Lucas Alexander Grey's Story

Emelia gave a sharp nod of her head. Taking a deep breath in through her mouth, she squared her shoulders and planted her feet hard on the ground. Worry pawed at her mind, but her determination was stronger. If they were going to beat this Imaginerium then they had to start with creatures like this one. Then they could turn their attention to the Fay. Besides, exactly how hard could it be? There were plenty of them to control the creature's arms whilst one pierced the heart.

The moment she had mentally prepared herself to tackle this creature with the others, a tentacle shot towards her from the waving grass. Dodging to the left, it clipped her shoulder, but she managed to turned quickly and wrap her arms firmly around the fleshy limb. Almost instantly it squirmed and fought to be free from her grasp, but Emelia only held it tighter. With a grunt, she threw her body and the tentacle to the ground, twisting so that her full weight fell on it.

Biting her bottom, she concentrated on keeping it still. It wiggled endlessly. Another one came towards her. Gripping the first between her thighs hard, she freed her hands to grab the second. The instant it was close enough she grabbed it and dug her fingernails in deep. A shriek echoed from amid the grass, startling Emelia so much that she nearly let go of the tentacle. She had enough sense to regain her grip and hold it to her body.

"Just do it!" She cried over the cries and grunts of the others.

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Fighting against tentacles wasn't the easiest of tasks, not at this size. Sebastian was doing his best to keep the tentacles away as was Emelia. His nails were starting to bleed from all the scratching and clawing. His eyes were burning from the goo that was getting into them when he laid his face on the tentacles while he bit down. He couldn't even taste anymore and boy was he glad his taste buds had given up on him.

“GO NOW!” Sebastian yelled for Seth to make a break for it, find the center and save Ginger who was still not moving.

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While the teenagers were struggling the Fray were hovering above enjoying the show and already thinking about how they were going to feast on poor Ginger's body. Adisa and Briar were basically arguing over which parts they were planning on eating. Who would have the heart was discussed pretty easily since Briar had gotten the last one, about half a decade ago. But it was the thighs, the neck and the stomach that were difficult to debate on.

“I want the neck and that is non negotiable,” said Briar which made Adisa ball his hand into a fist but not throw the punch.

“Hey is that Itziar?” Adisa asked as he stared in the distance at a little girl slipping into the house while the teenagers fought the monster.

“The ancient one is always the quiet one,” Briar said with a philosophical tone.

They started descending from the sky and went into the house. They stayed quiet scared to be found out by Itziar, the oldest Fay there was and also the fiercest. She went to where Elizabeth was lying sick and they stood behind.

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Sebastian was waiting for a sign from Seth. Something that would say that he succeeded. For the tentacles to fade away like dust or for them to crawl back into the dark of the garden or maybe even for them to just stop dead. Sebastian was getting tired and all he could think of was having a huge hand like in Hellboy to crush the tentacle effortlessly.

Suddenly, Seb's arm became heavy, both of his arms were heavy to carry but grasping the tentacle and holding it from breaking free was easy. Sebastian saw his arms turn huge and take on a rocky form right beneath his eyes.

Just like Hellboy, Sebastian thought.

He didn't waste anymore time, he took the tentacle in both of his ginormous hands and crushed it to goo. He felt like nothing could stop him and he really didn't care how it happened. He started destroying the octopus like it was something he was born for. Then he realized how he had done it.

“We're a part of Imaginerium too,” he softly told himself under his breath as if he had just made a huge and life changing discovery, “Guys! We're a part of Imaginerium! We can use Imaginerium!” He lifted his arms up to show them, “All we have to do is imagine, wish and believe!”

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"I.. I was in an accident yesterday," Lucas said, looking down as he seemed to think about his situation. “I wish I could help you guys but I do not dare to stand up at the moment," he said with a sigh.

Seth knew that he had to focus on the mission and try to find the center of the octopus looking creature, though he also wanted to try and console Lucas. He knew he wasn’t good at these things but he figured he’d try and said, “Hey, don’t worry about it, Lucas. Like you said you were in an accident yesterday. You shouldn’t be moving anyway. We just want to make sure you and the others are safe.” Seth then asked Lucas to, “Just root for us, okay?” with a smile and a thumbs up, wondering if he’s encouraging Lucas to relax or looking stupid with a silly smile, but it was what he can do to try and get Lucas and himself calm enough to finish the job.

