LK-wow! Thank you so very much to SilverwingXMoonrise and PhantomsAngel189 for the reviews! I am so very grateful! Sorry for the long wait, testing this week, bleh XP So here is the next (late) update nya!
Special Thanks to MarHeavenAngel for being my beta!
Disclaimer: Coffee makes you have weird dreams involving inanimate objects…they wont leave my head alone so I write them up on fan fiction, so no, I do not own MÄR.
By: Lonely Kitty
Ch.03 Dull Eyes
Ever-Lasting Regret
It was morning. She hated mornings. Maybe… in the past, did she like them? It was hard to remember and even harder to suppress the burning sensation threatening to spill out from her chest. Nova closed her eyes and covered herself with the soft comforter surrounding her body. Sleep. That's what she wanted to do. Sleep for as long as she could. After all, sleeping took her mind off of the dull pain in her chest.
She felt, rather than heard, the door open as a burst of cold air entered her room. She didn't even have to think to know who it was.
She slowly lifted her heavy, tired body from the bed. She rubbed her eyes and stared at the face smiling at her.
"Good morning Nova-chan! Did you have a good sleep?" He said walking over to her bed side.
"What is it that you need Phantom-sama?" Nova's voice was quiet and monotones. Phantom mocked a pout as he sighed at the emotionless girl.
"I told you to call me Tom! Nova-chan, call me Tom." The man exclaimed happily as he reached out to ruffle her dark blue hair playfully.
Phantom stared at Nova with a cold piercing glare. Daring her, almost mockingly, for her to disobey a direct order from one whom she so loathed before.
"Alright…Tom." The monotone voice did not change as a happy grin covered the dead man's face.
"Good girl! Now, the knights will have a meeting in the usual place. Now get dressed and hurry up." Phantom said, while smiling with his fake cheerful grin. He placed his hand on her shoulder, gripping it menacingly. He tightened her grip and she winced at the steadily growing pain. It made her sick somewhere in the pit of her stomach that she was bound by his laws.
"Sure Tom…ill be there in a while." She replied in a defeated monotone. His grip lessened as his hand withdrew its firm grip from her shoulder.
She replied for the third time in the same monotone voice. His grip lessened as his hand withdrew its firm grip from her shoulder. He smiled with fake tenderness again before heading for the door. His steps were silent as he made his way to the brass handle of the door.
He firmly gripped the knob, and turned to look at Nova on more time. This time the smile he wore on his face was much more menacing grin. Phantom then uttered in a bone-chilling voice, "I'll see you there." Phantom grinned giddily and left without another word.
The sound of the door closing shut still echoed in her mind. Nova stared blankly at the door for a while before climbing out of her bed. She trembled a bit as her bare feet touched the ice cold floor. She tiptoed to the bathroom, making sure her feet didn't touch the floor more than necessary.
As she reached the bathroom she shed her cloths and turned on the hot water all the way. She slowly stepped on and sank lower into the water. Bubbles floated up from beneath the warm water and made pops to quiet to be heard. She lifted up her hand as she absentmindly traced over the curves of the cursed mark on her body…
-:-
An hour later, Nova was walking down the darkened hall to the appointed meeting place. She passes other Chess members without a simple 'hello'. A few were snickering;
"Pet" or "Phantom's lap dog" and other similar colorful words.
She paid them no mind, after six years of constant jeers, it was easier to ignore. Suddenly, Nova was given a harsh push from a tall figured girl. She fell to the floor landing ungracefully to the floor.
"Oh, I'm sooo sorry Nova-chan, I just don't see little tramps like you." Candice roared with laughter as she walked away with several other rooks and bishops. Apparently, the daily performed ritual hadn't lost its fun. Though Nice and Candice never came in the same sentence, unless you go by the name Phantom.
Nova tried feebly to stagger upward but fell backwards halfway up. A sharp pain shot up from her right hand as she slammed it against the wall.
She winced as she attempted to lift it up. Her legs hurt so much that she started shaking trying to get up. It was most likely sprained, she deduced. 'I guess all those falls finally took their toll…'
Nova sighed as she leaned against the solid stone of the wall. She could feel it in her bones. Blood would fall someday soon. Her unharmed hand twitched excitedly, almost eager for a fight. Nova shifted uncomfortably. 'did I always love to fight with this passion…?' Nova shuddered, 'no, I couldn't have' she thought with uncertainty.
