Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own anything by Dreamworks Animations Studios or William Joyce.
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Suggested BGM: [In My Place-Coldplay]
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Tea and Weapons with Eyebrows
Chapter Two
When a built guy with fire controlling abilities tells you to do something or die, you better do it! Here's why: he has already granted you the choice of survival and he has fire. Hey, you don't even know his name or status, so if you get into trouble, good luck explaining to the officials. Especially if you're in a bad stance with them like me. So, I just sat quietly in my spot while I waited for him to finish his tea. I mean, I shot a few curious glances at Sen to see if he would warp the air around him into a weapon to end my life right there or maybe even just talk, but he just sat there waiting for Eyebrows to continue. Ace offered me tea. I rejected.
"Lee," Eyebrows began, "do you know the reason you are here?"
To not die?
"No."
"I brought you here to tell you that we've been summoned, but do you know why we were summoned?"
So, we can not die?
"No."
"It's because you have something in common with everyone in room," a wondrous glint flickered in his eye. "Can you guess it?"
I took a wild guess,
"We all have the ability to control an element?"
Eyebrows looked genuinely surprised,
"Yes! Good! You have powers. We have powers."
I looked down miserably at the hand in my lap and thought of all the trouble they caused me and everyone else. I'd say more trouble they could be worth. I looked back up at Eyebrows.
"Look…" I paused for him to fill in his name.
"North," he said brightly.
"Look, North, I appreciate you kidnapping me and bringing me here for whatever this is. It's really made me feel needed, but I'm not what you're thinking. My powers aren't good." I had to take break eye contact for fear of getting too emotional. "I'm just good for destruction."
This made Sen shake his head fervently.
"Sen is right," North continued. "You have gift."
"We need you," Bunny Wrist felt the need to add.
Everybody was saying encouraging words, but instead of feeling inspired, I got upset. I looked back up to North, determined.
"Well, then tell me. Tell me why every time I step into the public eye, I see a mother shield her child or hear a child whisper something, frightened for its life." I looked to Ace. Ace returned the gesture. "Tell me why a nice elderly couple scowls as I walk past or why, at times, I even freeze my own footsteps." I averted my gaze back to my hands. I was whispering now. "Tell me why my family ran scared after I was born or how I'll never be able to sleep at night because of what I did to those poor people years ago. Tell me why."
A silence settled over the room.
Like I thought.
"I'll tell ya why. Sorry, North," Ace glanced back apologetically at the fire-user. North held up both hands, so Ace continued. "You're not the only one who's had issues with your power. Even North started out rusty, but that didn't stop us, did it? Something more important than your personal—our personal—problems is harboring on the horizon, and we can't let silly things like past regret get in the way."
I looked to Sen and North, but both were staring with anticipation at Ace. I looked back to find Ace's face had softened.
"We're special, all of us," he continued. "There is no one quite like us. Our powers are gifts. Now, you're given the chance to finally use them accordingly. Are you going to waste it?"
"I—"
"No, you aren't."
Bunny Tattoo was admittedly kind of right. Where would I even go? I'm wanted everywhere. I'd have to stay and hide out for a while.
"Jack" I heard her voice call. "Jack, do it."
Must I? I answered.
"You have to. Jack. Jack."
She called my name one more time before she became quiet.
A ghost of a smile tugged on the corners of my mouth, and some emotion flickered in my chest.
Was it hope? Was it heartburn? I don't know, but suddenly, things weren't so negative, and the sunshine was a little brighter.
Look at me, noticing things like the sun shining brighter. That stupid Bunny Tattoo guy.
Coming back to, I realized that they were waiting for my response. I thought about it for a couple of seconds. I weighed the idea of hiding out in the village against facing the witch. She lived deep in the outskirts of the village and had a horrible reputation back in town of preying on small children that wandered too far, and she could kill a man with just her stare.
Why was I going again?
"Fine," I said. This relaxed Ace at the same time Sen nodded and North gave a hearty 'Yeah!'. "But why am I doing this? What are we doing?"
"We have to go see Chia," North repeated, "or else we di—"
"Die," I finished for him. "Yeah, I get that. But why?"
"That is why we have to see her!" North suddenly started talking in a wave of fervor as he stood up. "Only she knows! And my belly tells me we must leave now. And the belly is never wrong."
Ace mouthed the last sentence which tipped me up that North says that phrase often.
North swooped his arms up in a hurrying motion.
"Get up; get up!" he said.
Sen, Ace, and I stood.
"Follow me," he said.
We followed him into a room in the back that was in no way part of the house for it was huge and looked like a giant armory. We continued to follow North through the aisles of the weapons. Some weapons on the left side were dangerously pointed and caught the sun so that they gleamed wickedly. Other weapons on the right were duller like blunt wooden swords. There was a whole section dedicated to armor and shields with things like crossbows and standard bow-and-quivers.
I let out a sound of awe.
I could really do some damage with these…
But we strolled right past them until we stopped in front of a little corner in the back. It looked a little pathetic in contrast to the grander weapons of inherent destruction in the room as it only held four objects: a pair of chakrams[1], a boomerang, a staff, and a sword.
North immediately reached for the sword and tossed it my way. It almost fell out of my hands; I caught it so clumsily, but I could see the sheath on it was stunning.
I ran my fingers across the cloth. It was constructed out of leather, and it was pretty worn; but man, the design was so particular. It was almost as if the material was made from frost itself.
That's when it occurred to me.
The weapon was mine.
It belonged to me, in my hands. Someone designed the sword personally for me.
It was my sword.
Huh.
"Glad you like it," North said.
I looked up to see all three of my kidnappers smiling knowingly at me, and I realized I was also smiling. I coughed and let my sword swing to my side.
"Yeah. It—It's cool."
Really cool.
North lifted his eyebrows, and I noticed the others were already wielding their weapons. Ace had set the boomerang between his gi[2] so that it was halfway concealed by his shirt. Sen carried the staff on his back. It was fastened to him with bandages around his torso so that it would stay in place. I looked to North. Both of his chakrams were attached to his gi so that they were dangling ominously at his side. We looked pretty intimidating.
"Then, let's go."
[1] Chakrams are circular blades, basically.
[2] gi is the belt on the clothes
It was short, but maybe sweet? Just bear with me. I haven't written in a while, but I'll make you all proud as the story progresses! I wiiiilllll.