Chapter 10! Yippee! A lot of thank you's today!

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Chapter 10: Possessed (Link)

The bell will be ringing any moment now... The professor was super caught up in his Physics lesson that he must not have even realized the very last class of the day was nearly over. RIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG! It was about time! Pun unintended. The class simultaneously stood up and rushed out the door like a herd of cattle or some other large ugly animal. If Ilia heard that, she'd get so mad at me. Although I hadn't seen her much in person, I've definitely been seeing her face all over the posters throughout the school. She was very much an animal enthusiast with an extreme passion for horses. No animal is ugly in her eyes.

After I grabbed my backpack and other items from my locker, I quickly ran down the noisy hall I was in. It was our first day back to school from our "Winter Break", so you can probably imagine just how chaotic the hallways were. Nobody wanted to be back in school. New Years was just two days ago (it's January 3rd) and I was expecting people to be extra focused on their "New Years Resolutions," but I didn't see a single person who was acting any better than they had before. If anything, their resolution was to be more annoying than last year.

Caught up in thought as I was running and dodging people in the hallway, I must've forgotten the dodging part because I ran into someone. It was horribly embarrassing! I guess I actually had tripped and fallen over onto this person, so I didn't technically run into them, but my body was on top of theirs and it was extremely awkward. Even more so when I found out whose body it was.

"Link?" Ilia asked, still under the weight of my body. I awkwardly jumped up quickly and gave her my hand to pull her up.

"Uh, sorry! I was in a, uh, rush," I lamely explained. It felt like I physically couldn't talk to her normally. The awkward situation that I was in must have triggered my Anxiety to start acting up.

Ilia rolled her eyes at me. "Just don't do it again. You're heavy."

And you're a lot more rude than I remembered. What happened to that bubbly, energetic girl I used to know? I forced myself to try and make a deal. "Maybe I can make it up to you! Maybe we could get ice cream or coffee or s-"

"Sorry," she stated. "I've got to help Karane with her hair."

"Not today, I mean! But maybe another time?" I offered. I really didn't want to go, but I hated making things uncomfortable without making them better somehow.

"Karane has a lot of hair..." she returned. Ilia was blatantly disinterested and made it very clear that not only did she not want to spend time with me, she didn't even like me anymore. At all. Fine by me.

I awkwardly cleared my throat. "Well have fun with Karane."

Ilia pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "I will."

We parted ways and I was trying to remember how I knew the name Karane. Oh. That's right. Supposedly she was Pipit's girlfriend. How was it that he, the most annoying and gross thing alive, could actually get a girlfriend? Whatever. As long as he's happy. I continued venturing onward until I finally made it to my car. Sure enough Pipit beat me today.

"Stop being so slow!" my friend complained.

"Get your own license and your own hard-earned car and you won't have to wait for me!" I retorted. "Need a ride to your girlfriend's house?"

Pipit looked at me strangely. "Actually...yes. I was just going to ask you to take me over."

Ilia must've completely dampened any signs of a good mood I had because my sharp remarks were not stopping. "Too bad. She needs help with her hair."

"I can help her with her hair!" Pipit offered.

"Nope! She's got Ilia. And I kinda got the impression that they want to be left alone."

Pipit glared at me. "I don't know what happened, but there's no need for you to be a jerk about it. Karane texted me herself to come over. I don't know what you heard, but I'm going over there!"

"Who's the driver?" I countered. Pipit and I both got into the car, but he kept staring out the passenger window instead of conversing with me. Honestly I don't blame him. I was being kind of a jerk. But recognizing my jerkiness did not mean I would let him win this argument. I was in a hurry after all, hence why I was rushing down the halls. I told Sheik I would meet her in town at a park near the coffee shop we went to when we first met.

Ever since the first day I met Sheik, I started going in town more often and we started meeting up quite a bit. I'm not too sure what it means, and although I've been hanging out with her more, I still hardly know who or what she is. But it was good to finally have a breakthrough with my whole friend issue. At least I think we're friends...

