To the characters of this story:
It's been so long-but today I opened my window and it was raining. I looked out that window for all of fifteen minutes, dead to the world, not really thinking of anything. When I came back, I couldn't write anything on what I was working on and I couldn't find myself to do something pointless and trivial. So I opened Word and thought of you.
I don't think any of you are left who will find the motivation or willingness to read it; I think I'll update this for the few that will. Or maybe just for some sort of personal retribution.
Unless you want to be confused or bored or whatever else comes out of this, please, don't read it. I posted this solely for personal comfort. Between this chapter and the last I'm pretty sure there's been over six months-I'm not even bothering to check. I don't talk to you guys anymore. Almost at all. If I do update this, it'll be extremely sporadic. But I swear to god I'll finish this-for myself, if no one else.
Thanks.
Both Eva and Hello looked at Damien's back, bored out of their minds. The hallways were beginning to change shape, darkening, and the torches that lit the passages beginning to slow, the windows disappearing. The darkness grew deeper, almost as if they were going underground. Damien noticed nothing, too self-absorbed was he; unless he'd just traveled the passageway itself too many times to take notice of it any more.
Suddenly he whirled around, his cold dark eyes turning darker—if that was possible. An arm flung back, pinning Eva up against a side wall, just under a torch, by her throat. Hello screamed as Eva grappled frantically with the choking hands; Damien paid her no attention.
"Who is your employer?!"
For all his boasts, his voice was sharp and deep now—drastically different. Hello could only stare wide-eyed at Eva, horrified.
Damien pressed an arm higher and shoved Eva up. A gurgling noise started from the bottom of the girl's throat; the torch above seemed to be giving off too much heat—or was it just her? "Tell me. Who is your employer?!"
Hello jerked to her senses. "We don't have an employer! We don't! We don't!" She tugged frantically at Damien's arm, half-sobbing with fear.
Damien planted a foot on her stomach and shoved her away. "Stupid little girl. Who told you to wear those? Those…things." The word that was supposed to mean 'clothes' stood with intense dislike and disgust. Apparently they should've worn dresses before they climbed into the time machine.
Eva was gasping now—the torch alone was right above her. She would be choked to death if her t-shirt didn't catch fire first.
"No one! Let her go!" But Hello could only sit on the floor now, sobbing too hard to get up.
Damien's lip curled in a disgusted snarl. Eva dropped on the ground beside Hello; apparently, for all her MewMew powers she'd joked about, they didn't exist in real life. "You will stay here until you make it clear," Damien hissed, pressing an unseen button on the wall. A wall that looked like it was fit for a dungeon door slammed down between them. "And, in the meantime, I'll go kill the others."
Hello cried; how could they win if they'd already failed?
Arieda caught up with Iris's retreating form. Steeling her nerves, she whispered, "Where are you going?"
Iris slowly turned around. "Aren't you supposed to be ahead of me? And where's Hello?"
Arieda shrunk back. For some reason, she felt comfortable with the rest of the group, but Iris…no. Iris was very kind, she could see that easily, but it was more of an instinctual feeling that was telling Arieda to stay away from her. Maybe it was just the fact that Arieda didn't know her very well…
But she was one of the people that knew the truth about Iris, and she knew that no one would accept her after they heard the truth. Being Half-Vesper wasn't something she was very proud of.
"She went back with Eva. She told me to help you search for Lappy…if that's what you're doing, of course."
Iris looked at her for a minute, calculating options.
"Fine. Follow me."
Lapulta had dreamed—real dreams, mind you—that she would someday meet Madeleine Elizabeth Cahill in the flesh. At the bottom of her heart, she knew that…(alright) Madeleine really didn't have black hair, and…(actually) she never knew her brothers and sisters as a family. But it was so good to dream, and either way, even hugging the little baby-Madeleine would be alright. Because she knew, deep down in her heart, that Madeleine would still be the same. The configuration would be the same, if not the hardware.
The girl smiled, forgetting her stubbed toe. Oh—life really was good.
"Who are thee?" The voice was soft, but sorrow-filled and heavy with melancholy hints. "If you are one of Vesper's he is leaving. I would not advise you to be left behind, knowing his temper." Of course, she had gotten a bunt of his temper herself.
Lapulta took a step forward. "I'm not a Vesper," she whispered softly, leaning forward amidst the tall grasses. "I'm—I'm—" A what? A Cahill? Technically…Lapulta didn't even think of the messes that thought would cause. "I'm lost. I came here with my father, but he left, and i don't know where he went. I was supposed to stay with him, but…"
Olivia stood up.
