When the police cleared and took the four men away, everything at the café was quite. Paige had some ice to her face, where the gun had hit her and Yugi had bandages on his own. Paige walked out of the coffee shop, enraged. She looked like an idiot. Needing help from Yami and his geek friends! It was an insult to her; then again…she would have been really hurt if he hadn't helped. The group of five soon left the shop, following and asking to talk with Paige. She grinned and accepted. She would get to know Yami and his friends sooner then she expected…she was making great time.
When the gang reached the street corner they waited for the cars. Explaining why she had done what she did back there was hard, but she got through it, saying that she knew they weren't going to use the guns and she wanted to prevent anyone from getting hurt. By the time they got to the other side of the road they were in deep conversation.
"Well, you got hurt." Yugi told her, commenting on the bruise forming at the edge of her cheekbone. She felt her face get hot as she rose her hand to the throbbing wound.
"I suppose I did. Sorry about that." She told him, nodding to his injuries as well.
"Just helping." He shrugged it off and Paige looked to the road.
"So where ya' from, doll?" Asked Joey, trying to be smooth. He grinned widely as Tristin rolled his eyes. Paige smiled and tried to make up a location.
"America." It was the first place that came to her mind. She was really from Australia, but she was raised in America. Most people wouldn't have been able to tell she was from down under, seeming that she didn't have the accent. She brushed some brown hair behind her ear and smiled again.
"Really? Wow, what's it like there?" Joey asked. Bakura walked over to him.
"You could care less couldn't you?" He whispered. Joey sent him a look that said 'Shut up!' and turned back to Paige.
"Really…um, simple. Just like any other country I suppose. " She told them. She didn't really know what to say about it. Her grandparents had moved around a lot. One week it was Montana, the next California…just so complicated. She couldn't remember making any friends because of it too. Tea' walked beside her.
"So did you, like, just move here or somethin'? I haven't ever seen you around." She inquired.
"You could say that. I moved here a couple of weeks ago." She lied. Her eyes found their way to Yugi and stared at his Millennium Item. It dangled around his neck with pride. He looked at her.
"Like it?" She walked over to him.
"Is that a Millennium Item?" She asked, acting interested. She bent down to stare at the Item. Yugi smiled.
"Uh…yeah it is. How did you know?" He asked.
"Oh, well I've seen them in books and stuff. I happen to have one myself." She said leaning her hips so he could see her belt. Yugi stared at it in awe. The others seemed to too. Paige smiled.
"That's a Millennium Item?" Asked Bakura, who was quite up till now. Paige nodded her head. Bakura and Yugi bent down to take a look. They looked at the mysterious chains and the Millennium eye in the middle. Bakura reached out to touch it. It flashed at his contact.
"It's called the Millennium Belt, or The Millennium Wrap. My grandfather gave it to me a long time ago. I love it." She said. She brushed her hands through her hair. Yugi looked up.
"My grandpa gave me mine too." Yugi said smiling.
"How come I've never heard of it?" Bakura asked suspiciously, rubbing his chin. Paige could tell she was going to have some problems with him. She looked down at the Millennium Ring that was around his neck.
"Millennium Ring right? So you're the one with the spirit of the tomb robber?" She asked with her eyebrow up, smiling. Bakura put his hand over his Item and almost glared at her.
"That doesn't mean I'm the same person." He said pointing his thumb at his chest. Paige's smile grew.
"No one said it was. Anyway, you probably haven't heard of mine because it is only in the newer resent history books. My grandfather bought it at some market or something." She said with her hands flopping to her side. Bakura softened his look towards her when Tea' slid her hand into his. He looked at her and grinned. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.
"So where do you live now?" Yugi asked happily. Paige grew nervous. What was she going to tell them? She felt them staring. Her eyes roamed the neighborhood, looking for a place that would seem believable. She had no luck. Then she had an idea.
"I'm staying at a hotel now." She told them out of the blue. They all stared at her.
"Alone?" Tristin asked in disbelief. Paige nodded her head. Tea's jaw dropped.
"How old are you?" Tea' asked.
"Seventeen." She stated truthfully. She was seventeen. She thought it would be stupid to change her age. Joey stared at her.
"Why are you alone?" He asked. Paige glanced at him.
"Well, because I came here when my grandparents sent me on my own."
"Have you finished school?"
"Well no, not exactly. Well I got to my junior year and kind of dropped out." She said to them. She tried to act ashamed; this was too easy. Tea' stared at her.
"Well do you plan on going back?" She asked. Paige shook her head.
"Right now I'm traveling around. I kind of fly by the seat of my pants."
"Oh well, we could show you around town." Yugi said politely. The rest of the gang smiled as well. Paige nodded and walked on the sidewalk. This would be good, she could pick the hotel she wanted to stay at.
They talked for hours roaming the streets. They had already been to the library, museum, and the park. It was getting dark. Yugi looked over at Paige.
"You want to come to the game shop with me? It's where my grandpa works, and lives." Paige smiled.
"Sure. That would be fun."
"I gotta go Yugi. It's getting late." Tristin said and waved as he ran off home.
"Yeah, me to Yug." Joey said and ran off.
"See ya around Joey." Yugi waved. Paige smiled and waved as well.
"I better be getting home too." Said Tea'. She turned to walk off. Bakura continued to walk with them. Tea' turned back. "You want to come to my house for a little while Bakura? My parents aren't due home for another hour or so. You could stay for dinner." She said with a raised eyebrow and grin. Bakura nodded his head and smiled as Tea' pulled him by his jacket. He surprised her by picking her up. He then started carrying her to her house. Tea' laughed and waved at Yugi and Paige over Bakura's shoulder. Bakura didn't bother to say bye, he just picked up the pace. Paige laughed while Yugi just rolled his eyes at the pair.
