This next session will highlight the Murphy kids. Zach and Maddy were created by Numbuh 227, who requested the general plot lines of these segments.
Drowning
"Ahhh, Hotel Delfino." Gwen Murphy sighed as she, her husband, and their three-year-old twins stood before the entrance of a fancy hotel overlooking the sea. "The smell of the ocean, comfy rooms… and being away from home where Nolan's all crazy with his Sandman II crud."
"Didn't this use to be a restaurant?" Doug asked.
"Yeah, but they remade it into a hotel to make more money. Anyway, let's go get signed in. Come on, kids."
As the parents walked in, Maddy was about to follow them, but watched as her twin brother walked away into the bushes. "Zaaach! We're supposed to stay with ouw pawents!"
"But I thaw a theathnake!"
Maddy spared one quick glance to her parents and yelled, "Waaaiit!" chasing after her brother.
Maddy followed her brother down a steep slope to a rocky shore that overlooked the sea. "Zach, I weally think we should-" Maddy stopped when she bumped into her brother from behind.
"Whooa. Look at that." Zach said, pointing ahead. Standing along the rocks, overlooking the sea, was a woman with dark-purple hair and a purple, slick gown.
"Is that Misses Wicken?" Maddy asked.
"Why would she be hewe? Let's go closer."
"Zach, wait!" Maddy chased her brother again.
The strange woman spared a glance to her left to see the kids approaching. She smirked and chuckled to herself as she walked further ahead, disappearing over the other side of the hill. Zach and Maddy made it onto the hill where she stood, overlooking a cliffside where waves brushed strongly against it. "Whewe did she go?" Maddy asked.
"I dunno." Zach walked closer toward the edge and called out. "Hellooo?"
Maddy walked beside her brother and yelled, "HELLOOO?"
The woman quietly stood behind them, smirking to herself as her hair began to wave around. One of her hair strands stretched out along the ground like a snake, slithering closer and closer to Maddy as it…
"AHHH!" The snaky hair shoved the unsuspecting child over the ledge.
"MADDY!" Zach tried to grab her arm, but Maddy fell and splashed in the water. "Whuh-" Zach noticed the snaky hair beside him and turned as it retracted into the woman's head. "Hey!" Before his eyes, the woman vanished in a puff of dark smoke.
"Zaaaach!"
Zach gasped and looked over the edge, watching as his sister was washed away by the current. "Maddy!"
"Help! I can't swim-" Her sentence was cut short as she was pulled directly under the water, and Zach gasped in fright. Under the water, Maddy waved her arms and desperately tried to help herself back above the surface, but was pulled down by some curly thing around her legs. She looked down and noticed that same woman smirking while she dragged Maddy down using her hair-tentacle.
Zach was horrified as he watched bubbles emerge from where his sister had sunk, struggling to think straight. "Zach!" He turned as his mother and father hurried over. "What're you doing, where's Maddy?" Gwen asked quickly. Zach frightfully pointed to where the bubbles were coming from. Gwen immediately sucked in a breath and dove beneath the surface, leaving the boys in worry. To their relief, Gwen emerged from the water, holding Maddy tightly in her arms. Doug helped his wife back onto land as she rested Maddy on the ground, the child shivering.
"Honey, are you okay?" Gwen asked worriedly.
"I… never wanna… go swimming… again."
"Maddy-"
"I wanna go home!" she cried.
"It's okay, Maddy. We'll get our stuff and go back home."
"I…I'm sowwy…" Zach muttered in guilt.
Gwen sighed, "Don't worry, Zach. As soon as we get home, we can put this whole thing behind us, okay, Mad?" Gwen held her daughter's hand as the parents led their kids back up the slope.
Standing along the cliffside, the woman watched the family leave. "Ahhh, the smell of the sea. I haven't felt like this since I stood that sailor boy up a long time ago. Sorry, Palutena… but I've tainted one of your Seven Lights. Can't wait to see what results this has, hm ha ha ha ha ha ha!" The hair on her head transformed into hissing snakes as she vanished from the light.
New Dog
"Mom, Dad, why did we have to come here?" eight-year-old Zach Murphy complained. "I don't even want a pet."
"Your sister wants one." his mother, Gwen replied. "And it's her birthday."
"It's MY birthday, too!" Zach whined.
"Well, you got a new comedy kit." his father, Doug reminded. "Now it's Maddy's turn. Don't you want her to be happy?"
