Eclipse Retold

The true story of what would have happened that night in New Orleans, if
Season 2 writers hadn't made Hadji a zombie and Jessie a wimp.  And what
was up with that outfit, anyway?  And how come the women Hadji always falls
for are supposed to be young girls but look 35?  This episode would have
rocked if it were Season 1 because it would have had a lot more attitude
(plus the animation wouldn't have been the ubersuck).  So here's what it
might have been like, and let's see Mook do this!  Enjoy!


        The man ran through the deserted alley, his dark trenchcoat billowing
behind him, following the echo of retreating footsteps ahead of him.  He
pulled out his cellular phone and barked a quick message:  "I've got her!"
But as he reached the end of the alley and looked around, the fleeing girl
was nowhere in sight.   "Uh, I had her," he muttered, perplexed.  "Where'd
she go?"
Then something grabbed him from behind.  He screamed, but it was too late.

*********************************************************************

Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji stood on the docks, waving at their fathers as
their steamboat departed.
"Have a nice time!" yelled Jonny.
"So long!" called Jessie with a smile.
"Goodbye!" added Hadji.
Jonny sighed as they turned to walk back to the van.  "Well, guys, New
Orleans was supposed to be the best place to see the lunar eclipse."
"Sorry we are not going with them?" asked Hadji.
"Yeah, if this fog doesn't lift by tomorrow night," said Jessie
disappointedly, glancing at the sky. 
Hadji tried to be optimistic.  "Well, there is still much to see here," he
pointed out.
Jonny grinned.  "And I've got the perfect way to get around."  He walked to
the van and triumphantly pulled out his hoverboard.
Jessie rolled her eyes in disgust.  "I can't believe your dad let you bring
 that thing."
Jonny laughed.  "Jealous?"
"Yeah, right," Jessie snorted.  "C'mon, Hadj.  Why don't we let Sky Boy
hover back to Bourbon Street?"
Jonny shrugged and activated the hoverboard.  "Fine.  We'll see who gets to
the hotel first!" he challenged over his shoulder as he took off.
Hadji smiled at Jessie and opened the door of the van.  She was about to
climb in when they heard a gunshot and someone shouted behind them.
"There she is!  Stop her!"  It was an old man wearing a dark coat,
brandishing a sword-cane after the terrified girl that came running towards
Hadji and Jessie.  The old man was accompanied by a burly younger man who
pulled out a pistol.
Seeing the frightened girl rush past, Hadji lashed out at the younger man
and knocked him down.
But the old man shoved Hadji aside.  "Do not interfere, boy!" he growled,
turning back to the chase.
        Meanwhile the dark-haired girl kept running toward the docks.  "Out of my
way!" she cried, pushing Jessie out of her path.
"Hey!" yelled Jessie, then "Oof!" as the younger man ran into her and
knocked her to the ground.  She looked up to see the girl cornered at the
end of the dock.
The old man pointed his sword-cane.  "End it, now!" he ordered, and the
girl's eyes widened as the younger man raised his pistol.
        "No!" cried Hadji suddenly, leaping towards them and knocking the gun
away.  It clattered to the ground and went off, sending a bullet into the
wall of the alley where Jonny had just reappeared on his hoverboard.
        "I thought I heard gunshots!" exclaimed Jonny, taking in the scene on the
docks.  He sped towards the strange attackers, but the old man turned and
stabbed his sword-cane through the hoverboard.  Jonny yelped and jumped
off.
        Suddenly the wail of an approaching siren split the air.  The old man
quickly retrieved his weapon and vanished with his companion into the fog. 
The three friends turned to see the girl approaching them.  She looked to
be about their age, with long black hair and large blue-gray eyes.  She
smiled at Hadji.
"You…you saved my life."  She had a soft voice and a French accent.
Hadji shrugged.  "Oh, it—it was nothing."  He found he could not look away
from her eyes.
The girl raised her hand to touch the heirloom jewel atop his turban. 
"Beautiful stone."
Hadji answered her as if mesmerized.  "It is from my native Bangalore."
Behind them, Jonny coughed.  "Ahem."
Hadji seemed to start.  "Oh, forgive my rudeness," he said.  "These are my
friends Jonny Quest and Jessie Bannon, and I am Hadji."
The girl smiled.  "I am Elise Lenoir."
"Hi," said Jonny, shaking her hand.
Elise turned to Jessie.  "Jessie?"
"We already met," said Jessie, keeping her arms crossed in front of her. 
She couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong here. 
"Now what was that all about?" she demanded.
But before Elise could answer a patrol car pulled up and blinded them with
its headlights.  The driver rolled down the window and leaned out.
"Miss Lenoir!  Is everything OK?  We got a report of gunshots."
Elise approached the car.  "Muggers, Sergeant," she answered. 
"Fortunately, Hadji came along, with his friends."
Jessie was skeptical.  "Muggers!  With a French accent and a sword-cane?"
The sergeant laughed good-naturedly.   "This is Nawlins, miss.  Anything's
possible, especially at night.  Now y'all should be gettin' on home.  Hop
in, y'all."
"Wait!" Hadji cried, still staring at Elise.  "I have a car."  He pointed
to the van.
Elise smiled appreciatively.   "Then Hadji can take me home," she told the
sergeant.
Hadji offered her his arm.  "It would be my pleasure, Elise," he said,
brushing past his friends on the way towards the van.
Jessie was shocked as the two walked by without so much as a glance in
their direction.  "Hey!"  Hadji seemed to have completely forgotten his
friends as he held the car door open for Elise. 
Jonny didn't seem to find the situation unusual.  "We can ride back in the
prowl car," he pointed out to Jessie.  His mouth quirked into a mischievous
grin.  "Unless you wanna go tandem on my hoverboard," he added teasingly.
Jessie watched Hadji get into the van, then turned back to Jonny.  "Prowl
car."
"Her mother is one of the wealthiest widows in Nawlins," the sergeant
commented as they approached the car.  "Adopted Miss Lenoir six months
ago."  
Jonny raised his eyebrows in surprise, opening the car door for Jessie. 
"Some guys have all the luck."
Jessie shrugged as the van drove off.  Getting into the prowl car, she
couldn't help worrying about her friend's sudden strange behavior.  It was
very uncharacteristic of Hadji, usually so courteous, to abandon his
friends for a stranger, even a beautiful stranger.

