I had to put some serious thought into what I wanted to happen and I don't want to make everyone wait for so long this time. Thanks to my reviewers again!
Azn-Rinny, Mishaay, Fabula et Dolum, MidnightXMusic, RebeccaSaysYay, and JagsRule5!
I'd also like to give a shout out to Biddy Bu who gave me a nice suggestion via PM. MidnightXMusic also gave me various ideas so I've been given a little glimmer of inspiration. Please continue to give a suggestion or two of what would help this story along. Always welcomed!
~Molly's POV~
"Angela, come in here and sit down! Are you hurt? What about Wizard?" I went to usher Angela into Chase's house but she pulled on my arms. The blood was still warm on her hands.
"Angela!" I tried to pull her in.
She shook her head and without saying a word she turned around and started to run down the path.
"Ange-"
"Come on!" Chase shouted, pulling me to follow Angela.
"Chase?"
"There's no time to ask her about this. Something's wrong, did you see that blood?" Chase explained. I nodded, slipped out of his grip and began running beside him. We followed Angela all the way into Harmonica Town. I saw Calvin, Luke, Kathy, Owen, Selena and Hayden all standing outside the bar, that gave me an uneasy feeling.
"Molly, Chase!" Kathy said, her voice slightly shaking. I noticed the bloody wound on Owen right arm.
"What happened!" Chase exclaimed.
"I-I-I don't k-know! Owen got hurt f-from saving dad! WIZARD! He was..." Kathy was too shaken to say anything and she leaned into Hayden's arms.
"Who else is in there?" Chase asked.
"Wizard...Colleen and Maya got out right before..." Selena said.
"I'll go get Jin!" Chase rushed off towards the clinic and Angela pulled me towards the bar door.
"WIZARD! WIZARD!" Was all she shouted.
"Wait! Don't go in!" Owen had urged us but Angela pushed through the bar door and I gazed in horror at the scene.
Chairs were flung every which way, tables were turned over, one of said tables were broken. Glass scattered the floor. I peered back into the kitchen to see drinks have been spilled. Chase's work area was in shambles.
And then...I saw Wizard. He was panting with sharp breaths in the corner, blood soaked through his purple robes and stained his white pants. Angela ran over to him.
"M-Molly..." She cried weakly. I had never seen her like this before.
I started over to them when I saw Angela's eyes widen at something behind me.
I wasn't stupid, if I turned around that would leave me no reaction time. I quickly dove for safety, landing by one of the over turned tables right as something behind me tried to stab me through with nightmarish looking spikes. I turned abruptly. My bruise on my right side was affected horribly and I groaned in pain.
"Damn! Stay still" The voice said, it sounded like a woman.
"Who are you?" I spat, looking around. There was nothing there.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" It laughed. The voice sounded like it was right where I had been standing not long ago...yet there was nobody there! More dark spikes appeared to try and stab me through and I dove behind the table this time. Unfortunately, not with a cut on my left leg now. One of the spikes had slashed through my jeans and scraped at my leg, the rest of the spikes fell to the ground after not hitting me. The cut didn't seem serious.
"Where are you?" Ignoring the pain my eyes scanned the room. I was too scared to really do anything.
"Fine...I guess I'll just have to take care of these two first." The voice cackled and I turned to see Angela bent down, trying to help Wizard to his feet.
Without thinking, I got up and limped towards them. Reluctantly, I placed a hand under Wizard's right shoulder.
"Wizard! Come on!" Wizard shook his head and placed my hand in Angela's.
"Tell me...where she is..." He panted out to me.
Angela was too focused on Wizard so I nodded my head and scanned the room. I immediately saw a shadowy figure, it barely had any color to it but I could make out the hair color just slightly.
"THERE!" I pointed and Wizard lifted his right hand. A burst of fire and light surrounded the shadowy form.
"ARRRRGH! DAMN YOU!" The form screamed out as the light bursted through it and the fires licked at it's existence.
It disappeared and as soon as it was gone, Wizard waved a hand over the room and the fire was gone along with the bright lights.
"What was that?" I whispered, letting go of Angela's hand so she could fret over Wizard once more.
"Luminite. It's a spell...I made...I couldn't...catch her in it...earlier...AH!" Wizard clutched his abdomen and Angela made a short squeal of concern.
"Wizard...why did you do that!" She cried.
"What? What did he do?" I asked, appalled at the thought that Angela did not want the shadow woman gone.
"He...I was actually the one who was hurt!" Angela cried.
"But...you're fine!"
"I am now! Wizard did a spell that made him take my injuries."
I turned to Wizard, shocked.
"You...you saved my sister?" I asked him, hesitantly.
He gave a small nod and panted heavily, clutching at his stomach and wincing at gritting his teeth at the pain. I helped Angela stand him up on his feet, my leg started to throb and I could feel the warm blood flowing through my leg but I continued to ignore it and we helped him out of the bar. Calvin and Chase were there as we exited. I could see Owen was already on his way to the clinic with Hayden, Kathy and Jin while Luke was escorting Selena back to the Inn.
"Dear Goddess! What happened in there?" Calvin exclaimed.
