We are riding in a carriage to Pandora… I am sitting across from Oz, next to Oscar… Gilbert is next to him, looking out the window… I look at Gilbert, and then at Oz…
"Your Excellency…"
"Oh, please! Just call me Oz!", says Oz, hand on head, eyes closed, and smiling. I smile slightly.
"What is this Pandora?"
"Well…"
"I would like to know where you are taking me…". Oz opens his eyes and looks at me. He smiles.
"You never heard of it?"
"Well, to be totally honest, I… haven't heard of anything you've neglected to explain to me… am I… that unaware?"
"Not at all! I wouldn't expect you to know any of it…"
"Then please… tell me now…", I say, concerned. Oz smiles.
"Pandora… is an organization created for the purpose of controlling Chains and finding information about the Abyss…"
"That's right…"
"Hm?"
"I've heard of the Abyss… it's an unknown dimension that supposedly contains a Will… correct?"
"Right! So you do know about it!"
"Not about Pandora… just about the Abyss…", I say with a frown. Oz continues.
"There is something you must know… ever since… someone close to me… left, I became the Head of Pandora…", says Oz, looking down. Gilbert slightly looks at Oz, and turns back to the window. I frown...
"Why… are you bringing me there?". Oz looks at me.
"It's about that… Chain… that attacked you… Chains are created by the Abyss… not all of them are bad… just the ones put into the wrong hands… here at Pandora, we have members called Contractors that made contracts with Chains… they use the Chains to destroy the bad ones, because, well, that is the only way to defeat Chains…"
"Do you have a Chain… Oz…?". Oz smiles. The carriage stops. Someone opens the door… a girl…
"OZ!". The girl pulls Oz out of the carriage and forces him on the ground with her foot on his head… she laughs…
"Alice!", says Oz, laughing, too… I look at them, wide eyed... Gilbert walks past me out of the carriage and tries to pull her away from Oz…
"Get off of him, you Stupid Rabbit!". I watch the show, shocked… Oscar pats my knee, smiling.
"Ah, don't mind them! Let's go into Pandora…". Oscar and I walk out of the carriage. Alice stops struggling with Gilbert… she sniffs Gilbert.
"Hey, Seaweed Head… you… smell funny…"
"What… what are you talking about?", says Gilbert, backing up a little.
"You don't smell smoky…". Oz gets up and smells Gilbert, too.
"Hey, you're right, Alice! I didn't see him smoking in the carriage, either!"
"If you must know, I wasn't smoking ONLY because that… that… whatever she is, can't stand the smell of cigarettes!", says Gilbert with a scowl.
"Neither can I…"
"Neither can I…"
"Neither can I…", says Alice, Oz, and Oscar.
"WHAT?! YOU SMOKE, TOO, OSCAR!", exclaims Gilbert, very shocked. Oscar smiles.
"Oh, Gil! You finally learned you manners!". Gilbert scowls even more. I walk towards the mansion…
We are in the Pandora mansion… in Oz's office… Oz sits at his desk… Alice sits next to him… Gilbert looks out the window, his arms crossed… Oscar sits next to me on the couch across from Oz's desk…
"Meghan, there was something I've been dying to ask you…", says Oz, smiling and looking at me… I frown…
"What do you want to know?"
"Well, I really don't want to know anything! Rather… I wish to ask you for help…"
"Help?"
"You see… my former Chain… Alice… and I ended our Contract three years ago, and since then I've been aging normally… sometimes Chains stop the aging process of their Contractors… Gil hasn't been aging since he made the contract with his Chain…". I look at Gilbert… he has… a Chain?
"Anyway, the fact that a Chain attacked you was rare… sometimes Chains are attracted to people because they are special in some way… you have that ability… it is something we need at Pandora… because I'm aging and am without a Chain anymore, I need more people to staff here an track down more Chains… what I'm asking is… would you like to join Pandora?"
"Huh?"
"It would be of great help to us if you would…", says Oz, looking at me. I look down… my life… before… I never… had a place… I look up…
"What would you like me to do?". Oz smiles. He holds his hand out.
"Welcome to Pandora… Meghan Arberry…". I take his hand and shake it… Gilbert looks over at us, eyes wide…
"What… is the meaning of this… Oz?", says Gilbert, shocked. Oz smiles.
"You will be teaming up with Gil on missions…"
"WHAT?!", says Gilbert and I at the same time. Oz smiles, closing his eyes.
"I'm afraid we don't have any extra rooms here, and we can't have you staying with your aunt… Gil…", says Oz, looking up at Gilbert. "Can she stay with you at your apartment?"
"What… erm… um… uh…"
"Great! Then it's settled! Meghan… you'll be staying with Gil!"
Awkward… windy silence…
"I refuse!"
"Huh?"
"Unless certain conditions are met, I will not be staying with… what is he… a Seaweed Head?"
"I AM NOT!"
"I'm sure Gil will abide by anything you ask!", says Oz with a smile. I smirk… I walk up to Gilbert and look him straight in the eye.
"No cigarettes…"
"WHAT?!"
"No… cigarettes… I told you before, I can't stand the smell of them on me… or on you…", I say, touching his chest with my finger. He looks at my finger. I look at my finger. I pull it away quickly. "Well, it's… um… not like I… notice…". Oz smiles.
"Ok! Meghan, you can go with Uncle Oscar to get together your things!"
"Yes…". I walk with Oscar out the door. Oscar closes the door. Gilbert looks at Oz with a frown. He walks over to him. He puts his hands on the desk firmly.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT, OZ?"
"I don't like it when you smell smoky anyway, Seaweed Head…", says Alice, crossing her arms. Oz looks at Gil.
"Alice, please leave… I need to speak with Gil for a second…"
"Hmph! Ok!". Alice leaves the room, also closing the door. Gilbert's attention is on Oz again.
"I had to, Gil!"
"But why? Letting that… monster, live with me… in my apartment?!"
"That's mean…"
"I told you what really happened…"
"So a Chain attacked her… there's nothing abnormal about it!", says Oz, standing up and walking towards the window. Gilberts follows him.
"That's not what I'm talking about!"
"Then what ARE you talking about… Gil?", says Oz, looking at Gilbert. Gilbert frowns… he looks down…
"I… told you… Oz… what I saw back there was… abnormal…"
"You mean…"
"Yes…". Gilbert looks up. "I told her I shot her… twice… mistaking her for a Chain… but now… but now… maybe it wouldn't have been a mistake… if I really did…"
Gilbert looks at Oz. You are unaware what is going to happen… for now…