"Mother... Why did you have to die...?"
A young female fox-like creature said to herself as she watched the body cart wheel away the deceased body of her spirited-away mother. The sounds of the sirens, the blaring of the horns on the ambulence, the voices, lights, and individuals rushing by as they went to see what had happened... All passed by her, as though nothing had happened to her at all... Only the white-covering sheet that contained the outline of her mother was the only thing that would make focus into her eyes... Stained with blood—her mother had not gone away with a peaceful death...
"Miss, I'm afraid you're going to have to leave now... They're busy cleaning up the site, and an officer will escort you home."
...Just the way she had always planned it...
"Miss...?"
A peaceful way to die... by a river, in the sand...
"Miss? Could you please look at me for a moment...?"
"Mother..." She whispered.
A man tapped her on the shoulder. It was the inspector, an Arcanine of about 30. She clutched her notebook in her arms, holding her mouth with one hand as the shock still spread itself through her mind.
The man gave up, moving to walk in front of her. He had to slightly bow his head down at the youthful fifteen year old girl in order to make eye contact with her.
"...Miss, they're taking your mother to the E.R. room, back at the Tyscan National Hospital right now. Tonight, they're going to run a few tests at the hospital and perform a biopsy to determine the possible cause and injuries concerning your mother's death. I suggest you go with the officer and meet up with your father back at home..."
"If only I knew how to say goodbye..." The young girl said quietly to herself.
"Miss..."
A man then stepped forward. A male Flareon, perhaps somewhere in his late thirties or so, appeared on to the scene, pressing his way forward passed the cautionary tape to where the young Eevee, as the creatures were called, stood. He panted for a bit, having just run to his destination, before placing a paw on her shoulder. She turned to look at him, to which he immediately held her close to his chest—breathing deep her hair for her scent and wrapping his arms around her. It was clearly obvious that this was her father...
"Oh, Eve... Oh, my dear daughter, Eve...!"
"Mother..." She cried silently with her father...
Chapter One
A week later…
The silent town of Tyscan rested quietly as the beginning of a new day had arrived on the early autumnal dawn. Low clouds of fog hovered slightly above the city heights, adding a misty feel to the seemingly otherwise gentle and warm feeling town. The golden hue of the sun could be seen peaking over the surface of the river that coursed its way through the town's middle, sparkling like a brilliant crown of the precious metal gold. The air felt mixed, as towns and small cities usually do, filled with the noises of cars, machines, and pedestrianic activity, while the rays of the sun ran a bipolar with the cool blue shadows cast by buildings and other landmark features.
It was not too far away from the town, in a suburb, that her house sat. One of a smaller size, she, along with hundreds and thousands of others, had gotten used to life in such tight quarters. It was a part of their daily life. It was also more convenient, as jobs were of a lesser distance to travel to, businesses to visit, or other important facilities that were within distance. Her house was of a tannish-white in color. Not being much to look at, it would appear a bit ugly in terms of its hue, but its interior had the nice homely feel of a well-to-do family that cared very much for each of its members. …Or, at least that was the way it used to feel… Now that her mother had passed away, life seemed to have taken a much more drastic toll. Dishes were kept clean, but the air of cleanliness still seemed to have run a bit stale. Laundry which would have its soft touch due to dedication of hard work around the house seemed to lack that special smell used in its concoction. Even meals around the house—what little that were prepared, seemed lifeless and without gusto… Life around the house would never be the same, now that she was gone…
In her bed, she lay—not wanting to move, not wanting to rise, for reasons other than it was a weekend… She stared lifelessly at the ceiling, the tones of an off-blue color shading into regions of gray and grayscale. The silent hum of the fan could be heard out in the living room, its electric vibrations resonating off of the otherwise dead-sounding house. The faint smell of cardboard and Hot-Pocket remains hinted a bland scent of what was meant to be a good and quick meal, and a distasteful one at that. Her eyes adapted to the scenery—a flat ceiling with no other dimensions to it to inspire creativity. Posters of bands, pictures of accomplished artwork, and loads of decorative material had nothing of appeal to her. It was a day without mother. One of many that would last for the rest of her lifetime…
Memories of that occurrence ran through her mind—how quickly it had all happened and how drastically it took place… Her mother, at the wheel, and her talking about a distant relative… Her mother's sudden halt in conversation as she tried to slow down the car; the sound of the tires losing traction as the car began to rotate at an angle… The honking of the other car, coming at a perpendicular angle as it also tried to slow down… Her mother's frightened voice telling her to hold on tight… The screech of the cars, the jerk and jolt—the smash and crashing noise—the thousands of shards of glass screaming, flying like a thousand tiny darts… The feeling of groundlessness… The light-headed fee—…
Darkness…
The smell of burnt rubber and hot metal…
The scent of death, and the darkness of the night…
Her mother's body, leaning to one side of the wheel as blood dripped from her face, her arms—everywhere…
The sudden installment of a new realization…
The proclamation of another life ending… Death on a hill announcing while bystanders lay gone—flies and maggots eat the rot that remains of their corpses…
"It is done…"
A call for help… Her voice, whimpering in pain and dying agony…
"Okay! Move it! Get some hands to help over here!"