"So here we are." Yugi said opening the door for Paige. Paige took a step in and was amazed. Never had she seen so many Duel Monster cards. It was a child's dream place. She walked around looking at many different cards. They were all so cool. Yugi smiled. Paige turned back and walked to him.
"So your grandpa owns this shop?" Paige asked wide-eyed. Everywhere there cards and posters of Duel Monsters. Yugi nodded. Just then someone walked in from upstairs. It was Yugi's Grandpa.
"Hi Yugi." Grandpa waved.
"Hey Grandpa." Yugi said walking over and hugging him. His grandpa smiled.
"What have you been up to?" Asked the elder man. Yugi stepped back and glanced over at Paige.
"Nothing much Grandpa, just showing Paige, here, around town." He said motioning toward her. Yugi's grandpa smiled and extended his hand.
"Hello, I'm Yugi's grandfather." He said in a cheery voice.
"Hi. Paige." Paige told him with a large smile. Yugi walked over to the kitchen and poured a glass of lemonade and brought it back to Paige. She thanked him and looked back at Yugi's grandfather.
"Well, I best be on my way." Yugi's grandfather said, as he walked toward the door.
"Where are ya goin' Grandpa?" Yugi asked confused. Yugi's grandfather turned and smiled at him.
"I'm going to a meeting. It's with the mayor. He wants to ask a few questions about the shop."
"Well, is everything O.K.?" Yugi asked with concern.
"Oh yes, it's quite all right. Anyway, I'll be back in a little while. Don't stay up to late now. Uh…it was nice meeting you Paige." Yugi nodded and watched his grandpa disappear out the door. He turned back and looked at Paige motioning for her to sit down on the couch.
Paige plopped down and stared at Yugi. She then put here cell phone that she kept in her back pocket on his coffee table. She used it to call Marik.
"So…um…thanks for showing me around town." Paige said. Yugi nodded happily and sat down next to her. There was a long silence. Finally Yugi became restless.
"Wow…that's a cool necklace." He commented, lifting the necklace Paige had dangling from her neck. She glanced down. He was looking at the silver Egyptian necklace; it had a symbol on it. "What does this symbol mean?"
"Oh, uh…it means loyalty." She told him, taking it off. She handed it to Yugi to look at. Yugi moved it around on his fingertips and smiled. He then set it down next to her cell phone on the table.
"Uh…so do you do a lot of dueling?" Yugi asked Paige.
"Well, I do enough. Not enough to where I'm like really good, but I do my fair share."
"Cool. So do you want to duel?" Yugi asked her. Paige looked up quickly, excited, but then smiled weakly.
"I don't have my deck with me." She said pushing back her brown hair. Yugi frowned.
"Oh, well that's a bummer." Yugi said. Paige rolled her eyes, so Yugi couldn't see. She was bored out of her mind. A duel would have been great! Now she was kind of annoyed with Yugi. And who uses the word "bummer" anymore, when was this kid born…the sixties? Paige sighed and stood.
"Well I better get going. It was nice of you and your friends to show me around." She said. By this time, Yugi had stood too. He had a blank look.
"Well I was going to ask you a few more questions…but I guess we will have to do that some other time." Yugi said with a sigh. Paige walked over to the door. The last thing she needed was for Yugi to ask her questions.
"Bye Yugi." Paige said. Yugi waved and she walked out the door. It was cool and dark outside. The stars were out and all the front porch lights were on. Paige smiled. Things went pretty good for the first day, she thought.
She had to report to Marik…she had to tell him what happened.
"Well, things are moving along quite quickly." Marik said with a smile. Paige smiled in his office. The boat was tied up behind a couple trees, so no one could see.
"Yes, that they are. Listen I need to rent a hotel room." Paige said staring at the water through a window.
"Why?" Marik asked, "You could just sleep here…with me." Marik said smiling and rubbing her arms. Paige glanced at him.
"I can't do that. I have to stick with the story I give them." Paige said looking back out the window.
"And what story did you give them Paige?" Marik asked taking his hands away.
"I told them, I'm staying at a hotel because my grandparents booted me out and that I live on my own. I'm seventeen and dropped out of school in eleventh grade." Paige told him. Marik stood right next to her. She looked at him and gave a small smile.
"That's really close to the truth Paige."
"I know, but this way I don't get to confused."
"When are you going to get to Yami, is my question." Marik said.
"All in good time. Actually I don't have the faintest idea." She told him. Marik grinned.
"I do. Now listen carefully. I have recently discovered that there is a very important man looking for duelists, especially Yugi." Marik said, walking toward his desk to retrieve a newspaper. Paige followed him.
"Who?" Paige asked with a tired sigh. Marik glanced back and handed her the folded newspaper. Paige rolled her eyes and took it. When she unfolded it her eyes went to shock. Marik smiled walked behind her. His hands smoothly rubbed over her arms and around her shoulders, massaging them slowly. "How could this…is this for real? I mean I thought he…no way." Paige was in total bewilderment.
"Now, you need to get Yugi and his friends to invite you to go with them. The boat will be there by the time you are. You will board and go…got it?" Marik asked.
Paige nodded still staring at the paper. For right in front of her face was a picture of the man himself, Maximillion Pegasus!
I'm really sorry it took me so long guys! It's just been a bad few weeks. I was sick, and then I got grounded from the computer. Then, I started having family troubles. But anyway…here it is, and I promise not to wait so long next time…I'll probably have the next chapter around the end of this week or sometime next week. Enjoy!
