The Girl from the Unknown by The Lady of Dragons

Chapter 4: Nightmares, Visions, and Day Dreams Oh my!

Part 1 – Nightmares

Eli was peacefully asleep in room when the calm nothingness of his subconscious started to become twisted. One moment he was blissfully unaware of anything and the next he was thrown into a strange and unfamiliar place. To describe the nightmare in more detail would go something like this: a freaked out slideshow of mashed up people and places Eli knew but didn't know at the same time. It was as if someone had taken his memories, torn them into bits and shoved them all back together. He saw a picture his father from years ago, the laughing face of Dr. Blakk as the picture burned to ashes. He saw his friends in a prison cell, forced to watch their slugs being ghouled. He saw a girl with short red hair and bright purple eyes. A boy stood beside her who looked like he could be her twin brother. The girl looked at him and spoke in a hissing, whispering voice:

"Shane. You have no idea what Fate and I have in store for you. Your path will cross with that of two others, but when the dust clears only two of you with stand to walk away." she let lose a menacing laugh and then faded away with the boy.

After another flash of incomprehensible pieces he saw who he thought was Lyaru but she looked different. She was wearing a grey jacket with the hood pulled up over her head covering part of her face, and her hair was untied. Her blaster and slugs were gone and she seemed to be running from something or someone. A look of determination gleamed in her eyes but it turned to fear and sheer terror a second later. She ran faster and suddenly Blakk grabbed her by the wrist and threw her in a prison cell in his citadel that had appeared out of nowhere as things often do in dreams and nightmares. She screamed and clutched at her throat like someone was choking her. The scene vanished and was replaced by a bird's eye view of Slugterra. And all of it was burning, the strange dark flames devouring everything in their path. He could hear the cries of the slugs and people below. He tried to yell but his mouth refused to make a sound.

Thud. Eli woke with a start and found himself on the floor of his room. His back hurt from where he had landed on it and he was drenched in sweat. Burpy hopped over to him and chirped worriedly.

"It's ok Burpy" Eli assured his slug, though he was not really sure of that himself "It was only a nightmare" he sat up and climbed back into bed. It was about 6am. He groaned and accepted the fact that he was not getting anymore sleep. Instead he decided to ponder what his dream had meant. The burning picture part wasn't complicated, neither was the bit with his friends, he blamed Blakk for his father's disappearance and was afraid his friends would end up prisoners or hurt. It was the part with the unknown boy and girl that worried him as well as what the girl had said. It sounded like a prophecy of sorts but what did that mean "you have no idea what fate and I have in store for you"? What about "your path will cross with that of two others" or "when the dust clears only two of you will stand"? And let's not forget that troubling scene with Lyaru. 'I've known her for two days and already I'm having nightmares about her being captured and hurt. I guess I must really care about her' he thought to himself 'But I just met her, this is ridiculous. I'm probably just tired and that's making me have weird dreams. I've noticed that I have strange dreams when I'm tired' he nodded to himself and went downstairs, pausing only to let Burpy climb on his shoulder.

Part 2 – Visions

In the main room the others, except for pronto, were up and about. Kord was eating cereal in the kitchen and Trixie was scanning the news website at her computer, Pronto just snored louder.

"Morning Eli" Trixie called without looking away from her computer

"Morning" he replied, heading to the kitchen to get some cereal.

"You know Eli, I was thinking" Kord said

"What about?" Eli prompted

"You can't stay cooped up here forever, and if I know you, you wouldn't even if you could" Kord told him "So what if we get you a disguise so you can come out with us?"

"That's actually a good idea" Trixie said, sitting next to them "Though you wouldn't be able to use Burpy, unless we go some of that slug paint slingers use to customize their slugs and pained him like a Flaringo, then nobody would get suspicious, so long as you don't shout his name all over the place"

"Alright then! I'm up for a new look. Let's do it" Eli declared "After I finish breakfast that is" they finished eating and had started going through some options for Eli's disguise when Lyaru showed up.

She knocked on the door and called "Ding-dong!" when Pronto opened the door she asked "Is that better?"

"Much appreciated" he nodded and stepped aside, letting her in. She took three steps in, stopped dead in her tracks and tried really hard not to laugh. Eli was wearing a mustache and a sombrero along with a poncho that, overall, made him look ridiculous.

"Eli, what the heck are you wearing?" she asked, stifling a snicker

"It's a disguise so that I can go out on public" he explained

"I'm no fashion expert but I'd say you still wouldn't want to go out in public looking like that" she replied. She finally lost control and burst out laughing. The others started laughing too.

"Hey! You told me it didn't look stupid!" Eli whirled and glared at Trixie and Kord.

"Stupid is an understatement" Pronto said "Pronto would say you look like a fool on his way to the idiot convention"

"I'm with him, Eli" Lyaru agreed. Eli crossed his arms and stared moodily at Kord and Trixie again. 'Great, thanks guys' he thought 'Now I look like an idiot in front of her. Wait, why do I care what she thinks anyway? Whatever, this is still embarrassing, regardless of whether she's here to see it' Eli pulled off his disguise and flopped down on the chair behind him. Lyaru stopped laughing and gave him a thoughtful look that made him rather uncomfortable.

