Disclaimer: I still don't own Disney's Anastasia or Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
"Good morning, sleepyhead. I was beginning to think you'd sleep forever."
Alexis couldn't keep the relief out of her voice as she smiled down at Jaden, who was still slowly waking up.
"What time is it?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes as vigorously as his injuries allowed.
"Eleven fifteen," Alexis said. "Syrus and Chumley just left to get brunch."
"Well then I couldn't have slept for so long. I woke up this morning around five when Syrus was here."
"Jay, that was yesterday morning. You slept through the whole day."
"I did?" Jaden's eyes were wide with surprise.
"Uh-huh," Alexis replied, stopping herself from asking about the nightmare that woken him so violently the previous morning. Instead she just asked, "How you feeling?"
Jaden made a face and even though it meant he was still in pain, Alexis's heart soared in happiness. Faces like that were signs of the old Jaden. He was coming back from wherever the terror had driven him to.
"Anything I can get you?"
"Nah thanks."
He fell silent and his eyes closed again, but Alexis would know when he fell asleep.
What are you thinking of, Jaden? She thought as she watched him. Is it your nightmares or the cause thereof? She shook her head. She'd never know unless he told her, and that wasn't about to happen any time soon. She looked up and smiled as Chumley and Syrus returned with an assortment of food, most of which was grilled cheese sandwiches.
"Hey Lex, anything happen?"
Jaden's eyes opened as he heard Syrus's voice, and he grinned slightly. Alexis, seeing this motioned towards him with a twitch of her head, smiling.
"Jaden!" Syrus called happily, dumping his stash of food and walking to his friend's side. "You sure had one long powernap!"
"So I've heard," Jaden said in a voice that had laughter in it.
"Take it easy," Alexis warned him.
Jaden rolled his eyes.
"Right, I forgot. I'm not allowed to laugh. Or sigh, or sneeze, or roll over, or sit up, or talk too much, or yell and for the first day I wasn't even allowed to breathe by myself."
Alexis gave him a glare, but inside she was smiling.
"Woa, Lex. That look could rival one of Crowler's!" Syrus laughed.
"Speaking of Crowler," Jaden said. "Shouldn't you be in his class by now?"
"Nah. Because it's the last week before vacation, Sheppard gave all us first years off. Atticus and Zane weren't so lucky though."
"I bet Crowler was thrilled."
"He was over the moon," Syrus said dryly.
"So what's campus news?' Jaden asked casually, shifting carefully into a better position.
That was just a little too casual… Alexis said, narrowing her eyes as she studied Jaden's unreadable face. Syrus, however, didn't seem to pick anything up and he happily sat down beside Jaden's bed.
"Well Bastion and Chazz had an argument and Bastion allegedly set Chazz's bed on fire, although Chazz did light some candles earlier. So because it was so shady Bastion didn't get into trouble until Chazz smeared cream all over his walls and Bastion went after him with a baseball bat. Now they're both in detention."
"And Ms Dorothy made like, extra grilled cheese sandwiches, so there are lots of leftovers," Chumley put in.
"Are there still any left after you hauled all of these up here?" Jaden asked, indicating to the stash of food.
"Yea!" Chumley said happily. "There's still loads more!"
Alexis noticing that the intense look had left Jaden's eyes. He had been searching for information about Reaper and, getting none, he was able to relax.
"Hey guys," she said quietly, detecting the tired look on her friend's face. "We should let Jaden get some rest."
"Lex, I slept for more than a day," Jaden pointed out.
"And knowing you, you'll be asleep again in two minutes," she teased.
He put up a bit of a fight but finally gave up, too tired to argue any more. He didn't properly fall asleep, though, and instead dozed halfway between being awake and sleep, something he had perfected from the naps he took in class. It went along the lines of him being asleep until something caught his attention and he woke up entirely, as if he had never been asleep in the first place.