"Meh…"
Maddy Murphy happily skipped ahead of the rest of her family. They soon made it to the Quahog pet store, the walls aligned with stacks of cages of various animals. "Hey, y'all, welcome to Bruce's Pet Shop." The man behind the desk asked in a smooth tone. He had brown hair, a small brown mustache, and a slight 5-o'clock shadow. "Anything I can help y'all with?"
"Hey, Bruce." Doug greeted. "We're looking for a pet for our daughter."
"It's my birthday!" Maddy cheered.
"Oh, y'all a birthday girl!" Bruce smiled. "Well, let's see what we have for y'all today."
First, the man led them to a green parrot in a hanging birdcage. "This here's Flubber Jade, he came all the way from Brazil."
"Does it talk?" Zach asked.
"Nope! Just sits there and smiles like a dumbass!" the parrot said. "Squawk!"
"Eh…" Maddy looked uninterested.
"Let's look at other ones." Bruce said, leading them to a fish tank. "We just got this rare goldfish that feels human emotions."
Maddy looked at the goldfish, who stared back. "Well, it looks kinda cool."
"GET ME OUTTA HERE!" the fish suddenly yelled. "I'VE BEEN TRAPPED IN A FISH'S BODY AND SOLD TO THIS SHOP! LET ME OUUUT!"
"Euh! Never mind! That fish is freaky!"
"Suck on a salt lick, ***." the fish said with anger.
"Actually… I've sort of always wanted a puppy." Maddy said.
"A dog?? Can't we at least get a cat or something?" Zach asked.
"A dog would be nice." Doug shrugged.
"Well, this weird man showed up yesterday and sold us a brown German shepherd." Bruce said. "Jeffrey? Could you let the new dog in here?" he called to the other room.
At his call, a small, brown German shepherd scampered in, wagging its tail and panting with its tongue sticking out. The puppy immediately took notice of Maddy and smiled, running and standing to lean its paws on her as it licked her face. "Ha ha!" Maddy giggled. "It's so cute!"
"I'M cuter than that little runt!!" the fish yelled.
"Squawk!" the parrot chirped. "You ain't even cute enough to be a dumpster baby's 4th choice!"
"Looks like we got a buy." Gwen figured.
"Awww! I hate dogs. Do we really have to buy this?" Zach whined.
"Bwark! Little boy's jealous of the new puppy. Bwark!" the parrot squawked.
"What's its name?" Doug asked.
"Fellow said his name was Sparky. But I guess y'all c'n name him whatever." Bruce said.
"Sparky… I like that name!" Maddy smiled.
"Meh. It's okay, I guess." Zach shrugged.
"Aw, I'm glad you like him. Hey, Jeffrey!" Bruce called. "These li'l kids wanna buy the new puppy."
"Noooo waaay!" Jeffrey called from the other room.
"Way!"
"Oh, no!"
"Ah knooow!"
Maddy continued to giggle as the puppy licked her face, while Zach just frowned in disgust.
Unknown Location
In a pitch-black chamber, two beings watched a large monitor that showed from the eyes of the dog as it licked Maddy's face. "It worked, Lawrence! With my very own robo-puppy, we'll be able to keep an eye on this child at all times!" A tall, thin being said in a psychotic voice.
"Hm, indeed, Sir. But what need is there to spy on this particular child?" the other being, a shorter, slightly chubby butler, asked in a British tone.
"How should I know?! All I know is the Master wants us to keep an eye on her. As long as things go according to plan, I shall finally have my revenge on that Lombax. MWAAH HA HA HA-" His laughing was cut short when the monitor's screen turned to static, then switched to the image of a bunch of cowboys square-dancing.
"Oh dear… must've set the satellite transmission to the Cowboy Channel by accident."
"LAWREEEEEEEEENCE!"
Jealous
It was just a normal day up on Moonbase. Normal as it gets, anyway. The place seemed packed with benders and nonhumans today. Sheila Frantic, Fybi Fulbright, and Lola Stork were soaring around the air and tossing a Whizbee, along with the shadowbenders, Dillon, Lee, and Leanne, who popped and flew out of the shadows to take the Whizbee. Their very presence here made Maddy Murphy look in disgust. She didn't understand what they were thinking 20 years ago, letting people like them in such an otherwise great organization. They ruined the purity of what this organization used to be, stole all the glory from the normal operatives.
The decommissioning officer walked into the cafeteria with a frustrated look as she got a soda from the vending machine. "Stupid freaks…" she mumbled. "Why can't we just deport them. YOW!" she yelped and gripped her bottom when a flame hit her from behind.