"Well lookie here! I found a little lost child!" exclaimed the voice of a young man.
The girl's eyes shot open as she glanced wildly around for the mysterious voice. Her eyes finally focused on a young man with spiky hair and a cattish grin. Ian stretched his hand out for her to take.
"Ian." she said gratefully.
Out of all of the Chess that she knew, Ian was one of the kindest. The air around him just made her want to smile all day long.
"You know, it really is a privilege to make you smile, Nova-chan. After all, there are only five of us who can!" Ian said cheerfully.
"You just beat Ash's record of eleven." Nova replied playfully. Ian grinned wider at her little joke.
"Are you going to see Gido?" Nova asked politely. Thought she knew the answer before even asking. Ian gave a quick nod.
"Tell her I said hi." Ian gave a salute and walked away, calling out a goodbye.
Nova smiled after him for a while. Gido was another person who she liked to spend time with. She always smiled and gave her a hug. But she always seemed to look so sadly at her as well. 'I wonder why…'
-:-
Before she knew it, Nova was standing before the iron doors of the Board. Phantom had called it that because it was where they 'made their moves ahead of time as the Cross Guard made their first' she gave a gentle push and walked into the large room. She took her seat between Ash and Weasel. Phantom gave her a cold glance before standing.
"Welcome my friends, now, let's talk about some issues concerning the second War Games."
A shiver ran down Nova's back as he said that. "The Second War Games…"
What startled her though, wasn't the fear of the upcoming Games, but the tremble of delight tickling her every nerve.
-:-
Ian's P.O.V
Honestly, seeing that girl on the floor, again, made me want to puke.
"I don't know that much about her, she never told me…actually, no one told me…come to think of it…NO ONE EVER TELLS ME THAT KIND OF STUFF, JERKS!! Wait; wasn't she involved in the last war games? I don't know how that was possible though, she's like what, sixteen? That would make her ten when the last war game was going on. The Cross Guard were determined to win but sending out children to fight? Now, that's something even The Chess wouldn't do. I mean if Chess did that, nobody would hear the end of if from Ash…but then again, Rolan fought in the last games…and he's 17! SO WAIT, HE WAS 11 DURING THE LAST FIGHT?! But, I don't think Ash was recruited back then…AGGH! Man I'm getting a headache!" I thought grabbing my head, from giving myself a migraine.
I simply sighed, thinking about when I saw her walk away into that room where the meeting was at. Her soft steps made ominous sounds and they echoed through my mind. If there was one thing about Nova that I didn't like, it was her eyes. They seemed so dead. Like she didn't even care what happened to her. I shivered as I knocked on Gido's door.
She opened the door on the third knock and gladly let me in. I gave her a quick hug before raiding her small fridge that was conveniently locked away in her closet.
"Hey…"she said rather upset, "You know that those are only for special occasions." Gido was referring to when Nova would make one of her rare visits. Apparently, she was still being watched like a hawk. Whatever she was involved in, it must have been big.
"This is a special occasion!" I said happily.
I snatched a random bag of chips and ripped them open. I grabbed a handful and ate them without listening to her. She gave a half hearted glare at me before sharing in the feast.
"Really now, so what's the occasion?" she asked munching on a chip.
"I just beat Ash's record! And I made Nova-chan laugh!" I boasted while laughing at Gido's expression.
"Really?! Wow! This really is the occasion then!" She said, joking back, and began eating with more enthusiasm. "Where is she then?" She glanced around as if the girl would pop out of thin air. This is where I faltered. "Well…she…I think there was a Knight meeting, I saw Candice heading the same way."
"Oh…" Gido let out a soft sigh as she smiled half-heartedly. I wrapped an arm around her, I hated that expression.
Gido said solemnly, "Her eyes…they always look so…"
"Dull." I finished for her. She nodded as we looked at the Chess emblem hanging above our heads.
tbc?
(1). Nova kind of went into a coma for two years…so that's why Ian thinks she's 16. Technically she is 18. Hey, does it count if she wasn't conscious for two years?!
LK-whew, again, I would like to thank MarHeavenAngel again for being my beta!! Please review! Ill do my best nya!
Lonely Kitty