I had Pipit with me this time because I figured maybe he should meet the mysterious young lady. The stories of Sheik being a mysterious hero have gained quite some popularity. I eventually told Pipit that I had been chilling with Sheik some, but he didn't believe me. If I was in his shoes, I wouldn't have believed me either though. Here's hoping that all will go well when they meet!

"Pipit, the real reason I can't take you over to your girlfriend's place is because I'm taking you to meet Sheik. The mysterious hero on the-" I was cut off by Pipit's excitement.

"On the news! That's great! That's really cool..." He trailed off as the excitement suddenly died down.

Temporarily forgetting I was in the middle of driving I turned my head to look at Pipit to see what the matter was, but quickly retained my focus on the road ahead of me. "What's wrong?"

Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pipit shake his head and shrug. "Nothing. Sheik has been one of my favorite news stories to follow. But..." He drew out that word and paused for a while.

"But?" I tried to get him to finish his thought.

"I don't know," said Pipit. "I guess it's cool and all. Some girl who saves the day and acts like a superhero, but I feel like it's all some sort of set up. It isn't real. And maybe you're in on this too!"

"I promise this is no scam! She's the real deal! She saved me herself!" I confirmed.

Pipit looked at me and looked out the window. "I guess it's just that now that I have a girlfriend...I'd rather be with her."

"Oh stop being such a hopeless romantic!" I chided. "If you get too clingy to her she'll just break up with you! Giving the other the space they deserve is what strengthens a relationship!"

"And you know so much about relationships with all of your experience!" He taunted back sarcastically.

I gripped the wheel harder. "Shut up! Maybe I don't have great experience in that field, but I know what I'm talking about!"

"You know, huh? How?!"

"I-I just do! Okay?!"

"Did all of your many, many friends tell you? Did all your exes tell you? Did your experiences from being a senior in high school tell you?! NO! THEY DIDN'T! You don't have any friends, you haven't even been in a relationship before, and you're only a junior! I bet you're completely lying about talking to Sheik and if you aren't, the only reason she would hang out with you is because she feels sorry for you! And you're telling me that I'm clingy?! You're the one who can hardly go a day without seeing some girl who hides behind a mask!"

I slammed on the breaks and pulled into the nearest parking lot. "Get out," I ordered Pipit. He met my eyes, and I could tell that he wasn't going to apologize or anything. He was just going to be the stubborn brat I had always known. I pointed to the door and to my surprise he actually got out. I reached over slammed he door behind him and drove off.

What had overcome me, I wasn't sure. Maybe it was my anger that had driven me to do it, maybe I just wanted to be a little bit rebellious. In any case, I felt some sort of power behind my actions. Some sort of external force egging me on that this was what I needed to do. I didn't know where this strange sense of power and almost, I dare say, darkness came from, but I felt it controlling my body. Even if I had wanted to go back for Pipit, I'm not really sure that I physically could.

I was going to be in big trouble from this. Momma Sky was gonna be especially unhappy with me.

I drove on and on, feeling very guilty about the situation, but the external force still seemed to be in control. I inhaled and exhaled deeply as I pulled into one of the parks near the market area where I first met Sheik. I walked over to one of the benches with false swagger and false confidence, hoping to cover up the guilt I felt inside.

I looked around for my Sheikah friend, but she was no where to be found. Then I heard a familiar tune on what sounded like her harp. I followed my ears (and the sidewalk path) until I noticed a small opening in the woods nearby. I continued to listen for the sweet strumming and walked through the opening. Sure enough, on the other side was a beautiful meadow that Sheik sat in the middle of, criss-crossed.

"I was worried you weren't going to make it," she said as she stopped playing. "You took a long time."

"Sorry I, uh, had something to drop off before I came," I tried to excuse myself.

She gestured for me to come closer and I did, my heart beating a little quicker. "That's fine. I was able to play a little."

