Chapter 6
Ellie looked down.
"Ellie, what do you mean, Pearls' dying?" Phoenix asked, but his face went even paler.
"That's what the ghost told me," Ellie answered, whispering.
"No, that can't be, that ghost must be lying," Maya yelled.
"Ghosts don't lie, only living humans do," Ellie answered in even lower voice. "At least usually they don't. They're dead already, why'd they want to lie?"
"But that can't be! That crazy guy must've lied to her or something!"
"She told me she saw Pearl herself," Ellie answered again.
"You're a Gramarye, why didn't you use that power to perceive her?"
"I can't perceive ghosts! They're already dead! Ask Apollo! Wait, on a second thought, don't. He couldn't hear the ghost's voice earlier, he wouldn't know."
"But that… that…" Maya was at loss of words. She began to chant everything in her head while stomping and walked around in circle. Phoenix called her and she looked at Phoenix, panic evident in her eyes.
"I'm sorry!" Ellie yelled, her voice trembling, and ran to the agency.
"Hey, Ellie!" Phoenix called, but Ellie kept running. "Apollo, Trucy, go to the agency first. We can't risk Ellie doing anything stupid."
"Got it, Daddy!" Trucy nodded and pulled Apollo, running to the agency in full speed. But, however fast they ran, Ellie was faster. She ran with Skye flying next to her, running as if she was flying instead of running. Soon enough, she was far from the siblings.
"How can she run so fast?" Apollo whined, out of breath. "No, forget about her, how can you run so fast?"
"Gee, Polly, I have gymnastic at school," Trucy answered. "I don't just sitting around lazily like you, you know?"
"I don't sit around lazily, I do paperworks!" Apollo protested defensively.
They finally reached the agency and walked in. Ellie was nowhere to be found. They called her but she didn't answer.
"Uh oh," Trucy muttered. "Go check on the roof, Polly, I'll check the rooms."
"You'll just going into someone's room?"
"Yes," Trucy answered, eyes gleaming with innocence.
Apollo opened his mouth but he closed it again. Ellie was more important than Trucy's antics. He rushed to the roof. He gulped when he remembered that roof meant heights, but he thought as long as he didn't intentionally look down then it would be okay. He opened the door and, sure enough, Ellie was there, sitting on the floor, hugging her knees and sobbing, Skye sitting on her head and chirping, maybe in attempt to calm the girl.
"Ellie," he called softly. Ellie jolted and looked up, her eyes red and wet. She sniffed and wiped her eyes.
"Polly," she said in a faked merry tone, smiling widely, "I didn't hear you coming."
"Don't force that happy tone and smile, I know you're faking it," Apollo told Ellie. She took a deep breath, and her smile faded. Her expression changed, from faked happy into blank.
"That blank look is actually more scary," Ellie heard Apollo mumbled before he turned and yelled, effectively using his Chords of Steel, "TRUCY, ELLIE'S UP HERE!"
"Ouch! No need to yell!" Ellie protested, wiping her eyes again. Apollo shot an apologetic grin to her.
"Why did you run?" Apollo asked.
"I thought I wanted some privacy," Ellie answered. "But it seems that you won't give it to me."
"We won't, especially not in here," Trucy said, suddenly popping out from the door, startling Apollo and made him yell. "It's the roof, Ellie, the roof. What if you suddenly jump off?"
Ellie rolled her eyes. "However badly desperate I feel, I'm not that stupid. Dying and leaving unfinished business is the same thing as asking to become a ghost."
"And, Ellie, we've got company," Trucy smiled, and Thalassa walked behind her. "Mommy just arrived. She said after Polly and I ran after you she followed us."
"Phoenix is still busy with Maya," Thalassa said. "Ellie, before you went, you said that you're sorry."
"Because… it's all my fault," a bitter smile curled up Ellie's lips. "If only I wasn't born with this stupid ability, if only I wasn't a Gramarye as well as a Fey, if only I wasn't born at all – "
"Can you please stop with the depressing talk please?" Thalassa cut her babbling. "It wasn't your fault. No one says it's your fault."
"But I feel like it's my fault," Ellie cocked her head. She knew that she would cry again, and soon.
"It's not," Thalassa took her hands, "and no one says that. Don't feel bad for it. Okay?"
Thalassa pulled Ellie for a hug. Feeling her warmth, wondering how could it feel so safe wrapped in Thalassa's arms, Ellie broke down. She sobbed and cried.
"Stop crying…"
Ellie looked up, still sobbing and sniffing, and stared straight into Maya's eyes. "Didn't hear you coming," she mumbled.
"I won't say about whose fault everything happened," Maya said, ignoring Ellie's words, "but one thing for sure, we're the only ones who can fix this. Help me find Pearl. We'll save her."
Seeing the determination in Maya's eyes, Ellie finally nodded.
A/N: once again I'm very sorry for the long update. I know, I'm just saying I'm sorry but I don't update the story faster. But, you know, school and stuffs... and actually, I've been watching My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox (a Korean drama, it's really good) and i enjoyed it so much that i didn't think of updating. Sorry...
It's still a 'weak Ellie' chapter, but I'm going to show her stronger side in the next chapter. But I think I should tell you that I plan on break her down again in the upcoming chapters. I feel sorry for her, really, but I tend to get sadistic to my character (even more with the main characters) when I write my stories.
And that's the 6th chapter. I'll update as soon as I can, promise! And please, pretty, pretty please, review! I'm begging you, I need some reviews to make this story better!
