Gentle Moonlight
Chapter 4
Grumbling, Jenna made her way to the small nook that everyone had appointed the breakfast room. Like normal, there were boxes scattered all over the place. 'What DOES Piers put in those things?' Jenna wondered. She shuffled to her usual place and knelt before a crate, eyeing the piece of bread that Kraden had set there. The remaining members of the party also filed in and began to dine on their light meal, chatting quietly amongst themselves. Jenna grabbed an apple from Isaac when he wasn't looking and scooted over to her brother, who was gnawing on his bread like a squirrel. "Felix?"
He stopped in mid-nibble. "Hmm?"
"Where are we going next?" Jenna bit into the apple vigorously.
"Kalt Island."
"Isn't that near your 'Prox' village?"
"Yes."
"Oh, go—"
Just then, Mia cleared her throat and raised a timid hand. "Excuse me?" Every mouth closed and face turned to consider the Mercury Adept. "I... uh..." she began shyly. "I seem to have lost something very important to me..."
Jenna's body tensed. 'The diary.' Had Mia found out already?
"It's a thick book with a brown covering. If anyone finds it..." She trailed off, then her eyes began to glow a bright red. "RETURN IT TO ME IMMEDIATELY!"
Then, as if the outburst hadn't occurred, Mia went back to quietly popping berries into her mouth. An uncomfortable silence fell over the Adepts like a moth-eaten blanket. Then, one by one, they began to glance at each other warily. And the most wary of all was a certain Jupiter Adept...
Sheba asserted her powers into the open, reaching for what information she could gather. She felt Ivan do the same.
'What kind of shampoo does Mia use? I wonder what shampoo she uses...'
'Bread... bread... bread! FOOD! Apples, bread, corn, yummy yummy food!'
'Gosh... Mia sure looked pretty. Erm, pretty scary. Yeah, that's it. Pretty scary.'
'Oh no, I dropped my toothpick.'
'Beard beard beard beard beard beard beard beard beard beard beard...'
Sheba arched an eyebrow at Jenna's thoughts, while Ivan giggled at Felix's apparently hilarious thoughts. Why was Jenna being so guarded and... strange? Almost certainly Jenna was either going insane or was possessed by Mia's book. Uh, possessed Mia's book, that is. 'A little investigation later will clear that up. Hehehe...'
After the oh-so-exciting breakfast, each member of the crew retreated to his or her own niche in the ship. Well, almost every member...
Jenna settled into Felix's bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. The air was practically glacial in northern Weyard, and it only grew colder as they continued. Wanting to finish the journal as soon as she could, and having resolved to read it in every spare second, she pulled it out. Better to finish the book and face Mia's wrath, than to not finish it and still face Mia's wrath. Sighing, Jenna felt sadly paranoid.
Entry 11
I am so annoyed! Mother still refuses to take me to Mercury Lighthouse. But I want to go there so much... She says she'll take me when she's ready and when I am. I am ready! Stupid parental figure...
I spent most of the week exploring Imil with Megan and Justin, wasting my spare time with Grandpa. I've met most everybody in Imil now. But some people are in the southern towns Kolima and Bilibin to stock up for the winter, they say. Even though it's only fall now. Winter is my favorite season because it's the snowiest and the season of my birthday. Only a few more months until I'll be turning fourteen. I can't wait to see what's in store me from Alex. Hehehehe...
On Wednesday, Megan told me about a "festival" held in Bilibin. It's a celebration for the coming of spring and for young maidens. Megan says that she has a dress from her real mother and offered it to me. I refused. If I didn't have Mother anymore, I would definitely keep all her belongings, and if anyone did so much as lay a finger on them, I'd kill them.
Remembering the red glow in Mia's eyes, Jenna did not doubt this statement in the slightest.
Strangely, I haven't seen Aunt Ci around much lately. Whenever Alex is sitting by himself somewhere she always drags him off to do some thing or another. Maybe I'll spy on them tomorrow. I'm a wicked girl, huh?
