Chapter 6: A Year in Crazytown
Hey, my loyal readers, and those new to this story. I was busy this week, but I managed to get this done. Wait till you see what's in store for out little protagonist! As always, fav/follo/review. I promise in the next few chapters there will be more conflict. But for right now, here ya go.
Disclaimer: No. I don't own LoZ. Just...my OC's and plot twist.
It had been a year since I first ended up in Skyloft. I'll admit, it was a challenge at first, balancing school in this world and my home dimension, but I managed. I was on pretty goodterms with most students. I usually hung out with Zelda, Karane, and Link after school. Living a double life didn't mess with my old life too much. I still was in tennis and pep band for my school, I still was a straight A student, and I still had my old friends. Though, a few times, I've almost called Allison 'Karane', but I've usually caught myself. My secret was still safe in both worlds. Only Zelda, Gaepora, and my family knew about the portal, and no-one in Skyloft knew about the video game that paralleled their world so closely.
Most days, I'd sleep at home, head to Skyloft, stay there until nightfall, and then come back to start my Earth day. The Knight's Academy rarely assigned much homework, so I usually had plenty of time to complete both school's work. In fact, I usually would finish both sets of homework in one world, and then would have a bundle of free-time in the other. Popular hangouts in Skyloft outside the academy were the Bazaar or the Lumpy Pumpkin. Sometimes we'd chill by the lake, and sometimes, we'd even swim.
I had learned much from the academy. I was getting pretty good with a sword, and practiced with Link every day. He didn't understand why I was so obsessed with sparring. I was tempted to tell him about his upcoming adventure, but I didn't want to mess with the plot of the story. After all, I still didn't know what my supposed duty was. That still didn't stop me from preparing for a quest. One day, I had even put on armor and we had tossed swords back and forth, and tried to catch each other's weapon mid-swing. Link thought I was crazy and paranoid, but I was preparing us for the fight with Ghirahim.
I was definitely not looking forward to that confrontation. Maybe I would wait outside the boss door. I laughed at the prospect. While Ghirahim was a level-10 psychopath, I still was curious about what it would be like to meet him in person. But I swear, if he so much as brushed against my arm, the little freak was going down. Hopefully, with two against one, the battle would be easy. Well, easier.
While I was loving my new life, I couldn't help but wonder if it was actually real. What if I woke up one day, and found out that this whole thing was just a dream? I would be devastated. Wanting to avoid that, I had made myself a promise one night, after a night spent with my new friends. While I thought it was a good idea to have friends in this world, I didn't want to get too attached to any of them. My fear was one day I would wake up, and I would find out the only time I could see any of them was on a screen. So I had sworn to myself I wouldn't get too attached to anyone in this world. I even wrote it in my notebook. This way, it would sting less if everything were just a dream.
Now I know what you're thinking: How is some random, weaponless girl going to help the Hero of Time on a quest? Here's where you're wrong; I'm not equipment less. I had found five empty bottles throughout the island and filled four with red potion, saved up a couple thousand rupees, and found a bug net. I had also bought my very own adventure pouch. And, since I had been here a year, naturally I'd celebrated my 15thbirthday. From my parents, I'd received a number of things, but in my opinion, the most useful one was a solar charger. It was expensive, but worth it when you lived in an almost medieval society that thrived above the clouds. While there wasn't much electricity, there was a fair amount of sunlight.
I had also received gifts from Zelda and her father as they considered me family. Zelda always said I was like a sister to her. She had given me a sailcloth. She said they were normally given to knights as a reward for winning the Wing Ceremony, but she made a less traditional for me. 'Seeing how you fly, you're going to need it.' She had joked. She mentioned she would've made one for Link, but she thought it would be more meaningful if he received it during the honorary ceremony.
Perhaps the most interesting gift was from Zelda's father. He had noticed that I enjoyed sparring, so he had a special sword made. The blade was silver, and the hilt a beautiful sapphire color. Placed in the hilt was a large, round, amethyst. It looked exactly like the color of my loftwing's eyes. It also came with a matching dagger, as well as scabbards for the both of them. I never left my room without them.
Anyways, back to the present. It was two days before the Wing Ceremony. I thought it was just a normal day. I went through classes as normal, and got to lunch.
"Hey!" Zelda exclaimed.
"Hi!" I said, sitting next to her. I set my salad in front of me. The cafeteria provided food for the students. There was one key difference of the diet of the Skyloftians: They were vegetarians. For the most part, there were just humans and loftwings inhabiting the floating islands. And eating a loftwing would be like eating a cat or horse or bald eagle. You just don't. Not only were loftwings companions, but they were also considered sacred symbols of the goddess. So while I was here, I was on a strict fruit and vegetable diet. I couldn't cry too hard, though. I could always go back to my room for a steak or chicken dinner.