Hadji pulled to a stop before the ornate iron gates in front of Elise's
mansion.  Elise leaned over him and reached out the window to enter the
security code that would open the gates.  She sat back down with a sigh. 
"Life today.  It is nothing like the old days, Hadji."
Hadji chuckled in surprise.  "As if you would know about the old days,
Elise!"  Looking at the house, he saw an elderly woman gazing out of one of
the windows.  "Is that your mother?"
Elise smiled.  "Yes.  Mrs. Adrian."  She turned to face Hadji.  "I must
go."
Hadji was suddenly upset.  "Will I see you again?" he asked fearfully.
Elise's eyes held his gaze.  "Would you like that, Hadji?" she queried in a
soft voice.
Unable to look away, Hadji nodded.  "I would, very much."
        Elise smiled in satisfaction.  "Tomorrow then," she said, getting out of
the van.

A young butler in a white suit opened the door as Elise climbed the porch
stairs.  "Thank you, Andrew," she said, pausing in the doorway.  She turned
and waved as Hadji drove away, then quickly went inside and shut the door. 
She leaned against the solid wood, rubbing her temples in exhaustion and
relief.  "Arnaud has found me," she explained wearily.  "I was almost
killed tonight!"
Andrew gasped in dismay.  "Killed?!  So close to the eclipse?"
Mrs. Adrian approached with concern.  "Oh, what an awful thing, my dear!"
Elise composed herself.  "It does not matter.  I have found the one I
need."  She smiled, already formulating her plan.  "Everything is under
control."