"There is nothing…"
The sounds of men as they rush about…
Death raises its hand as the souls of the dead rise to their dismembered limbs…
"…left for you to see…"
"Okay! On the count! Two! One!"
Her faint, echoing voice in the darkness…
"Why…? How did it happen…?"
The motioning of death beckoning her to him…
"Death comes to those expecting… I shall take you too…"
"Give her back…!"
The sight of her mother's beautiful soul… Life growing dimmer, but the soul growing brighter… and brighter…
"She is a star…"
Brighter and brighter… Glowing… emanating… piercing the darkness…
Gone…
"With that, there is nothing left…"
"But… Is she in Heaven…?"
"Again, on the count…! One, Two…!"
"I am nothing more…"
Death seemingly disappearing… Sky darkening… Pain returning… … …
"It hurts…!!"
"It hurts! We've got somebody alive in here! Move…!!"
She opened her eyes… That was it… That was all that had ever happened… From there, she was rescued by the team of firemen and ambulance that had arrived on the spot a few minutes after the crash… Her mother had died when the car had flipped and rolled over… Luckily, she was on the opposite side of the impact, or she would have been killed as well… She was found unharmed, except for a few minor bruises on her arms from when the car flipped over… Her mother, on the other hand, had fractured her skull, and took many, many shards of sharp glass and metal to her body, killing her instantly… She was allowed to return home with her father, after being checked over by the ambulance and found unharmed. Her father had only heard the news of the crash, but was very grateful that his daughter Eve was alright… As for his Vaporeon wife… … …
She gave a soft sigh through her nostrils, the slow bits and pieces of reality coming back to her now as she realized that she was awake… She was "awake," but not completely in-tune with everything around her. She still hadn't had her first cup of coffee, as some would put it. As she would like to put it—there wasn't any coffee at all in the house, but it wasn't like she would have made herself a cup anyways, she didn't drink coffee. Only with her mother, or when her father was watching the news and wanted her to join him. But regardless, today was a day she would have to get some research done for her report… Her Biology class referred her to the library to check out a few books and newly published periodicals on the study of cells and recent discoveries concerning them. As much as she dreaded the thought of it, she knew she had to get it done today, because the Wake was in the afternoon, and the funeral tomorrow, so it wasn't like she was going to have any more time than that…
She gave another sigh, and rolled over to face her clock. Her fur and skin stretched her left eye against the bed sheets as she lay on her side to read the time. 9:07… It was getting to be about mid-morning. She grumbled and tossed herself back over again, throwing the blankets back over her head as a tingling sensation irritated her eyes. She rubbed them, only to find herself under another attack of tears. She started to cry again, hiding her face into the pillow to dry her tears. The heat under the blankets was almost intoxicating, and left her skin feeling moist with sweat. She threw the blankets off again, returning to cry into the pillow again… The air became cold, and the moist condensation of her sweat made her feel freezing, so back on the covers went… And off again… And on again… Finally, she gave a scream, throwing off the blankets, and sitting on the edge of her bed, face in hands. Death would come, but for only those who were expecting it...
It wasn't as cold outside as the air and weather forecast had predicted. A mild breeze still blew through the city, but the chill wasn't anything else she felt she had to worry about. Carrying her backpack with a bottle of water, her cell phone, mp3 player, and folder to put papers in, Eve walked down the streets of Tyscan just like any other day… The cooler breeze felt good at first in comparison to the stuffy house, but soon—just like the interior of her house—the air felt thick and saturated with particles and moisture that just filled the air. She didn't care—it was probably going to be a lot better in the library, anyhow… The church later on today wasn't so bad either—it had its share of days when the air could have been better, and days when the humidifier actually worked to do its job.
