The Summer Story 2 (the whole thing to date)
SUMMER STORY 2
by Azyih

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Prologue
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Ash was running. wait... no we're past that. Sorry.... Well if you remember anything at all, you will remember that the last story was about a Canadian city girl named Ash. Ash was a normal girl, until one day she went wandering into the dark side of her basement and found herself in heaven. From there she went on wacky adventures with her friends in the land of Ashleigha. I will tell you now that she and all of her friends who were left alive, did in fact make it out of Ashleigha fine and didn't really have much of an adventure on the way back to normality. They went back through the original tunnel after stocking up on cookies and then eventually found their way back to their respective houses. Kati, in case you were wondering managed to seduce Edward who then allowed her to return to the realm of the living. Roughly two years had past since the epic battle and Ash was now living a normal life for a grade 11 girl. She ate bread and bread related foods, went to concerts, hung out with her friends.. all those normal things that normal girls do. She was living a total normal-like life. Just like a normal girl would. But Ash is not normal (if she was then this would be a normal story. which would be normal and boring.. just like how those people made that movie, all about a boring man with a boring life who did boring things all the time. they made a movie and tried to capture his boringness. they succeeded... and made an EXTREMELY boring movie named One Hour Photo. ..but enough of THAT gear shift...) So off we go, to spy on Ash's life again. I wonder what that crazy girl is up to right now....


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Chapter 1 - When Trek and Hockey Collide
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"My work here is done." said a strange deep voice.
"Whoa." came the reply.
"Heheheh. It's funny how no one ever listens to Victor." said the deep voice again.
Then Kati burped. "excuse you Kati." said Ash.
The room was filled with nerds and Ash was feeling slightly out of place. Dan, Kati, Ragu, Victor, and Chris were all sitting around in Kati's basement, playing some crazy game centered around Star Trek. They kept talking about strange things and about wars and phasers. Most people would have been pretty damn scared in this kind of situation, being surrounded by nerds and all, but not Ash. Lately she had been finding many things that would usually be very frightening or zany to be rather dull. After her insane adventure in Ashleigha, everything else just seemed kinda lame. So she sat there quietly checking her email on Kati's computer. She was however, not really much of a nerd, so she was feeling out of place, as has already been mentioned.
"Guys.." she began "I'm feeling kinda out of place. I mean, your all massive nerds and stuff, and im just... well.. not."
"Well you could be a nerd if you wanted to.." said Dan tugging philosophically at his bushy blonde beard "..just come play. And while your at it, you can learn how to play Blood Bowl too! and the Trek card game! and you can start playing Magic again. And then on the weekends you can come play D&D with us.." Dan's eyes had glazed over at the mention of D&D and he looked serenely happy for a moment.
"uh.. no thanks. i hear those games involve getting possessed by a demon or something..."she said quickly, trying to get herself out of the gravitational pull of nerdiness being exuded by Dan. "Why the hell am i even here? Im not really interacting with any of you. Im just sitting here."
"I believe you came over to watch the hockey game." repiled Kati as she studied her character sheet.
"oh ya! mmm..hockey. Ann is supposed to be coming over too..she should be here right now but nooo, she had to run off with her boyfriend." ash shook her fist, a shaking which was intended for Ann and was hopefully received wherever Ann was at that time. "You know i really think the Leafs are going to win the Cup this year" continued Ash "I mean, McCabe's got that whole mohawk thing going on. its blue too! and we've got Nolan now."
Kati thought deeply about the Leafs chances at winning the Cup and finally said "Ya I think you're right. I mean… the Leafs have looked pretty good ever since they helped us out with that.." WHACK ash smacked Kati on the head. "What the hell was that for?" exclaimed kati, rather pissed off and shocked.
"no talking about the W-A-R remember?" growled Ash angrily between her teeth. (Not that it mattered much because everyone else was too lost in their own nerdiness to be paying any attention to kati and ash's conversation.) See, on their way back home, the friends had all agreed that it would be best to not mention their adventures to anyone. There reason for this was.. well.. it would just be more mysterious. And it's what any good Russian would do. It's true that Ash and her friends weren't Russian, but that doesnt mean that they cant pretend. In fact, i'd say Ash and her friends are just about as Russian and you can get without actually being Russian.
So they had all decided to be good Russians and be mysterious. No one knew about their adventures in Ashleigha, save themselves, and they had sworn that there would be no mention of it ever. Kati though, had been forgetting that pact as of late, and Ash was finding that she had to whack her more and more frequently. Ash was beginning to think that maybe she should forget the whole Russian thing and just tell everyone, then she could stop whacking Kati, as well as tell a wikkid story to everyone.
"Ash? What are you thinking about?" asked Kati.
"I was just wondering if maybe we SHOULD tell everyone.. i mean... then i could stop hitting you..."
"WHAT? no way! What would Mogilny say?!? What would the Central Red Army say? I really dont mind that you keep hitting me, as long as we keep being mysterious."
"Ya you're right Kati." said Ash "hehehe.. what was I thinking? hahahaha... forget the Russian-ness. HAHAH! Geez I sure am silly sometimes". Kati and Ash had a good laugh at this. In fact, they began to cackle maniacally.. in a way that could not be completely ignored by the nerds who promptly looked up from their nerd books.
"What's going on?" asked Chris in his shifty eyed Chris-manner.
"Nothink." replied Kati and Ash quickly, as they suddenly stopped laughing and looked really hardcore serious. "Nothink at auhl."
"Well guys.." said Ash, her Russian accent disappearing "It doesnt look like Ann is going to show. And i dont want ot sit around here with a bunch of nerds anymore.. it might be contagious. So im gonna head home and watch hockey there. lates." She gave Kati a Russian-like nod and walked out.
Ash wandered out onto the street and began to walk home. She still had a few hours until the game started and figured she would be able to make it home in time if she walked. The road seemed inviting, so she journeyed down it's center, following the flowing yellow lines. Her mind flowed along with them and she lost track of where she was in the world, and just kept walking down the road. The sky decided this would be an appropriate time to rain, and add some kind of sadness to this now mindless wandering. So the rain poured down on Ash's head and an REM song streamed in out of nowhere... "night swimming, you i thought i knew you, you i cannot judge. you i thought you knew me, this one laughing quietly, underneath my breath night swimming." (for those that dont know the song... its soft, piano-ish and reflective.)
Ash found herself thinking about herself and all the craziness she had been through. Not just in Ashleigha, but throughout her life in general. She stared at the yellow stripe which was running through her sight and her now her consciousness. It drifted slightly from left to right every now and then as she traveled along the road. She walked for a good long time, and it rained for a good long time. A damn long time. Ash had, by now, completely forgot all about the Leafs game, and even about her friends. After a while she even stopped thinking about herself and her past. She just thought about the road and the yellow line. And she just kept walking.