Jessie emerged from the hotel into the bright sunlight, ready for an
exciting day of sightseeing with her friends.  To her surprise, Hadji was
already in the van and about to drive away without her and Jonny.  "Hey,
wait!" she cried, hurrying to talk to him.
Hadji spoke to her through the open window as Jonny came up to the van.  "I
must meet Elise in Garden District Park," Hadji said urgently.  His eyes
took on a far away look, and he smiled oddly.  "She wants to see me again."
 His tone was filled with awe and gladness.  Jessie stared at him,
dumbfounded.
Even Jonny was taken aback.  "Wow.  Guess you made quite an impression last
night there, buddy," he said, obviously impressed. 
Hadji looked off into the distance, his eyes glazed.  "She is so
beautiful," he said incredulously.  
Jessie protested as he drove away without another word.  "But we were
supposed to tour the old cemeteries!"  She could not believe what she had
just witnessed.  It was unlike Hadji to be so concerned with physical
beauty.
Jonny looked at Jessie in bewilderment.  "Why are you so upset?  Because
she's rich, beautiful, or because she likes Hadji?"
Jessie was not amused by Jonny's half-serious comments.  This was not a
laughing matter.  "There's just something…strange about her," she said,
unable to come up with a more tangible explanation.  She turned away,
trying to formulate a plan.  "I think I'll take a stroll to the park."
"Fine," Jonny replied as she walked away.  "I think I'll go riverboarding."

The beautiful atmosphere at the Garden District Park went unnoticed by
Jessie.  Concealed in a large tree, she focused on two figures seated at a
table below.  She normally would never consider spying on her friends, but
Jessie had to know what was wrong with Hadji.

Elise sat across from the handsome young Indian.  "Tell me about Bangalore,
Hadji," she entreated softly.  "Is it beautiful there?"
Hadji answered briefly, "Oh, yes."  He was not thinking of Bangalore.  He
continued to stare at his beautiful and mysterious companion, placing his
hand over hers.  "But it is also very beautiful here."  Listening from her
perch, Jessie felt her stomach turn.
"Flatterer!" Elise laughed coquettishly.  She pointed a delicate finger at
the smooth stone in Hadji's turban.  "Any beauty I might possess pales
beside that."
Hadji smiled.  "Ah, it is a precious heirloom, given to me by my mother,
Neela."  Jessie watched in amazement as he removed the jewel and handed it
to Elise for inspection.  "I would never part with it."
Elise ran her fingers over the surface of the stone.  She looked again at
Hadji, her lips curved in a sly smile.  "But, would you give it to me,
Hadji?" she asked quietly, tilting her head to one side.
Jessie smiled in relief as Hadji shook his head, glad her friend hadn't
completely lost his faculties.  Then she noticed a strange gleam in Elise's
eyes, glaring intensely at Hadji.  Jessie observed in horror as Hadji
nodded.  She could not believe his next words.
Hadji was lost in Elise's eyes.  His voice seemed detached as he replied,
"Anything you want.  It is yours, Elise."
Elise smiled triumphantly.  "Because I am like no girl you have ever met
before."
"Yes," Hadji agreed mechanically.  "Because you are like no girl I have
ever met before."
Jessie's mind was racing.  What was happening to her friend?  "Men are so
pathetic," she said to herself.  "It's like he has no brain of his own." 
She found it hard to believe that Hadji could be so easily manipulated by a
beautiful face, and could not help wondering if the strange look in Elise's
eyes had been her imagination or something far more serious.  Disgusted and
confused, she turned away, unable to watch as Elise leaned over and kissed
her best friend.  

