You know what? I think I am going to break what I have so far down into a few smaller chapters!
I would like to dedicate this chapter oozing in Maloof and Mikhail friendship to Digitaldreamer to thank her for her helpfulness! Enjoy!
Mikhail grunted in pain as he was hurled against the wall for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day. He was simply too tired to perform the Deadly Nelson again. Mikhail was having thoughts similar to Lili's as far as things being 'fan-fucking-tabulous'.
Mikhail knew that he was going to have to end this fight quickly. He used a large portion of his remaining psychic energy to blast the tigers backwards. He quickly bent over and scooped Maloof up into his arms and took off down the hall. He slipped into the first room he could find and shut the door. It happened to be one of the offices. Mikhail set Maloof down gently on the ground and piled all of the furniture up in front of the door.
He found himself in the same predicament as Lili. No windows, no other doors, and very small vents. Mikhail knew it was only a matter of time before the tigers sniffed out their location. He sat down with his back against the corner and pulled Maloof up against him so that the smaller boy was lying against his chest. He took a deep breath to try to calm himself down and began to look over his unconscious best friend.
"At least it does not appear that big chase has brought him more wounds." Mikhail thought. Maloof coughed softly and made a weak attempt to snuggle up closer to Mikhail. He was shivering slightly. Mikhail hugged the smaller boy to him, sharing his body heat.
A pang of agony thrummed through him as he looked down on the younger boy's sleeping face.
He had almost lost him.
Mikhail recalled vividly the events of the past twenty four hours. Both he and Maloof had been so excited to be spending the year together. Maloof was going to help him improve his English and take him to see the bears in the woods on his property and in turn, Mikhail was going to teach him to speak Russian and help him with his fighting skills.
They had gotten off of the camp bus at a cute four story building called 'Canola Oil'. It was very quaint and inviting little diner. It was decorated in an Oldies style. Inside, they were greeted enthusiastically by Maloof's mother. Apparently, the diner was owned and run by Maloof's family.
Mikhail was amazed how much Maloof took after his mother. He, like she, was short and they both had the same curly hair (except his mother's was red, and his was brown) and kind eyes, though his mother's eyes were green and his were brown. He obviously inherited her sweet, cheerful, gentle disposition as well. Since the diner was still open when they arrived, she greeted them in her diner uniform; a red collared shirt with a pair of short blue jean shorts and a white apron.
They had both received back-breaking bear hugs, despite the fact that Mikhail had never even met Mrs. Canola before. His older sister, Maleer, was working in the diner that day too. She was very nice. She didn't take after her mother as much as Maloof did. She too had dark brown hair, but hers was long and wavy instead of short and curly; though she did have the same green eyes as her mother.
Her personality was different too. She was friendly, but more reserved than her brother and mother. Mikhail guessed that she took after her father, whom Mikhail was very interested in meeting.
"So, tiny boss, when do I get to meet your father? What does he do? Is he Psychonaut like big sister?" Mikhail asked. Maloof, Maleer, and Mrs. Canola all became noticeably grim.
"He used to be in the Psychonauts, yeah. He was a fighter pilot. Come on. I'll take you to see him." Maloof said. He led Mikhail out of the diner and walked a few blocks until they reached a graveyard. Maloof stopped in front of a relatively new headstone. It read 'Here Lies Mason Canola. Beloved Son, Faithful Husband, Amazing Father, 2003'
"Hey dad. I brought my friend Mikhail I told you about to meet you." Maloof said softly. He reached into his shirt and revealed a silver chain with a set of dog tags and a locket on it.
"Maloof, I'm so sorry…" Mikhail said. Maloof gave Mikhail a sad smile.
"You wanna see what he looked like? One is a picture of him with his best friend the day they graduated flight school and the other one is of him taking my sister, my mother, and I on a plane ride." He said, opening the locket and showing Mikhail the pictures.
Maloof's father was tall and had short, straight, dark brown hair. He was obviously the source of Maloof's Italian blood. The man's kindly brown eyes really jumped out at him. Just by those eyes, Mikhail could have recognized the man as Maloof's father.
In the first picture, he was sitting in the pilot seat of a helicopter. A five year old Maloof was sitting in his lap and a younger Maleer in the copilot's seat. Mrs. Canola was standing behind Mr. Canola, smiling and waving. They all looked very happy.