"I don't know...but whatever it was is gone now." I lied about the first part. It was obviously the bringer of the Rogue Sprite.
'Bullet four...they're coming faster' I thought, handing Wizard over to Calvin and Chase.
"We'll get him back to the clinic, you up for it Chase?"
"My head's the only thing that's hurt, the rest of my body is fine." Chase responded. Calvin gave a nod as they heaved Wizard up by his shoulders and legs and carried him up to the clinic.
"I'll take Angela home now..." Angela was still in a state of shock. She shook her head and wanted to go with Wizard.
"Right, of course Angel. You'll be safe at the clinic, thankfully. Please don't go home alone." I told her, but I don't think she was listening as she followed Chase and Calvin up to Choral Clinic.
I rubbed my temples from my tiredness and turned towards the bar. It was a complete mess. I stepped inside closed the entrance and opened a window, expecting a worried Finn to rush through at any second. Turning an over turned chair back up, I sat down and examined my leg. It was a little worse than I had expected.
"Where do they keep their first-aid kit again?"
"Molly!" Finn came dashing through the window just like I had thought and I opened my hands to let him land in them.
"I'm sorry Molly! You got hurt again and I couldn't help!" He cried.
"Calm down Finn. You can help! You think you can give me some official Harvest Sprite help here?" Finn puffed out his chest.
"You bet! What do I start with?" I laughed quietly.
"Start with helping me find a first-aid kit." He nodded and we searched the place all over. I checked Hayden's room and it was underneath his bed.
"Alright, Finn. Now help me patch myself up." I told him and he nodded in compliance.
"I can also do this!" He sprinkled something that looked like sparkles on my leg and the gash was healed up to look like a thick cut on my leg.
"I was able to make the wound a little less deep for you, Molly. Sorry, I can't do bruises yet."
"That's amazing Finn!" I shouted as I wrapped the cut up now.
"Not really...I'm not a real Harvest Sprite like Alan or Collin. I don't have an element, not even a bell..." Finn's face dropped. He always felt this way, especially after I rang a bell.
"Finn, you might not be a Harvest Sprite the way Alan, Ben, Collin, and Darren are. But you are one none the less. You lead me better than Alan, you give me more information than Ben, you make me laugh louder than Collin, and you're much more active than Darren. You help me in a way the others can't and although I'm thankful to them, you Finn, are the Harvest Sprite that matter's most to me! You're a healing sprite, that's what I'll classify you as! No other sprite can do what you do!" Finn started to choke up and tears ran down his face the way a child's tears would.
"Molly..." He started to cry.
"Y-You're the b-best f-friend e-e-ever!" He sniffed and he hugged my cheek.
"You too Finn." I told him as I gently patted his small back with my index finger.
"Now, help me get this place cleaned up! I don't want to have this little incident found out by the other villagers. That will make things a little more complicated."
"Right!" Finn exclaimed cheerfully.
X
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XxX 2 Hours later XxX
Finn and I were finally done picking up the bar. I had tended to picking the chairs and tables back up. Disposing of the broken table by setting it in Selena and Kathy's old room and sweeping up the glass. Finn worked wonders in the kitchen, he could use one skill weakly that allowed him to pick things up with magic for a short amount of time. He complained that the others could do it easily and it didn't wear them out but I only told him that he could heal so it didn't matter. Using this skill he picked up silverware and washed them, putting them away and then he wiped the counters off by dancing on the counter on top of a rag.
"Nice and clean~!" Finn sang and I laughed. Even after that horrible event, I felt strangely happy, like nothing could hurt me anymore.
"Molly, you look really happy! Are you okay?" Finn asked worriedly. I pondered on his question, smiled and turned to open the bar door, leaving the lights on for when Hayden came back. The night chill hit my face and the image of Chase worrying about me flashed by along with an image of Wizard, who had saved my sister.
"I'm better than okay Finn. I've just realized something that I was too blind to see before!" I leaned on the outside of the bar and looked up at the crescent moon in the sky.
"What's that?" Finn asked, now taking his seat on my shoulder.
"That all the men I'll ever meet are not automatically bad. I just happened to meet the wrong type of men first."
"I'm glad you finally realize that." Startled out of my conversation with Finn, I turned towards the oddly familiar voice.
Strawberry blonde locks were illuminated in the darkness, they covered the violet eyes I knew the person had due to the lack of hairpins. The top of their head looked like it had been re-wrapped. Chase walked towards me and I gave him a small smile as he leaned on the outside of the bar beside me.
"Who are you talking to? Finn?" He said and I nodded and held Finn in my hands so he wouldn't charge at Chase.
"Angela insisted on staying with Wizard for tonight. Jin agreed to keep an eye on her." I nodded again.
"So, you're fear of men, or should I say you're androphobia, is wearing off?" He said with a chuckle. But I took his question seriously.
"You could say that. If I keep taking little steps forward, then maybe it will go away. It depends on how well I progress...right?" I responded and he smiled. I looked back up and watched as the moon disappeared behind some clouds.
"I guess moving here has helped you quite a bit. Showing you that all men aren't like those guys you knew back in the city."