        Meanwhile, Jonny was thoroughly enjoying himself as he skimmed the surface
of the river on his hoverboard.  Feeling the wind whipping past him, he
thought there was no better way to see the city.  Rounding a corner, he was
surprised to see a group of police and medical personnel examining a body
in an alley near the docks.  He quickly deactivated his hoverboard and
crept nearer to see what was happening.
One of the policemen stood over the body.  "Just like the others, Doc?"
The doctor, kneeling by the body, nodded.  Jonny switched on his watch and
used the magnifying screen to get a closer look as the doctor responded. 
"All male victims, totally drained.  Almost mummified."  The body was
shriveled and dry, the face sunken.  Jonny shivered in horror.
"That makes seven in six months," the officer observed.
Another policeman held up a fancy gun.  "Poor guy never even got a shot
off."
Jonny looked closer.  "Wow!  That looks like the same kind of gun I knocked
into the river."
The policeman opened the chamber and started in surprise.   "Get a load of
this, Cap'n," he told his companion.  "Silver bullets!"
"Silver!" Jonny exclaimed to himself.  "For a mugger, he sure uses
expensive ammo."  Having seen enough, he reactivated his hoverboard and
rode away to do some investigating of his own.  A minute later he was back
at the docks where they had met Elise the night before.  He hovered by the
alley wall where he had nearly been shot, and spotted the bullet that had
missed him embedded in the wall.  Peering  closer, Jonny saw that it too
was silver, and he pried it from the wall to take back to the hotel.

At the park, Hadji walked Elise to her limo.  "We will meet again soon,
Hadji," said Elise from the backseat.  "Until then, I will keep you in my
thoughts."  Her hand clutched the heirloom jewel.
Hadji waved as the window rolled up.  "And I will keep you in mine." 
Jessie watched from the tree as Hadji got in the van and drove away.  At
the same time, a man on a motorcycle emerged from behind a hedge and sped
off after Elise's limo.  "This is all too weird," said Jessie, not a little
disturbed.

In the limo, Andrew noticed a strange motorcycle in the rear-view mirror. 
"We are being followed," he said in alarm.
"Arnaud's man," Elise replied confidently.  "He took my bait.  Let him
come.  And Arnaud's car?"
Reassured, Andrew smiled.  "I took care of it."

        Once Hadji was out of sight, Jessie jumped down from the tree and began
walking back to the hotel.  Suddenly, the strange man with the sword-cane
from the night before appeared and came towards her rapidly.  Frightened,
she turned and ran from the park.  Desperately trying to escape, she
stumbled into a busy street, directly in the path of an oncoming bus. 
Luckily, Jonny appeared out of nowhere on his hoverboard and knocked her to
safety.  
Jonny sat up on the pavement.  "Are you OK?"
Jessie nodded appreciatively.  "I'm fine."  She looked back for any sign of
the man in the dark 
trenchcoat, but he had vanished.  "He's gone."

Later that evening, Andrew and Elise were in the midst of a heated
discussion.  "Why is this…Hadji any different than the others?"  Andrew
asked in annoyance.
"Because he can bring me what I need," Elise snapped.  She pulled the
heirloom jewel from her pocket.  "And this will ensure he does my bidding."
 She gazed at it for a moment, then turned back to her butler.  "Do not be
jealous, Andrew.  It does not become you.  As long as I remain here, you
will be my faithful servant."  Andrew smiled.  Then Elise laughed. 
"Although in Bangalore, I might have hundreds!" she added gleefully, and
Andrew's smile quickly turned to a scowl.
Mrs. Adrian spoke suddenly, pointing out the window, "Dear, I believe
someone is outside."
Elise hurried to look down into the yard, where Arnaud's man watched the
house from behind a tree.  She turned to Mrs. Adrian.  "Why don't you go
make dinner, Mother," she said in an authoritative voice.  "I'll take care
of him."
The elderly woman nodded blankly and headed out of the room.  "Yes.  I
think I'll make dinner, Elise."
Elise stood at the window and raised her hands, watching them change into
claws.  "Let me…freshen up a little," she cackled.

