04/19/2012
Next Chapter. Edmund and Ada meet back up with Oz and the others. And of course the famous drinking scene!
Ada stood perfectly still, her hands playing with a few strands of her hair as she stared at the ground. Alex stood beside her with arms delicately crossed, her foot tapping impatiently on the ground.
Edmund leaned back on the wall behind him with an amused expression. After his farewell to Alex yesterday he had made his way back to Pandora. Of course, he had gone to finally visit the spirits and memories at the Vessalius Manor. It was a good thing he had as well. It had brought back some answers he was looking for. Jack hadn't been around in his early childhood, and Edmund's mother had been too weak to have another child herself. There were few options because of this fact, and it answered why father and Sebastian had been so distant to Jack. Jack and he were close in age as well. It was quite easy to put the pieces together…
While he didn't have the memories, he knew how he would have treated a child born to a Mistress the same as how he knew others would have treated Jack. It answered why he and Jack had been so close, Jack adored him and he was protective of the other. He had at least figured out that Jack had appeared in the family around the time he had become ill. It was most likely not a coincidence that the old man 'found' his bastard son when Edmund started getting so ill. Edmund was quite sure that Jack was supposed to take over his place when he died.
However, since Harry had given up his world for Edmund to survive… The old man couldn't suddenly disown Jack after owning him, and Edmund had become protective of him so he couldn't disappear. And he was now certain that their old man had been the one to claim that Jack was the cause for Edmund's illness, it was probably a way to guilt the other into taking his responsibilities. Two years later was his party, where he met Alex. And that was when Jack ran into the black haired Glen…That is when the memories started becoming…questionable…
Regardless, he found that he was content with the answers he had for now. While he disliked not knowing what was going on, he knew it was useless. He couldn't hate Jack or Glen. Jack was his brother and Glen was Alex's. He was curious about Lacie and how Jack was involved with her. However, it wasn't a big problem for him. No, all he wanted was for Alyss to smile and be happy again.
So he had come back to Pandora, happy that one question was answered. He had been summoned because Oscar had brought back an illegal contractor. He had known Alex would be the Chain involved. However, knowing and seeing her standing before the members of Pandora was something different. He was thankful that the brat and Alice hadn't been brought in.
So far nothing had happened. Ada had been asked if she formed an Illegal Contract with a Chain, and she had admitted it freely. The girl had no guilt or shame; however she did seem worried about her uncle's reaction. Oscar in this case had been oddly silent. It was probably because of this that everything was silent. The Dukes looked thoughtful as they stared between Ada, and the one that had come with her. They were probably remembering the similar situation between them and when Edmund and Grim had come. Alex seemed mostly bored and annoyed that Ada was so fidgety. However, he knew she wouldn't speak up first.
Edmund snorted at the situation finally pushing himself from the wall and walking toward the table. "You can stop scowling at them Alex, you making them uncomfortable…" He said playfully with a bright smile toward the other.
Alex's eyes shifted to him before she snorted inelegantly. My, my being in the human realm seems to have reverted her back to the tomboy she had been when she was younger. "They deserve to be uncomfortable. Waking my Ada at this ungodly hour just to stare at her in disappointment. Illegal Contractors can only be arrested if their Chains have killed or consumed humans. Since I have done neither there is literally nothing they can do about the situation." She stated blankly.
"Are you saying you have never killed or consumed a human?" One of the Dukes demanded. Glancing over Edmund knew it to be the Nightray Duke.
A slow smirk spread across Alex's face, blood colored eyes glinting in the low light. "Why…I never claimed to be innocent of the acts… Merely that I have not committed either since being contracted to my Ada." She said slyly. "Do be precise if you must question me…"
"So you admit you are a Chain?" Duchess Rainsworth questioned.
