms up, closing her eyes as the ground was felt shaking.Somehow wind was entering the room and circling around them. Balloons eyes widened as he saw her ghost tail getting longer, and was slowly growing a pair of legs. She looked so serious and determined, yet her hand movements gave that tiny hint of pain. Taco was heard laughing as the two things on Bow's head disappeared and her circle centre got bigger. And as the wind stopped, she wasn't pink anymore, she looked like a ghost version of him... or..Exactly like. Figure.

-Earlier that day Lightbulb was heard screaming and the front door bursted open, it turns out it was Marshmallow and Fan.Fan was taken away to get help from TestTube, and Marshmallow was then pulled into another room to talk with OJ. She didn't have time to look for Paintbrush or Apple. Since OJ had to keep an eye on her for her 'Funny business', even though she had nothing to hide.

Though as the sun disappeared, she was back in her room with Apple. That's when she asked about Paintbrush, Apple didn't even know yet. Guess Fan hadn't really had any questions been asked to him yet, either he gave answers and word hasn't been spread, or he hasn't given any.

And in the room down the hall, OJ was trying to talk to Paper, but because the damage he took when Taco threw him against the wall probably winded him. And the effects hadn't warned off yet. So Paper just listened to what OJ had to say.

And in another room someone couldn't sleep; tossing and turning, shoving his face into the pillow, or switching between the covers. Pickle just could get his mind off what could be happening next, who gets hurt next. But he did have two people in mind he thought could it be;Either Lightbulb or Suitcase.

He didn't know why, but his gut was saying to stay close to them the next day. Because know knows,Anything could happen.

——————————————————WOAWOAWOAWOAThis is like, my most favourite chapter yet.Also: BOW'S FIGURE!?!?Yup, she DID say the dreams had something to do with her. And wowie look, they are.

Hoped you enjoyed this chapter!Cya soon!

~ Caramel <3(1795 Words)