The next morning, Maya woke up to see a plate of steaming food sitting beside her bed with a small note that said: You were out like a candle last night before you could have dinner so here's some breakfast. Enjoy. -Miss. Lonny,
~*~*~*We'll Always Have Paris*~*~*~
"Good morning, Miss Lonny." Maya greeted as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Mornin' doll." The lady answered "Sleep well?"
"Very, Thanks." Maya followed the woman to the kitchen "You haven't seen a necklace covered in charms laying around, have you?"
"Can't say I have." Miss Lonny sent her a quick smile "But I'll keep an eye out. By the way, what's your name, Doll?"
"Maya."
"Maya. Hmm..." she shook her head "Don't know anyone by that name. But I swear you look familiar."
Maya chuckled "Apparently you're not the only one to think so. The palace guards starting chasing me yesterday thinking I was some woman who had escaped before."
Miss Lonny snorted "Those guards are pish-posh. They cause chaos for no reason. They're not like the musketeers."
Maya cocked her head "Musketeers? It sounds familiar but... I can't think from where."
"Well, you were probably just a baby when they got removed from France." the older woman said as she started sweeping up the floor "When King Mandrake overcame the royal family, the Musketeers were loyal to their king. They were all thrown in the dungeon and it was declared that there were to be no more musketeers." she chuckled "I loved watching those strapping men riding down the street on horseback in their blue uniforms. And then there were the fe..."
"Miss Lonny!" A voice called from somewhere else in the inn.
"Oh, I have to go honey." she quickly sat down the broom and ran off.
Maya smiled, finished sweeping the floor, then walked to the front door. She looked up and down the road. No sign of the guards.
With a small sigh of relief she resumed her search for the necklace.
"Hey, you!"
Maya whirled around at the sound of the voice behind her "Uh-oh."
Standing directly behind her was the brunette from the previous morning. She was no longer covered in frosting but she was still angry.
"You ruined my dress!" the girl snapped "That fabric is not easy to clean!"
"I'm really sorry." Maya insisted, slowly backing away.
"I demand you to pay for that dress!"
"I don't have enough money for that."
"Then..."
"Trista." a dark skinned girl with black hair said as she approached. Her hair was pulled up into a low bun at the nap of her neck, she appeared to be the same age as Maya "What's going on?"
Trista pointed at Maya "She destroyed my dress yesterday!"
Maya smiled sheepishly "She a friend of yours?"
"No. Just an acquaintance." the dark girl answered "Who are you?"
"Maya."
She gave a short nod "I'm Idina. I see you already met Trista."
"Sorta."
Trista huffed "More like rudely ran in to!"
"I told you, it was an accident!" Maya said exasperated.
"Just do what everyone around her does," Idina suggested "Ignore her."
Trista gasped insulted.
"Well, not totally ignore." a voice behind Maya said gently "But just... dismiss the fashionista attitude."
Maya turned around to see a girl with red pigtails holding a large book in one hand and a parasol in the other, standing there.
"I'm Rose." she said with a smile "And you're Maya?"
Maya nodded slightly "How long were you there?"
"Long enough to hear what happened and your name." Rose answered "How old are you?"
"Nineteen."
"So are we." Idina glanced around "Well, I have work to do." with that she turned and walked off.
Trista left without a word.
Rose smiled at the blond "Like Idina said, we're just acquaintances. But they seem nice enough... I guess."
Maya smiled slightly "Hey, have you seen a necklace laying around?"
"Nu-huh." Rose shook her head "I haven't. But I'll keep a look out." she opened her book and sent Maya a small wave "Bye." then she walked away.
Maya sighed "I guess it really is gone for good."
Standing back in the shadows of a dark alley, a hooded figure watched as Maya walked away, still scanning the ground for her necklace.
~*~*~*We'll Always Have Paris*~*~*~
"What do you mean 'She got away'?" King Madrake shouted "One female managed to escape my entire army... again!?"
"She's very fast." The captain answered "And that street rat, Nate, helped her."
"Well find her." the King growled "I don't care what you have to do."
Just then another guard came into the room "Sire, we have received word that the lady spent the night at the local Inn run by Miss Lonny."
"Well go and get her!" Mandrake slammed his fist down on the arm of his throne "And do the deed right this time! Do not come back until you can bring her with you and show me that you're caught her this time!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." The captain bowed quickly.
"And while you're at it. Put out a wanted request for that Nate. I want him too... dead or alive."
~*~*~*We'll Always Have Paris*~*~*~
"Any luck finding your necklace?" Miss Lonny asked that afternoon when Maya returned.
"No." Maya shook her head "It's gone."
"Must have been pretty important."
"It was." Maya leaned back against the counter "It's the only connection I had with my real family."
Miss Lonny dropped the pan she had been holding and spun around "Oh Honey, I am so sorry!"
Maya smiled "It's alright. I think I can remember what was mainly on it." she rolled her eyes "But that was a lot of charms."
Miss Lonny stared at her "Do that again."
"Do what again?"
"Roll your eyes."
Maya raised an eyebrow but obeyed.
"I declare." the woman shook her head "You sure look a high powered like someone I used to know. I was just a teen then, I think. But I cannot place it."
Just then, Idina walked into the kitchen "Miss Lonny. I brought that music for you... oh, hey."
Maya sent her a quick wave "Hi."
"Oh, you two know each other?" Miss Lonny asked as she took the papers from the new arrival.
"We've met." Idina answered.
"Oh that's nice."
Right at that moment Trista walked into the room "Miss Lonny, I was told to tell you that... Oh it's you."
