"Can someone please tell me why we're up before the sun?" Zelos whined as he was dragged out of his room by Anna, who didn't look any more pleased to be awake than he was.
"There's a large snowstorm coming in later this morning." Kratos answered, as he slipped the spare key the owner of the Inn had given him into his son's room door to wake him up. "I want to be clear of Flanoir before it hits."
"But it's gonna take three days to walk to the dock." Zelos said, "We'll get caught in it either way."
"I found us transportation to the docks. We'll be there by the end of the day." Kratos said, entering Lloyd's room.
Zelos's eyes widened, "Wait, does that mean we don't have to walk in the snow?" he grinned.
Sheena smacked him, "You'll wake up the entire Inn!"
"Sorry." Zelos mumbled.
"They've got food set out for us downstairs." Anna said, yawning, "Go eat up, we're leaving as soon as we can get Lloyd out of bed."
Sheena and Zelos nodded, heading down the stairs together. Sure enough, there was food laid out, though the people that had made it were nowhere to be seen (likely fast asleep. Zelos didn't blame them.)
Sheena plopped down at the table, yawning, "I hope whatever this transportation is, it doesn't involve us doing anything."
Zelos laughed, "Well, it can't have wheels." He said, "It'd get stuck in the snow."
Sheena absentmindedly played with her fork, deep in thought, "Sled dogs, maybe?"
"Is there a sled big enough to hold all of us?" Zelos asked.
Sheena glared at him, fork in her mouth, "Stop shooting all my ideas down."
Zelos laughed.
"Maybe they attached a huge sled to Noishe, or something." Sheena shrugged.
Zelos just rolled his eyes, "And now you're thinking too hard."
"Well, whatever it is, if I have a warm blanket and I don't have to walk, I'm not going to complain." Sheena shrugged.
"I second that." Zelos laughed.
There was a sudden crash from upstairs and both Tethe'allans turned to the stairs, only slightly startled.
"Anna just got Lloyd up." Sheena laughed.
"Poor kid." Zelos shrugged.
XXXX
Less than an hour later (and still long before the sun made its way over the mountains in the distance) the group had picked up the doctor, and were on their way to the docks.
"I thought you said you had transportation for us." Zelos said, shivering.
"We're meeting them a little ways out of the city." Kratos said, "It's going to be a bit of a tight fit, but it'll be faster."
"Oh no, he DID get a sled and attach it to Noishe." Sheena sighed.
"What?" Kratos glanced back.
Sheena flushed, "Nothing!"
Kratos raised an eyebrow, but continued to walk, as Sheena fell silent. Anna giggled.
They met their transportation just a little ways further. It was a caravan, similar to those seen all the time on the mainland of Tethe'alla, except that instead of having wheels, it had skis, so that it could move quickly and efficiently across the snow. It was powered by magitechnology, so there were no animals in sight to pull it across the snow.
"Climb in." Kratos said, pulling the hatch on the back open. The kids scrambled into the back, Anna and the doctor right behind them, and Kratos shut it, walking around to the front, where the driver was already sitting.
Moments later, they were off, sailing across the snow at speeds they'd never have been able to achieve on their own.
XXXX
True to Kratos's word, they made it to the dock before the sun set. They hadn't run into the storm, but if the ominous clouds in the distance meant anything, the storm was currently hitting Flanoir. The ferry to the Meltokio shore was less crowded than when Anna, Zelos, Sheena, and Genis had taken it the first time.
Sheena managed to steal her science book back from Anna while the older woman was distracted by the fact that they were FINALLY out of Flanoir. (Sheena had never seen anyone hate a continent that much, but seeing as Kvar was there, she supposed she couldn't blame her.) She settled herself inside of the ship, curled up under a blanket with the book, flipping through the pages.
She was so engrossed in the book that when Lloyd sat down next to her, she jumped and almost smacked him with it.
"Hey!" Lloyd put his hands up, laughing.
Sheena put a hand on her heart, trying to stop it from pounding, "Lloyd!"
"All I did was sit down." Lloyd laughed, "I didn't think you would freak out."
Sheena swatted at him, as Lloyd continued to laugh.
When they'd both calmed down, Lloyd spoke up again, "So, whatcha reading?" he asked, glancing at the title.
"It's a book on anthropology that Kaley suggested." Sheena said, "Your mom stole it from me when we left Sybak."
Lloyd chuckled, "Yeah, that sounds like mom." He shook his head.
"She was just trying to keep everyone's spirits up." Sheena said.
"Yeah." Lloyd frowned, "I know."
Sheena frowned as well, falling silent. Finally, after a few minutes of just sitting there, she spoke, "Lloyd."
Lloyd glanced at her.
"Do you think we'll be able to save Colette?" she asked.
Lloyd sighed, averting his eyes, "I hope so." He said, "But I don't know."
Sheena sighed as well, marking her page in her book and shutting it. "I hope so too. As soon as Raine's healed, we need to come up with a plan."
"Yeah." Lloyd said, "But I guess there's no point dwelling on it until we get there."
Sheena nodded, but the mood didn't lighten at all.
XXXX
The ship docked at the Meltokio pier two days later. The pier was really just an extension of the Bridge of the Spirits made to accommodate ships. The group had tried to rest on the ship, but with the ice storm catching up to them a few hours into the trip, it had been almost impossible. They had made record time getting from Flanoir to Meltokio in the winter, though: one week instead of two.
"Hey, Zelos?" Sheena glanced at her friend, who was hanging towards the back of the group as they followed the path to Meltokio.
"Yeah?" Zelos asked.
"Doesn't Mylene live around here?"
Zelos stiffened, "Yeah, I think so."
"Who's Mylene?" Genis asked, glancing up at Zelos and Sheena.
"She's my mother." Zelos said, "My birth mother, I mean."
"Oh!" Genis said.
"Do you want to go see her?" Anna asked, "You can always catch up with us later…"
"No." Zelos said, "I don't really wanna go anywhere near her." He shrugged.
Genis frowned, "But she's your mother."
"Kaley's my mother." Zelos said, "Mylene's just the woman who gave me hell when she still lived in the city."
He fell silent after that, refusing to explain any further.
Genis glanced at Sheena, starting to ask her, but Sheena just shook her head, "Zelos will tell you guys eventually." She said, "Just give him some time."
Genis nodded, "Okay."
"Thanks." Zelos said.
Anna, seeing an opening, suddenly shouted, "Ooh, bunnies!"
Kratos sighed, rubbing the side of his head as his wife chased after the brown and white rabbits a few feet in front of them. It wasn't the most orthodox method, but it had done as intended—the awkward air from when Mylene had been brought up was gone, replaced with more happiness than the group had felt in several weeks.
Oh, group-who-needs-a-better-name. Don't get too comfortable.
I wrote half this chapter before I posted the last one, and the other half today and the day before yesterday. Oh well, I got it done.
Not much happened this chapter, but I was barely able to make THIS happen. The action starts again next chapter, as we see the departure of two characters and a little more about Zelos's past. Plus Kaley, Collin, and Amia again! :D Maybe this'll make me work on Fortune's Fate a little.
Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed! See you on the 15th. :D Promise.
(But that'll be the last weekly update, 'cause I go back to school after that.)