Down the street she went—backpack strapped across her back, and the sun to her right. Over the bridge she went, silently on her way. Looming overhead, another garbage-eating crow sat atop a street light, watching her as she went on by. It crowed a few times, then cocked its head to turn and watch her with its black-blue eyes. Eve wasn't listening to the crow. She wasn't listening to her mp3 player either, although she was wearing her ear buds… Music wouldn't do a thing to change her mood. It would only drown itself against a sheet-like shield of grey, failing to reach that pleasing part of her brain… It wasn't like she had the most uplifting music in the world, anyhow… The music from three weeks ago still remained on the audio device from a time when she needed inspiration for a story. …No, not a story—she couldn't write stories… For a poem… Well, if it could even have been called that…
She resumed her walking, taking not the time nor the care to watch where she was going. It wasn't like there was much to see around her anyways—the back streets that led to the library were always dark, dank, and… dead… Some people called it a ghetto, the condition the houses were in and the occupations of the residents… Potholes in the road, gravel mixed with cat litter, cigarette butts, broken bottle glass, and used condoms littered the streets while puddles reeked of spilled gasoline and engine oil. Rust and grime covered the buildings with a mark of desolation… No one really ever liked to go into the ghettos, because there wasn't ever anything much to go to the ghettos for in the first place…
I come…
She froze in place… The words sent a shiver down her spine as she took control of her situation, a feeling of fear and shock causing her to halt in her tracks. She spun around to take a look around her. The streets were dead, save for the cackling noises of a few crows cawing at each other from high atop the city heights. The windows in all the houses were black and dark—no one around near her could have made that noise—whatever the heck it was… Her heart filled itself with ice, and she felt a great presence surrounding her… It was probably just a bad feeling… Things like this happened usually after a traumatic experience. She had to learn that not everything she would hear for the next few days; few weeks; few months—even years, wouldn't always be what she would think she would be hearing…
She tried to think positive, "It was probably mother, letting us know she made it to Heaven… They say the dead can sometimes talk to someone before they leave for the afterlife… I just hope to God she made it up there…"
Talk about her mother didn't seem to help any, but discourage her. She resumed walking, leaving the ghetto behind her as she continued on her way... She had a homework assignment to get done, a Wake to go to, and no time to sulk around—no matter how hard it was going to be for her… Her head bent on low, she turned her music back up and resumed her trek to the library. At least there she could do something to keep her tears held back and her mind on other things…
He stepped out from a hidden alleyway, watching her…
The library had been opened for a little over an hour. As Eve found out, they were being completely honest when they told her that the library never opened on time. They would always need to check over the building, and have the janitors and custodians clean up before opening the doors to the public. Despite that, the building was open and ready to serve her and whoever else it was that wanted to come inside.
The circulation desk appeared to be quite vacant, with the exception of a young Treecko girl in her late teens, checking books for cards and removing them. Last time that she was here, Eve found out what exactly it was that they were doing… They were removing the cards to insert special tags at the ends of the books that required the book to be scanned, kind of like one of those laser scanners at Kmart. She approached the desk where the lady stood, when the lady looked up with a smile.
"Hi, welcome to Tyscan Public Library, and good morning…!"
"Yeah, good morning to you too…" Eve replied in an exhausted voice, shivering as she felt the noticeable AC cooling off the interior of the building.
"What can I help you with today?"
"I was… … … I wanted to know if you could help me find anything new on the discovery of cells or anything on prokaryotes or… … …"
"Eukaryotes, right?" The lady tried to be helpful.
"Yeah, um… Do you know where I could find anything…?"
The girl pointed to a short set of stairs, ascending perhaps 5 or 6 steps. The building had been built on a hill, and had to make up for lost ground by having a handicapped ramp and a short set of stairs that would lead to the other part of the library.
"If you take those steps on upstairs, you'll find all the periodicals that we have. You're welcome to sort through them to find what you'd like, although I don't think you'll find anything in there…"
"Lucy—Lucy… What are you doing?" From behind the young Treecko came a rather unpleasant looking Staravia to the desk. The Staravia appeared to be in an ill-temper, despite it being closer to noon on a Saturday.
The Treecko girl shifted uncomfortably as she explained her situation, wishing to get out of her supervisor's way as the lady made her way forth. "She wanted books on, um… um…"
"Cells and Prokaryotes," Eve said flatly. The Treecko blushed in embarrassment.
"Cells and prokaryotes… And did you try looking up anything on the online catalog?" The Staravia asked.
Eve shook her head, "I… don't know how to use the catalog… I just wanted to… find one and—"
"—Lucy, hold down the desk while I show her how to do it." The Staravia replied as she walked out the swinging gate to come around the front of the desk. She gave a sigh, trying to smile as best she could towards Eve.
"Ready to begin?"