Back at the hotel, Jessie sat on the couch and watched Jonny set up the
telescope.  She had been attempting to explain to him her fears about
Elise, with little success.  "So you don't think it's weird that Hadji
handed over his family heirloom to a—a complete stranger?" she asked again.
"A beautiful stranger," Jonny pointed out.  "Face it, Jess.  He's in love."
Jessie's heart sank.  She looked away to hide her hurt expression.  How
could Hadji abandon his two best friends for a girl he just met?  She
didn't want Hadji to be hurt, but she hoped her doubts about Elise were
true if only to account for his rude behavior.
Jonny saw how dejected Jessie looked and opted to change the subject.  "You
know, I think the fog's lifting," he observed, moving to the window.  "Hey,
we might still get a shot of the eclipse."
But Jessie was not to be sidetracked.  She picked up the silver bullet
Jonny had found earlier.  "Well, what about the guys with the silver
bullets?  I mean, why were they chasing---"
Jonny interrupted her, taking the bullet and putting it in his pocket. 
"Forget it, Jess.  Elise is no werewolf…although she did look pretty
spectacular under that full moon last night."
Jessie snorted in disgust, "Men!  Well I still want to see if I can talk
some sense into Hadji."  She got up and walked towards the door.  "I'll go
see if he's back in his room."
        Jonny turned back to the telescope.  "I'll get ready for the eclipse."

Jessie stood in the hallway in front of Hadji's door, nervous about what to
say to him.  She was just knocking when she heard him call her name.
"Jessie!"  Hadji came towards her from the other end of the hall.  "I have
wonderful news!  Elise has invited us to watch the eclipse with her."  His
face was lit with excitement and he had changed into his formal robes.
Jessie was astounded.  "Hadji, you look—" she began in admiration.
Hadji did not wait for her to finish.  "So, you approve," he said with no
trace of his usual modesty.  Smiling, he sighed with contentment.  "I have
never been happier.  And I want you to share it with me.  Come."  He took
Jessie by the arm and led her down the hall.
        Unable to break his grip, Jessie protested as he pulled her firmly along.
 "But, what about Jonny?"
Hadji replied without looking back.  "I will call him from downstairs.  He
doesn't mind."

Upstairs, Jonny finished adjusting the telescope in the window.  He was
just turning away when he saw Hadji and Jessie get into the van and drive
off.  "Hey!  Where are they going?" Annoyed, he grabbed his hoverboard and
went after them.   He was so intent on their pursuit that he failed to
notice the horse-drawn carriage about to cross his path.  Too late, he
swerved to one side, colliding with a high wall and flipping off his
hoverboard.  He cried out as the frightened horse reared up over him, but
strong hands pulled him from beneath the massive hooves just in time.
Jonny turned to thank his rescuer as the buggy hurried off and found
himself staring at the eccentric old Frenchman with the sword-cane.  "You!"
he gasped in surprise.
The old man did not release his hold on Jonny.  "Into the car!" he ordered
urgently.
Jonny started to protest, "Now, listen—"
The Frenchman cut him off.  "No!  You listen.  My name is Arnaud, and your
friend is in terrible danger!"
Jonny's eyebrows rose in alarm as he got into Arnaud's car.  "Hadji?"
Arnaud kept his foot on the accelerator and his eyes on the road as he
replied, "No.  The girl."

In the van on the way to Elise's mansion, Jessie tried to explain her
apprehensions about the 
beautiful stranger and warn Hadji to be careful.  Normally a very
clear-headed person who always assessed both sides of an argument, tonight
Hadji seemed utterly unwilling to take her seriously.  "Hadji, you haven't
heard a word I've said," Jessie said in rising frustration.
Hadji ignored her complaint.  "You must get to know Elise.  After tonight,
you will feel differently."
Jessie was unconvinced and growing more and more skeptical with each
moment.  "I don't think one night is gonna make me change my mind."
Hadji was unfazed.  "You will see," he said with cheerful certainty.