"So," Zelda said. "Has anyone asked you yet?"
I took a sip of milk. "To what?"
"The Wing Ceremony Eve's Dance, of course." She answered.
I promptly did a legitament, photo-worthy spit-take. "What?"
"Every year, the night before the contest, they hold a dance in the courtyard underneath the Goddess Statue." She answered, staring at me.
"When you say 'dance', do you mean the kind with dresses and music, and…dancing? Like, with boys?" I asked.
"Yup!" Karane said, plopping down beside me. "That's the one. And you know what the best part is? Boys outnumber girls at this school, almost two to one."
I swallowed in dread. Social occasions like this were definitely not my cup-a-tea. "Your point?" I asked.
"Well, the guys ask the girls to go to the dance with them. And, since there are more of them than us, let's face it. Someone's going to ask you to be their date." She said smugly. Dear God. Please send help.
"Mmm-hmm and we pick out ball gowns and stuff. It's a lot of fun!" Zelda said. I began to get this overwhelming sense of dread. I was definitely not a girly-girl. In fact, I was a bit of a tom-boy until middle school. That confrontation with Ghirahim was starting to sound fantastic.
"So…when are they going to…?" I dared not say it.
"Ask us out? Today for the most part." Karane said. "In fact, Pitpit already asked me. I said yes of course."
"Has Link asked you?" I asked Zelda. Her cheeks turned a bright red.
"Oh, heavens no. We're just friends. Really good friends." She said hastily, with a defensive note to her voice.
"Oh." I said.
The rest of lunch went by with a more talking about the dance. Then the bell rang, and we left. Link, who had spent lunch in detention for sleeping in class, caught up with us.
"Hi, Sleepyhead." Zelda said with amusement. Link snorted at the nickname.
"Shut up,"He muttered.
"Heeeyyyyy!" A certain, pompous, red-head called. Groose strolled up to Zelda. "Here's the deal: You. Me. The dance. Got it?"
"I…uh…" Zelda's cheeks glowed red, and Link's face turned a similar color.
"Great, I'll meet you at your room at sundown tomorrow." Groose said, and sped off.
"What just happened?" I asked.
"I think…I just agreed to go to the dance with Groose." She said.
"I'm so sorry." I sympathized. Zelda nodded, and sped up. When I looked at Link, he had an unreadable expression. As I watched, his face darkened, and he turned away.
By the end of Potion Brewing the next day, I still hadn't been asked. Link was staring straight ahead as the professor ended his lecture. Zelda glanced at me.
"I have to go ask Professor Owlan a question." She mumbled, and walked away. I could almost feel the tension in the air.
"So…she's actually going with him?" I asked. Link nodded.
"Yeah. Zelda never goes back on her word." He stated, with a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"But she never…OK." I said, not wanting to press the subject. Link clutched his forehead.
"This is so bad. I was going to ask her to go with me. You know, as friends. I thought it would be awkward to go alone, or with a…date." He said.
"My feelings exactly." I agreed. "I'm just too reserved for this kind of thing."
"I know, right! And if we don't go, people might notice even more." He ranted.
"It's horrible!" I exclaimed. "We're a social mess!"
Link was quiet for a second. "You know…" He trailed off. "You're a girl who wants to go with a friend, and I'm a boy who wants the same thing."
"Are you…asking me to the dance?" I asked. His cheeks glowed beet-red.
"No! I mean, sort of. Only if you…you know…want to…" He sputtered. I almost laughed at our awkwardness. Neither of us knew how to do this. He sighed. "Would you…like to go to the dance with me?" He asked.
"Yes!" I exclaimed, and then cleared my throat in embarrassment. "I mean…I suppose that would work…"
Link beamed. "Great!" He looked around. "So…uh…what do we do now?"
"I…don't…know…" I said.
"Maybe go to the next class?" He suggested.
"Yeah." I said.
"Tonight, I'll pick you up—no! I mean, I'll um…meet you at your—"
"Yeah, sounds good." I interrupted.
"I was thinking at about…"
"Perfect." I said. Then we stared at each other.
"What just happened?" Link asked, echoing my own thoughts.
"I'm not sure. I, uh, have to go." I said lamely, and then bolted out of the classroom, hiding a smile. I was going to a dance with Link! I was going to a dance with Link. I was going to a dance. Reserved, taciturn Marissa, going to a dance. With Link.
I froze, and face-palmed, and wondered aloud,
"What did I just do?"
Ah, teenage awkwardnes. Well, on that note, hope to see you back on my humble little fanfic. Bai!