You know, it's strange. I don't really like OC's, usually because most of them steal the spotlight from the real characters, but I just made one. Weird. If you're confused by anything in this chapter, let me know; there's a few tidbits near the end.
Chapter Four: The Truth About Jackle
Hope didn't care what her parents said the previous day, she was going to play with Jackle and that was that. She was almost out of the castle when she heard her mother's voice from behind her.
"Hope, where are you going?"
Hope cringed but turned around with an innocent face. "Just out for another morning flight, Mom."
"I'll come with you." NiGHTS offered quickly.
"No, no, it's ok. You can go rest." Hope told her. When her mother hesitated, Hope added, "I'll be careful of evil Nightmarens, I promise."
NiGHTS still looked unsure, but nodded anyway. "Ok."
Relieved, Hope glided out the doors and into the open air. She saw Reala standing at the edge of the crystal lake, appearing to be deep in thought. She thought about stopping to say good morning to him, but then she was afraid he wouldn't let her go. So she kept flying.
First she went to Pure Valley, to the stream where she met Jackle. She landed beside it and looked around. "Jackle?"
No response.
She tried again. "Jackle, are you there?" Disappointed when the only response she got was a croak of a frog, Hope sat on a rock beside a tree and rested her chin in her hands. "Hmm." A minute later, she thought she could hear high-pitched screaming up high in the distance and it stopped when the tree shook. But she guessed it might have been a bird.
Until an upside-down figure of Jackle appeared right in front of her. "WHOA-- oh, hiya, Hope!"
Hope yelped and fell off the rock, startled.
Jackle laughed, but he stopped when the branch he was holding onto broke and he landed on his head. "OW!"
Hope couldn't help laughing. "Are you ok?"
"I'm ok, but what happened to the world? It's turned upside-down!" Jackle joked.
Hope started laughing again. She loved how Jackle made her laugh so much.
Jackle got to his feet and brushed the leaves off himself. He grinned wider and chuckled a bit when he saw how much Hope was laughing. "Careful there, Hope, you're gonna die laughing."
But she kept laughing when he said that. "Stop! You're too funny!" She managed to calm down a few seconds later. "I was looking for you. Wanna play?"
"Sure!" Jackle beamed. "I've been looking for you too. The other Nightmarens aren't into playing."
Hope froze. "N-Nightmarens?" Was she hearing right, or did Jackle call himself a Nightmaren? "You're...you're a Nightmaren?"
Jackle raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Aren't you?"
Hope quickly shook her head. "No! I'm a--" She stopped. Actually, she didn't even KNOW what she was. She never thought about it. "You can't possibly be a Nightmaren! They don't exist anymore!"
Jackle laughed again. "Who told you that?"
"My parents. They said that Wizeman destroyed all the Nightmarens that failed him, before he died. At least, that's what they said." She didn't want to mention that NiGHTS and Reala told her to stay away from Nightmarens in case they still did exist.
"Pfft! That's just a rumour some dopey Nightopians spread around. Wizeman only banished us. We roam around the empty spaces in the Night Dimension. But ever since word got around that Wizeman was dead, we're free to roam wherever we want!"
Hope couldn't believe it. Her parents had been telling her the truth about Jackle, and she felt terrible that she didn't believe them. Tears started forming in her eyes.
Jackle looked closely at Hope and asked, "Hey, are you crying, Hope?"
Hope looked away. "You're a...just like my parents said...But you're so nice...it just doesn't make sense."
"Listen, sorry about your confusion and stuff, but you're a Nightmaren too, and I can prove it."
Hope crossed her arms. "Ok. Prove it."
Jackle pointed to her face. "You have no nose. Or a neck. Now take your bracelettes off."
Hope removed the large, golden bracelettes.
"See? You have no wrists, either. You probably keep your jewelry on with magic, am I right?"
"Yes..."
"And that's another thing- Nightmarens possess some kind of magic. Now listen to this!" Jackle appeared to be holding something in his hands, but Hope couldn't see anything. Then he started slamming his fists in front of himself in the air, and the loud sound of drums filled the air.
Hope gasped. "You have an invisible drum kit?"
Jackle hit an invisible cymbal to conclude his demonstration. "Yep! All Nightmarens have their own invisible instruments. It's like a thing we've got going on. You have one, too, right?"
Hope held up her ocarina and looked at it, even though she couldn't see it. "Yeah...and so does my mom and dad..."
Jackle grinned triumphantly. "I rest my case. If your parents are Nightmarens, then so are you!"
Still, Hope refused to believe it. "No...it can't be. NiGHTS always said Nightmarens were evil, and she never said anything about working for Wizeman. My mother wouldn't lie to me."
"The truth hurts, Hope. Maybe she just wants to--" Jackle stopped suddenly and stared at Hope with wide eyes. "Hang on, what did you say your mother's name was?"
"NiGHTS."
Jackle continued to stare for a second, then his grin got wider and wider, and he burst out laughing insanely.
Hope uneasily backed up. "What's so funny?"
"NO WAY! NiGHTS had a kid?!" Jackle was rolling in the air from laughing so hard. He snapped his fingers. "THAT'S why you looked so familiar!" Jackle's laughter subsided a little and he wiped a tear from his eye. "So who's your dad?"
She narrowed her eyes a bit. "Reala."
Jackle began to laugh even more. "REALA?! HA! This is too much! AHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Hope glared at Jackle and was becoming very annoyed with him. "Fine. Go laugh your head off, you insane lunatic." She turned around and started to fly away.
"HAHAHA-- hey, wait, Hope!" Jackle grabbed her arm.
Hope looked at him and was about to tell him to let go, but there was something in his eyes and something about that smile that made her hold her tongue.
"Gee, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad." He stiffled a giggle. "See, a while ago, Wizeman's latest Nightmarens met up with me and my gang. They told us what had happened and then they said something so crazy, even I didn't believe it!"
"And what was that?"
"That NiGHTS and Reala had fallen in love and put Wizeman in 'temporary death'. Most of us dismissed the fact as being nothing more than an excuse to leave Nightmare." He brightened. "But thanks to you, I know it's true! Oh man, wait 'til the guys hear this!"
Hope frowned. She hadn't wanted to help Jackle at all like that, but there was something she didn't understand. "What do you mean by 'temporary death'?"
Jackle explained, "It's impossible to kill Wizeman permenantly because he's, well, a god. But, according to my knowledge, he's been beaten by Visitors on two occasions. The first time, Visitors put him in 'temporary death' for about 10 or 11 years. The second time wasn't as long; about 6 years." He paused, looking up thoughtfully. "Now, if I'm calculating correctly, this must be the 12th year since your parents put Wizeman in this 'temporary death'. Who knows when he'll come back, though. Might take one year, might take many."
Hope couldn't help feeling that Jackle wasn't telling the truth. "You're lying." she said, taking a skeptical step back. "My parents said that Wizeman is never coming back, and I believe anything my parents say."
"Did you believe them when they told you I was a Nightmaren?"
Hope felt a pang of guilt; she had forgotten about that. She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. She looked down sadly.
"Uh-huh. Didn't think so." More sympathetically, Jackle added, "And I hate to tell you this, Hope, but NiGHTS and Reala are Nightmarens too."
"Stop! Please." Hope begged. "I...I don't want to hear anymore."
"Ok, I understand. It's not easy suddenly realizing that you're one of us, is it?"
Hope felt a rush of anger and she yanked her arm from Jackle's grip. "You know what? My parents were right. You ARE a Nightmaren." And she meant that in the worst way possible.
Ooh... Yeah, uh, please review. I like reviews. :)
