Chapter 12

GETTING SITUATED

Fakir got everyone to their respected rooms which they chose randomly and ended up helping Duck to her room. Oh, joy, he has to make sure she didn't get lost as she made her way to the only room that wasn't already occupied.

He leaned against the doorway as Duck walked in and looked around, her mouth hanging open in awe.

"Wow. This place is amazing," she whispered.

"It's a dump. These buildings suck," Fakir muttered, his arms crossed.

"I think it's amazing," she said.

"You would."

"Ooh! It even has a window! A real window," Duck said and looked out. She gasped and stepped back saying, "We're really high up."

"This is only the second level. How is that high?" Fakir asked.

"Fakir, I grew up in a circus all my life. I've never seen these things before. How do you keep forgetting that?" Duck asked, looking at him angelically.

"I don't know," he grumbled. "Do you think you can find your way back to the shop by yourself or will you get lost?"

"Get lost? I don't get lost…do I?" she asked. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I'm going to go change into something less stupid and I'm not going to be coming back to make sure you didn't accidentally lock yourself in a closet or something," he said. "If you do then…call for Rue or something. I've got things I need to do."

He began to leave when Duck said, "Fakir, do you really think a bunch of kids can stop the Raven?"

He turned slightly and sighed.

"I sure as hell hope so," he said and his eyes softened as he looked at her. "You don't need to worry about it Duck. I'm sure everything will work out okay in the end."

"I hope so. I don't want anything to happen to you…" she paused for a second then added, "or the others. You're all I have and all I need."

He blinked quickly. Where did that come from? He had never heard her say something so…so…intense and heartbreaking before. It took him quite by surprise and he couldn't really think of a response.

"Well, that's very…nice, Duck," he said and turned away. "You should get back to the shop soon. You and the others will need to get some other clothes so you aren't so conspicuous. And…"

"Yes?" she asked. The look he seemed to give her made her think he was going to say something else but he just turned his head again.

"Just don't get lost," he said and walked down the hall, leaving her alone.

She stood there silently for a few seconds then called, "Okay! I won't."

She didn't hear any response but she knew he heard her and she grinned a bit. He tried to be mean to her but it never actually happened. He was definitely getting a bit more of kind streak, however still small, and it showed when he spoke to her. She went over to the window and opened it. She kneeled on the window seat and stared at the street and other buildings that could be seen. It was a very bleak place that had very little joy in it but she didn't seem to see it. All she could see was the freedom from the circus and it made her happy. She was so content that she started to sing her little song again.

"I'm alone in the universe. So alone in the universe. My own planets and stars are glowing. No one notices anything, not one person is listening. They don't have any way of knowing…la la la la," she sighed.

The song seemed so sad and yet she felt so happy when she sang it. It seemed like the parts she didn't know were what made it seem so much nicer and she just wished that she knew the rest. What she didn't know was that she already knew it, all she needed was to remember it and that even as she sat there, her memory of the song was making its way into her head.

She sat there for a few more minutes before realizing that she should get back to the shop. She tried to get up too fast and she tripped over her own feet, making her fall to the floor with a loud thud.

"Quack," she said in pain.

She was struggling to a sitting position when Fakir suddenly appeared in the doorway. He had changed from his all black outfit from the circus and now wore a pair of dark brown pants, a similarly colored vest thing over a white long-sleeved shirt and he had a belt with a sword holster wrapped around his waist. He definitely looked very different to Duck and it took her a second to realize who it was.

"What did you do now, moron?" he asked.

"I fell. I was going to go to the shop when I tripped," she said and rubbed her forehead where she banged it on the floor. "It was an accident."

"Just as bad as getting lost," he said and helped her up. "Anyway, since I'm here let's get back with the others. You're going to go and get some clothes so you don't look so…abnormal."

"Aren't you coming with us?" Duck asked.

"No. I've got to stay here and help Altor with some stuff. I'm not that great when it comes to inventions but I'm good at tinkering so…that's what I'm going to do," he said as they walked to the hall. "Yeah, tinkering."

"I think you're good at that stuff," Duck said and pulled out the small bird he'd made. "I still have this that you gave me. I think it's really cute."

"That makes one of us," he mumbled.

"Why do you always put yourself down? You're really good at stuff but you always say it's really bad and stuff," she said, looking at him questioningly. "I don't understand how you can be so…"

"Lame?"