"Okay…" Eve said, and prepared to follow the Staravia wherever she went.
The Staravia led her over to where a group of computers sat, lined up not too far away from the circulation desk, and motioned for her to sit down. Eve took a seat in the chair, and watched as the Staravia hovered over her, smelling of old perfume. It practically made her want to gag… But she knew if she did, she would more than likely offend the old bird, and decided it was best not to do anything of the sort.
"When you're here on the desktop, double-click on the Search Circulating Books Catalog, and it will bring you up this…"
A small window appeared on the monitor screen; appearing to be a primitive but resourceful search engine hooked up to the computer's networking system. The old Staravia hen then clucked for her to continue, "From here, you have access to see all of the books here in our library. If you click here and type in a key word, it will search our entire book database to try and find anything that relates to the word you typed… You wanted to find something about cells and prokaryotes, right?"
Souls for stars…
Eve shivered and gasped, jumping nearly out of her chair for a moment. She thought she had seen a figure on the computer opposite of her…
"Oh…! Sorry—did I frighten you…? Or maybe I stepped on your toe—here, let's get this computer chair moved out of the way…" The lady Staravia moved the chair, apologizing for her intrusion. Eve moved the chair with her, but not before looking up to check at that computer again… Not a soul sat at the computer… Not one person was present in the room… And yet, a dark feeling could be felt creeping over her…
"Souls for stars…?" she whispered to herself.
The Staravia continued on, typing the words into the search engine to check the output of results. Eve cleared her throat before asking the lady Starvia. "I'm sorry, miss—did you say something a few moments ago…? Like, not just about maybe stepping on my foot, but… before that… Did you say anything about… souls for stars…?"
"Souls for… what? Did you say stars…? No. No—I didn't. Why—was that something else you were looking for…?"
Eve shrank under her intimidating and snappy voice. She gulped and shook her head, replying rapidly, "No, I wasn't. Sorry."
"Now then…" The Staravia said as she returned back to the computer, scrolling through several dozen books about cells and prokaryotes. "We have a number of books about them. What exactly was it that you were looking for?"
"I was… well… It's for a report, and… I just… needed to find something recent about cells so that I could write a report on it…"
"Write a report on something recent?" The bird nagged.
"It could be about anything!" Eve added desperately. The drilling voice and questions of the Staravia were starting to make her feel uncomfortable.
"Diseases… Cancer… New organelles… Just… anything to do with cells…"
The Staravia gave a sigh, slightly closing her eyes before she replied to her with a small smile, "…Well, sounds like you're going to need to be thinking a bit more about what you wanted to try and look up. Why don't you take a look through our encyclopedia on cells… It's right here on the list—Rufan's Encyclopedia on The Microscopic World. It's in the Reference section, but if you wanted to go take a look, bring it to a desk and read or whatever…" The Staravia interrupted herself to go back to the desk, returning with a scrap sheet of paper and a pen and then resumed her position beside Eve. She began to write something down on the piece of paper rather quickly, in sharp cursive writing that she only had little trouble reading or understanding.
"…then, you'll want to look up this call number." She handed Eve the scrap sheet of paper, with the Dewey Decimal system of recognition being her only "guide" to what she was going to write about.
Eve closed her eyes briefly and sighed unnoticeably. She got up from the desk, uttering her thanks before hopping off into the library to continue her search.
"You come back to the desk if you need more help. We're willing to assist you, you know…!" The librarian Staravia said out loud as Eve made her way through the library.
Finding the books weren't as hard as she had thought. Amidst the thousands of Reference and Media Reference, the Rufan's encyclopedia set stuck out like a sore thumb down in a dimmer-lit area of the library shelves. Large and weighty, it had to have been at least a good 10-pound book… and worth probably seven-times that amount in British pounds… Nevertheless, the bulky text sat on the top-most shelf, just out of her reach… It always had to be that way… Even her mother criticized how short she was… If only there was a way to talk to her again…
There is…
Eve shivered again, but this time feeling much more annoyed than before. She gave a growl before bending over to reach the foot stool that sat at her feet. Maybe it was her mother's spirit, teasing her and only trying to uplift her mood… But then again, why did it make her feel so cold…?
"You can make yourself a well-educated man here, reading these books…"
Eve gasped and jumped in fright as she looked up to see where the voice was coming from. A little ways in front of her, a tall man in a cream-white business suit and hat stood atop a small step-ladder, reading a book of some sort. The man's face and identity were hidden behind the book, which appeared to be about money and banking. She glanced at him for a moment before brushing aside her hair, looking to the ground for a moment.