When Seth looked back at the battlefield, he saw the monster apprehended with Sebastian and Emelia keeping the tentacles at bay so that he could make a dash for the center and break it. Seth was trying his best to look for the center but all he saw was an array of long tentacles and no main body.

"Just do it!" Emelia cried followed by Sebastian yelling ”GO NOW!” At this point, Seth panicked a bit wondering what he should do. He dashed into the fray where all of the tentacles seemed to be surrounding but all he saw was the ground. Seth tried to kick the empty area thinking that maybe it was invisible but his foot went through what would’ve been an invisible body.

”What the heck do I do now?? How will Seb and Emelia hold up if I can’t find anything!?!” Seth’s panicked mind wondered. Suddenly he heard Sebastian call out saying, “Guys! We’re a part of Imaginerium! We can use Imaginerium!” Seth thought, “Yeah, I mean that’s what we’ve been doing right?” but when he looked at Sebastian and saw his arms huge and all stoned up, he realized there was more to “using Imaginerium” than he thought of.

”All we have to do is imagine, wish and believe!” Sebastian shouted.

”Imagine, wish and believe..Okay then let’s imagine, wish and believe I’ll get some super powered vision that can sense the darn Imaginerium creature. Seth thought. And just then, his vision changed to some sort of heat or aura sensing vision. He was able to sense the presence of his friends, the tentacles, and something else that was hiding underneath the ground that Seth had suspected the center was in. ”GOTCHA!!” Seth shouted as he imagined the ground parting way and revealing the monstrosity by his will. His imagination became reality and he was finally able to see the full body of the creature.

All this time, the gang had assumed it was an octopus because of the tentacles, but in actuality, the tentacles were attached to the back of a screeching deformed human being with sharp teeth, dull black eyes, and no hair on any part of its body that was all a sickly pale grey. Upon seeing Seth, the creature howled and threatened him with its teeth. ”This time…I’m not afraid of you…” Seth said under his breath. He remembered how he believed his gun to work when it didn’t, but now he knew the power of Imaginerium and it was different. Suddenly, in his hands held a machine gun fully loaded ready to fire. Seth grinned and aimed at the creature shouting, “EAT BULLETS YOU BASTARD!!” and fired the gun away. The creature was shot to death with blood oozing out of its body and the tentacles even though Seth never aimed the gun at them. It screamed in agony at the pain and started pulsating red as though it was a heart. At its death, one last pulsation went through its body and the creature started melting away. Seth noticed an object that lay where the creature was and imagined the object in his hands. He looked in his right hand and found the object to be a car with an image of the deformed human with tentacles and an inscription underneath, “Christopher Kraken.”

“Hey guys, what is this thing?” Seth called out to the others to show them the card.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, Lucas. Like you said you were in an accident yesterday. You shouldn't be moving anyway. We just want to make sure you and the others are safe. Just root for us, okay?” And Seth made a thumbs up.

Lucas couldn't help bit smile a bit bigger and made a thumbs up back at him. "Of course I will. Be careful though." He said when Seth turned back to the battlefield. He let his eyes wander to the others who was fighting that octopus creature. Thankfully this time he could actually focus on what the others was doing even though it was a bit hard to concentrate. He really wished his head could stop throbbing but that was just wishful thinking at the moment.

When Emelia yelled, he flinched and covered his ears a little. Too loud noises hurt he noticed but let them down and followed Seth with his eyes when he dashed out from the porch towards the creature. He let his hands down and turned a bit to Ginger, to look if she was okay. Maybe woken up by now but she laid in the exact position as she did before and she.. She looked paler then before too. Ginger have always been pale due to that she's ginger but there was something unsettling about it.

He crawled slowly to Ginger, settling down next to her and moved her hair a bit from her face. He held his breath as he placed his fingers against her neck. Oh she was cold. Really cold. Too cold and there was no pulse. Lucas flinched back like if he had been burned and stared at Ginger. She was dead. Oh god, she was dead. His head pounded even worse and he felt dizzy. He felt sick and shocked, so shocked. He let out his breath he held and scrabbled to hold Ginger in his arms.