"Here I've got an idea" she started toward the pile of stuff they had been going through then paused "May I?"

"Of course" Trixie indicated the pile "Go right ahead" Lyaru nodded and began to riffle through the articles. Every few items she would take one and throw it towards Eli, who caught them and began to make a new pile.

"Go try that on" Lyaru told him confidently

"Ok" Eli shrugged and picked up the pile. He walked out of the room.

"So what's your idea?" Kord asked

"The best place to hide is in plain sight, so if he's going to be out and about with you then he has to look the opposite of who he is, right?"

"Right" Trixie agreed

"And since he's hero boy, make him the opposite, more simply; dark, quiet, totally out of character"

"Ah! Now I get it" Kord nodded "Not a bad idea at all"

"Thanks" Lyaru said "Now what are you going to do about his slugs?"

"Well we're thinking slug paint for them, and so long as Eli doesn't shout their names all the time no one should notice" Kord replied

"Another good idea" Lyaru told him

"So guys, how do I look?" Eli asked walking back in

"Like you're not you" Kord said

"Actually you look like you could be Lyaru's twin" Trixie remarked

"Whoa, you're right. That's creepy" Lyaru agreed

"Is that a bad thing?" Eli asked, feeling rather awkward

"Actually" Trixie said thoughtfully "We could use that to our advantage" both Eli and Lyaru looked at her "Say we go out on a mission, bring Lyaru with us, provided you want to come, and Eli comes with us, looking like he does now. They look similar enough that if anyone asks we tell them that you two are siblings"

Eli thought for a moment "That is just crazy enough to work, assuming you're alright with that?" he asked Lyaru

"I don't know. I'll have to think about it. If I go out there Blakk may discover I'm the one who's been harassing him, and if he finds out who I am then he'll go after my family. I can't risk anything happening to my parents or my little brother"

"You have a little brother?" Kord asked

"Yeah I didn't mention it before because it wasn't important. His name is Sam and he's seven"

"If Blakk has never seen you then he wouldn't know you're the one who's been sabotaging him" Trixie said

"Like I said, I don't think he's ever seen me, but for all I know he could know everything about me"

"You think about it" Eli said kindly. He didn't want to force anyone into anything they didn't want to do.

"Thanks, though I can help you with another aspect of your disguise"

"And what would that be?" Trixie asked

"The slug paint" Lyaru replied "I have a friend who's an artist. She customizes slugs, mechabeasts, and blasters for a living and owes me a few favors. She'd paint your slugs no questions asked if I decide to cash in one of those favors"

"Sounds good to me" Eli said "What do you guys think?" he looked down at his slugs. They chirped and made little noises of agreement

"There's only one thing, you can't come Eli" Lyaru told him

"I guess one of the others will have to go with you" he said. Lyaru nodded and glanced expectantly at the others.

"I'll go" Trixie volunteered

"Sure. We can head out whenever you like. It's a bit of a ride though, so you may want to get ready" Lyaru suggested

"I can be ready in ten minutes" Trixie replied

"Sounds good to me" Lyaru nodded and Trixie left to gather her things "What are you going to do about your mecha, Eli?"

Kord rubbed his chin thought fully "I've got an idea about that but it's going to take some time"

"That sounds interesting" Eli said "Can I give you a hand with it?"

"I don't see why not" Kord shrugged

"Perfect. It'll give me something to do"

Trixie returned a few minutes later and Eli coaxed his slugs into his backpack. He handed it to Lyaru who took it gently. Burpy popped out of the top and looked at Eli mournfully.

"Hey don't worry buddy, it's only for a little bit" Eli assured him

"Yes and I promise to take good care of you" Lyaru said. Dracon hopped onto her shoulder and said something to Burpy, which evidently make the little Infernus feel better, for he grinned and ducked back into the backpack.

"If only we could speak slug" Kord said, shaking his head slowly

"Then all the problems in the world would no doubt be solved" Lyaru agreed sadly. She walked towards the door and Trixie followed. They rode away and into the jungle. When they reached the end of the cavern they went through a tunnel and immerged into the nearby town. They raced through several more towns and caverns and even skirted the edge of Shadow Clan territory, which made Trixie rather nervous. Lyaru just looked even more grim than usual and just stared blankly at the road ahead of her. They had been riding for about an hour and a half and Trixie was about to ask where exactly they were going when Lyaru stopped.

Part 3 – Daydreams

"We're here" she announced solemnly and rode forward at a slower pace. Trixie looked around. They were in one of the renowned craft centers scattered throughout the caverns of Slugterra. These villages were where people gifted in any form of art or construction usually went to either learn or set up shop. You could find anyone from a custom parts dealer for mechas to someone who made jewelry for slugs. This was the place to go if you wanted to make a living doing art.