"Oh… yeah… Sorry—I didn't notice you there… I was just getting this foot stool… I—"
He was gone.
She shivered. He was gone. A tall man like that, on top of a four-foot ladder, and he was gone. How could he have left like that…? What was going on with her today…? Was someone trying to tell her something…?
Just read, dammit…
The high-pitched ring of blood flowing through her ears… She could feel her heart beating quickly as she felt a sense of madness echo inside of her… Panic and fright—the feeling of a thousand lost souls and hundreds more forgotten in a realm of un-begotten lust… A shrill breath of laughter, a dark pick of dashes… accenting and punctuating the blacks of the eyes—white! The twisted sense of a meaningful word, it is dea—…!!!
…
…Hello, are you…
…home…
I wanted to…
Uuwaaaauuugh…
"It danced… like a great big genius thing… Why was… this… nonsense…? I can't even—"
—Aaaaauuugh!!
"It won't make sense… It's all thoughts and memories, even… "
Hello…?
Hello, where are you…?
Please come take me home… I want you…
If there was a way…?
Home…!
Home…!
Home…!
Eve awoke, finding herself flat on the ground where she had been. At her side, the Rufan's Encyclopedia of Microscopic Organisms lay close beside her. Her forehead felt like it was swelling, too… Feeling her forehead, she gasped and winced, feeling a great big bump just screaming with pain. She quickly took out her wallet, opening it up to check her face in the tiny mirror inside. A gash had torn at her skin, and had left a hefty bump on her forehead. How was she going to explain this to her father…?
She gave a groan, flipping close the wallet before she lay flat on the ground. Second instinct and nature told her to get up, and so she did, taking the encyclopedia with her to a better-lit area than it was in the library shelves. She took the book with her, rose up to her feet, and then walked out of the shelves, still wondering what happened…
The book proved to be very resourceful, but at the same time a bit confusing. So many terms were written in Latin—it was hard to understand them, let alone what they were also known as. She figured she would do something on ancient bacteria found on Mars, since there appeared to be an interesting article written in the encyclopedia about it. So many theories, so many suggestions… Would her teacher allow her to use this…? Her teacher wanted pure, straight facts. But she did argue a good point that most of what was science was a collection of theories that were being constantly disproved or built into greater working theories. But regardless, she was a high school student. A high school student! It would have been different if she was in college… But that wasn't for another three or four years from now. She didn't know. She didn't even think she wanted to go to college. And if she did, she'd become a doctor. A doctor of medicine, because that was something she always wanted to do. But she wasn't. Nope. Too hard. Well…
You never know, unless you try…
"Go eff-off and leave me alone…" She grumbled.
He came…
It isn't fair to judge without first having a fair trial…
"… … …"
All I want to do is to help you…
When I see others in pain… I want to help them so that it doesn't hurt anymore…
Eve shivered. Was she hallucinating…?
"Who are you…?"
There was a strange ring in the way he said his name…
Hortus…
She blinked, seeing a shadow-faced man sitting across from her at the table. To the rest of the world, it would have appeared that she would have been staring into space…
She cleared her throat, "I'm –"
Eve… Yes, I know about you.
"But… How…? I mean… Why have you been following me…?"
I've been sent here to keep an eye on you… You brought me here yourself, you know…
Eve blinked, confused about what he was telling her.
"I… brought you here…?"
"Miss… Miss…!"
Eve blinked, looking to her right to see Lucy, the Treecko girl, approaching her. She stood not too far away from her, a concerned look on her face.
"Is everything alright? We just heard a loud noise and… Oh, oh my gosh…! Your forehead, it's…"
"I'm alright," Eve smiled, although she was still nervous about the cream-suited man next to her, "I was trying to get a book off the top shelf, when it fell and hit me. I'll be fine…!"
"Are you sure? Want me to run and get you an ice pack for that?"
"Mmm—I'll be okay, I think. Thanks, though…" Eve nodded.
"Did you find whatever you were looking for…?"
"Yeah… I'm fine now. I'm just… talking with this guy here who…"
Eve froze, turning to notice the man had disappeared. She blinked a few times, the dark feeling coursing itself through her veins…
"Well… he was here… a moment ago…"
"Hmm…" Lucy shifted, unsure of whether to leave or not. She gave it a few moments rest before she spoke up. "Well, if you need anything at all, please come right on up to the desk and talk to any of us. We would be glad to help."
"Thanks…" Eve said as Lucy walked away… What was going on here…? Why was that man appearing before her…? What was it that he had said, and what did he mean by all of it…?
"Hortus…"