Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade in any way. The only characters I own are Marina, Mark, Michelle and any other OCs I may use. Anything else is coincidental.
Note: Frank and Joanna are not OCs, not technically as they are just the names and designs I gave to Brooklyn's parents as there isn't much info on them at all.
Chapter 10: Can't Trust Anyone??
A few days went by and nothing changed between Marina and her parents. She barely talked to her mother and she was giving her father the cold shoulder: not talking to him unless she really had to.
She awoke this particular morning with a jump and bolted up, breathing rapidly. She looked around and calmed herself down. It may have just been a dream, but it didn't feel like that. It felt like she had seen some sort of future event as it concerned this old man in charge of all things Beyblade-related.
"Is it possible someone is...?" she asked herself as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
"Marina, better be up!" called Michelle from downstairs.
Marina sighed and put on her dressing gown then headed down and found her mum in the kitchen slicing a bread loaf.
"Morning. Are you all right?" asked Michelle as she noticed her daughter enter.
Marina nodded and then went back to the sitting room and sat down on one of the chairs. She just closed her eyes in thought when the door opened and her father entered.
"Not the best night for you, Marina? I woke up early and heard you in your sleep." he asked as he came into the room.
She opened her eyes and looked at him. "It was fine. Just fine." she said then took some toast her mother had made and headed back to her room.
"Mark, she's been like this since Brooklyn left. One of us should talk to her. Probably you as a bit of patching-up is needed between you and her." suggested Michelle.
"You want me to talk to her? Michelle, she's being childish. Either one of us could sort her out. When Brooklyn left, it was his choice not to leave details of where he was going." said Mark.
"I know that, Mark, but Marina misses him. She needs our support as she clearly believes she can't tell us how she is feeling and is bottling it up instead." said Michelle.
Mark sighed. "Fine. I will talk to her, but I don't think it will help." he said.
"Okay, Love. If it doesn't work, I will still stay by your side." replied Michelle and she kissed her husband lovingly so he kissed back, wrapping his arms around her.
Upstairs, Marina had her beyblade in her hands and she was talking to Zeroth.
"Zeroth, can you help at all? I worry about Brookie." she said.
"Mistress Marina, I don't know. I do have faith in your cousin. He should be just fine. I still have a bleak connection with Zeus and he says Brooklyn is doing fine, though he won't tell me where they are, as that is up to Brooklyn if he wants to let us know." explained the golden unicorn in a soft tone of voice.
"Yeah. I hope Brookie will think it fit to tell us, as I just feel like I'm not accomplishing anything here. It's pointless." Marina answered.
Zeroth's bit glowed warmly in support and Marina lightly smiled.
Over in a small set of buildings there were a few teens hanging around. One was a blue haired, dark-skinned girl with hazel eyes and she was singing a rehearsal of her main 'Beyblade' song. She was on the rise as a celebrity singer and expected to do well, or so the news said so far of her limited career, but she was sure this new song would grab her twice as many fans as she had already.
"...stop the revolution now!" sang Ming Ming as she finished her rehearsal, then she giggled in the praise as one of the other teens in the room clapped, his applause being so loud, it kind of blocked out the fake clapping from a teen at the back as well as the last teen who was paying little attention.
"That was perfect, Ming Ming. It will set up a new album for you if you keep it up." said the teen as he finished his clapping. He was the tallest teen in the room, almost giant-like, had no hair, dark brown eyes, was dark-skinned like Ming Ming and had a couple of scars on his face.
"Thank you, Crusher." replied the singer with a smile.
"You're welcome, now how about we practice our blading skill? We'll need it when our team are on top." continued Crusher and took out his dark red blade.
"Sure." Ming Ming agreed and she brought out her pink blade.
The teen by the wall who had fake-clapped Ming Ming, who had long, dark, silver hair tied in a ponytail, bluey-grey eyes and tanned skin turned to the orange haired teen next to him.
"I don't want to bother watching this. Want to head back to the room, Brooklyn?" he asked.
Brooklyn looked around, his aquamarine eyes locking with the blue-grey ones and said "Sure, why not?" then headed off with the other teen following him.
Once they entered the room, the silver haired teen took a seat and crossed his arms seriously.
"Brooklyn, what's eating you? I've only known you a few days, but you've seemed preoccupied or distracted all the time." he said.
"It's nothing. I've just had things on my mind." answered Brooklyn with a small shrug.
"I'm not as simple minded as the others here, Brooklyn. You can hide it from Boris, from Crusher, from Ming Ming, and even our possible new member, Mystel, but you can't hide it from me."
"Garland, it really is nothing. I just have...someone out there who I'm concerned for. It's my business." said Brooklyn.