Speeding towards the mansion, Arnaud finally broke the silence.  "The
eclipse has not started, and one of my men is watching the house," he told
his young companion.  "She is safe for the moment."
Perplexed, Jonny asked, "Safe?  Safe from who?"
Arnaud looked at him in surprise.  "The demon, Elise Lenoir."
"Elise!" Jonny exclaimed.  So, Jessie had been right.  He hoped fervently
that his two friends were still far away from the mansion.
Suddenly the telephone rang, and Arnaud answered quickly without slowing,
"Alo, Berger?"
Jonny strained to hear the deep voice at the other end of the line.  "All's
quiet, Arnaud.  Too quiet."
"The girl and boy are on their way," Arnaud said, his voice tense.  "Do not
let them enter that house!"
"Affirmative," came the reply, but it was immediately followed by a
strangled cry. 
Arnaud gasped in alarm.  "Oh, no!  Berger, answer me!"  But he knew that it
was too late.  His boot pressed the gas pedal harder against the floor,
urging the old car to pick up speed.
        A minute later, Jonny was still having trouble accepting the situation. 
"I still can't believe that—"
"No one ever does," Arnaud said sadly.  "But she is a demon who drains the
life essence of others to sustain her youth."
"And all those bodies the police found?" Jonny asked, already knowing the
answer.
"Were merely to sustain her beauty until tonight's eclipse, when a new
victim must come of her 
own free will."  Arnaud's voice was filled with disgust and sorrow.  He
pulled a photograph from his coat and handed it to Jonny.  "I tried to show
this to your friend today, but she ran away.   Do you know who this is?"
Jonny squinted at the dark-haired girl in the picture.  "It looks kind of
like Elise."
Arnaud nodded.  "It was taken fifty years ago."
Astounded, Jonny looked at the photograph again.  "Fifty years?!"
"My sister, Celeste," Arnaud said, indicating the photograph.  His face was
grim as he told Jonny the sad story of his involvement with the demon.  "I
was only sixteen.  It was during an eclipse in Lyon."  His next words were
full of bitterness and anger.  "The creature cast her spell on me, and it
was I who led Celeste to the chateau, where the creature stole my sister's
youth and her face.  I have hunted her ever since."
Jonny was horrified.  "And now she's hunting Jessie."
"Yes," Arnaud nodded.  "It is her life force which will rejuvenate the
creature for another fifty years."
        Jonny was suddenly anxious to fight.  "Unless we stop her."
Arnaud agreed, but his voice implied that it would not be easy.  "She can
hypnotize those around her into doing her bidding, like servants, or the
woman who adopted her."
"Or even my best friend," Jonny observed quietly as they sped on.

Elise was waiting for them as Hadji and Jessie arrived at the mansion.  She
greeted them warmly, seemingly the perfect hostess.  "Hadji, Jessie, glad
you could come."  Jessie tried to be open-minded, but she couldn't help
frowning as Elise took Hadji's hand and kissed him on the cheek before
introducing her guardian.  "My mother, Mrs. Adrian, has prepared a light,
pre-eclipse supper for us."
The friendly old woman protested modestly, "Nothing fancy, mind you."

In the lavish dining room, Mrs. Adrian offered Jessie a second helping. 
"More shrimp Creole?"
Jessie smiled but declined politely.  "No, thanks.  I've had quite enough."
 She was not referring to the meal, however.  Throughout the meal she had
become increasingly sickened by Hadji's strange behavior and Elise's
apparent influence over him.  He agreed with everything she said and never
took his eyes off her.
Elise turned to Jessie with a smile.  "Hadji has told me he would like me
to meet his mother, and if she approved…"
Hadji took Elise's hand and finished the sentence.  "If she approved,
perhaps Elise and I might be betrothed."
Jessie stared at Hadji in shock and horror.  This just couldn't be
happening.  Steady, dependable Hadji, always reserved and cautious around
strangers, was talking about getting betrothed to a girl he had known all
of two days?  Jessie suddenly felt as if she were looking at a complete
stranger.  Vaguely, as if from a distance, she heard her own voice
repeating, "Betrothed?"
Elise was smiling triumphantly, holding Hadji's hand.  "Bangalore sounds
like a very comfortable place to spend the next fifty years."
Behind her, a jealous Andrew frowned.  "The eclipse has begun," he said
gruffly.
Elise stood up, her eyes gleaming.  "Let us go up to the conservatory."