Alex sighed with an expression one would wear when suffering a headache. "Why yes, I would think that was clear when I answered you're early accusations at my Ada…" She said with a slight slump of her shoulders. "You could ask your questions more clearly, again…"
The words brought a feel of annoyance or outrage back to the group, the Duke's and high members of Pandora stood or sitting at the stupid table. Edmund could see Liam's thoughtful expression, and wondered how Break had skipped out on this meeting. Oscar was the one that finally broke the mutterings.
"And how do you know this Chain, Edmund? Did you know her in the Abyss." He questioned his eyes flashing in an almost knowing way.
Edmund cursed mentally as the attention was shifted to him. He wasn't on trial this time, damn it! Why was it every meeting ended with him under fire? A bright smile crossed his face despite his thoughts. "Of course, she's my Alex of course." He stated simply, happily.
Oscar was the only one that made the connection right away. His eyes wide as he slowly turned his head back to the smirking girl in front of him. "Alex…" He muttered, causing a silence to fill the room. "And by your Alex, I am sure you mean to say she is Scarlett Baskerville, younger sister of Glen?" He questioned. And suddenly the silence was alive as the Duke's finally made the connection to the words Edmund had spoken years ago.
"Hmmm, seeing as she's a Chain she's no longer the human Scarlett Baskerville. But yes, she still claims herself as Glen's younger sister." Edmund said in an amused tone and a snicker as he shrugged his shoulders.
"And what's wrong with being Aniki-Sama's sibling?" Alex demanded with a hiss similar to a cat. "Don't say Aniki-Sama's name as if it were a curse."
Edmund grinned. "In case you're too slow. Aniki-Sama is the name she called Glen." He stated with a finger pointing up like a teacher explaining to rowdy children.
Alex was left to twitch violently at the sudden commotion her dear friend had created. Ada whimpered and was able to slip away into the shadows, where Edmund took his place at her side. Edmund snickered at the annoyance his friend was showing, reaching up he pet the girls hair helping her relax. "Think of it this way. Now no one will care that you're an Illegal Contractor." He claimed brightly.
Oscar watched thoughtfully as his niece slipped from the room, with Edmund's help of course. He was grateful toward the other. While he might have sold out his friend, he had helped Ada escape from teh attention she had been receiving. He himself wold talk to her later. However, he couldn't find himself to be angry with her. He had known Ada had been desperate to get Oz back. Going so far to call a Chain hadn't crossed his mind, but it really should have.
He eyes trailed back to this Alex. He could in the relaxing of her shoulders that she was also pleased his niece had escaped. He had a feeling that she normally didn't take being Glen's sister so seriously or defensively. It had probably all been an act to get Ada from the limelight. And what a plot it was. To think that they had the younger sister of Glen here before them. Not to take into account that she was a Chain with a human form and memories of her human life, something that was unheard of. Even Edmund had admitted that Chains lost their memories when they were broken. So how had this Alex retained hers?
"Do you remember you're human life?" He questioned. He knew he had caught the other's attention again, but it was a thought that wouldn't leave him.
Alex blinked slowly. Her personality suddenly switching to a rather lazy elegance. She still stood perfectly poised and yet their was still a slump to her form somehow. "Mostly..." She muttered slowly.
"What do you mean mostly?" Duke Nightray once more demanded.
Alex seemed to be moving her jaw, and it took a moment to realize she was chewing on her tongue. Something that Oscar had seen Vincent do. She suddenly paused, eyes looking rather dull compared to the flashing brilliance they had been.
"I do indeed remember my human life. However, my memories are not to be trusted." She stated bluntly.
"What do you mean your memories aren't to be trusted?" Duke Barma asked.
The girl paused looking at them as if she were studying them. It reminded Oscar that this girl wasn't in fact a girl or human. Not only was she the younger sister of Glen Baskerville, bu she was also a chain. She wasn't even human any longer despite her appearance. Something he also had to remember with that girl Alice.
Alex closed her eyes for a moment before she opened them once more. Confusion showing on her expression. "My memories... aren't mine..." She said thoughtfully and paused. "The majority are of course... I remember my life as Scarlett Baskerville. However, those memories...have been alter...tampered with."