"Ginger, Ginger.. Come on. Please wake up. Just.. Open your eyes. Can't you do that love? Just for a moment." He babbled desperately but for no use and he knew it. He held her tighter in his arms and rocked a bit back and forth. "Please.." He whispered with burning eyes. They hadn't manage to save her. Just because he and Emelia had went outside for a moment, they had went outside because Lucas had needed some air and that creature had attacked them and Ginger had ran outside to help them and now.. The tears finally spilled over and ran down. This was not happening. Of all things that had happen, this just couldn't be true. He could handle Imaginarium any day but the death of one of their friends. God it felt like his heart broke in thousand pieces and it wasn't fair. She had always been this sweet and shy one, the one with these beautiful smiles.

"Please, please Ginger.. Don't be dead, just don't.." He continued to whisper and sobbed. He didn't care that there was silence out there on the garden. That they had defeated that monster. He really didn't care because they were fine and Ginger wasn't. Ginger would never be okay again. She would never smile and be here with them again. If he hadn't been in that accident then this would never had happen. If he had just been a little bit stronger and not a mess like he was right now, then Ginger wouldn't be dead. She would have been fine. Breathing and smiling.

“Guys! We’re a part of Imaginerium! We can use Imaginerium!”

"We're part of the Imaginerium. We're part of the Imaginerium."

The words rang through Emelia's mnd, over and over again. Blinking in surprise, her wide eyes turned to Sebastian in amazement. One look at his bulky, stone arm which was so unnatural compared to his slim body and she knew his words were true. A gasp escaped her lips and her body released the tentacles she was holding in her tight grasp. To her horror they sprang up, ready to attack with increased vengeance. Rolling to her left in the waving grass, she swiftly avoided a deadly blow. They were part of the Imaginerium. How could that be true? How was it even possible? But if it was, then the possibilities were endless. It was an insane theory and yet proof lay with Sebastian. Taking a deep breath she thought and wished, just as she had been told. She thought about how it would be to produce fire from her fingertips. A fire so powerful that it could only be extinguished with a command from her.

No sooner than the thoughts had taken full form, a spark flickered on her right palm. Breathing in sharply, Emelia lost all train of thought and it disappeared in a puff. Scrambling to her feet, she tried again, channeling her concentration. This time her hands burst into sudden bright flame. Emelia let out a small shriek, but she could feel no hear nor any pain and her skin looked just as flawless as before. Allowing herself a single second to consider how crazy this was, she raised her hands and grabbed the next tentacle to coming whipping towards her. Almost instantly it caught fire, burning away flesh from the bone. Emelia felt slightly sickened at the sight, but moved on quickly. Two more tentacles were killed in her path before Seth reached the centre. She watched in fascinated horror as the creature quaked, trembled and then died. A breath of relief escaped her lips as her body sagged and she commanded the fire to leave her hands.

As Seth held up a card, which he had retrieved from the centre of the creature, she opened her mouth to reply to his question. That was until Lucas' shouts echoed through the still yard.

"Please, please Ginger.. Don't be dead, just don't.."

All of the air seemed to leave Emelia's body as those words reached her. Her body went numb and she could barely breath as she turned towards the pair on the porch. Every pore in her body screamed at him to be mistaken, for Lucas to be messing around. Her eyes fell on the still form of Ginger in his arms, his whole body shaking hers with emotion. In what seemed like slow-motion, she stumbled over, shaking her head. Still she hoped that he was kidding or simply wrong in his assumption that their friend was dead. Falling to her knees beside Ginger, she reached blindly for a pulse. When none was forthcoming, she took a sharp intake of breath.

"No...No, she can't be. She can't be d-d-dead." Her eyes flickered to Lucas' face, begging him to tell her that she was wrong. "No...Not Ginger. Please say i-it's wrong. It can't be..." A sob escaped her throat, stopping her words. Gulping, she pushed herself to her feet, back away from them. "This is m-my fault. I d-dragged you out here. I made you come out. I-I put you all in danger. And Ginger...She tried to s-save us. This is my fault." Pressing her hands to her face, Emelia backed away from the others, her tormented face hidden.