"I have family out there too, Brooklyn. I have my parents and my siblings. My siblings all excel in their chosen sports as professionals and I want to be a professional beyblader as to continue tradition. I care for my family and I do miss them, yet I am not in your position, so if you need to talk, then go ahead." explained Garland.
"Well, my parents' support of me ran out years ago, as did my uncle and aunt's support, but I still have my cousin, Marina. She has always stuck by me through anything and everything. She was willing to choose me over her parents if the need came, but I didn't want that to happen, which is why I left. I joined this team as: for one thing, my beyblading skill, which, as you've already witnessed, is beyond anyone else's talent. The other reason being I had no one else, so nowhere else to go." explained Brooklyn then took a pause.
"Sounds interesting. What's the deal with this cousin of yours? She a beyblader too?" asked Garland.
Brooklyn hesitated before answering, as he didn't want Marina in this group, and he wasn't sure that if he told Garland of Marina's power, would he rat to Boris about her?
"She does, but she hasn't got the same level of skill as me." he said eventually, partly telling the truth.
Garland closed his eyes and smirked. "Brooklyn, don't worry, man. I'm not a tell-tale and I'm a strong believer in honour. If you have a secret, you can tell me without worry of it reaching him." he said.
Brooklyn smiled back and took a quick look to make sure no one was listening in then proceeded to tell Garland all about Marina and her power with the bit beast, Zeroth. Garland seemed intrigued and once Brooklyn was finished, he swore to keep it quiet from anyone.
Back at Marina's house, she was just listening to some music and writing up a list of things to get her mind off of other things, meaning Brooklyn, when she heard her dad's voice calling her down.
She sighed and headed down, leaving her blade in her room as she didn't want her electricity element to sail out of control, not that it should just talking to her father after all.
"There you are. Sweetheart, we need to talk." said Mark as he saw her and gestured to the chair opposite his.
Marina sat down, curiously wondering what her dad wanted as he hadn't greeted her so 'nicely' in a fair while. She then asked "Where's Mum?"
"She's just doing something to allow us to talk. She'll be back soon. Now, Marina, what is really bothering you?" asked Mark.
"Nothing." she answered simply.
"Marina, I'm your father and I know you better than that. It's about Brooklyn isn't it?" he asked.
"Well, yes. I'm worried about him, Father. Though I have a reliable source that informs me he is okay." she said back.
"Zeroth. I see. Well, Marina, if you know he's all right, then why be worried? And what happened last night? A nightmare?" Mark asked.
Marina sighed. "Okay, Dad, if you really need to know, it was a nightmare. It was ridiculous though as no old man can take over Beyblading, right?" she explained.
Mark looked confused, so went along with her. "I suppose not, Marina, unless he's a rich old man with a level of genius. But either way, nightmares don't happen. Not that sort. Just forget about it." he said then sat back in the chair and added "Oh, I should add, it would be good for you to forget about Brooklyn too."
Marina looked up shocked and said "What?! I cannot do that, Father. I can't, not after all we've had together. I care for him and he does me. I could never just forget him like that."
Mark frowned at his daughter's words and said "Marina, what is the point of hanging onto him like this? He hasn't left you any details of where he is or even attempted to contact you. He's forgotten you, so you should forget him."
"No! I will not do that, no matter what!" she shouted back.
The door opened as Michelle returned and she immediately asked "What is going on, Mark?"
"Marina's having a hissy fit because I told her she needs to move on and forget Brooklyn." explained Mark in as few words as possible.
"Marina." scolded Michelle, instantly believing her husband.
"Mother, I haven't done anything wrong. It's Dad!" shouted Marina desperately.
"Marina, you always pick Brooklyn's side. If you are 'all so close', like you say, to him and care for him more than us, why don't you just take off and join him?" said Mark with an angry look in his eyes.
"Fine, then I will. There's nothing keeping me here." she said and ran upstairs to pack some stuff.
Mark took a deep breath and looked over at Michelle, who had tears pricking in her eyes.
"What, Love? I said it could go wrong. Marina isn't interested in us anymore. She's only concerned with her cousin's well-being and the beyblade sport." he said.
Michelle nodded then Marina came back down with a packed bag. She put on a jacket and faced her parents, tears in her dark green eyes.
"Good luck, Marina." said Michelle tearfully. "I do love you."
"Yeah. Thanks, Mum. I do love you too." said Marina then faced her father.
"Find what you're looking for, Marina. We might see you again one day, though I personally will live if I don't." he said.
Marina just let more tears fall and shakily nodded as she left her house. She took off at a fast walking pace and took one last look back at her home.
"Zeroth. We're alone now...we have to find Brookie or we'll have to keep ourselves going for a bit." said Marina mentally to the golden unicorn.
"It is a sad shame, Marina, but don't worry. It will be okay and I will always protect you." promised Zeroth.
Marina nodded and continued on her way...