I sat down next to Sheik. "Did I ever tell you that I had a friend in school who played the harp in her orchestra class? I say friend, she was more of an acquaintance, and I never actually heard her play. I just remember her sometimes complaining to me after coming out of orchestra, that the harps always get drowned out." It was strange to think of Zelda again. It had been so long and quite frankly, I moved on. Wherever she was, I had full confidence that she was perfectly fine.

Sheik nodded. "I could see how that would be frustrating, playing the harp myself." She continued to play the simple tune and I closed my eyes to listen.

As a little kid, the fairy tales of the Goddesses and the chosen hero and chosen princess were always read in school. Everyone knows the classics "Ocarina of Time," "Wind Waker," "Twilight Princess," "A Link to the Past," and several more. One would think a young boy would hate listening to the stories of a princess and her lover over and over again. One would think that would bore him to death. But the stories included a sense of adventure and action and just plain epicness. It was not something that bored many kids. These stories were turned into movies and musicals and video games and parodies and bands and gangs and just about everything you can imagine. But in all of this, one thing was passed down along with the legend and the stories and the movies and everything else. And that thing was the tune that soon became known as the theme for these tales. A story with its own theme song. Amazing.

Sheik played this theme song on her harp so quietly and prettily, it brought a whole new aspect to the adventure within the tune itself. She strummed so thoughtlessly, one might mistake her movements of some that were random and assume she was just messing around if it hadn't been for the recognizable song she played.

I opened my eyes as all the worries and guilts of the real world came back to me. It was nice to escape for a while, but I couldn't remain in my dreaming state all day. I didn't know what to say partially because I didn't want to cut off her music. I didn't need to because she came to a sudden halt in the middle of a note.

"Is something the matter," I asked her. She looked around for a second then answered, "No." She visibly relaxed again, but placed her harp beside her. There was an awkward silence as I fished for something to say.

"You play very beautifully," I complimented.

"Thanks. I was just practicing. I didn't mean to waste your time with my music," she apologized quietly. I had the instinct to rip her mask off and see the emotions that her face was missing. It was very hard to read her with only half of her face showing. She seemed to be sadder than usual, but she could just be enjoying the sound of nature around her.

"I really wish I could see your face," I stated. I haven't bothered her about the mask recently because I didn't want her to think I was some shallow guy, but this time I could not resist.

"I wish I could show you too. but you know that I can't!" She said a little bit louder. She let out a deep breath. "You're still not stuck on trying to figure out if I'm pretty, are you?"

I shook my head. "Sheik, I know that you're pretty. In fact, you're more than that! You're beautiful! I don't need to see your face to know that. A person who is truly beautiful has a kind heart, good intentions, and is willing to risk anything for the benefit someone else. It's so much more than a physical appearance." Sheik looked like she was about to say something, but before she did my guilt caught up to me and I blurted out quickly, "I don't seem uglier than usual, do I?"

Sheik dropped all signs of any seriousness that she had shown earlier as she burst our laughing. She was legitimately laughing! I don't know if I've ever heard her laugh like that before! She stopped laughing and shook her head. "Nope! Just as ugly as usual!" she teased.

I rolled my eyes and she laughed some more at me. "This is a serious problem though! I was a jerk to my friend Pipit earlier, and I kinda somehow kicked him out of my car when I felt like I was being possessed."

My words sounded so silly and naive as they fumbled out of my mouth, so I assumed that Sheik was going to laugh and mock me some more. Her eyes unscrunched from smiling and she furrowed her brow as she became oddly serious again.

"You felt like you were being possessed?" She asked.

I nodded slowly, realizing how embarrassing this was. "Uh, yeah. Maybe I was just being a stupid teenager. Now that I think about it, that's probably what it was! Glad we cracked that case! Moving on! How was your day?"

"Stop! Link! I'm being serious right now!" Sheik said threateningly.

"I never would have guessed that," I added sarcastically.

"Shut up!" she barked. "Did you really feel like you were being possessed?"

