The Agent of the Moon
Chapter 3
I stare at the massive silver-blue scythe in my hand. It's cool to the touch, and it almost makes me shiver. "How long have I had this with me?" I barely manage to whisper. I let go and it automatically shrinks into my crescent moon necklace. Before Strauss can reply, I hear someone call out:
"Hey Silber! Long time no see!" I turn just in time to get half-tackled, half-hugged by someone. This someone was a girl about my age, nearly a foot shorter, yet somehow quite intimidating. She stepped back and brushed her shoulder length brown hair revealing one dazzling, green eye and one dark, brown eye. "Hello? You could at least act like you're happy to see me ya'know? Like, seriously, where the hell have you been?" I look at the girl, then at Strauss, and then back at the girl.
"Ah, yes, sorry but she has had some memory damage and she is having an interesting time getting back into the swing of things." He smiles, and puts a hand on my shoulder. "This, Silber, is-"
"Amber?" I blurt out.
"Yes… Um, how did you know that?" Strauss gives me an odd look. I just stare at Amber, trying to figure out whom she is and if I even know her.
"Who cares? Maybe her memory is coming back, right?" Amber replied quite happily. Strauss and I just looked at each other, his eyes examining mine steadily. Out of nowhere his stern face turned into a smiling, happy one.
"If that is true, than hopefully it shall come back sooner rather than later. Amber, go ahead and take Silber around and get her accustomed to her weapon again." Strauss turns around, facing the door, and raises his hand as if waving. "I shall see you soon Agents, and I expect progress." He walks towards the way we came in and leaves. I turn and face Amber, who was looking happy, confused, and excited all at the same time.
"Alright, uh, Amber. Let's get going shall we?" I gaze into her eyes, feeling a kind expression and bloodlust all at the same time. She nods, and motions to a door in the far corner on the other side of the gym.
"Come on, I'm interested in seeing what muscle memory you still have!" She breaks into a run, maneuvering between some of the other teens and young adults training in the room. I start to follow suit, when I have an idea. I quickly climb on top of one of the many platforms, viewing a path across other platforms, dummies, and other equipment. Without thinking, I start my way, nimbly jumping from platform to platform, occasionally hearing a grunt and sound of frustration as I ran across some people's heads. I easily made it to the other side, nearly beating Amber. "Well, looks like you still have your parkour skills." She laughs and opens the door. "Here it is!" She motions me inside the room and shuts the door.
I hear a click as the lock engages, preventing me of escape. I give her a very confused look, and I see her mouth: It's ok. It's only a simulation. I nod half-heartedly, and take in the room. It's pretty big, and almost looked like the park where Strauss found me. I look off in the distance and realized there is a real forest. That's when I notice the starry, night sky; although simulated, it still took my breath away. I freeze when I hear a low growling: it sounds just like the beasts I encountered in the city.
I quickly look around me, attempting to find the source, but all I see is a quiet park area. I look back at the trees and realize I could get a better view by climbing one of them. I jog over, not making a single noise, and scramble up the tree. My hand hovers near my necklace as I observe everything around me. Not entirely sure what I need to be doing, I go ahead and take out my scythe. I climb down a bit, my weapon not hindering me at all, and jump over to the next tree. I hear a couple dead leaves crunch to my right, so I turn and head off in that direction. I stop after jumping through a couple of trees, waiting to hear a sound. I hear a faint sniffing directly below me, and I lower my head, hoping to get a visual placement of the enemy. I see the pitch black fur shimmer slightly in the moonlight, and shortly after moving down a couple branches, I see its eyes gaze into mine.
The next thing I know, I'm on the ground, with my scythe over my shoulder. I hear a loud thud, then a softer one, and I turn to see what happened. The beast's body was lying on the forest floor, and its head was about twenty feet away. I wonder why there's no blood when suddenly, the "beast" dissolves into multiple, white, three-dimensional pixels. They float up to the ceiling, and become some of the fake stars. So all of these stars are of the beasts I've defeated? I wonder, rather mesmerized by what I just did.
Out of nowhere, I hear footsteps behind me. I quickly turn, swinging my scythe as well, just to discover Amber standing there. "Whoa, easy there girl!" She shrieks, shielding her face with her hands.
I sigh, "Don't sneak up on me like that." I reply calmly. I let go of my scythe, turning it into its necklace form. "This is so weird, I have no idea what I'm doing, yet at the same time, I feel like I know exactly what I'm doing…" My voice trails off.
"Don't worry; it'll all come back eventually." Amber smiles. "Hey, I bet you haven't eaten much lately, so let's go get something to eat. Dinner should be ready by now." She takes my hand and leads me out the door. As soon as the she closed the door, she hugs me again, this time very tightly. "I'm just so glad you're back. We weren't sure we would ever see you again." I hear a sniffle and I hug her back. "You are practically my sister, so don't worry me like that ever again, promise?"
I laugh, "Of course Amber. I promise!" We high-five and start to giggle. Suddenly, a roar of hunger emerges from my stomach. "Now, let's go get some food, I'm starving!"