After half an hour all the food had been consumed, mostly by Chumley, and the three had started to play a game of hangman on a scrap piece of paper. Alexis was about to try and guess the word when Bastion entered with Chazz following him. It was obvious from the atmosphere that the two weren't on the best of terms.
"Hey guys," Syrus said, trying to break the tension.
Chazz replied with a grunt and Bastion just raised his hand wearily.
"Ok then," the youngest Truesdale muttered, raising his eyebrows.
"Anything happen?" The Ra Yellow mumbled, taking a spot as far away from Chazz as possible.
"Jaden woke up," Syrus said brightening again.
"Excellent!" Bastion said enthusiastically. "Is he properly asleep again?"
"No, just dozing," Alexis replied, casting a look at the still form.
Bastion shook his head.
"I can never figure out how he does that. It's… remarkable."
"That's one way to put it," Alexis muttered.
"And Zane and Atticus are still in class?" Chazz asked, not looking at Bastion.
"Yea, but they should be out soon."
"Hypothermia!" Alexis suddenly yelled, making everyone jump.
"Excuse me?" Chazz blinked at her.
"The word," she laughed, pointing to the hangman game. "it's hypothermia."
There was a split second of utter silence before everybody cracked up laughing, not really sure what was so funny about the matter, but enjoying the joy none the less.
-x-x-x-
"I told you to make it hard, not impossible," Atticus complained, his face screwed up in concentration.
"Come on! I'm your little sister; surely you can beat me in a game of hangman…"
"Whose idea was it to play this anyway?" he grumbled back.
"It was yours, Atti," Zane said with a small smile.
"So this is what the five of you did while Zane and I were is class?"
"Three if us," Alexis corrected. "Bastion and Chazz were in detention.
Atticus burst out laughing.
"Oh yea! Because of the whole bed/baseball thing!"
"It's not that funny…" she replied, shaking her head at her laughing brother. "You're a spazz."
"At least I'm not a spazz like Jazz," Atticus grinned back.
"I won't even dignify that with an answer."
"So where's Chazz the spazz?" Atticus asked, now on a roll.
"Moving his new bed into his room with Syrus and Chumley's help. Which means that they're doing all the work while he just sits there."
"Hey, right on cue!" Atticus laughed, now grinning at the door.
It opened to reveal a very fed up and tired Chumley and Syrus.
"That took a while," Alexis commented.
"Yea, well it wouldn't have if these two had done it right the first time," Chazz scoffed, following them in.
"Next time Chazz," Syrus said, collapsing into a chair. "Hire moving men to do your dirty work."
Chazz's reply was cut off by Bastion bursting through the door, red-faced and breathless.
"Bastion? What's wrong?" Zane asked.
Bastion waved his hand to say it was nothing catastrophic, and hey all relaxed as he got his breath back.
"Well?" Chazz barked.
"I found a…" he trailed off as he looked at Jaden. "Is he properly asleep?" he mouthed at them.
They shook their heads, confused. Bastion beckoned to them and, perplexed and curious they all followed him outside.
"I think I may know who the 'Queen' is," Bastion told them as soon as they were out of Jaden's escort.
"You have?" Syrus gasped. "Where? How? Who?"
"I was asked to look into something for Miss Dorothy in the Academy's old world newspapers and while I was there, I searched the name the Queen of Shadows and found half an article on-"
"Only half?" Chazz scoffed.
"They only put the important bits into this network," Bastion growled back. "As I was saying, eight years ago Industrial Illusions ran a competition. To enter you had to design your own card, and the winner got their design made into a card that they could keep. It doesn't say exactly what the competition entailed, but in that article I can make out the name "the Queen of Shadows', even though the writing's so blurred everywhere because it's so old. The winner," he concluded. "was a girl of the age of nine, and she lived in the same place as Jaden."
There was a n electrified silence as each one of them absorbed the news given to them by the shining Ra Yellow.
"So then the Queen of Shadows is a girl who won a custom card that Jaden knew," Syrus said slowly. "That's only half of the mystery solved.