"Well it felt like it, but that's not-"

"How would you describe it?"

"It was kind of like...some powerful force from an external being."

Sheik didn't respond to this. I thought maybe I said something too dumb and she realized I was just a stupid teenager. She remained frozen as an eerie silence echoed throughout the surprisingly-springy-for-winter-time meadow. Suddenly, the bushes rattled behind us and both of our attentions were immediately turned to it. I looked back at Sheik, whose eyebrows were not furrowed anymore, but raised up in worry. The bushes that had rattled earlier were not found along the path that I took to get here. Someone or something was waiting in there for us.

"Don't worry Link. I've got you covered." Sheik's hands glowed a yellowish light as she held it out before her. She looked like she was going to blast it or something before I stopped her.

"What if it's just an animal!" I shouted. Her expression and body relaxed, but her hand remained stiff.

"Well I guess, I'll, uh, go-" she inched forward and I noticed something I didn't pick up on before. Fear. She was afraid of me being possessed. She was afraid by this powerful thing I mentioned earlier. And she was afraid of whatever was hiding behind the bush. I wouldn't have thought she would have been afraid of anything because she was always so brave. I mean, she's a superhero for crying out loud! But it occurred to me that maybe she had never been in any "superhero fights" like in the movies. Maybe she was just a normal person with a strange, yet wonderful gift, and she just wanted to put it to use.

She tried to act very calm and collected, but her body language told me otherwise. I decided to be a man and impress her by walking up to the bush myself. It probably was just an animal. If we weren't just having a scary conversation a second ago, we would have just ignored it. Right?

I marched over to the bush and when I looked behind it I saw something I was not expecting. A young teenage Zora girl. And I screamed like a young teenage Zora girl. Why was she watching us from the bushes?

Sheik rushed to my side, putting her fears aside. "What's wrong?" She stepped closer and when she saw the Zora girl, she assumed a hard look on her face. "Ruto?"

"You know her?" I asked Sheik.

"I wish I didn't," Sheik sighed.

"That was very rude of you to say!" Ruto burst in. "She is very glad that she knows me! She's lying about wishing she didn't!"

"I wish that were true," Sheik added.

Ruto glared some pretty sharp daggers at Sheik, but Sheik countered with daggers of her own. And I mean real, actual, physical daggers. She had whipped some out of a pocket or something.

"Why are you here?" Sheik asked through gritted teeth. The dagger was pointed in Ruto's direction at this point.

"Well Impa said to-"

"I don't care! You're always too noisy for your own good!" Sheik lowered her dagger and let out a deep sigh. Ruto hugged her and I wondered how that relationship worked. One minute daggers, the next it's all hugs. I awkwardly cleared my throat as the situation unfolded. Both girls' attention went back to me.

"Who's he?" Ruto asked very bubbly.

"His name is Link. He's just-"

"A friend? Okay! That means he can be mine!" Ruto piped up. I was getting very confused and not following anything that was happening. "He's cute! I have to say, staring at your backside this whole time was quite a pleasure, but it's your face that makes it all worth it!"

"RUTO!" Sheik exclaimed. She turned towards me and said. "Sorry, she isn't really around boys much."

"It's fine," I awkwardly stated. "What exactly is the relationship here?"

"Ruto is a part of the, uh, organization I'm in," Sheik explained.

"The Tr-"

"Yes! That one!" she cut me off.

Ruto stepped closer to me. "Can we keep him? Please? He has a really pretty face and I'm sure Impa wouldn't mind!" I wasn't sure whether or not to be offended. It was a compliment, I think, but being called pretty isn't exactly the most manly thing on the planet.

"I think Impa would mind, actually," Sheik replied.

Ruto got even closer and started petting my hair. "It's very nice! Soft! Like a puppy!" I pushed her off of me. "What are your digits, mister?"

I stared at her blankly until I realized she wanted my number. "D-digits?"