"No, I was going to say negative. It's like you don't think there's any hope and it just makes you see everything in black and white," she said. "I know you'd be much happier if you saw all the colors that are there to be seen."

He looked at her from the corner of his eye. There she went again, going off with something smart and making it sound sensible. How did she do that? He couldn't help but be obviously baffled by her yet again and he was unable to give her a response.

There was an awkward silence between them as she waited for him to say something but it appeared he was going to keep his thoughts to himself…once again. She was very grateful when they reached the shop and the others.

"Well, there you are Duck," Rue said turning around. "We've been waiting for you for a while now. Come on, we're going to get some clothes."

She reached her hand out for the bird-girl to take and Duck rushed over and took it happily. They were about to go out the door when Fakir stopped them.

"Hold on Duck. Put the cloak on again. You need to keep your back hidden until you get something that will do that for you," he said, handing her the black cloth. "You don't want to get picked on again do you?"

"Oh, no. Thank you Fakir," she said with a grin. "We'll be back soon."

"Take your time. Don't hurry back," he said and Duck could see in his eyes that he was joking even though his face looked very serious. She only grinned again and waved as they left the building. Fakir waited for them all to leave, including Mytho, before turning around and nearly bumping into Altor. "Dude, don't do that. I could have run into you, you moron."

"Well, aren't we a grump? What's up with you Fakir? You don't seem like yourself recently, did something happen?" Altor asked.

"Other than a month trapped in a circus with an insane magician holding your life in the palm of his hand?" Fakir asked as he pushed past his brother. "Nothing happened."

"Obviously something happened, you're way too angry. I know it's been barely an hour since you came back but I notice things really fast and that is why I'm older than you," Altor said smugly.

"Uh, no, that's because you were born before me," Fakir said.

"Well, yeah. That's true but seriously, what's the problem? You know you can tell me anything, I'm your brother for heaven's sake," Altor said.

"My brother. I don't think I need to tell you anything because frankly…I'm not sure if I actually want you to get caught up in the crap that I'm running from," Fakir said as he entered the assembly room below the shop. "It's too much for even me."

"Fakir, you don't need to fight this battle by yourself. Look at you. You've got a group of people that are running from the same thing and want to help you but you still hide your troubles from them. Why?" Altor said and grabbed Fakir by the shoulders. "You can't keep blaming yourself for what happened in the past. It's not your fault."

"Shut up!" Fakir said and ripped himself from his brother's grasp. "Don't ever mention that to me again. I don't need to hear it."

"Yes you do!" Altor shouted, grabbing Fakir and pushing him against the wall. "When will you forget about it? You were eight years old. There was nothing you could have done except what you did. You need to stop blaming yourself!"

"I'm not bl…"

"Yes you are! You've been blaming yourself for everything ever since then and it shows that even now you are blaming yourself for what has happened to you and those other people," Altor said roughly. "But it seems you're blaming yourself for happened to that Duck girl even more."

"I am not."

"You are, now wake up and smell the coffee," Altor said and loosened his grip. "If she is so special to you then maybe you should stop being such a jerk. You're probably the reason she's so scared."

"I already told you it was because of Drosselmeyer," Fakir said and ripped Altor's hands from his shirt. "He took her courage."

"Yeah, well you aren't helping her get it back, that's for sure," Altor said and began to walk away. "You need to stop being so angry, if you can somehow pull that off you can bet the world would look a lot different."

Fakir stood there silently thinking. He wasn't glaring, he wasn't mad and he wasn't trying to make up an excuse. He actually was silent because he realized he Altor was right. Even Duck was able to see that he was angry all the time and he realized that he needed to tell his brother something very important but at the same time embarrassing.

"Altor, I have something to tell you," he said softly.

"Yeah, what?" he said, stopping on the stairs to look back.

"It's about what was taken from me and it might be a reason I'm…the way I am," Fakir said, his eyes downcast.

"What is it?"

"I…I can't smile or laugh," Fakir said very softly.

"What?"

"Drosselmeyer took my ability to be happy," Fakir said and looked up. "I can't be happy, at least I can't show it."

Okay, so I know that the thing taken from Fakir is pretty lame but come on...don't we all wish we could have heard Fakir laugh at least once in the show? I know that was something I wanted to hear.

Anyway, I sure hope this story is enjoyable enough to read because soon it'll get even more exciting...I hope.

I really hope you guys like it so far and thank you to all who have been sticking with me through all of this. Just a heads up, I'm nowhere near done. :D Tee hee.