"My friend's shop is just around the corner. She likes privacy so you don't have to worry about eavesdroppers or spies"

"Good to know"

"This way" they rounded a corner and came to a halt in front of a neat, well kept shop. Lyaru pushed open the door, causing the little bell to jingle. Despite the noise no one answered. Lyaru frowned in irritation and walked over to the counter. She banged loudly on the counter with her fist and called "Oi! Zeck! Get out here! I've got a job for you!" (AN: I don't mean Zeke, I mean Zeck, it's not a typo)

"My my, it's been a long time since I've had heard that voice. I thought you and your family had all forgotten about me, Lya dear" a soft voice purred. A blonde woman of middling height strode through a door behind the counter. Her eyes were a mottled brow color and her clothes bronze-yellow clothes were covered with small designs in various colors of paint. Her brown work boots looked worn and were covered with scuff marks.

"Hardly forgotten. We just haven't had the time to come and visit you of late. If you hadn't noticed Blakk is trying to take over the caverns and enslave us all"

"Of course I noticed" the woman, Zeck, snapped "Question is, what are you going to do about it?"

"Me?"

"No I was talking to the other Lyaru in the room" Trixie snickered and Zeck looked at her, as if she was noticing the redhead for the first time "And may I ask why you have a member of the Shane gang with you?" to Trixie she said more politely "It's a pleasure to meet you"

"Um thanks" Trixie said, slightly confused by the sudden change in attitude.

Lyaru had decided they had wasted enough time with pleasantries "Listen Zeck, I haven't got a clue what you mean by 'what am I going to do about it' but I came here because I need you to do what you do best, and I don't mean mock people with overcomplicated words"

"So you've got some slugs you want me to paint?"

"Bingo. There's a lot of em' you up for it? Remember you owe me"

"Yeah I'll do it. I've been bored out of my mind so something to do is welcome. Let me see them"

"Here" Lyaru handed her Eli's backpack

"Wow" Zeck whistled "You got any specifications?"

"A few" Lyaru listed out some specific descriptions for Eli's slugs and Zeck wrote them down.

She nodded once and disappeared into the back room calling over her shoulder "This is gonna take a while, I hope you brought something to do. Make yourselves at home in the front room"

Lyaru sat down on a chair and pulled a book of crossword puzzles out of her bag. Trixie sat down across from her on the couch.

"So what were the specifications for?" Trixie asked

"Two things: one, if I had just told her to have at it she'd have turned them all rainbow and if you have a bunch of rainbow slugs for a serious slinger like Eli it's going to look like something's up, and two, they have to be darker, more somber colored if you want them to fit in with his disguise"

"Good thinking, I hadn't even thought of that"

"Thanks. Here" she tossed another crossword book to Trixie "I always bring an extra" A couple of hours later they had almost finished both crossword books when Zeck finally came out of her workroom, holding the backpack full of the newly Goth-ified slugs.

"Here you go" she handed the backpack to Lyaru and crossed her arms "If you ever want to let me have a go at your little Draco slug just give the word"

"You are not going to paint Dracon rainbow" Lyaru said flatly

"Fine, fine, just go on then and leave me in peace"

"Sure thing" Lyaru shouldered the backpack and followed Trixie back to the mechas.

"You sure have some interesting friends Lyaru" Trixie remarked on the ride back

"Yeah. When you've been to as many places as I have you tend to pick up a few odd ones now and then"

"How many places have you been to?"

"I'm not really sure. Slugs, people, names, and places all seem to blur together after a time" Lyaru replied mournfully, looking at the roof of the cavern far above them "I couldn't tell you where I've been, who I've met, and what I've seen. It's all just a bit of a tangle, but I know where I haven't been and I'd remember if I've been somewhere before"

"Oh, I see" Trixie said, even though she didn't "We should be back at the hideout soon" she added, trying to change subjects.

"Yes. I wonder what they came up with for his mecha while we were gone"

"Whatever it is I hope it doesn't blow up in our faces"

"That would be…unfortunate" Lyaru agreed

"Well let's hurry up before it does explode. And knowing them if it does, Pronto will be responsible, just like last time"

"Last time?"

"Don't ask"

"Ok then, let's just go"

End of Chapter 4

Ok so I really do apologize for taking so long to update but I was working on chapters for my other story and some drawings, not to mention the fact that I had no idea how this chapter was going to go at first. I would like to thank all the people who have given me positive review and/or asked for new chapters to be posted. Don't get me wrong, I truly intend to continue this until it's done and I'm not just going to leave it half finished for a year and then start updating. I would love to post chapters as fast as I can, however my imagination and creativity are in a bit of a slump and there's not much I can do about it right now. I'm going to re-watch some of the episodes and hope that that jumpstarts my creative juices. Stay tuned for more mystery, subterfuge, misdirection, and a whole lot of Twist getting kicked in the stomach! Sorry Twist fans, he's a lying backstabber and I don't like him. Thank you once again, the fact that this story gets so many view and reviews is what keeps me writing it. I do also appreciate any guesses as to what may happen in later chapters and any other suggestions, they are very helpful and maybe your idea would even get used in a chapter.

May the stars watch over you.

-Lady of Dragons out! Peace!