"Aw! Stuttering little boy! Cute!" Ruto said this as if she were talking to a puppy. Was it because of my hair? "I want your number silly!"

"Are you even old enough to be on your own?" I asked without realizing I was unintentionally being rude. Her eyes started to tear up.

"Sheik! He's mean! I don't like him anymore!"

Sheik embraced this strange Zora girl in her arms and gave me a dirty look. Even through that mask her point was made. She's sensitive. Don't be stupid. It's not my fault her emotions were off the charts.

"She's acting like she's in preschool still!" I hissed at her.

"She's just nervous and full of hormones probably! She doesn't get out much!" Sheik hissed back.

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, I never would have guessed that!" My words were sharp and sarcastic and I fully realized the jerk I was being. First Pipit, then Ruto, and now Sheik. Usually I had a problem with not being able to talk, yet today I was doing it way too much.

Ruto pulled out of Sheik's embrace and wiped her eyes. She had really pretty eyes, I will give her that. Even when she was crying! She looked at me and scrunched her brows as if she was trying to remember something. "What did you sat your name was again?"

"Uh, Link. Sheik actually said it though..." I trailed off.

"Sounds familiar actually. I think I have seen your face before too. Excuse my behavior earlier. I'm usually more controlled than that, but aren't you-"

"That guy that I was talking about?" Sheik interrupted. "Why yes! Yes he is!"

Ruto gave Sheik a funny look. "You never mentioned any guys to me before. Trust me, I know. Any time I bring up guys you're all like, 'Sorry I don't have time for guys. Blah, blah, blah! Not even celebrities!'"

"No! This one I definitely told you about!" Sheik countered through gritted teeth. Even I could take a hint that she wanted Ruto to cover for her and say that they did talk about me, even though they obviously didn't. Why? I don't know. "Link is-"

"Just the guy we've been looking for," a different voice said from somewhere above us. Just then a Gerudo-looking woman plopped down from the trees above us. And she was a fine-looking Gerudo too.

"Another one?" I asked. "Who are you?"

"Name's Nabooru. I'm too old for you kid, so don't even try it. Anyway, I was sent here by Impa along with Ruto to go on a little espionage quest." The way she formed her words was very seductive-like, yet I felt like she was saving some sarcastic remark for somebody. I kinda liked it.

"Impa sent you to spy on me?" She asked obviously annoyed.

"Yes. And remember how we were looking for that other member of our team? I think you've found him! This makes things much easier for us," Nabooru explained.

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked the same time Sheik said, "We were supposed to wait on that."

"How would you like to come with us? Join our team!" Nabooru extended an offer. It was all happening so quickly. My head was spinning. Heart racing. Hands shaking. I had no idea where they wanted to take me or what this was all about, but I knew one thing.

I tried to back away from them. "I can't go with you." I needed to get back to my car and find Pipit before something went horribly wrong on his side of things. There was a lot of apologizing and explaining myself that needed to be done, and I may as well start now.

Nabooru tried to stop me. "Don't leave! We haven't had a chance thoroughly explain ourselves!"

I heard Sheik mutter something along the lines of, "That's not what I was first given." She then blurted, "Link felt like he was being possessed!"

"When?" Nabooru questioned, stepping closer toward me. I stepped back, feeling really nervous.

"Well, I, uh..." I fumbled for words and stumbled for thoughts. How could I say this without sounding insane? "I kicked my best friend out of my car when we were driving. I didn't do it though! Well, I did, but I didn't mean to! It just sort of happened. It felt like some sort of powerful external force was making me do it."

Ruto spoke for the first time in a while. "Powerful external force? Well at least he didn't make you die."

"He?" I questioned. "How do you know it's a guy? In fact, how do you know I'm not just making this all up?"

Nabooru sighed. "Because before I was taken in, I felt the force of the Great Powerful One myself too. He is very real and he is after us. You're special, and that's why he's after you too. We need to bring you in before it becomes too late."