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Seth had made it to the center and from there Sebastian heard a series of shots go off, like a machine gun. Clearly Seth had understood the power of Imaginerium and how to bend them. Sebstian knew the octopus was defeated when the tentacles started bleeding for no reason and then died.

Seth returned with a card in his hand wondering what it was. Sebastian came a little closer to observe the card but nothing came to mind. He was void of all thought until Lucas said something that hit Sebastian hard in the heart. He wasn't the only one, Emelia also lost all the air she had in her lungs.

Emelia barely walked over to where Lucas and Ginger were but Sebastian couldn't move, he was petrified where he stood. While Emelia frantically tried to get Ginger to open her eyes Sebastian already felt the cold death feeling freeze his spine. Ginger was dead but no tears were able to make their way to his eyes, his throat was dry and his heart seemed to have stopped but he couldn't find the strength to cry.

“Why Ginger?” Sebastian recalled all those times Ginger quietly laughed, timidly helped him and when she assisted everyone with their homework. She was such a sweet girl, “I should have saved her sooner.”

Guilt crawled into Seb's heart as he balled up his fist so tight his nails started to dig into his skin. Then he remembered that there was still someone he could save. Elizabeth!

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Itziar knelt before the frail Elizabeth and started to lick her lips. She was about to bite down on the girl when she felt death. Another person had died which formed a grin on Itziar's face, she had two meals for herself. Except they weren't only for her.

“You guys are always here to ruin my meals,” Itziar growled when she heard Adisa and Briar walk behind her.

“Well you're always trying to hog all the food for yourself,” Briar replied.

“Pfff, fine, I'll have this one and you can have the other one,” Itziar said then have them both a frightening smile.

The boys didn't reply, her offer was just and they didn't want to disturb the oldest creature in Imaginerium. So then Itziar went back to her business, but instead of biting down on Elizabeth whom had slightly woken up but was unable to speak, she smiled and broke her neck. It went so fast that Elizabeth felt no pain, she was out cold.

“That was very charitable of you,” remarked Briar.

“I'm a monster, not heartless,” Itziar was the most ferocious of all the Fay but she was also the only one who had empathy.

After killing Liz, Itziar started to eat her arms. She had such a wide mouth with so many terrible teeth like needles that eating half of Elizabeth's torso went fast. She had almost eaten Elizabeth's whole left side when Sebastian came in.

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“What?” Sebastian's knees buckled and he collapsed in front of the three Fay.

A little girl was feasting on Elizabeth's body. Once again he was too late to save someone he cared for. How could he always be so late? There was blood everywhere and Elizabeth's eyes were still open but emptied of all life. She wasn't even whole anymore.

Rage boiled deep inside of Seb but his body was shaking so much he couldn't get up. He just glared at the monster eating Liz.

“I am going to kill you,” Sebastian affirmed the little girl and the other two Fay boys.

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Sebastian came to observe the card but it seems he couldn’t understand what it was either. Their attention was drawn to Lucas who was calling out to Ginger begging her not to be dead.

”WHAT!?!?! Seth thought in his mind as he followed Emelia to Ginger. His eyes could only stare as he took in the horrible image of Lucas and Emelia trying to wake up the soulless Ginger. Emelia fell to her knees and tried to reach for a pulse but finding nothing she breathed in heavily and was stammering in denial of Ginger’s death. She blamed herself several times before putting her hands to her face and backing away.

Seth was torn between deep sadness and utter anger and hatred against Imaginerium. While it gave them amazing abilities, it has also taken a life that was worth so much to him and the group. What would he be able to do without Ginger’s carefree smiles and her kind advice? Although he wouldn’t speak much before, she would still gladly help him out with what he needed to do and he never got a chance to say thank you…

”Ginger…I’m sorry I didn’t get to thank you before…” Seth said trying to hold back his tears. ”It really meant a lot and you did the same thing for Lucas and Emelia…I’m sorry I was too late and I didn’t protect you…” Seth was clenching his fists and gritting his teeth as tight as he can trying to hold back his feelings of guilt for not being their quick enough.. ”If I was only faster…if I only knew…” Seth thought.