"What was that?" Maddy turned and found a boy with messy blonde hair, a blue tracksuit and jeans, and red headband, who smirked as he blew smoke away from his fingertip.
"Uuugh. Whaddyou want, Chris?" she hatefully asked, taking the soda from the machine.
"Can't blame a kid for being curious. What do you have against us, anyway?"
"What wouldn't I have?" she asked, cracking open her soda as she faced away. "What're you even good for? All you people like to do is show off your powers and act better than everyone—YOW!" Chris burned her butt again.
The Uno boy blew the smoke away and said, "Well, you can't blame us for wanting to express ourselves. And when was the last time we said we were better than any of you?"
"Well, you're sure acting like it right now. For all we know, you all are gonna take over the world someday, and—YOOOW!" Burned her butt again. "Seriously! You're ruining my pants!"
"If we wanted to take over the world, we all probably wouldn't be here right now. But we are. Honestly, Maddy, I think you're just jealous."
"Jealous? Of what? That I can't have cat ears and a tail, or fly like a raccoon, or an angel, or a bat? And why do you care anyway, Chris? Is it because of what we say about Dillon?"
"Well, he is one of my friends. But I just want you to know, you and Zach don't need to hate on us like you do. The Kids Next Door's a way better place for accepting all these people, I would think. You ever see Sector W7? They're the perfect example."
"Pfft. Sector W7 is the worst."
"I think they symbolize what we're about perfectly. But just because you're a regular human, you don't need to feel jealous."
"I said I wasn't jealous! I just don't think it's right to have them around."
"Maddy, everyone says that. But I've seen the way you act. You feel weak. You feel powerless next to us. But you don't really have to. We're just the same as regular humans. Just… with powers."
"Yeah, yeah, I know the whole story, my mom keeps trying to tell me. But why shouldn't I? Almost every bad guy in KND history was some kind of metahuman, even the GUN Commander. Why shouldn't I hate them?"
"Well, because that hate might actually drive them to become evil. But not all of us think we're better than you. Frankly, I think you're kinda cool."
Maddy faced him curiously, "What does that mean?"
"I dunno. You're tough, I guess. I like tough girls. Not that I'm close to Pan or Sheila that way… Anyway, I need to go." He started to walk off. "But, remember what I said. And you might wanna get those pants fixed…"
"Hmm." Maddy only stood in thought, still holding her soda. "Whatever. The day I give them a chance is the day my brother grows a brain."
And speaking of which, Zach came up from behind, snickering as he pointed at her rear. "Didn't our parents teach you not to sit on the oven?"
"Grrr! ZAAACH!" Maddy hightailed after her laughing brother as she splashed the soda at him.
The following segments will focus on the "Werecat Family." Mind you, these characters will appear the least frequently… to the point I almost never involve them in any later stories. The exception is Rupert. He will be relevant much later on.
Pouncing
A peaceful sunny day at Ashland Park. Bruce Farley, a blonde man with a green sweater, peacefully sat on a bench, reading a newspaper. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of brown eyes was watching him from the bushes. There was a purring sound, like that of a hungry predator. Before he realized it, the adult was tackled to the ground by a girl with blonde hair, a black sweater, blue jeans, white shoes, and brown cat ears and a tail.
"Mommy, Mommy! I got him!" the 5-year-old exclaimed, holding her father down.
Violet, a woman with a black buttoned shirt and similar cat features, stood up from the bushes and walked over. "Good work, Lil!"
"Violet! What are you doing?" Bruce asked.
"Teaching our daughter how to hunt!"
"Vi! She's a half-CAT, not a half-LION!"
"So? Same family."
"Ugh! Okay, get off." Bruce chuckled a little, making his daughter get off for him to stand up. But when he did, Lilac just crouched and tackled him again. "AH!"
"I'm a lion! And YOU'RE an antelope!" Bruce just laughed as Lilac started tugging on his shirt with her sharp teeth.
At that moment, Lilac's aunt and uncle, Scarlet and Yang, and her cousin Berry walked by and noticed them. "What are you DOING?" Berry snapped. A fellow werecat with black ears and tail, Berry had light-brown hair, gray eyes, and a blue shirt and jeans.
"My daddy's an antelope, so I'm gonna EAT him!" she exclaimed, playfully gnawing on his ear.
"Ha ha! Maybe you could if you were a whole cat, but since you're part human, that's called cannibalism, and it's illegal in most parts of the world!"
"WHAT? Big words hurt, Daddy!"
"He means you're not allowed to eat humans, stupid." Berry retorted.
"MOOOM! Berry called me a bad word!"