In the second picture, Mr. Canola had a very familiar looking young man trapped in a headlock. The man had long black hair that was pulled back in a ponytail at the base of his neck and his rectangular glasses were askew on his face from roughhousing. Both of them were smiling like madmen who had won the lottery and were flashing victory signs at the camera.
"Is that…" Mikhail gasped, staring at the other man in the picture.
"Yep. That goofball is Agent Sasha Nein on his graduation day. He and my father graduated at the top of their class. They were best friends." Maloof said, leading Mikhail back toward the diner.
"Is a small world after all!" Mikhail chuckled. "Agent Nein is very much different now. Does not smile like in picture, and certainly is not having long hair."
Maloof laughed.
"My dad said that there is a funny story behind Sasha's 'sudden hair loss' as he put it. All I know is that Milla was the culprit. I'm pretty sure that whatever happened was an accident, though. It's some big inside joke between him, Milla, and Sasha; though my dad is the only one who laughed. Milla and Sasha would just turn red." Maloof said as he pushed open the door to the diner.
"Come on! I haven't gotten a chance to show you around yet!" Maloof said, smiling like his cheerful self again.
Maloof led Mikhail up a spiral staircase that was blocked with a gate near the kitchen of the diner and Mikhail found out why the diner was four stories high. Maloof and his family lived upstairs from the diner. Maloof showed Mikhail to the guest room right next to his room on the third story and helped him settle in. After that, Maloof gave him a tour of his home. Each floor had something different. There was the basement below the diner, the diner, the living area, the bedrooms, and the attic, which was also a gameroom of sorts.
He met Maloof's affectionate black cat named Wolf and his white German shepherd named Guard. True to her name, Guard followed Maloof around all over the house to affectionately keep patient watch over him.
"I'll show you Heaven's Glade tonight. That's the name of the patch of woods on our property. You'll see how it got its name tonight when I take you to see the bears that live there." Maloof said. Mikhail pulled the smaller boy into a headlock joyfully.
"I knew there was good reason for you being my best friend! Can practically read my mind!" Mikhail said. Maloof laughed.
Mikhail and Maloof volunteered to help with the diner for the remainder of the business day, which was only two hours. Maloof, Mikhail, and Maleer donned aprons and acted as waiters while Mrs. Canola cooked.
Mikhail couldn't help but smile at Maloof's cute charm as he scampered back and forth from tables to the kitchen. Everyone who came in seemed to know him and all the women seemed to adore him from teenagers to the elderly, and likewise, Maloof seemed to know everyone who came in and was friendly to everyone, though a little shy as usual.
After they closed up the diner for the night, they sat down and had the best damned alfredo Mikhail had ever tasted. Mrs. Canola was indeed a gifted chef.
"Has Mikhail died and gone to heaven? I am trapped in place with delicious food, bears, and best friend for entire year!" Mikhail said, playfully ruffling Maloof's hair. Maloof chuckled.
"That's New Jersey for ya." Maloof said.
"Then should cancel flight back to Russia as soon as possible!" Mikhail said. Mrs. Canola laughed.
"So Maloof tells me that you two are going out into Heaven's Glade tonight. How far do you plan to go, honey?" She asked.
"We're going all the way to the center, mom." Maloof said as he began to wash the dishes.
"That's what I thought. It's a long hike, so I made you kids some fresh bread to take along with you and your canteens are ready to go." Mrs. Canola said.
"Thanks mom!" Maloof said. Maleer walked down the stairs in her Psychonauts uniform.
"I wish I could come with you two, but I gotta get to work. Have fun exploring and be careful." Maleer said, giving Mikhail a brief pat on the shoulder and kissing her brother on the cheek.
"Kay. Have fun at work." Maloof said, kissing his sister back.
"I always do. See you boys tomorrow!" Maleer said as she whipped out her keys and walked out the door. Maloof put the last of the dishes up and hung his apron on its hook.
"The sun is starting to set. We'd better get ready to go." Maloof said. He led Mikhail back up the stairs and began to rummage around his room for his supplies. He stuffed a first aid kit, a blanket, and a radio (the ones used to communicate) into his backpack and pocketed a compass before leading Mikhail back down stairs where he put two fresh loaves of bread into his pack and grabbed their canteens. He shouldered his and tossed one to Mikhail.
He opened a nearby closet and removed a small pouch, which he slipped into his pocket.
"Okay! Let's get moving!" Maloof said, reaching for the doorknob.
"Don't forget your jackets! It's a little chilly out there!" Mrs. Canola called from the kitchen. Mikhail and Maloof both laughed.