"Yeah. But you're the one who started it Chase. You were actually a lot like some of the guys back then. That's what scared me the most, but gradually I began to see that you weren't interested in hurting me at all. I started to let some of the guys in after I realized that. And even when you yelled at me I realized that you and those guys back then were completely different from one another."
I looked at him.
"You didn't try to hurt me, instead, you comforted me in my time of need. You even saved me. My gratitude to you just can't be expressed in simple words." Chase looked completely caught off guard.
"That was pretty sudden." He confessed, coughing into his hand shyly.
"I-I just...decided to tell you that." I sudden felt very self aware and lowered my head in embarrassment. I could feel my teeth inching forward, trying to grasp my lip.
"Wait..." He murmured and patted my cheek softly. My look became confused.
"Remember what I said?" He asked. I thought back to our previous conversations and remembered the one about my bad habit. I let my lip fall back to it's place and blushed. Finn complained in my hands, wiggling around wildly.
"Don't touch Molly you big dummy!" He shouted and I giggled at his protectiveness.
"Whoa there little guy! No harm done!" Chase directed towards Finn.
"He doesn't like little guy, call him Finn." I told him.
"Is that so? Sorry then Finn. Truce?" Chase held his pinkie finger out to Finn in a friendly manner. I noticed his hands were a lot huger than mine, of course it would be though, he was a guy.
I let Finn go and he stared at the pinkie, then glared at Chase and finally took the chef's pinkie in his hand.
"Truce..." He murmured.
I laughed.
"He says okay." I told Chase and he smiled.
"Good. No more bonks to my head now?"
"Sure, but the moment you make a wrong move I'm coming after you!" Finn's eyes gleamed with promise and I chuckled nervously.
"What'd he say?"
"Uh...um...he said no more bonks!" I wonder what would happen if they could actually talk to each other.
"C'mon. I'll walk both of you home." Finn floated back up to my shoulder and I fell into step beside Chase. He smelt like a juicy orange and I took the scent in without knowing it.
"You know..." I said as we crossed the bridge to the farmland.
"Oranges are now my comfort scent." I told Chase.
"Uh...haha you don't say?"
"Uh-huh...compliments of my favorite chef." He smirked and I saw a faint pink on his cheeks.
"Are you getting flustered, Chase?" I asked him.
I thought I heard him say something along the lines of "Yeah, sure" as he looked away.
"Of course not. Why would I be?" He laughed.
I shrugged my shoulders and walked on as we approached my house.
"Well, I guess because I complimented you right?"
Chase only replied with a "hmph" and turned his back, but then sighed in resignation.
"Yeah, I guess. Good night then." He started down the path.
"Goodnight." I called as Finn flitted through the door.
"And, Molly." Chase turned his head and looked at me.
"Just remember that...you can blush at more than compliments and embarrassment." And with that Chase left.
I let the words he said sink into my mind. Rolled them around in my thoughts for a while as I washed myself up and changed into my night clothes. I heard Finn rustling underneath the bed sheets and smiled. While thinking about what else made a person blush, another thought played across my mind.
The shadow woman's hair color. Her figure was vague and I couldn't even make out the tone of her skin. But her hair color stuck out like you wouldn't believe. It was a color that I knew very well, even if it was a different person.
With the darkness of the night and my eyes drooping from weariness, there was only one word I could think of at the moment that described the woman's hair color.
"Copper..."
~Angela's POV~
I sat by Wizard's bedside, my previous attire having been replaced by something new due to the fact that blood was all over it. It was pure luck that the outfit I had been wearing was red.
I looked down at Wizard's dark, yet pale, skin. His breath had been labored so Jin had supplied an air tank to help him breathe. I put my head in my hands, on the verge of tears.
"I can't believe you did this to yourself. I'm not important! Or rather, you should have cherished yourself a little more!" I said in an urgent tone, hoping that somehow my voice would reach him.
"You don't even understand what you've done, do you?" I whispered now.
"Men have always been trouble to my family, better off without them. I had to live with him while Molly found out a much harsher way...and yet, look what you're doing. Making me concerned for you...you can't even hear me." I laughed bitterly.
I looked up at his face. He didn't seem to be in pain anymore, he was sleeping with such a peaceful face.
"Who are you and why are you in my life?" I sighed hopelessly. Wizard was such a mystery, usually I wouldn't care.
'But he just seems...different...'
"I wonder...was this island a good idea for Molly and I? We just keep running into trouble everywhere! Even without this Rogue Sprite...would this place be alright for us? Though I can't imagine where else we would run to."
I felt pathetic, talking to someone who couldn't hear me. It was depressing really, I wish he would wake up and strike a conversation, let me know it was only a flesh wound and he could walk it off.
"We have to stop this thing before someone ends up dead."
I hope this doesn't seemed rushed but I wanted to get this out for you guys really soon so the cliffhanger wouldn't destroy you all! I hope this satisfied you guys for a while, I'll try to update quicker. Well there was various fluffy bits here, there was Finn and Molly fluff, Molly and Chase fluff, and the long awaited Wizard and Angela fluff.
~Continue to read and review! I'm so grateful to you guys who have stuck with the story thus far! Love you!~