Duchess Rainsworth sat up and looked to the girl. "Do you mean they were changed when you became a Chain?" She questioned.
Alex shook her head, black hair flying along. "No... My memories were messed with before I became a Chain. Before I entered the Abyss. However, it is not only me. Edmund's were messed with as well. It was some time after we found one another in the Abyss again. We had started thinking about how we came to be there and realized...our memories weren't matching up. Conversations we had were different to us. Events that happened. Memories of people we had. They weren't right. Mainly Jack and Glen. We could remember one another, but when it came to other people..." She muttered with a pause and expression of distaste crossing her face.
"Someone wanted me to forget Aniki-Sama. Forget who he truly was, someone wanted me to hate and blame him. But hate him for what? I'm not sure...and I can't remember... Who was Aniki-Sama... Aniki-Sama was Glen. But who was Glen? There was the Glen that was not Glen. The black Glen and the white Glen. But which one was Glen. Which one was Aniki-Sama, and which one was simply Glen?" The girls seemed to be talking more to herself now bringing confusion and concern to the group.
"Are you saying you do not remember who Glen is?" Duke Nightray asked with a sneer.
"No...I just don't know which Glen was Aniki-Sama..." She muttered dazedly.
"Which Glean... You speak as if there was more then one Glen..." Oscar said slowly, taking caution at the girls almost unstable reactions.
"Of course. There was white Glen, and Black Glen, and Glen who would be Glen. Glen was a title... So Glen was never truly Glen, only the one forced to become Glen." She stated almost trance like.
This however, brought a problem to the Duke's and Pandora. Glen was Glen, Glen was a title. Just what did that mean? Did that mean that there was no true Glen, but a title of the one who did something. Did that mean there was another Glen out there now? That there had been more Glen's hiding in teh past 100 hundred years planning revenge or how to complete the goals of the one 100 years ago.
"And Jack..." She muttered suddenly catching their attention. "Jack...is wrong. There is something wrong with Jack. Jack isn't who he was... Jack knew everything. Jack knew the secrets of the Baskerville's he knew everything about them. He didn't have a problem with them. He never tried to stop anything they did. Jack always spent time with black Glen and..." Alex suddenly blinked as she tilted her head. "The memories of Jack are as twisted as the memories of Glen. Someone painted a picture of how they wanted things to be and that became the truth that is known." The girl finished with a frown. "But Glen is still Aniki-Sama, and Jack is still Edmund's little brother." She said with a shrug.
It was confusing and made the members Pandora worry with suspicion. The girls was making it sound as if something had been covered up. As if some of the truth they knew was a lie or an illusion. Either way, it was not a good thing. Either she was trying to bring discord, or she was speaking the truth. Both where bad options.
"You said your memories weren't only your own. Do you have someone else's memories as well?" Duke Barma asked.
Alex blinked looking up. "Now I do. I have been gaining memories not my own, while searching for my real ones... Or more likely because I'm searching for my real ones..." She muttered.
Duke Nightray sighed in annoyance. "And what does that mean?" He demanded.
Alex looked up at him, eyes bright and sharp. "I mean I am gaining the memories of someone who was with me. Someone I was close to and that was important. And yet someone I do not know or remember. Someone who was erased from my memories completely, and most likely the reason they were tampered with." She stated.
Oscar leaned forward. Could this be it? He wondered if this person was the key to everything. "And do you know who this person was?" He questioned.
Alex blinked a smile crossing her face. "Onee-Sama..." She said fondly humming to a tune that seemed familiar to Oscar and Duke Barma, yet different all the same. "Onee-Sama, the one I was a replacement of. Onee-Sama was the same as me, a Child of Misfortune, and Onee-Sama was sacrificed. Drug back into the Abyss forevermore like all of us red eyes monsters are. Drug down, down, down, until nothing is real and nothing exists. Pain and torment for eternity as we are completely erased... Erased and forgotten as we return to that which we brought to the surface realm and away from the core..." Alex sang with wild eyes and a bright grin.