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"Geez, it's been raining for 3 freakin days" said Dan, staring out the music hall door windows.
"ya. stupid crazy spring weather" mused Allan. People wree sitting in their usual spots, leaning against lockers just outside the auditorium. The school was musty from the excessive rain and there was a strange absence of something... something.....
"Hey, has anyone noticed that Ash hasnt been here in a while?" Asked Angela who was snuggled up beside Allan. Everyone stared blankly at Angela for a brief moment, trying to recall who this "Ash" person was.
"...ASH. oh ya.. she hasn't been here for uh.. 3 days now i guess." said Dan. "heh heh.. i kinda forgot about her for a second there." He laughed nervously, thinking that he was the only one who forgot Ash's existence.
"Ya that's kinda weird. I forgot about her too" mused Allan (allan muses a lot) "I wonder where she is..."
Just then Kevin wandered out of the stage crew office and into the music hall. He saw everyone staring at him suspiciously and cast an inquisitive look at all of them simultaneously. "What?" He finally said when they didnt respond to his inquisitive look.
"You didnt by chance happen to maim, kidnap or kill Ash in the past three days did you?" inquired Allan.
Kevin thought back to the last couple of days. "i dont think so. i might have ass-fued her a week ago, but nothing in the last three days. why?"
"Well she's kinda missing.." said Angela.
"Ya" continued Allan. "She hasnt been here for 3 days, and none of us noticed until now. And if you didnt maim, kidnap or kill her then i vote we go on some sort of search party type thing."
"Wicked. i like parties." replied Kevin.
"An excellent idea Allan." said Dan. He dusted off his hands in a dramatic fashion, signaling that there would undoubtabley be a search party of some kind. "Where shall we start?"
Angela the proceeded to explain that they should spilt up and check different areas of the school. And, if that should fail, they should then proceed to search her house and the houses of others. She generally made an efficient plan for the search.
"Hey guys.. what are you planning?" inquired Kati, who had snuck up on search party whilst they were planning.
"We're gonna go search for Ash" Dan answered.
"Oh my god! Ash is missing?" Kati was exasperated. She had totally and completely not noticed Ash's absence.
"Ya none of us noticed it either." said Allan "Which is kinda weird when you think about it.. i mean.. we talk to her everyday.."
Kati didnt seem to hear Allan, she instead, seemed to be deep in thought and she looked very distressed.
"Kati? You look very distressed" commented Dan. "What's on your mind?"
"Uh.. nothing.. i was just.. nothing. You guys are planning a search party?" She inquired again.
"Ya that's right"
"Ok, you do that. Lemme know if you find her.. i have to.. uh.. go... ill talk to you guys later." and with that, Kati ran off.
"That was more that a little weird." Kevin observed. He rolled it around in his mind for a little while, then said "I think Kati knows something.. something about where Ash is that she's not telling us. You guys go on with the search party thing.. im going to go use my Russian spy skills to see if i can find out what's going on." And Kevin slipped into the shadows and slunk off after Kati.
"Oh great" said Dan. "Now im left here with these two." Dan rolled his eyes because Allan and Angela had decided to start making out several minutes earlier. "Geez. We're on a search here... At least make out and walk at the same time would ya?"