There were beads of perspiration dripping from her forehead; her eyes were tired, hurt, and pain-filled, yet she still had a small smile for a lost girl. "Is he a fellow of Damien Vesper? If so, the main house is down there, by the water."
Lapulta shook her head. "I don't know."
"Well," Olivia looked down at the ground once. Lapulta looked away. "Give me a moment, then I can help you find your father."
Lapulta nodded once, then sat down on the ground, almost not daring to look at the corpse of Gideon nearby.
Iris had no intention of sticking with Arieda. There was no metaphorical glue stick, her not knowing Arieda too well at all. Arieda also seemed a bit like a couple of the other people—rather scared of her, a bit on the side of I'm-edging-my-chair-away-from-you-as-you-think feeling. She knew it was probably in her head, but it didn't really matter at this point.
Iris had every intention of letting Arieda be with Madeleine and Olivia. After all, everyone deserved the right to be with their own family. She herself felt the undeniable urge to seek out Olivia, tell her everything, comfort her.
Iris had no intention of doing just what she wanted. If she was going to drag herself down to the dock kicking herself furiously, she would. Lapulta, Hello, Arieda, Eva—all of them were taking care of business here, on Cahill Island. Iris had business elsewhere, though: checking on the siblings.
Iris had every intention of getting herself on her own. She had had less time to think to herself, lately, and she felt (for some unfathomable reason) that the journey she must undertake the find the secret of a family gone wrong must be a journey undertaken alone.
Hello paced back and forth in the small, filthy cell. She glanced sporadically at Eva, hoping that she would respond to something. Hello sighed and plopped down on the hard, cold floor. Eva stared with blank, vacant eyes, and knew that Hello was thinking something along the lines of Eva's thoughts.
It's hopeless. We've failed.
The only thing they could do now as hope that Arieda had caught up with Iris and that the two were now on their way to find Iris. Hello looked at Eva and Eva nodded, a sign that they were thinking along the same lines.
Hello frowned. "Hey, Eva?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't tell anyone about this, but I don't feel very comfortable around Iris. It's always this bad feeling that I can't understand, but…oh, forget it. Eva, what are we going to do?"
The whisper rang across the room, and there was no reply. No one would come and help them. All they had was each other.
Hello stood up, and Eva tried to follow, thoughts chasing around her head like a cat chasing its own tail.
Mew Ichigo would've gotten up…Mew Ichigo would've gotten up…
Eva's eyes closed as her limbs remained unresponsive.
Mew Ichigo would've gotten up…
Finally, after a few minutes, Eva's eyes fluttered open.
I may not be a real Mew Mew, but I have the strength to pretend to be one…
Hello leaned against the wall, bowing her head and slowly cradling her face in her hands, heaving dry sobs, pressing the bars. "Help," she whispered.
There was, naturally, no answer.
"I don't deserve to be a Cahill," Hello muttered bitterly.
"Yes, yes yo-you do-do," Eva said hoarsely, trying to stand up. Failing, she collapsed again and raised a hand. "A little help he-here?"
Hello whipped her head around, smiling sheepishly when she saw Eva lying on the ground.
"Sorry 'bout that," she said, helping her stand.
Eva rubbed the dark rings around her neck where Damien had choked her. "Great. Now my boyfriend's gonna ask about this."
Hello yelped, quirking an eyebrow and letting go of Eva, who almost fell into the wall. "YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND?! Who?! When?! How?!"
Eva rolled her eyes and held up her hands. "Yes, I have a boyfriend, but now's not the time to discuss him. Where are the others? For God's sake, we can't get separated in a place like this! And now that Damien knows we're fakes, the whole castle will be on alert!"
Hello smirked in reply. "Not to worry. I think I just found an escape route." Hello sat down again, patting the sewer vent she was now seated comfortably on. "All our problems can be solved this way. Plus, it's kind of our only hope…"
Eva laughed harshly at Hello's added mutter before shuddering as a trickle of grimy liquid (hopefully not urine) ran into the sewer. A sewer? Ew.
Then, a small smile spread on her face. The Mew Mews once scoured the sewers! I can act out what happened!
"Let's go!" she said eagerly.
"Uh…Okay…If you say so…" Hello said uncertainly, opening the vent, taking care to avoid the liquid.
Eva lowered herself in a bit, checking for guards. When she didn't see or hear anything, she whipped out a flashlight and dropped a few feet to the ground.
"Coast's clear!" She called.
Swinging around the flashlight, Eva stepped forward a few feet, Hello dropping close behind her.
Now, let's hope Damien doesn't keep alligators around as pets.