Just then he noticed Sebastian dash into the house with a determined face. Seth wondered what could he have gone in for when he realized that all this time they had all been outside defeating the monster no one had been watching Elizabeth. He followed Sebastian inside and saw him down on his knees collapsed in front of the three beings he never wanted to see again, the Imaginerium Fay. Seth was horrified by the scene in front of him: a little girl eating Elizabeth’s left side. ”No…Not her too…Not Liz…Not after how much we tried to save her…how can I have been so stupid!!” Seth thought.

Seth couldn’t take it anymore. First Ginger was killed by the Imaginerium monster and now Elizabeth had been eating by the Imaginerium Fay. He felt his blood boil and he could imagine himself burning in flames as his anger had finally taken a hold of him. Seth could feel the fire actually growing around him as his abhorrence for the Fay grew. Not being able to hold his anger anymore Seth shouted, ”THIS IS FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ELIZABETH AND GINGER!!” and sent all of his rage and fury with the large flames at the little Fay’s head.

Lucas was vaguely aware that the others had noticed Ginger. Emelia had walked towards him and said something but he couldn't really hear it over the loud ringing in his ears. Oh god, they had lost Ginger. This wasn't fair. Not at all. He let out a shaky breath before the ringing stopped and he heard the others.

When he looked up he saw Emelia stand there with her face in her hands, mumbling that it was her fault. It wasn't. It was their both's fault that Ginger met this destiny, that she didn't live longer.

"Emelia.." Lucas whispered between sobs that made his whole body tremble. He needed her to look at her. "Em.. Em, please look at me. It wasn't your fault or mine. It.." He went silent when he noticed that he couldn't convince either of them that it wasn't their fault. They both had gone out to get some fresh air.

Lucas had went out to still a bit of the throbbing pain in his head and Emelia had went outside because he didn't want to be alone. God, he couldn't even feel the pain right now. The pain in his head seemed like nothing from his aching heart from the loss of a close friend.

A shout from upstairs made Lucas look away from Emelia. ”THIS IS FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ELIZABETH AND GINGER!!” Seth had shouted and it made Lucas hold tighter around Ginger. Was Elizabeth also dead? Oh no, no she couldn't also be dead.

Lucas felt himself tremble again. "Not Elizabeth too.. Not her too." He whispered and quickly looked at Emelia. "Em, c-can you go up and see what happen? I.. I can't leave Ginger here all alone." He said with a shaky voice. He needed to know that Elizabeth was okay but knew it so well that she wasn't.

The other reason why he didn't want to move was because he didn't think he would be able. He was exhausted from the loss of a friends and also because he hadn't had the chance to rest properly as the doctors had said he should. He would never be able to carry Ginger with him upstairs to see what have happen. Not in his condition right now.

Emelia barely heard Lucas' words, she just backed further and further away from him and most importantly from Ginger's body. Sobs were continuously wracking her slender body as she shook her head in complete disbelief. Gulping loudly, she took great breaths of air, attempting to steady herself. She could only hear the roar of blood in her ears and her heart thumping furiously loudly in her chest. None of this could be real. It was all a big mistake. It was all part of the Imaginerium, all fake. But one look at Ginger's body again and she knew that it wasn't a dream. This was real. This was happening right in front of them. To one of their best friends.

"THIS IS FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ELIZABETH AND GINGER!!”

Emelia heard the shout. Terror clutched at her heart as the words registered in her brain. Surely there had been a mistake. He had said Ginger and Elizabeth. No, she couldn't be dead as well. Not Elizabeth too. Gasping, she removed her hands from her face and looked to Lucas. His face clearly reflected her own, horror and shock written on his features.

"Em, c-can you go up and see what happen? I.. I can't leave Ginger here all alone."

She understood. Ginger shouldn't be left alone, just because she was dead. Nodding her head, she stumbled towards the back door and climbed silently into the house. Shaking, she climbed up the stairs, dreading every step that she took. Once outside the door, she took a deep breath and pushed it open. A scream escaped her lips as she took in the sight. A small girl, undoubtedly one of the Fay, was feeding on Elizabeth's body. Launching forwards, she grabbed Seth, pulling him away from the Fay. Who knew the damage they could do to him. Wrapping her arms around his body, she held fast, not wanting to see him injured either.