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Chapter 2 - So I Hold My Breath Until My Heart Explodes...
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Dan had gone into the stage crew office and was doing a preliminary search for supplies to conduct the search that was soon to be underway. He grabbed a duffel bag from the corner and began to stuff it with rolls of duct tape. "Cant ever have too much duct tape on hand" he said to himself. Angela and Allan were still making out in the hall (this was their way of preparing for an epic search for their friend, actually, this was their preparation for pretty much everything). When Dan went back out into the hall, fully stocked with duct tape and various other necessities, two more people were there waiting for him.
"We heard there was some kind of party going on?" a red-headed girl named Ann hopefully looked at Dan.
"Well, a SEARCH party..."
"Sounds good to me" said Ann’s boyfriend, known to most as Jeff. "Do you have adequate amounts of duct tape?" he inquired.
"I do" replied Dan.
"Most excellent” said Ann "we shall go off and have a search party then... what exactly are we searching for?"
Dan proceeded to explain the situation to Jeff and Ann. They then (including Allan and Angela who had finally stopped making out) decided to kick off their search in the auditorium and move on to the various other parts of the school.


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Meanwhile, Kati had rushed off to find Niki at the other end of the hallway. Unbeknownst to Kati, Kevin was trailing her stealthily and was planning to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Hey Niki…" whispered Kati.
Niki looke up from her textbook to face Kati with a puzzled and slightly annoyed look on her face. "Ya.. what do you want? I'm trying to study."
"It's important Niki..." Kati said, her eyes shifting nervously. "Ash is.. missing."
"What?" exclaimed Niki, suddenly attentive.
"Ya, she hasn't been here for 3 days and I was thinking... well.." Kati hesitated, wondering if she should continue. "..well.. I don’t want to jump to conclusions or anything, but.."
Niki interrupted "Kati. This is serious. Ash never just disappears. She would have called one of us, or talked to us online or something."
Kati's eyes shifted around again. She felt as if she was being watched.. or spied on.. in a Russian manner. "I think we should meet to talk about this later. Someplace safe." she said cautiously. Now Niki too glanced around the seemingly empty hall, feeling the eyes in the back of her head, the ears listening to her words.
"Ya. Come over to the apartment after class, we can talk there."
"Right." Replied Kati. She nodded then walked off down the hall. Niki too went on about her business, turning her attention back to her textbook, though she could not quite shake the feeling that she was being watched.
Kevin, for the record, was still there in the shadows near Niki, though he was no longer paying any attention to her. He was thinking about what they had said, and planning his next spying venture at the apartment. He had been to Niki's apartment before and thought it best to get there before them, so as to not be noticed. It was obvious that he was not just dealing with ordinary people here. These girls could sense his presence, meaning that they too had some kind of Russian-ness. He would have to be very careful. Veeery careful. With that thought in mind, he snuck off towards the doors and headed for Niki's apartment.