"Are you sure you're not psychic, mom?" Maloof asked.
"No, Sweetie. I've told you that! Only your father was psychic. Why?" Mrs. Canola asked, coming to the kitchen door to see them.
"Never mind." Maloof said, grabbing his jacket from the closet. Mikhail pulled his on as well as Maloof opened the door.
"Bye, mom. We'll be back late, so don't wait up." Maloof said.
"Be careful out there honey, and call me if you run into trouble or decide to spend the night in the woods." Mrs. Canola said. She gave Maloof a quick kiss and he returned it. She turned and gave Mikhail a quick hug.
"You boys have fun!" She said.
"I'm sure we'll manage somehow." Maloof said sarcastically. Maloof and his mother stuck their tongues out at one another and laughed. She scowled playfully at her son and said something to him in a strange language Mikhail didn't know. Whatever it was, she gestured for them to get out. Maloof replied in the same strange language, scowling playfully as well, and pulled Mikhail out the door. Mrs. Canola and Maloof stuck their tongues out at one another one more time before Mrs. Canola shut the door.
"What was that about?" Mikhail asked as he followed Maloof around the back to the house. Maloof laughed.
"That was just me and my mom messing around." Maloof said.
"What language was that you were speaking?" Mikhail asked.
"Italian. My father was Italian. He moved to New Jersey, met my mom at the café that she and her family ran, fell in love, got married, and opened a place of their own." Maloof said. The light was fading fast as the sun disappeared behind the trees. Stars were starting to show up in the sky. Mikhail and Maloof walked across the large clearing behind the house and into the tree line.
"What about you, Misha? Tell me about your family!" Maloof said.
"Let's see…my parents both are Psychonauts. My mother is investigator and my father is field agent." Mikhail said.
"Do you have any siblings?" Maloof asked.
"No. not anymore." Mikhail said softly. Maloof whirled around to face him.
"Oh, Misha, I'm sorry…" He said.
"Is alright." Mikhail assured him, urging him to continue forward. There was an awkward silence between them for a while.
"Used to have little sister. She was much like you. You remind me much of her." Mikhail said, smiling lightly. Maloof turned his head to look at him.
"She was named Nina. She also was very small like you and also was shy. Also she was kind and gentle like you are." Mikhail said. He reached over to ruffle Maloof's hair.
"And cute." He said. Maloof laughed and elbowed him playfully.
"Are you saying I look like a girl?" He asked.
"Only little bit." Mikhail said. He bolted forward, laughing as Maloof lunged for him. Maloof chased him, laughing and yelling comebacks at him.
"Come back here so I can change your opinion!" Maloof called. Mikhail laughed.
"Sorry! Is against code for me to fight girl!" Mikhail teased. Maloof growled and picked up his pace.
"Afraid I'll beat you up?" Maloof asked.
"No. Could not reach high enough. Perhaps you should find stool first?" Mikhail suggested, dodging a psychic hand reaching up to grab him.
"That won't be necessary! I'll just cut you down to my level!" Maloof retorted. The two chased each other on into the forest until the lack of light caused Mikhail to trip over a root sticking up out of the ground. The Russian boy fell face down into the dirt with a yelp of surprise. He braced himself, knowing that Maloof was close behind him and probably wouldn't stop in time to keep from tripping over him.
Imagine his surprise when Maloof kicked off the ground and did a hand spring over him. Mikhail stared dumbly at his usually clumsy friend. Maloof looked just as surprised as he was. They both broke out in wide grins and laughed.
"Where did that come from?" He asked, still trying to catch his breath. Maloof plopped down next to Mikhail, panting as well.
"I have no idea. I was trying to stop and tipped forward too much. I tried to catch myself with my hands, and I pushed up…it was a total fluke!" Maloof said. The two laughed and sat on the trail, trying to catch their breaths.
"You okay, Misha?" Maloof asked. Mikhail nodded.
"Luckily, graceful flower did not trip over me." Mikhail teased. Maloof jumped on him and pulled his arm back. Mikhail laughed and rolled to the side, knocking Maloof off of him and grabbed the smaller boy. He caught Maloof's arms and pulled them back. Maloof laughed and slid his foot behind Mikhails. He dragged his foot forward in one swift movement and pulled Mikhail's foot out from under him, causing the taller boy to fall flat on his backside, pulling Maloof down on top of him. He was still caught in Mikhail's firm grip. It was a draw.