"How could you?!" She screamed, looking at Elizabeth's body.

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Seth appeared a few moments after Sebastian arrived. When Seb saw the look on Seth's face he knew nothing good was going to happen. Seth immediately attacked the young Fay that still had a chunk of Elizabeth in her mouth. Flames blazed through the house but had no effect on it. It also had no effect on the Fay child who simply lifted a hand and suppressed the fire.

The two other Fay guys had taken retreat but one of them, the one with the fancy suit, had been touched by the fire, “Damn kid! He burned my suit.”

Adisa looked at the hole on the tip of Briar's jacket, “Wow, I never though the kids would catch on so quick. Did any of the others ever get to this point?”

“None so quickly,” Itziar swallowed the last bit of Elizabeth she had and then looked at the mutilated corps that had been burned by the flames, “Thank you for baking her for me,” she said calmly and without deceitfulness.

Sebastian was about to attack as well but he noticed the looked in the Fay's faces. They knew what they were doing, they had been in Imaginerium much longer than anyone else, if anyone knew how to control Imaginerium it was them. Seth and Seb didn't stand a chance but Seth was overrun by rage and the need for revenge. Emelia came in and saw Elizabeth's body, now Sebastian knew there was no way he could get them to leave.

There was no way they could take them on but Sebastian still imagined his giant arm and a big sword he could carry. He never liked guns so he preferred taking a sword. Seth had to know that Seb had his back even though there was no way they would win.

“You know that we can't win this fight I hope,” Sebastian said to Seth and then he looked at Emelia, “Where's Lucas? Is he safe? You should take him and leave.”

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Itziar watched the boys get all hyped up, she barely payed attention to the girl that had just walked in. They were brave enough to dare think they could take her on, she respected that stupid bravery.

“Alright we'll leave you to it,” Briar said to Itziar who didn't even btoh answer before Adisa and Briar left to find Ginger's body.

Ginger's body was nice and fresh and held by Lucas, the little boy that came in late. Adisa started making plans of how to kill the boy but Briar told him to wait. He said that they had to make their meal last because who knew when the next bunch of stupid teenagers would come in to be eaten.

“Fine,” Adisa wined then went up to Lucas, “Now let go of the pretty yummy girl so we can go eat her somewhere quiet. And if you don't let her go I'll just have to break your hands.”

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Lucas watched Emelia disappear into the house and was left alone on the porch with the cold Ginger in his arms. He knew that it was highly possible that Elizabeth was also dead but he really hoped she wasn't. This was really not fair, neither of them deserved to die.

"None of us deserve this.." He whispered and with a shaky hand, he stroke away some hair from Ginger's face, thank god her eyes were closed. He would never be able to look into her empty stare, the thought made him shiver. None of them did really deserve this. It still felt like a horrible dream but with Ginger's cold skin against his, he knew that it was just wishful thinking. It just wasn't fair.

Lucas took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down, exhausted he closed his eyes but never let go of Ginger. Even if he should do it he just couldn't let her lay there on the ground, it didn't feel right.

As he sat there, with pounding head and exhausting body, he tried to listen on what was happening inside the house but all he could hear was the sounds from the outside. Cars driving along the roads and birds, it was so surreal that Imaginarium could only be seen by them and no one else. How would they be able to act normal in school or with their parents when the world was so different for them? How would they be able to not stare and fear that around every corner something may lay lurking, waiting to attack them.

He flinched and open his eyes when he felt that someone was coming and in front of him stood two men, one in suit and one looked like a rocker, it took a moment for it to click. Both of them were the ones from the living room earlier.

"Now let go of the pretty yummy girl so we can go eat her somewhere quiet. And if you don't let her go I'll just have to break your hands." The rocker said easily but the threat was clear.

Lucas automatically tighten his arms around Ginger's body. "No.." He manage to get out and moved an inch backwards. "You can't have her, please just leave us alone." He said with a shaky and terrified voice. There was something about them that made him so much more scared then when that octopus creature attacked them, maybe it was because he was a bit clearer in his head but he doubt it. They knew the Imaginarium, they were a part of it and not just a creature created from Imaginarium.