On his hands and knees, Jonny shone his watch light up underneath the
stalled car.  "Somebody cut your fuel line," he said in dismay, getting to
his feet.  "How far is it from here?"
Arnaud was frantic.  "Another mile or so.  We are running out of time."
Jonny grinned suddenly.  "Ever ride a hoverboard?"

Elise stood in the center of the conservatory, staring up at the bright
full moon.  "You do not know how long I have waited for this night!" she
said ecstatically.  "Andrew, show Jessie to her seat," she ordered.
"My pleasure," said the butler, grabbing a surprised Jessie and shoving her
into a large chair.
"Hey!  Back off!" Jessie cried as Andrew began to tie her up.  Squirming,
she struggled to get away.  "Hadji!"
Her cry seemed to startle Hadji, and he shook his head.  "Jess!"  He leaped
forward to help her, but Andrew was not to be thwarted.
"You keep out of this!" he growled, punching Hadji and pinning him to the
floor.
"Andrew!" Elise barked.  "This is not the time.  Let him go!"
Andrew kept his fist poised to hit his perceived rival again.  "What do you
need him for, now? You've got the girl.  You just want to replace me," he
accused Elise angrily.
Elise came closer, her eyes glowing dangerously.  "Maybe you're right. 
Maybe I want to see India.  Now let him go!"  As she spoke, she placed her
hands at Andrew's temples.  Blue lightning flashed around her hands, and
Andrew screamed, releasing the unconscious Indian, as Elise turned him into
another wrinkled corpse.
Jessie looked away in horror.  She strained against her ropes, trying to
remember what Hadji had taught her about knot tying.  She turned to Mrs.
Adrian, trying to buy herself more time.  "Do something!" she pleaded. 
"Help me!"
But the old woman simply stood there staring, and Elise laughed.  "She can
do nothing.  She is under my power.  Go to your room, Mother."
Mrs. Adrian nodded.  "Yes, dear.  Call me if you need anything."  She
walked slowly out of the room.
Elise turned back to a glaring Jessie.  "Everything I need is right here."

        The hoverboard carrying Jonny and Arnaud crashed through the front door of
the mansion and paused in the foyer. 
"Jessie, where are you?" cried Jonny.  There was an answering scream and
the sound of a commotion from upstairs.  "Hang on!" Jonny warned Arnaud,
and they sped up the staircase.
        They reached the landing and flew down the hallway, when suddenly a clawed
hand shot out from a doorway and grabbed them.  Elise the demon dragged
them into the conservatory, holding them by the fronts of their shirts. 
She threw Jonny to the ground and blocked Arnaud's attempt to stab her with
his sword-cane, tossing the weapon aside.
"Sorry, I'm not looking my best!" said Elise, her voice rough.  She
clutched Arnaud by the coat and glared at him.  "Still the persistent
teenager from Lyon, eh, Arnaud?  But now you are old.  Why try to hurt me? 
Do I not have the face of your own sister?"
"Your face is hers, but your soul is a demon's!" growled Arnaud.  He
struggled with Elise, but she was too strong for him and tossed him against
the wall.
        Jonny picked up the sword-cane and charged at Elise, who grabbed a
lamp-post and blocked him easily.  They circled each other, neither one
managing to gain the advantage.  Jessie watched them as she loosened her
ropes, biting her lip until Jonny finally succeeded in knocking Elise to
the floor.
Arnaud raised himself weakly from the floor as Elise recovered.  "Get the
girl away, until the eclipse ends!" he shouted at Jonny.
Jessie had almost succeeded in freeing herself when Jonny ran up and cut
the last rope with Arnaud's sword-cane.  As they raced out into the hall
Jonny kicked the chair at a screaming Elise, momentarily blocking her path.
 Jessie and Jonny found the hoverboard in the hall and made a break for the
stairs, but Elise was right behind them.
They spun to face her, Jonny holding her at bay with the sword-cane.  He
threw it at her with all his strength, but Elise dodged and the sword
thudded harmlessly into the floor.  With a screech Elise suddenly rose into
the air, transforming into her true demon form.
The bat-like creature flapped its leathery wings and lunged at them with a
cry.  "I must have her, now!"


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