Megan and Justin introduced me to a boy from Kolima called Bennie. The little boy is about the same age as Justin and just as weird. He came with his mother and father, Laura and Peter. His parents are also a little eccentric, but they seem kind enough. My friends also introduced me to the Innkeeper's family, who invited us to a welcoming dinner set the day after tomorrow. Wallace and Lory, the Innkeeper and his wife, have a son named Daryn about my age. I'll update on the dinner and more of Imil later.
But just as Jenna turned the page, her door swung open and Sheba jumped in. "Ha! Caught you in the act, thief!" She cackled evilly as Jenna began to panic.
"But, I was just...!"
Sheba smiled sadistically, lavender eyes twinkling bright. "You do know what will happen if Mia finds out, don't you?" She laughed, watching the journal like a cat eyeing tuna. "She will come for you in the night. I can see it now, sweet little Mia brandishing Isaac's Masamune, towering over you with maniacal laughter, muscles bulging, sweat pouring—"
"Please, Sheba, don't tell her!" Jenna pleaded, actually more indignant than troubled. 'Great, Sheba has the ultimate piece of blackmail and I'm stuck as the culprit. My only hope is to turn it around...' "...You know, you can read it too if you don't tell her."
"Yeah, right," the Laliveran scoffed. "So I can be massacred by a psycho Adept right alongside you? Do you think I'm stupid?"
'Well... Yes.' "No, of course not!"
Sheba scowled. "I can read your mind, you know." Being a Jupiter Adept had never been so useful. "Also, I'm not going to give up my blackmail so easily."
Sighing, the older girl said, "Oh, c'mon. There's a lot of juicy stuff in here! I won't tell if you won't..."
Hesitating, Sheba said, "Tempting, but no. Besides, what if Ivan finds out? Then he can blackmail both of us."
"Oh, that sounds like fun!" said a voice from the doorway. "Big mistake leaving the door open, Sheba." Ivan strutted into the room and grinned viciously. "Big mistake."
Jenna joined Sheba in groaning. Unless she teamed up with Sheba, there would be no hope left. She would be the eternal slave of two evil Jupiter Adepts. Her groan only grew louder when Ivan slammed Felix's door shut. All of this was Sheba's fault... If she hadn't come snooping...
"So, which of you should I make my slave first?"
Sheba glowered, protesting, "But you can't do that to me, I wasn't reading the diary! It was Jenna!"
Jenna shot a glare at the girl. 'Bad, bad Sheba. Bad.'
Ivan laughed at Jenna. "Not if I tell her that you were considering reading it. And think about it, Sheba, whom do you think Mia would be more likely to believe? Polite little Ivan or disruptive, annoying Sheba? Who does Mia trust more?" A smirk twisted on the midget's face as he watched the other Jupiter Adept grind her teeth angrily. "Now, appealing as having both of you be my everlasting slave girls is, I'm actually curious about this diary of Mia's."
Jenna and Sheba looked at each other, eyebrows shooting up. "And...?"
"And if the three of us read her diary and tell no one, then I'll agree to not run to Mia. What do you think, Sheba?"
Scowling, she said, "I'd rather not put myself in danger... But I guess I'll have to agree."
"Jenna?"
"Well..." Jenna hung her head. The secret was out in the open. "I don't have a choice. I promise not to tell anyone."
Ivan smiled. "Let's get started, then!" The three Adepts crowded onto Felix's bed, opening the forbidden diary.
Yugi: Yay! Originally, I had planned more to happen in this chapter, but I decided to stop here. Poor Jenna...
The next chapter should come out soon. Hopefully. I'm also working on a one-chaptered story called Rest In Peace Little One, so expect that either today or tomorrow. Now please leave a review. If you do, I'll give you Oreos!
(looks in cupboards)
Okay, so I don't have any Oreos!? Well then, I'll give you a SPECIAL-EDITION Chibi PICARD plushie and a complimentary Chibi HAMA plushie! So review for your plushies, darlings! And Happy Flashlight Day!!