Soon enough, school ended and Kati headed over to Niki’s apartment. She waited outside the door for a little bit until Niki showed up and pulled out her key.
“Sorry about that” she said, opening the door “I got stuck at school.”
“No problem” said Kati, glancing behind her as Niki stepped into her apartment “You weren’t followed were you?”
“Nope. And I checked too. We’re completely alone. Now Kati, what were you trying to tell me earlier?”
Kati stepped into the room and shut the door quietly behind her. She gave the room a once over glance, then began to speak. She gave a rather long winded speech about how worried she was about Ash, and about how she was worried that the forces of evil were at work again.
“The forces of evil? But Kati, I thought we defeated the forces of evil?”
Kati went on to explain all about the forces of evil, seeing as she knew the inner workings from her time in the BPS squad. She explained how evil never really gets defeated, you can stop it for a while, maybe slow it down, but every time you think you’ve defeated it, it slowly creeps up on you again. She went on and on about all the possible things that could have happened to Ash which are too numerous to mention in this story. Kati’s speech was rather long, but essentially implied that she and Niki should do something about Ash’s missing-ness.
Kati then left the apartment and Niki went off into her bedroom for a nap.

Dramatic music drifted into the room as Kevin stepped out of the shadows…


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"You know..." began Dan "..this search thing would go a lo faster if you people would actually search. We could do the normal search party type stuff, you know.. like spilt up and cover different rooms so it takes less time and we cover more ground and all that? Right now this is kind of just me.. walking around with couples entow."
"What are you talking about Dan?" asked Angela "this is a very effective way to search if you ask me. Allan and Angela went back to making out after the brief pause in which angela spoke. Ann and Jeff too were making out, and not really looking very hard for Ash. Actually, they werent looking at all. Neither were Allan or Anegla. And Dan was spending all his time and energy being mad at the couples. There actually was no one who was REALLY looking for Ash, and therefore... (I the author, henceforth decree that there will be absolutely, under no circumstances, any making out, or mentioning of making out in this story. at all. nadda. sorry guys.)
"Aw... stupid author." mumbled Allan. So now everyone had stopped doing the unmentionable deed, and the searching for Ash could finally truly get under way. They proceeded to search all around the school but alas, Ash was nowhere to be found.
"Well I think it's safe to say that she is no where in the school, we've looked everywhere." said Jeff.
"I agree.. I think the next place we should check is her house" said Dan rather thoughtfully. He was still the only one who was really focusing on the task at hand, everyone else was still upset from the author's decree.
"Tis an excellent idea Dan." Ann replied "but i think Jeff and I should go check out the last place that anyone saw her. Where was that?"
"The last time anyone saw her... had to be at the Trek thing last weekend. She was over there to watch hockey then she and Kati started laughing maniacally. They were acting kind of weird. Especially Kati." Dan was growing suspicious of his Trek friend. She always was a little odd. Maybe even... a little evil? "Ok, that's a good idea. But if you run into Kati.. be careful. and stay together... though i cant imagine you guys would ever really wander off from each other..." Dan rolled his eyes and Ann and Jeff gazed at each other happily, since thats all they could really do now. "The Trek thing was at Kati's, so you're going to have to be extremely careful ok? The minute you see her I want you to get out of there."
"Alright Dan, dont worry about us!" and with that Jeff and Ann walked off to find their way to Kati's house.
"Hey Dan.." said Allan "is it really a good idea to spilt up like this? I mean.. we went from being a happy large safe group to being a small easily attackable squads. And like.. Kevin is off on his own...and Ash is missing, which means something bad is going on."
"Oh dont worry about Kevin sweetie.. he has russian powers.. he'll be fine. And Ann is a hockey player. And Jeff is.. Jeff. They'll be fine." giggles Angela.
"Ya but.." Allan looked around nervously " .. what about us three?"
Dan and Angela both burst out laughing and handed Allan some bamboo. "Silly panda... what could possibly happen to us?"