I still didn't know where they were bringing me in to. This whole thing sounded oddly sketchy, and I wasn't sure what to think of Sheik anymore if she was involved in this. "I need to get back. It's important that I-"

"Can I knock him out?" Ruto asked. "I can go find a stick!"

"Get a large branch," Nabooru called after her as she ran off. "They tend to work better!"

Knock me out...?

My feet instinctively started making me run away from these strange people. I didn't know what was happening, but not much good seemed to be coming out of it. As I was running, trying to find my way back to my car, I noticed all three girls shouting and gesturing at each other. They seemed upset, maybe because I was leaving, but didn't do anything about it. I unlocked my car and started the engine as fast as I could.

Texting and driving isn't great, but I was talking on the phone and driving, which...still wasn't all that great. But it was important that I got a hold of Pipit! He hadn't texted me or called me since I had abandoned him, so either he was still really mad or something had happened. Thankfully he answered his phone when I called.

"What?" He rudely asked as he picked up.

"I'm sorry. I have a lot of explaining to do. My behavior was unacceptable. I-"

"Enough of the chit chat! Just come pick me up! I'm at the Walmart off of Pumpkin Road."

"Okay. I know where that is so-"

"Get here fast. Bye." Click.

Ouch. He was really mad, but I don't blame him. The poor kid did not deserve what I did to him. He couldn't drive, and I had been such a jerk! But like I tried so awfully to explain before, it didn't feel like I was doing it.

The Great Powerful One. Sheik had shown me her powers, which was incredible. I believe that. But some evil being that possesses people? I don't know... Sheik's strange friends belonged to that organization with her. The superhero one. Why were they so adamant about taking me there though? If it really was a superhero business thing, I did not belong. I am just an ordinary human being with no interests of joining they're clique.

Then why did you want to get to know Sheik so badly? Was it really just so you can try and talk to someone?

I really hated having a conscious sometimes. It always brought up good points and rhetorical questions such as Exhibit A, shown above. So maybe it started out as me wanting to get over my fear. So maybe I did find it really intriguing that she had powers. So maybe I did kind of want to be a superhero too. So maybe I did have I tiny little crush on her. These are no reasons to join a group of people who were trying to knock me out for crying out loud!

I took in a deep breath and let it out. I was probably not going to meet Sheik again. Mrs. Sky was probably going to take away my car privlages except for mandatory usage, such as school. But after today, did I really want to face her again? Her buddies back there were pretty determined to take me with them, and I am starting to feel like maybe I had the wrong impression of Sheik all along. We really don't know a whole lot about each other, and she could very easily be involved with some sketchy activities. It really is starting to feel like that.

Then again she could be a really good person who was trying to make the world a better place. Maybe she just had some lunatic friends. Don't we all have them? Wait, that's right. My conversation with Pipit rang in my ears again.

"You don't have any friends...I bet you're completely lying about talking to Sheik and if you aren't, the only reason she would hang out with you is because she feels sorry for you!"

I was going back and forth between guilt tripping myself and feeling sorry for myself. I sighed and looked at the temperature that was being measured by my car thermometer. It was dropping from the nice 60 degree "springy" feeling to the lower 50s. It was nice to have a break from all the snow we have gotten recently, but at the rate it's going now, it'll be back soon.

The Walmart that Pipit was stranded at was coming up quickly, and I did not want to miss that turn. This was going to be one long ride home.

Not quite as humorous as some of the other chapters I've written! And I know most of you are probably like, "Wow what a jerk," but I swear this is more important than it seems! ;) Also, I'm dropping the SRQs and only doing PQs because I like talking to you guys about your lives! And I'll be answering it too, so you can learn useless things about me as well XD So feel free to still review the actual chapter, but answer my PQ too if you want! :D

PQ: What is your favorite franchise (whether it's movies, games, books, etc.) EVER?!

My answer: Honestly, I really like The Legend of Zelda, for games, but in books I'd have to say the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus series and The Hunger Games. And also, just in general, I LOVE Marvel! :D