The two of them rolled over on the grass, laughing. They took a moment to catch their breaths before Maloof reached into his pocket and pulled out the pouch he had taken from the closet earlier. He opened the pouch and took out two small objects.
"What are those?" Mikhail asked. Maloof held one up and Mikhail felt him channel some of his psychic energy into it. The object instantly flared with yellow light. It dimmed slightly until it cast a gentle glow enough to see at least ten feet ahead of them.
"They are meteorites that survived the fall from the atmosphere. The metal in them is kind of like psytanium, so it reacts with psychic energy and produces a glow. They are a lot better than flashlights or lanterns." Maloof said. He helped Mikhail to his feet and motioned for him to follow. He took out his compass and checked their direction.
"It's just ahead." He said, tugging at Mikhail's sleeve.
"There was a big meteor shower over this patch of woods about a hundred years ago. My grandfather saw it. He said that, that night, the night of a full moon and during a lunar eclipse, there was a clan of gypsies performing a ceremony at a sacred sight in this forest. That sight…" Maloof said as he tugged Mikhail through a cluster of bushes. He stopped as they broke through into a clearing.
"Is here." He finished. Mikhail drew a long breath.
It was beautiful! They were in an enormous clearing now in the shape of a crescent moon. The grass was soft and lush and centered in the clearing were four small, star-shaped pools of crystal clear water lined by smooth grey stones. One of each of the star's five points was touching at the center, linking the four pools together.
The sky above was a kaleidoscope of countless stars that shone sharp, bright, and clear against the black of night. He had never seen so many stars so clearly visible before. You could see red dwarves, and other stars that burned blue, purple, and so many other colors. They were like gleaming gems on black velvet.
Standing there just looking at the beautiful sight, he felt like he was in the safest place on earth. He knew there was something different about this particular place. He could feel it.
There was something special about that place; something unique and mystical that made it feel so pure.
"Here at the center of the forest. Welcome to Heaven's Glade." Maloof said softly.
"It's incredible…" Mikhail said.
"Isn't it? No matter how many times I come here, I still can't get over the feeling it gives me." Maloof said. He led Mikhail into the center of the clearing and the two of them lay down to look at the stars.
"My grandfather said that this is a sacred ground. It has a unique, pure energy. That's what makes us feel so safe here. There are other places like it scattered around the world, like Stonehenge in England. These are great spots to meditate. Gypsies use these sacred sites to perform rituals and stuff. My father said that they all danced and prayed and did some kind of play, and at the end of the play, the moon turned silver and shone brightly and the stars started raining down and glimmering like he had never seen before." Maloof said.
They lay in silence for a long time.
"On the other side of the clearing, there is a runway. My dad put it there so he could launch out into this clearing every time he took off. He said that it made him feel like everything was going to work out." Maloof said.
"When I was seven, he and Sasha were assigned to bomb a known terrorist hideout in Switzerland. The weather wasn't very good and they were bombing the place at night and in the mountains. He took critical hits to his left wing and bullets had penetrated the cockpit and wounded him badly. His wing was going to explode and fly off at any second and there wasn't any time or any place to land. He knew that at the speed he was going and factoring in his wounds, he wouldn't survive the crash. Sasha had already crashed, and it was a miracle that HE wasn't killed. So to complete the mission, he drove his plane right into the base that they were targeting." Maloof explained.
"He didn't take off over the clearing that day. Now, he's got a statue of him in the gardens of Psychonauts Aviation Headquarters christening him a hero killed in action." Maloof said softly. Mikhail reached over and gripped his hand reassuringly.
"My sister…we were picked on much like you are because of powers. Both were frightened, because people threatened us…whole family. One day, there is massive storm. People in village think storm was black magic we cast on them. They attacked home. Sister did not escape. I could not protect her." Mikhail said softly. "You are so much like her. I do not wish for same thing to happen to you, so I protect you way I should have protected her."
Mikhail felt Maloof squeeze his hand.
"You're my best friend, Mikhail." Maloof said. Mikhail smiled.
"And you are mine." Mikhail agreed. The moment was ruined when Mikhail's stomach gave a loud grumble. Maloof burst into laughter and pulled one of the loaves of bread out of his bag, tossing it at his friend.
"My bestest, best, very best friend." Mikhail amended, taking a bite out of the loaf.
"I think I'm in love with your mothers' cooking…" Mikhail said casually. Maloof laughed.