Maya shook her head "Always was."
Trista huffed "The curtains are in the lobby."
"Thank you, Dear." Miss Lonny smiled "I'll go take care of them right..."
"MISS LONNY!" someone shouted as the front door banged open "MISS LONNY!" then Rose slid into the kitchen "They're coming!"
"Who's coming?" Miss Lonny asked.
"The guards! The castle guards!" Rose said around gasps of breath "They're coming here after Maya!"
"Lock the front door! And block it." Miss Lonny said quickly and Idina ran to obey "Maya, do you have somewhere you can go?"
"No." Maya shook her head "Only the orphanage and they'll look for me there first."
"What can we do?" Rose asked quickly.
Trista reluctantly sighed "I have a grandmother who lives in the next town. We can... go there." then she frowned "Why are they after you?"
"If I knew I'd tell ya." Maya responded.
"You're going to need someone who can get you there fast." Miss Lonny said thoughtfully "I know who! Wait here." then she ran off.
Just then there was a loud banging on the front door "Lonny Dufour! Open up! Open the door before we break it down!"
Idina shook her head as she came into the room "I'd like to see them try. Miss Lonny has that thing reinforced."
Rose nodded "And with your own personal touch of couches and tables, right?"
"Everything that was in the room."
Miss Lonny returned just then "Alright. I've got you someone who knows the whole area from here to Russia like the back of his hand."
Nate stepped into the room and smiled "Well, Miss Maya. You are prone to trouble, aren't ya?"
Maya smiled "Hello, Nate."
"We're breaking down the door!" The captain of the guards shouted, immediately followed by a loud bang.
"Go, now!" Miss Lonny said "All five of you! Go out through the cellar."
"Thank you." Maya gave the lady a quick hug then followed Nate to the cellar.
"How do I get myself into these situations." Trista mumbled as she and the others followed.
Nate eased open the door to the outside "It's clear, let's go." he gave Maya a hand out of the hole then took off running, the others close behind.
"There she goes!" the captain shouted "Get here!"
Maya shook her head and pressed ahead "Why does this feel familiar?"
Nate glanced at her "Because this happened yesterday."
Rose let out a scream and shot ahead of the others "I'm too young to die!"
"And this is a new dress." Trista groaned.
Maya rolled her eyes "Really."
"They're closing in!" Idina called out in alarm.
Maya glanced back, it was true. The guards were way too close. Just then her attention was drawn to a sword hanging from Nate's belt.
Her eyebrows lowered in determination and she yanked the sword out of it's sheath and spun around.
"Hey!" Nate skid to a stop "What are you..." He was cut off as the sound of two blades clashing together cut through the air.
"Bad choice." The Captain sneered.
Maya raised an eyebrow, her ice blue eyes flashing "For you." then she shoved him back and instantly jumped into the fight as several more soldiers ran forward.
"Whoa." Nate breathed as he watched her spin around, her sword swinging at lightning speed.
"You're not kidding." Idina chuckled.
"Hey!" Rose shouted as she came running back "Pick on someone your own size!" she dropped into a pose, pointing her closed parasol at one of the men.
The guard laughed "You think you can beat me with that?"
Rose smirked "Let's find out."
"Let's." the man thrusted at her, but in an instant her parasol popped open, his sword flew into the fabric then she popped it back closed, it's metal rims trapping the blade then she twisted it out of his hand.
"Tada." Rose said triumphantly as she swung the umbrella around and grabbed the sword "Not bad for a parasol. Huh?" then she slammed the man on the head with the object and ran to help Maya with the others.
Idina and Trista looked at each other then ran to help.
Idina yanked the cloth headband from her hair and grabbed a rock from the ground. She stuck the rock in the fabric and after a few spins sent it flying into the side of one man's helmet. The sudden impact knocked the man out cold.
Trista yanked off her multiple layered chain necklace, which unwound was about ten feet long, folded it in half and lashed it out like a whip.
"You're not as strong as you were twenty years ago." the captain growled.
"I wasn't even born then!" Maya retorted as she blocked a blow.
"Of course you were." the man sneered "You can't pull one over on me again." their swords locked and he grabbed her arm "My order is for you to be eliminated
"Let me go!" She hissed.
"And eliminate you is just what I'm going to do." with that the captain shoved her back, sending her sprawling on the ground "Good bye." with that he brought his sword down on her... but it never reached it's mark as another blade swung down, the tip burrowing into the ground and the blade blocking the captain's blow.
Maya slowly looked up to see a black cloaked figure standing over her holding the protective sword.
The captain frowned as he stepped back and the figure straightened and three more black cloaked figures dropped from the rooftops and landed beside the first, all in various stances.
"The Shadow Stalkers."
(Once again... I LIVE! Few people, it had been... a long time. But I do have an excuse. One of my family members is going to college and you need money to go to college. So my mom has been working... nonstop. let's put it this way. She worked 116 hours in one week... alone. So, yeah. But here it is! Hope you enjoyed!
….
Alright, now on another note, I don't mind critiques, help or suggestions. But flat out negativity is completely useless.
There is a 'Guest' whose been going around making negative comments to people's stories, including my own, telling them their terrible authors and their their stories are lame and whatnot. A few have even been tempted to quit. Here's a bit of advice, don't let them bother you. Just hit the comments with a floppy baguette or a sloppy joe or something.
And, here's a wonderful little thing about Fanfiction. It has a free sign up. IF you want to make a negative comment like that, use your sign in to say it. Because if you don't want anyone to know who said it, then don't say it at all.)