"Did not."
"Did too!"
"That's enough, you two." Violet said, getting Lilac off of Bruce. "Why don't you two go play? And no more pouncing on your father, Lil."
"Okay. Let's go, Berry!" The two cat children ran off.
After Violet helped Bruce up, the adult tried to walk away, but was then tackled by Violet. "Didn't say I wasn't gonna do it."
"Come on, Vi!"
"RAH!" Lilac screamed, running over to help hold Bruce down.
As Scarlet and Yang smiled at this, Yang worriedly looked around. "Hey… where'd Berry go?"
"YAH!" Berry screamed, leaping out of a bush to tackle her father. As she held Yang down, Scarlet got on and held him down, too.
"You eat the arm, I'll eat the face." Scarlet immediately began making out with Yang as Berry chewed on his right arm.
"OOMPH, OOMPH, OOMPH!" Bruce grunted as Lilac jumped on his chest a few times. Soon, both families were laughing as the kids tried chewing on their parents' arms.
Apology
Berry Bean was a new girl at McClintock Elementary. She was 5 years old and in kindergarten, and had only been going for a few days. She didn't fit in as well as much of the other students. …Mainly because she was a werecat. They were traits she inherited from her mother, which she got when she was young: black cat ears, a tail, and even long claws, on her fingers and toes, which she could grow in and out whenever she liked. She was also very quick like a cat, when she ran on all fours. But because of her different features, she was always picked on. Everyday at recess, she sat alone against the wall in the shadow of the school, staring at the ground with folded arms, like she was now.
Her cat ears perked when she heard a group of footsteps approach. She looked up with disgust as a group of first-graders walked up, led by Rupert Dickson, a blonde boy with an orange shirt and blue jeans. "Heey, look what the cat dragged in! Another cat! Shouldn't you be in your litter box?"
Berry looked away, her eyes furrowing as the kids laughed. While she was used to his simple remarks, they were still hurtful. And annoying.
"Why is she even here?" another kid asked. "Shouldn't she take a class that'll teach her own language?"
Berry growled and stood up, proceeding to walk away as they giggled some more.
"Hey, where are you going? Going to go poop in the bushes?" Rupert shot at her.
"Just leave me alone, Rupert." Berry told him, not turning around.
"Hey, why is your last name 'Bean,' anyway?? Is that because the only thing you eat is BEANS?? Makes sense why you STINK so bad."
Each word was making Berry more and more angry. Her sharp teeth grinded as her fingernails grew into sharp claws. "I wonder how much you go to the bathroom with all those beans?? I bet even other cats stay away from your litter bo-"
"RRRRAAAHH!" Having enough, Berry lunged at the first-grader, pinning him on his back on the ground.
The rest of Rupert's gang only shielded their eyes as Berry showed no mercy. "AAAAHH! STOP IT, STOP IT, YOU'RE HURTING ME, MOOOMMYYY!"
Berry dealt several scratches , getting blood all over her claws. She started gnawing and chewing on his left ear with her sharp teeth when a group of teachers came out, grabbing the cat-girl by the arms and trying to lift her up. "That's enough, young lady, we're calling your parents."
"Someone call an ambulance for this boy."
The following day…
Berry's parents had taken her to St. Sanban's Hospital, making their way to an upstairs, where Rupert's parents, Chad and Emily, were sitting outside of a room. "Is this his room?" Berry's father, Yang asked.
"Yah." Emily nodded.
"Okay, Ber, you know what to do." Berry's mother, Scarlet told her. The young werecat sighed and entered the room by herself.
Inside, she found Rupert Dickson lying on his hospital bed, wrapped in several bandages, with one over his left ear. Following her cat instincts, she pounced onto his bed beside him, sitting on all fours. "Hey, Rupy."
"Arrrr…" Rupert weakly opened his eyes and turned his head. "Oh… hey, Berry."
Berry sighed, her eyes still furrowed. "I'm… sorry. I shouldn't-a done that. But you had it comin'! Just saying."
"Yeah…" Rupert grunted. "I…I'm sorry, too. I was just… I dunno."
"Hmph." Berry maintained her scowl.
"M-My dad… he's always… trying to toughen me up and… making me box with him. I-I guess I thought… I was toughening you up, too."
"I'm already tough. But you hurt my feelings."
"Man, I'm really sorry, Ber. After I get out of here, you think I can… come over? Or somethin'?"
"…Okay." Berry said with a light smirk, licking the boy's left cheek. "Me and Lilac always wanted a bigger toy to play with."
"Hehehehe!"