"Did you get a picture?" Atticus asked.
Bastion took out a piece of paper and Atticus took it, his face falling as he viewed it.
"We've got nothing," he said sadly.
"What?" Bastion choked. "But-"
"I've seen her before in the news, Bastion. Her name is Sarah and she's a professional finger skater. There's no way a Twirl Girl could be called the Queen of Shadows, that's for sure."
Disappointment that was as searing as physical pain wrought through them.
"But…" Bastion said desperately. "I swear I saw the name in that article."
"We all know how unclear those things are when they get old, Bas," Alexis said gently. "And we all want to find the Queen so badly…"
I guess you're right. I'm sorry."
Not even Chazz cut Bastion down any further as they all traipsed back into Jaden's room. They were all too disappointed to notice Jaden's eyes opening, studying them for a moment and then closing again.
-x-x-x-
"Syrus, what's the time?"
Syrus sighed, trying hard not to become impatient with his friend.
"It's still quarter to, just like the last three times you asked, Jay."
"Oh."
Jaden was almost withering in excitement, and his eyes were shining. Syrus was concerned he would leap out of bed at any minute.
"Hey Jay, nice to see you're awake," Alexis smiled, entering the room.
"Hey Lex," Jaden replied. "Is it eleven yet? I think Syrus's watch stopped."
"No… it's just past quarter to."
"Oh," Jaden sighed.
"Why the excitement over eleven?" Then she suddenly remembered. "Oh that's right! You get to sit up today, huh?"
"Yep. First time since I got here… six days ago?"
"Yea," Syrus said. "And before you ask, the time is thirteen minutes to."
"How'd you know I was going to ask?" Jaden said, his eyes widening.
"Lucky guess," Syrus muttered.
"Hey Jaden!"
"Hey Bastion!" Jaden greeted the grinning Ra Yellow with a grin of his own.
"Bastion, I thought you were with Zane and Atticus?" Alexis questioned.
"I was," he replied. "And with Chazz too. But they suddenly raced off to go and find something that caused great excitement amongst them."
"Zane got excited?" Alexis raised her eyebrow.
"Well no… but Chazz and Atticus did."
"And here I thought a miracle happened," Alexis grinned.
"Syrus, what's the-"
"Ten to, Jaden," Syrus interrupted through gritted teeth.
Alexis and Bastion snorted with laughter.
"Maybe we should ask the nurse if Jaden can have ten minutes grace," Bastion chortled.
"PLEASE do," Syrus pleaded. "I don't think I'll be able to last another ten minutes of this."
"Surely it's only nine minutes now?" Jaden piped up, making Syrus's eye twitch slightly.
Laughing, Bastion walked out and returned a few moments later with the nurse.
"Guess what Jaden? You're going up now."
It was amusing and relieving to see Jaden's antics as he was being carefully propped up by the nurse. Amusing because Jaden couldn't be anything else and relieving because it told his friends that he was returning to his normal self. Whatever normal was.
"You'd never expect he still ahs those nightmares," Bastion murmured to Alexis.
"Come back at about ten in the evening," she replied, just as softly. "and you'll see how he changes from this Jaden to the withdrawn and silent one."
Bastion's smile slipped at that. He had known that the nightmares hadn't stopped, but he hadn't known it was still that bad.
"Now Jaden, don't overdo it or you'll be back to square one. You hear? No playing the fool," the new school nurse warned him.
"That's like asking water not to be wet," Bastion grinned.
"Oh so true," Alexis grinned back as Jaden celebrated his new 'victory' by irritating the heck out of Syrus.
Suddenly the sound of pounding feet sounded outside the room.
"Geeze, who's stampeding where?" Alexis asked, looking at the door.
"I think… they're coming here," Bastion said in surprise.
He was proved right as the door burst open and in fell Chazz, Atticus and Zane, the former two who were panting heavily.
"What in the world?" Alexis asked, more curious than surprised.
"CD…" Chazz panted, holding up the said object before catching sight of Jaden and freezing.