"So this place is called Heaven's Glade for view?" Mikhail asked.
"That's part of it. If you look at it from above, you can see the crescent moon shape of the clearing, the four star pool, and four other star-shaped clearings following the arch of the crescent. My Grandpa told me that the gypsies used the markings. I'm not sure what they symbolize, though." Maloof said.
His train of thought was interrupted when he was grabbed from behind. A cold hand clamped down over his mouth and three more held him tightly. He glanced over to see that Mikhail was in the same boat as he was.
"And quite frankly, it's none of your business to find out." A cool, feminine voice said.
A young woman with short, almost white blonde hair stepped in front of them. Her long white dress fluttered in the cool breeze and her pale blue eyes shown bright with excitement and malice.
She walked over and examined both boys critically.
"Well, the fact that they have some of our stones and they are impurely lit confirms that they are whelps of psychics. Talk about a lucky break! We come through our holey ground on our way to look for them, and they made it too easy for us, coming out here alone and far from help! And right into our sacred grounds, none the less!" The woman said with a bragging smile. She took a piece of parchment out of her pocket.
"It looks like we have Maloof Canola, age 12, and Mikhail Bulgakov, age 14." She recited. She frowned and looked at the paper again.
"That's weird. The tall psy-brat is suppose to be in Russia…" She said. She shrugged her shoulders.
"Oh, well. Saves us a trip." She said. Mikhail and Maloof struggled against their captors with all their might. Maloof bit the hand covering his mouth and the man jumped back. While the second man restraining him was distracted by the outburst of the first, Maloof slid his foot behind the second man's foot and swiftly dragged his leg forward, yanking his foot out from under him. Maloof ran forward, out of their reach, and aimed for one of the men holding Mikhail…
There was a bright flash of white and Maloof screamed, though it was drowned out by a noise like thunder that exploded from where the woman was standing. Maloof slumped in a daze to his knees. Bright crimson splattered the grass and more dripped from the boy's ears. Mikhail called out to him, struggling his hardest to get away.
The woman in white let her raised hand fall to her side as though she was bored. She sauntered over to Maloof where he was on his knees, still in a daze. She grabbed him by the hair and jerked him to his feet. Maloof let out a sharp yelp of pain. Now that he was standing, he could see trails of blood making their way down Maloof's legs.
"Hn…he should be split neatly into two pieces…he must have deflected most of my attack. Psh…it matters not. Such a frail, tiny little toy…once we're done questioning him, I will break him all too easily." She said gleefully. She tossed Maloof roughly aside and signaled for her henchmen to pick him up.
Mikhail gasped. Maloof was lying face down in the grass on his stomach, revealing a diagonal gash across his back. It bled freely. As one of the henchmen bound Maloof and crudely slung him onto his shoulder, the woman's smile turned to a pout.
"Why is it that none of my toys ever last more than two weeks?" She asked herself.
"Worry not, Renka. When we find out the location of the Psychic's den, I'll find you a nice, sturdy toy that won't break so easily." A male voice said. A man jumped down from the trees and stepped beside the woman.
"Really? You promise, my love?" The woman asked joyfully. The man leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"I'll even let you pick." He said. The woman bounced up happily and latched onto the man's neck.
"Caaaan I have Nein?" She asked slyly.
"As many as you want." He said. The woman laughed.
"No, silly! Can I have Sasha Nein!?" She giggled. The man laughed too, realizing his mistake.
"What do you mean, Nein? You can too have nine agents! Their names don't matter to me. If you want them all to be named Sasha, so be it." The man teased. The woman pouted.
"But can I have Agent Sasha N-E-I-N Nein?" She pleaded. The man laughed.
"He's all yours." He said, kissing her affectionately. The woman cheered and kissed him on the lips.
"I love you, Adran!" She cooed.
"I love you too, Renka." He said. "So much that if I could, I would clone Agent Nein and give you Nine Neins, if you so desired."
"Nein! I want Ninety-nine Neins!" She giggled.
"I thought you wanted Nein!" The man teased.
"No, I want ninety nine!" The woman said.
"Ninety nine whats?" The man asked.
"Neins!" The woman said.
"Now you're not making any sense, love." The man teased.
"Adran! Stop it!" The woman laughed, embracing the man. If Maloof hadn't been unconscious and Mikhail hadn't been bound and gagged, they would SO have been throwing up right then.
Mikhail remembered that as the last thing he though before everything went black.