"What about it?"
"Uhm…" Chazz stuttered.
"It's got the best songs on ever, and Chazz won't give it to me!" Atticus said far too quickly, his nervous smile not fooling anyone.
"Uh…" Alexis said in confusion.
"We'll settle this outside," Zane said, pointedly holding the door open. "And the three of you," he indicated to Bastion, Alexis and Syrus. "should come to be arbitrators."
Utterly bewildered, Syrus, Bastion and Alexis trooped outside, followed by Atticus and leaving a totally perplexed Jaden behind.
"You know what," Chazz said suddenly. "I think I'll stay in here with the CD while you-"
"Not on your life!" Atticus growled, grabbing Chazz and pulling him outside.
The motion caught Chazz by surprise and as he was jerked out the door the CD flew out of his hand and across the hospital room, missing Jaden's head by an inch.
"There's no need to kill the patient!" Alexis snapped, catching sight of a wide-eyed, confused but slightly grinning Jaden before the door closed.
"Ok, what. Is. Going. On?" Bastion asked, facing the Obelisk boys.
"That CD is Reaper's," Atticus replied. "We found it at the scene of the…crime. And Chazz over here thinks it's a good idea to play it to Jaden to see how he reacts."
"Oh, so that's why you wanted to stay in there!" Alexis's eyes were flashing in anger. "You moronic…"
"Hey! I just want to get to the bottom of this!" Chazz defended.
"Hold it!" Syrus interrupted, holding up his hands. "I'm lost. Why would Jaden react any differently to Alexis's scream?"
"Oh right," Atticus said, snapping his fingers after looking at Syrus strangely. "You lot don't know about the second track."
"The second track?" Alexis and Bastion said in unison.
"Yes," Zane said, taking over. "There are two tracks on that CD. The first one we've already heard: it's Alexis screaming. But when we played it today hoping to get some more information, we discovered track number two. It's something none of us has ever heard before."
"It starts off with Reaper saying something like 'Here we go, Jaden. Proof and a trip down memory lane all at once.'"
"And then?" Alexis prompted.
"Someone starts singing. A girl. We think it may be the Queen, but we need Jaden to confirm it."
"Yes but playing it to him without warning right now may cause more harm than good," Atticus argued, for once being the objective one.
"Yes well-" Chazz broke off and his face froze.
"Chazz, what-?"
"Shh! Listen!"
From the room behind them came the sound of music. It was actually just the sound of a voice singing a soft song, but it caused everybody to take in their breath.
"Is that…?" Alexis paled.
"The second track," Atticus whispered.
They all lunged towards the door, Zane getting there first and hauling it open. The power at which the hauntingly beautiful voice hit them made them stop for a second, reeling in its magnificence and piecing the part they heard then with what they had heard through the door.
"Dancing bears, painted wings
Things I almost remember
And a song, someone sings
Once upon a December"
Alexis's concern suddenly focused on Jaden. He was sitting stock still, paler than he had been even in the duel, his eyes dull and expressionless, his body shaking.
"Turn it off!" She yelled.
Bastion shot towards the CD player that was next to Jaden's bed as the next verse started, even more haunting than the first.
"Calling softly in your arms
You're holding me away from harm
And-"
Bastion's hand slammed down on the stop button, blinking in the sudden silence.
"Jaden? Jaden!" Syrus called.
But Jaden was, like on the night of the duel, frozen. He didn't move or speak, he just sat there in the same position he had been so happy to be in only moments ago.
"Jaden, speak to us. Please!" Alexis begged, crouching next to his bed so her face was as level with his as possible.
He looked at her with an expressionless face and haunted eyes that were so unlike the usual brown mass of energy…
"He really wasn't lying," he said in a quiet monotone. "He has her. He really, really has her."
"Tell us what's going on, Jaden," Alexis begged quietly.
Jaden looked straight into her eyes and finally, finally, the resistance that kept him quiet dropped.
